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Rocktown History Cemetery Report For
David Heatwole
Birth Date:
Age:
Death Date:
8 Apr 1842
Cemetery Name:
Blosser Family Cemetery
Grave Location:
5
6
Section Plot Row Grave
Cemetery Type:
Community
Tombstone Note:
In the 75th yr of his age
Tombstone
Remarks:
s/Matheus & Miss Haas Heatwole h/Magdalene Weland Heatwole
Cemetery Location:
Latitude:
38° 25′ 54.8″ N
Longitude:
78° 55′ 19.4″ W
Source Date Remarks :
1. 1937 2. 1967 3. 2002
Blosser Family Cemetery. Combined WPA, J. Robert Swank & Deb Wake 2000 & 2002 databases.
Cemetery Notes
In a letter to Dr. John W. Wayland from Bishop L. J. Heatwole, he states "This was the first cemetery established & used by Mennonites in this part of Rockingham County." Notes in the "Remarks Column" were provided by Deb Wake & J. Robert Swank. In 1967 Mr. Swank noted "There are apparently a number of unmarked graves in this plot." "July 1944, Mr. Glenn W. Ruebush complied data on the Michael Whitmore family which indicates there are Whitmore's buried in this cemetery." In 1937 WPA (W. A. Byerly) noted "About the year 1752, a Mennonite family of Blossers, consisting of 4 or 5 brothers, came from Switzerland & located in Lancaster Co. PA. Some years later, a part of the family located near Stonyman in Page Co. VA. Still later, 4 brothers of the Page Co. family bought a large tract of land in Rockingham Co., the land, which consisted of several hundred acres, was purchased from the Whitmers & others & about 1818 the first Mennonite community, which still exists, was established in Rockingham Co. There being in this family an old bachelor, Abraham Blosser, & an old maid, Annie Blosser, who together owned a part of the land purchased; these 2 donated & established the theme of this story, the Blosser Graveyard, which was located on their farm. It is now owned by the Wamplers. The graveyard is cared for by the Blosser descendants. While it was donated by the Blossers, it was used as a community burying ground, and now contains about 75 graves among which are members of the Groves, Heatwoles, Suters, Dundores, Wengers and other families. In the northeast corner of the graveyard is the grave of Catharine M. Suter, wife of David Suter, & daughter of A. & S. Grove. She was buried March 19th, 1860, aged 23 years 6 months & 14 days. The first of April, 1934, some unknown person or persons made a partial excavation of this grave & a few days later, on Easter Sunday, or Sunday night, the excavation was continued to the bottom of the grave. The object of this foul deed, or the perpetrators of same, is a mystery unsolved, with no clue, except the finding of a new shovel which was left at the grave & a foreign car with Texas license having been seen several times in the vicinity about the same time of the above named occurrence. This story is authentic from the Blosser family close by, who made a written memorandum of this matter with dates, etc., & Mr. Jonas Blosser, who is the present caretaker, said that he refilled the grave himself. The grave was there to show for itself with the extra pile of dirt. This matter caused no little excitement in the community, and the incident was written up in the county paper. No clue or explanation has ever been found in the matter. In the northwest corner of the graveyard, lies the remains of an unknown tramp who was buried there many years ago; probably before the War Between the States. The tramp was passing through this section and stopped by a farm house for a drink of water, which was given him, and he became suddenly ill and died without any identification of any kind so he was given a permanent lodging in this graveyard. You can see from the inscriptions on the stones that as far back as 1835 the location of this graveyard is a part of the early history of Rockingham Co." In 2002 Deb Wake notes "Jonas (I) & wife Margaret had a son Jonas (II) who is buried in Weaver's Mennonite Church Cemetery. Son Jonas (II) was 15 at the time of the Civil War when Sheridan's army burned their house. He ran to the attic & brought out a crock of apple butter. The stone walls of the house remained and the house was rebuilt. In 1999, the barn was razed to make way for the Super WalMart on Route 42. The stone house remains."

2023 Rocktown History. For personal use only.
Dayton, Rockingham County, Virginia. From Harrisonburg take Route 42 South (John Wayland Highway) and travel approx. 2 miles. On the right side of the road you will see a sign "Sunny Slope" which is on the Charles Wampler property. Turn into his driveway & cemetery is located behind the house.
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