I saw these four headstones side by side with different names and wondered who they were and why were they buried side by side.

One of the great pleasures in discovering these places is when I post them on Facebook and people more knowledgeable than myself fill in the blanks. And Scott Byrd has given me a wealth of information. He wrote, “There are a few Waterfield graves in the cemetery. However, the "W.A. Waterfield" named on Sarah F.'s marker seems to be William Abner Waterfield, originally of Curritcuk County, NC. Per the notice of his death in 1935, he resided in Norfolk for 46 years.

Rachel. Sarah F. (nee Wood) Quillin Waterfield was sister to James E. Wood. Prior to her marriage to William Abner Waterfield (when she was 60 years of age), she was married to Peter Quillin. The grave on the far left, Sarah Elizabeth Barco, appears to be Pter Quillin's younger sister. There are a number of other Quillin graves in this immediate lot area.

James E. Wood (12 Sep 1852 - 05 Oct 1907) was the brother of Sarah F. Wood Waterfield (13 Jul 1863 - 21 Oct 1921). So, the two memorial stones in the middle are for siblingstwo of seven children of Zeddock W. and Mary A. Wood. That's why James E. and Sarah F. are in the same cemetery plot.

As for the stone on the far left, it belongs to Sarah Elizabeth Barco (not Sarah B. Barro). She was the 2nd wife of Jesse Leonard Barco, who was 12 years younger the Sarah. He married Sarah in 1910, when she was 60 years of age, two years before her death in 1912. (Jesse's 1st wife was Villa D. Morrisetts, who was 10 years younger than Jesse, and who died at age 32 in 1905. She and Jesse are buried elsewhere in Elmwood.)

So, what is the connection between Sarah Elizabeth Barco and the Wood family? Sarah Elizabeth's maiden (or prior married) name appears to be Quillin, the same as the name of Sarah F. Wood's first husband, Peter. Based on the birth years of Sarah Elizabeth (1850) and Peter (1847), they might be siblings, making her Sarah F. Wood's sister-in-law.

Who is W.A. Waterfield, the husband of Sarah F. Wood? This may be William Abner Waterfield of Currituck County, NC (at least, according to information of Company B, 8th Regiment Infantry, from that county). There is support for this, based on his death notice in Virginian Pilot and Norfolk Landmark (03 May 1935), which states that he was the "son of the late W. and Caroline Gordon Waterfield, a native of Fayette County, N.C., and for many years a resident of Norfolk." If this is Sarah F. Wood's husband, then he was 11 years younger than Sarah. He rests nearby.

Who is Peter Quillin, and what is his connection to the Wood family? He was the first husband of Sarah F. Wood, as a case in the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia shows (referring to her as Sarah F. Quillin). Peter died in 1905, after that case, and Sarah married W.A. Waterfield sometime later. (It's worth noting that a number of other members of the Quillin family are in the immediate vicinity of the four larger monuments.)

So, now we have a better idea as to why these people (along with the other people in that immediate burial lot, whose grave stones are not shown in your photo) are all "together in death".

The next question is: What is the connection between the Wood and the Quillin families? Interestingly, Peter Quillin seems to have --- like William Abner Waterfield --- roots in Curritcuk County, NC.”

In addendum Scott mentioned that, “I know little else except that William Abner Waterfield enlisted with the 8th Regiment Infantry of Company B (NC) in Sep 1861 and deserted in Nov 1862. Also, he and Peter Quillin both seem to have roots in Currituck County, NC. This is just across the line from Virginia, so it's likely they and the Wood family met via maritime trade.”