The tombstone marks the grave of Queen Haley, who grew up in slavery, the daughter of a white plantation owner and his black slave. Will said he didn’t know why the vandals targeted Haley’s grave.

And it appears to confirm part of the Haley family history recounted in the novel Queen. Chris Haley, 46, the son of Alex Haley's brother, Julius, directs research for the study of the legacy of ...