RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The remains of Eliza Monroe Hay, the firstborn daughter of the fifth U.S. President James Monroe, were laid to rest next to her family at Hollywood Cemetery after nearly two centuries in an unmarked grave in France.
A choir sang, and the sun shone on a crisp autumn day in Richmond as pallbearers carried the remains to their final resting place.
The ceremony brought a feeling of peace and satisfaction to those gathered.
Historian and biographer Barbara VornDick made it her personal mission to bring Eliza home with the help of generous donors after discovering she had been buried in an unmarked grave in France.
“I just met Eliza, a few months ago at Dulles International Airport in the cargo bay of Air France,” said VornDick, coordinator of “The Bringing Eliza Home

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