The tale of the Female Stranger is a long-standing oddity in Alexandria.
Much to the name’s suggestion, the Female Stranger has remained an unnamed Jane Doe since her passing on Oct. 14, 1816.
According to the legend, a young couple arrived in Alexandria and disembarked from a ship traveling from somewhere in the Caribbean. They rented room 8 in Gadsby’s Tavern at 134 North Royal St.
The woman was sick and in need of immediate medical attention. Her husband hired a local doctor to help care for her, but the husband refused to answer any of the doctor’s questions about their identities.
Sadly, the woman’s condition worsened, and she passed away.
While keeping his identity under wraps, the husband took a loan from a local businessman to pay for his wife’s burial. He repaid the loan with a note from the Bank of England. That note turned out to be fraudulent.
Today, the woman’s grave is a landmark in the Alexandria National Cemetery.
The headstone’s epitaph reads:
“To the memory of a female stranger
whose mortal sufferings terminated
on the 14th day of October 1816
aged 23 years and 8 months
This stone is placed here by her disconsolate
Husband in whose arms she sighed out her
latest breath and who under God
did his utmost even to soothe the cold
dead ear of death.
How loved how valued once avails thee not
To whom related, or by whom begot
A heap of dust alone remains of thee
Tis all thou art and thou proud shall be
To him gave all the Prophets witness that
through his name whosoever believeth in
him shall receive remission of sins
Acts 10th Chap. 43rd verse
There is no shortage of hypotheses on the woman’s identity (and that of her husband). Some believe she was Theodosia Burr Alston, the daughter of Aaron Burr. Alston was reportedly lost at sea in 1813.
Others say she was English royalty. One of the more outlandish ideas is that the Female Stranger was actually the French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and she did not die at Gadsby’s Tavern.
Accounts of the couple’s stay in Alexandria and the reasons she passed away are inconsistent at best. All stories can agree that the couple wanted to keep their identities unknown.
Some say the woman's husband continued to visit her grave every year on the anniversary of her death for almost a decade, but others say he was never seen again.
The well-established belief, however, is that Gadsby’s Tavern is the true eternal resting place of the Stranger’s soul. The nameless ghost is said to be seen lurking the halls and rooms of Gadsby’s, joining in on parties in the ballroom and resting by the window of room 8.
Events in Honor of The Female Stranger
Every year, Gadsby's Tavern honors the Female Stranger around the anniversary of her mysterious death. Tickets to these events are available every October at www.alexandriava.gov/GadsbysTavern.
