Lafayette Meeks’ Grave

Gravestone of Lafayette Meeks

Although the armies had not passed through Appomattox County prior to the spring of 1865, the war deeply impacted the lives of the people of Appomattox Court House long before any musketry and cannon fire shattered the stillness of the quiet village. In 1861, Appomattox County raised four companies of soldiers to swell the ranks of the Confederate army. 18-year-old Lafayette Meeks, whose family owned the Meeks Store, enlisted in the 2^nd Virginia Cavalry in May of 1861, just days after Virginia declared its secession from the Union. Less than six months later, Meeks contracted typhoid fever and passed away. When Lafayette’s body was brought back to Appomattox Court House, his father Francis and mother Mariah buried him in this field near the family’s store, which also served as their home. The family continued to operate the store throughout the war, and Francis and Mariah were present when the war that claimed their son’s life came to their doorstep in the spring of 1865.