Cemetery

 Port Republic Methodist Church Abandoned Cemetery

Location

Port Republic, Rockingham County, Virginia. In Harrisonburg, from the corner of Main Street (Route 11) and Port Republic Road (Route 659), travel east 11.1 miles on Port Republic Road. Cemetery is located on River Road on the west bank of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.
 

Notes

This cemetery is also referred to as Riverside Cemetery. These stones are not in any rows and are just recorded in the groups that they are near. Many are enclosed in their own fence within the big fenced area. There are also some enclosed areas where no gravestones were found. In the cemetery there are several family areas that have iron fencing around them as well as several graves that are not in fenced areas. Scotts and Ogheltree are enclosed in the same fence. (This is the area the D.A.R. recorded as the Amos Scott Lot.) The Leckies, Fitchs, and Young are buried together inside of one fence. Murrays are buried together. The Trouts and Whiteside are buried together inside a fence. Conelly and Batemans are buried together. Roberts and Weasts are buried together. It is clear that there are many unmarked graves which may have had headstones at one time but have been removed by flooding or vandals or never had markers. The Following is written on a sign beside the graveyard. "The Riverside Graveyard was established on land deeded by Molly & John Carthrae Sr. to the Methodist churches trustees in 1793. Soon a log church was built at water’s edge in the upper end of the cemetery. On 26 Feb 1809 Bishop Francis Asbury preached here. Although South River served conveniently for Baptisms, occasionally regular services were cancelled due to high water. Sometimes the congregation found itself marooned when the river rose unexpectedly during a service. This structure was abandoned in 1846 and the congregation temporarily met in a brick church on Main Street built and later vacated by the Presbyterians. In 1853 the congregation built a wooden church on the same site as todays United Methodist Church Building.Most of the remaining cemetery stones date to the mid 1800s. Graves include Harrison Bateman, a boatman on the river for 50 years; Capt. George W. Eutsler a cabinet maker and slave trader; Rev. David Wood, a revered African-American who preached in Port for 24 years. Amos Scott, an early mill owner; Jane Dundore, first wife of John Dundore owner of a early tannery. At least 3 confederate soldiers are buried here: Col. William A. Maupin, a village blacksmith, Col. of the 85th Regiment of Va. Militia when the Civil War began; James G. Layton who was killed in the Battle of Chancellorsville and C. R. Allen of the Nottaway Light Artillery. There is also a memorial stone for Pvt. Joseph M. McCray Co. B. 1st. Va. Infantry who was killed in the Battle of Port Republic but whose gravesite was never discovered.This spot was a favorite swimming hole for decades, and over the years many of the older stones were lost after being used by the town’s young folks as diving platforms. When a new cemetery was organized in 1897 many bodies were re-intered there. The restoration and maintenance of the cemetery is a project of the Society of Port Republic Preservationists. Sheep are purchased each spring to act as lawn mowers."

Survey Date and Recorder

11 Nov 2003
Martha Lee & Nettie Lee

Photos

Ronda Curtis

Surname

Given Name & MI

Birth Date

Death Date

Headstone Notes

Remarks

Images

Allen

C. R.

6 Dec 1833

26 Jul 1898

Maupin

Wm. A., Col.

18 Feb 1882

Aged 66y 9m 17d

Image

Maupin

Mary

3 Sep 1889

Aged 74y 7 m 25d

Image

Layton

F. M.

21 Nov 1874

Aged 70y 10m 22d; Our Father

Layton

Eleanor

2 Apr 1886

Aged 72y 3m 17d; Our Mother

Layton

James C.

3 May 1863

Aged 27y 7m 5d; 10 Va. Infantry - killed at Battle of Chancellorsville

Wheeler

P. H.

23 Mar 1816

25 Dec 1890

Aged 74y 9m 2d

Wheeler

Elizabeth R.

27 Aug 1820

11 Sep 1888

Aged 68y 14d; w/P. H.

Foster

Lucy Ann

26 Mar 1852

Aged 2yrs

Foster

James Willie

12 Nov 1854

Aged 2y 10m

s/W. R. & M. C. according to DAR in the 1960s.

Foster

Nicholas Rogers

28 Apr 1859

s/W. F. & M. C.

Leckie

William L.

28 May 1806

24 Sep 1888

Leckie

Amanda M.

6 Sep 1881

Aged 68y 5m 21d; w/Wm. L.

Leckie

Augusta S.

9 Jun 1844

22 May 1864

d/Wm. L. & A.

Partially illegible marker-age is buried-recorded by DAR in the 1960s as 19 yrs

Leckie

Anna Elizabeth

23 May 1862

Aged 3y 3m 24d, d/Wm. L. & A.

Fitch

Caroline A.

9 Jun 1829

24 Jun 1851

Fitch

Peter

15 Sep 1863

Aged 74y 8m

Fitch

Sarah J.

8 Sep 1795

24 Aug 1852

Stone by Roger's Richmond

Leckie

Cornelia A.

28 Jul 1846

24 Sep 1853

Age is buried - recorded by DAR in the 1960s as 7y

Young

Cornelia

19 Feb 1862

d/F. H. & F. A.

Age is buried-recorded by DAR in the 1960s as 7y 3m 1d; Bill Davis in 1997 as 2y 3m 1d

Scott

Annias D.

9 Dec 1835

Aged about 2 yrs

Scott

Margaret

27 Jun 1804

12 Dec 1846

w/Amos; d/Thomas & Magdalene Hannah Mefford

Scott

Agnes A.

29 May 1862

Aged about 50 rsy

Scott

Amos

12 May 1889

Aged 82y 7m 21d

Ogheltree

Annie

14 Feb 1864

Aged 72y 6m 28d

Murray

Virginia M.

22 Apr 1892

Aged 51y 10m 22d; w/ Stephen H.

Murray

Stephen H.

27 Jun 1891

Aged 61y 3m 28d

Murray

John A.

1 Aug 1824

11 Apr 1885

Aged 60y 8m 10d

DAR and Bill Davis both list birth as 1824.

Murray

Daniel

30 Apr 1865

Aged 63 yrs

Murray

Susan B.

8 Jun 1839

Partially illegibe marker-age is buried below ground

Unknown

Stone-no markings

Maupin

Wm. J.

10 Mar 1770

17 Aug 1843

Image

Cupp

Jacob

14 Dec 1767

12 Jan 1852

Aged 84y 29d; Born in Lancaster, Pa.

Trout

Jacob Archibald

9 Nov 1834

12 Sep 1879

Trout

Sarah

18 Apr 1793

15 Aug 1873

Born in Staunton

Trout

Joseph

16 Oct 1787

26 Mar 1850

Born in Newtown, Frederick Co, Va.; Died in Port Republic, Va.

Trout

William David

5 Sep 1828

25 Jun 1869

Whiteside

Nancy

22 Sep 1766

26 Jul 1845

Conelly

Elizabeth S.

13 Dec 1886

Aged 67y 3m 5d

Bateman

Elizabeth

1 Apr 1792

Partially illegibe marker-death date buried-recorded by DAR in the 1960s as 5 Mar 1879.

Bateman

Harrison

23 Aug 1889

Aged 77y 1m 23d

Bateman

W. H.

25 Oct 1845

7 Nov 1882

Aged 37y 13d; s/H. & M. A.

Bateman

Martha Ann

4 May 1863

Aged 41y 1m 1d; w/H.

Bateman

Nancy Elizabeth

14 Jun 1847

13 Jun 1859

Aged 11y 11m 29d; d/H. & M. A.

Roberts

Sarah (Grandmother)

Nov 1792

5 Jun 1890

Aged 98y 6m

Weast

Lucy A.

27 Oct 1853

Aged 3y; d/H. & M.

Weast

Henry

15 Sep 1877

Aged 52y 3m 8d

Weast

Mary J.

18 Feb 1893

Aged 76y 4m

Dundore

Jane

2 Mar 1783

9 Mar 1837

McCray

Joseph M.

1836

1862

Co. B. 31 Va. Infantry CSA

Weast

Nancy Jane

16 Nov 1853

Aged 4y 11m; d/H. & M.

No visible marker-recorded by the DAR in the 1960s.

Scott

J. Amos

1856

1883

No visible marker-recorded by Bill Davis in 1997