We are in the process of cleaning up and restoring an old family cemetery (first known burial in 1796) in southeastern Patrick County.  Within the rock wall enclosing the cemetery there are several tree stumps.  Two of these had pushed two headstones (husband & wife buried beside each other) out of alignment and very uneven.  Prior to correcting this situation we decided to remove the two stumps which both had the centers completed decayed to below the surface of the ground (as much as 2/3rd or possible 3/4th).  Both stumps were cutoff by a saw at 10 inches above the ground (prior to a 1974 picture of the cemetery that he have) and one stump measured 20 inches across at its narrowest point and 23 inches at the widest at the cutoff point.  The larger stump measured at the same point 26 inches at the narrowest and 31 inches at the widest.  OUR SURPRISE WAS THAT BOTH WERE CEDAR TREES.     I would like some information on the following:        1). How prevalent in Patrick County were cedar trees in Patrick County in the nineteenth century?  Today?        2). How common were cedar trees in cemeteries, and if very, why?        3). Is the diameter of the tree stumps cited above large for this type of tree (Eastern Red Cedar)?  What diameters have you seen?        4).  Can any estimate or guess of age of tree when cut be made from the diameter of the stumps? Larry

PS. Regarding the age and size of the one you measured and mentioned: Red Cedars are very fast growing and within about 25 years reach their maximum size and girth which is about the size of the tree you mentioned. I believe that once a cedar tree gets to be about that size it simply stops growing at any discernable rate. The one you describe sounds like it was big and old and the only way to determine its age would be to cut it down and count the rings........but I am not even sure if that would be reliable since I do think that they basically stop growing.