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![\"Hollywood](\"http:\/\/media-cdn.tripadvisor.com\/media\/photo-s\/01\/44\/01\/f5\/hollywood-cemetery.jpg\" "\\"Hollywood")
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Hollywood Cemetery<\/p>\n
James MacFarland emigrated from Scotland to Lunenburg County, Virginia where he had a son, William.\u00a0 William Hamilton MacFarland was born in February 1799 in Lunenburg County.\u00a0 He was educated at Hampden-Sydney College in 1815, William and Mary in 1816, and at the Litchfield Law School in 1818.\u00a0 William distinguished himself as the president of the Farmer\u2019s Bank of Virginia (1845-1865), as the secretary for The American Colonization Society, and as a member of the Provisional Congress of the Confederacy, and he even was a counsel for Jefferson Davis during his treason trial.\u00a0 People either loved or hated MacFarland.\u00a0 Judge George L. Christian described MacFarland as: \u201cthe curly-headed poodle from Richmond, nearly overcome with dignity and fat.\u201d[1]<\/a> In contrast the senior warden of his parish described him as \u201cof pure and lofty character.\u201d[2]<\/a> However, before the civil war broke out and before the Farmer\u2019s Bank of Virginia was burned down, he owned James Madison\u2019s Montpelier.<\/p>\n MacFarland owned Montpelier only in 1854-5 but this time is noteworthy.\u00a0 Charles Thomas Chapman, research coordinator at Montpelier, brought MacFarland\u2019s year to light as part of his master\u2019s thesis, Who was Buried in James Madison\u2019s Grave?: A Study in Contextual Analysis<\/em>.\u00a0 Chapman illuminates a motive of MacFarland to own Montpelier; he wanted to own Madison\u2019s remains.\u00a0 MacFarland was a fan of Madison (he gave Madison\u2019s eulogy in 1836), but professional ties were perhaps a great influence on the decision too.\u00a0 MacFarland was a trustee and a member of the board of directors of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.\u00a0 Hollywood Cemetery wanted to acquire the remains of the three Virginian presidents (Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe).\u00a0 The cemetery was able to acquire Monroe\u2019s remains but Jefferson and Madison were still missing from their collection.\u00a0 Because of the nature of the deed, MacFarland believed that by owning Montpelier he also owned the Madison family cemetery and Madison\u2019s remains and could give the remains to Hollywood Cemetery.\u00a0 So, on January 4th<\/sup>, 1854 MacFarland purchased Montpelier from Benjamin Thornton.\u00a0 Hollywood Cemetery was not able to obtain the president\u2019s remains and MacFarland sold the house on March 21st<\/sup>, 1855 to Col. Alfred Vernon Scott of Alabama.\u00a0 Hollywood Cemetery settled for helping build an obelisk monument for Madison\u2019s grave which was at the time unmarked, fulfilling the wish of the local people to have Madison\u2019s grave marked.<\/p>\n Contributed by LHS intern Benjamin Bradley<\/p>\n