Recorded accounts identified that 20 to 30 individuals, including members of the Darne family, were buried here. With high infant mortality rates until the mid-19th century, even the youngest residents of Darnestown were vulnerable to hardship, disease, and death. The identities of the graveyard's occupants remain uncertain. Between 1994 and 1999, historical research and several archeological digs sought to shed light on the question. The nearby Darnestown Presbyterian Church had a cemetery dating from the 19th century, and residents not affiliated with that congregation may have been buried in this smaller non-secular graveyard. Travelers who died while in Darnestown may also have been buried in this lot. The lack of tombstones could indicate use by residents without the financial resources for elaborate burial, and some unidentified graves may belong to Union soldiers. Missing markers, possible grave robbing, and neglect over time caused this cemetery to be lost to the ages, though its occupants are not forgotten.