After the war, Stearns worked to restore Richmond, and three of his properties remain today, and are on the National Register of Historic Places.

When Franklin Jr. returned from Paris after the American Civil War, he married Emily Palmer of New York, they received Farley farm as a wedding present from his father.

He operated a distillery and wine bottling plant, and became a leading member of the Chamber of Commerce and one of the state's largest land owners.

On the night of April 1, 1865, as downtown Richmond burned due to fires set by evacuating Confederate troops, Richmond mayor Joseph Mayo traveled to Tree Hill farm to deliver a surrender note to two Union majors he found encamped there, with Union troops.

They conveyed the note to Major General Godfrey Weitzel, who traveled to City Hall to accept the Confederate Capitol's formal surrender document at 8:15 a.m. Union troops also stopped the fires and restored order).

[11] According to family accounts, Stearns refused to become involved in politics, declining to run in 1867 to become a delegate to Virginia's constitutional convention, and later when offered a position as U.S.

[11] In 1869, Stearns traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with General Grant, provisional governor Henry H. Wells, fellow Conservative Republican Gilbert C. Walker of Norfolk and the Committee of Nine to discuss the future political status of Confederate veterans.

[12] Many with more Confederate involvement than Stearns had also received pardons and restoration of their civil rights after surrendering and signing loyalty oaths.

She never married, and later retired to their Culpeper farm, Farley, where she cared for many dogs and cats (pursuant to her vegetarian, no-kill philosophy) but could not travel when elderly to continue the family's involvement in Episcopal Church activities.

[13] Tree Hill Farm, the Iron Front Building in Richmond, and Farley are on the National Register for Historic Places.