Daughter of former president James Monroe to be buried in Richmond cemetery

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After being buried for nearly two centuries in an unmarked grave in France, Eliza Monroe Hay — daughter of former president James Monroe — will soon be laid to rest next to her loved ones at a Richmond cemetery.

The Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced Tuesday that it's holding a reinterment ceremony at Hollywood Cemetery, located at 412 S. Cherry St., for the daughter of America's fifth president on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m.

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located at 823 Cathedral Place, will hold mass on the same day at 11 a.m. to honor Hay.

Both events are open to the public.

Hay's remains arrived at the Washington Dulles International Airport on May 21 after spending 200 years in an unmarked and neglected grave — thanks to the efforts of Barbara VornDick and her team at the Bringing Eliza Home Project.

VornDick, a parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Fluvanna County, founded the project and spent six years finding and retrieving Hay's remains. Through her research, VornDick discovered that Hay had been buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in France, where her grave was "neglected for decades."

"This project has been a fascinating, enriching journey in many ways, but the most amazing aspect was how it enriched my faith," VornDick said. "When I wondered if I would ever find the documents that I needed, He was there, whispering in my ear — suddenly dropping ideas into my mind."

Hay will be laid to rest alongside her father and other family members in the Monroe family plot, the release said.