The Graveyard Today

For Burial Arrangements and Grave Marker Requirements, please scroll down

The Monticello Graveyard is fenced and not open to the public.
Current (dues paid) members of the Monticello Association may borrow a key from the Monticello Visitors Center. Please note the access list is updated annually at the time of the annual meeting. Please do not expect your name to be on the list before the annual meeting weekend if you are a new member or if you let your membership lapse one or more years. In these cases, contact the Custodian in advance of your visit.

Other family of those buried in the Graveyard can arrange access by contacting the Custodian,
Rob Eppes at [email protected]

Burial Arrangements

Burial in the Graveyard is open to direct, lineal descendants of Thomas Jefferson, through his daughters Martha and Maria.

To arrange for burial, please contact the custodian: [email protected]

If there is a sense of urgency to your burial needs, please text your full name and full name of the deceased to 302-544-1555

2026 Scheduling Option: Families attending the Annual Reunion June 26, 27 & 28, 2026 may opt to bring cremated remains with them (check with your airline for details). Burial times will be available Friday afternoon June 26, Saturday morning June 27, and Sunday afternoon June 28. Two weeks advance notice required to schedule these days. (With some flexibility for deaths occurring within those two weeks).

Families unable to travel to Charlottesville may arrange to have cremated remains sent to the Association for interment by the Custodian.

The Monticello Association does not charge a fee for burial, but memorial contributions to the Association in the name of your loved one are strongly encouraged to support the ongoing maintenance and perpetual care of The Monticello Graveyard.

Families will incur costs for grave opening and closing and for gravestone design/installation, or for inscribing new names and/or death dates on existing markers. These fees are paid directly to the vendors providing these products and services.

Additional costs may be incurred for enhancements such as flowers, chairs, tent, musicians, attending clergy, and post-burial gatherings such as receptions, luncheons or dinners.

The Custodian can assist you with all of the above considerations.

Markers

,The following restrictions were approved by the membership in 2015:

• Gravestones should be in keeping with the surroundings and respect the historic nature of the property.

• The Custodian must pre-approve all gravestone designs. Family members are encouraged to seek this review before having the marker made. Disputes over design of markers may be appealed to the Committee on Interments.

• Size: Stones should be no wider than 34” at the base and no more than 44” above the ground (including base height). Adjoining plots may share a wider stone.

• Recommended Materials: Granite and slate are the most common recommended materials. Marble is also used but erodes much
more easily. A bronze plaque may be added to the face of a stone.

• Stones should be in place within 2 years * of interment. After that time, the Association may opt to arrange for a marker at the expense of the family of the person buried in the plot.

* The Custodian encourages these families to order grave markers prior to December 15, 2026, or the Association can arrange for a modest marker and bill the family. $900 + tax.

Who is buried in the Graveyard

Many of the burials at the Monticello Graveyard are documented on Find A Grave. The Monticello Graveyard page on Find A Grave is not managed by The Monticello Association. The Monticello Graveyard Custodian has begun updating burials and gravestone photos on Find A Grave, and periodically reviews information posted on this site by others and reports errors, which are usually promptly corrected. The Custodian will not add "memorials" on Find A Grave for graves that do not have a gravestone.