USA > Virginia > Rockingham County > Rockingham County > A history of Rockingham County, Virginia > Part 19
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38
1 See the "German Element of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia," pp. 94, 95, etc.
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
TABLE OF NUMBERS.
Races
By Districts.
Totals
Ashby
Central
Linville
Plains
Stone wall
German
560
360
363
510
256
2049
English
113
80
60
88
116
457
Scotch
61
42
41
34
59
237
Irish
35
24
39
32
33
163
French,
19
4
2
1
8
34
Welsh
4
0
1
2
7
14
Dutch
6
2
2
0
0
10
Totals
798
512
508
667
479
2964
TABLE OF PERCENTAGES.
Races
By Districts.
Totals
Ashby 70
Central
Linville
Plains
Stone wall
German
70*
71*
76*
53'
69*
English
14*
16+
12+
13*
24*
15*
Scotch
8+
8*
8
5
12*
8+
Irish
4*
5+
8+
5+
71
5%
French
2*
4-5
2-5
1-6
21
1*
Welsh
0
1-5
1₺
Dutch
1
3*
3*
0
0
Total
100
Explanation: * indicates plus; t indicates minus.
A HISTORY OF
The first table above shows the numbers of names of the different races or nationalities found in the different magis- terial districts of the county; the second table shows a corre- sponding distribution, stated in percentages.
It is probable that Shenandoah County is even more largely of German stock than Rockingham; and it will be observed from the tables that the largest percentage of German names in Rockingham has been found in Plains District, the district adjacent to Shenandoah County. The strongest Irish ele- ment seems to be resident in Linville District; while Stone- wall District, lying next to Eastern Virginia, has, as one would naturally expect, the largest infusion of English names.
Practically all the families and family names now found in Rockingham have been here for several generations, and most of them since the 18th century. This is particularly true of the German names and families. Most of these came up the Valley from Pennsylvania and Maryland prior to 1800. Very few of the recent immigrants from Germany have come to the Valley of Virginia. Most of the Germans that have located in Rockingham in recent years have been the Jews, who now make up an important class of tradesmen in Harri- sonburg. So far as known, all of these have come to the county since 1850.
Incidental references, from various sources, show that most, if not all, the nationalities named in the above tables have been represented in Rockingham from early times. In 1749 a Hollander was living in East Rockingham (see page 47). Mrs. Carr says that the Scherdlins, who had a vineyard on the hill east of Harrisonburg a century ago, were natives of France; Valentine Sevier, who came to Rockingham prior to 1750, was of French stock; and the Mauzys, who have been in the county more than a hundred years, are also French. In August, 1781, Evan Evans and Jona. Evans, with William Morriss, were appointed to appraise the estate of Philip Con- rod. The Evanses lived in East Rockingham, and evidently were Welsh. One of the earliest Scotch names preserved is that of Hugh Douglas, who received a patent for 175 acres of
-238-
4
1
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
land just west of Round Hill, above Bridgewater, in 1750. In 1774-5 John Craig, Wm. McGill, John Eadie, Wm. Camp- bell, John Murry, Saml. Curry, Alex. Curry, James Laird, and Lachlan Campbell were residents of this section, and they were all evidently Scotch. The name Laird is preserved geographically in Laird's Knob, east of Harrisonburg, and in the village of Penn Laird. William Ewing, a native of Glas- gow, father of Henry Ewing, who was many years county clerk, came from Pennsylvania in 1742 and purchased 300 acres of land three miles northwest of Harrisonburg.2
As to the Irish, it might be sufficient to call attention to the fact that two of the original justices of Rockingham, John Grattan and John Fitzwater, were likely of Irish lineage. Captains Frazier and Ragan of Revolutionary days were evi- dently Irish, as were James Gillilan, Thomas Doolin, Patrick Guin, John Guin, Daniel Guin, Darby Ragon, and Hugh Duna- hoe, of the same period. In Felix Gilbert's old day-book of 1774-5, "Irish" is written after the name of Robt. Hook. A good many Irishmen came into the Valley about 1857 to 1869, as workers on the railroads. In 1866 Michael Flinn was living in Harrisonburg. The schoolmaster, Hugh Tagart, had died there about 1840. Patrick Kelly, carder and fuller, was in the county in 1844. On July 12, 1894, died, at the age of 78, Patrick Flahavan, who had been an employee of the Valley Railroad ever since its construction, and had been watchman at the bluff south of Mt. Crawford station for nearly 20 years. Main Street of Harrisonburg used to be called Irish Alley. On February 11, 1879, Judge James Kenney wrote in his diary:
E. J. Sullivan, Post Master at this place, died this morning in the 55th year of his age. He was born in Ireland. He has been postmaster here ever since the close of the war in 1865.
Robert Gray, the famous lawyer, who located at Harri- sonburg in 1805, was a son of Erin, as were likely the Bryans, or O'Brians, distinguished in both earlier and latter days.
No special catalogue of Englishmen and Germans is
2. Memoirs of Virginia Clerks, page 346.
-239-
A HISTORY OF
attempted here. They must speak for themselves, and are obviously numerous enough to make themselves heard. It may be a matter of interest in this connection, however, to know that along in the later 60's and early 70's there was a Turn-Verein at Harrisonburg. It was organized about March 1, 1867, with Wm. Loeb president, Jonas Loewenback treas- urer, and Adolph Shockman secretary. The qualifications for membership were good moral character and German extraction. Meetings were held weekly, and all proceedings were conducted in the German language.
A few people in Rockingham can still speak traditional German-a dialect of the "Pennsylvania-Dutch"; but the number is becoming smaller every year. German has not been much used for the past fifty years, except in the home talk of certain families.
In October, 1822, the Harrisonburg postmaster advertised a list of letters for 82 persons named. Of these, 30 had names that were unmistakably German; 14 were probably Scotch or Scotch-Irish; 3 were apparently Irish; 5 or 6 were likely English; 2 or 3 were apparently Welsh; the rest were of uncertain character.
The negro race is, of course, largely represented in Rock- ingham County, though the proportion of negroes here is much smaller than in the adjacent counties east of the Blue Ridge. For example, the number of slaves in Rockingham in 1840 was 1899, in a total population of 17,344, or only about 11 per cent., while at the same time the number of slaves in the four counties of Albemarle, Orange, Madison, and Cul- peper made up about 57 per cent. of the whole population. In 1880 the total population of Rockingham was given as 29,567. Of these, 29,368 were classed as natives, while only 199 were classed as foreign-born. At the same time the whites numbered 26,137; the blacks, only 3430.
At the November court for Rockingham County, in 1880, James Cochran, colored, was a member of the grand jury. In 1874-5 Harrisonburg had a colored policeman, Joseph T. Williams by name, who was also a barber. Williams had
-240-
-
Tutwiler Bust, University of Virginia Library (Page 308)
Photo by J. S. Patton
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
been born free, but had served four years in the Confederate army, as a faithful servant. He is said to be at present a well-to-do property owner in Washington City.
Rockingham families are proverbially large. Many of them number their members by the hundred, and some by the thousand, if we extend the circle beyond the county into the States and countries whither they have gone. Looking through the telephone directory of the county, it appears that the Armentrouts, Bowmans, Clines (Klines), Garbers, Goods, Heatwoles, Holsingers, Longs, Millers, Myerses, Rhodeses, and Showalters, are most numerous. The Millers seem to outnumber all the rest. Family histories have been published by the Funks, the Kageys, the Funkhousers, the Heatwoles, the Shueys, the Beerys, the Wengers, the Kem- pers, the Koiners, and others; and genealogies of the Pences, Kaylors, and other families are known to be in preparation.
In an old ledger of the Rockingham Register, covering the years 1857-1868, there are under the M's 118 names; and, of these, 34 are Millers, 8 are Myerses or Moyerses, 6 are Martzes. Under the N's are 20 names, 6 being Niswander and 4 Nicholas. There are 138 names that begin with H, 9 being Huffman. 6 Heatwole, 6 Hopkins, and 5 Harnsberger. And there are 186 names that begin with S, among which are 14 of the Smiths, 11 of the Showalters, 9 of the Shavers, 7 of the Sengers, and 5 of the Stricklers.
John Detrick, who lived near Greenmount in the early part of the last century, had 13 children. They all grew up, all married, and all had grandchildren before they died. Thirteen may be an unlucky number in some places, but not in Rockingham.
In conclusion, a few words about the longevity of Rock- ingham people. In February, 1841, died Henry Hammer, aged 88, who had been a soldier in the Indian wars and in the Revolution. In 1868, at Fort Lynne near Harrisonburg, died Martin Burkholder, aged 91; at the same place, in 1898, his son John Burkholder died, at the age of 89. In June, 1874, Mrs. Katie Shepp, living in the Massanutten Mountain
-241-
A HISTORY OF
near Keezletown, reached the age of 120. Her husband had been a wagoner in the Revolutionary war. She, at the age of 20, had married him in 1774.3 In 1885 Wm. G. Thompson died at Timberville, aged 86 years and 7 months. February 17, 1894, George Kiser died at Mt. Crawford, aged over 92. He had been born in Mt. Crawford in 1801, and had been a merchant, a miller, and a tanner. June 8, 1895, Elizabeth Funk (nee Meliza), a native of Rockingham, died in Har- rison County, Mo., aged 92 years, 8 months, and 14 days. In 1897 John R. Funk died in Harrison Co., Mo., aged nearly 89. He had been born near Turleytown, Rockingham Co., Va., in 1808.
In June, 1898, Mrs. Margaret D. Effinger, of Staunton, a daughter of Judge Daniel Smith, of Rockingham, revisited Harrisonburg, at the age of 89. In 1898 Mr. John C. Wetzel, who was born in McGaheysville in 1802, was still living in that village. One of the present hale citizens of McGaheys- ville is Mr. Richard Mauzy, aged 88. He was a pupil in Jos- eph Salyards' McGaheysville school in the later 30's. At Frankfort, Indiana, lives Capt. Wm. N. Jordan, a native of Rockingham, at the age of 92. On July 25, 1912, at the re- union of the Funk family in Singer's Glen, Messrs. Samuel Funk of Tennessee and John Funk of Virginia, two hale sons of Rockingham, were present; the latter aged 90, the former aged 93.
3. The Old Commonwealth, July 16, 1874.
CHAPTER XIV.
CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS LIFE.
In the following pages a sketch, largely in tabular form, is given of each denomination in the county. The several sketches are arranged in alphabetical order, according to the respective headings.
BAPTIST CHURCH.
Baptist Churches in Rockingham (1912).
1. Bridgewater: Constituted 1873; Sundayschool organ- ized 1878.
.2. Broadway: Constituted 1892.
3. Harrisonburg: Constituted 1869; present church erected 1886.
4. Mt. Crawford: Constituted 1841. The church origi- nally stood on the east side of the Valley Pike, just at the north end of town; the present church is located near Mt. Crawford Station (North River).
5. Riverview: Near Cootes' Store; constituted 1908.
6. Singer's Glen: Constituted 1876; present church dedi- cated 1888.
7. Turleytown: Constituted 1859; present church dedi- cated July 12, 1885.
The following paragraphs are copied from a valuable paper recently prepared by Dr. C. S. Dodd, who for several years past has been a zealous worker in the Baptist churches of northern Rockingham.
As early as 1743 the English settlers had established a Baptist church at Mill Creek (now Page County), and on August 6, 1756, Linville and Smith Creek churches in Rock- ingham County were constituted.
Linville Creek was disturbed by the Indians in 1757, and
A HISTORY OF
received such cruel treatment that many of the members fled to Eastern Virginia for safety; so some time elapsed before the remnant had service again.
Foremost of these Baptists who came to Rockingham as missionaries was Elder John Koontz, whose brother had pre- ceded him to Rockingham a few years. He and Elder John Alderson, Sr., were preaching here about the same time. This being a new doctrine, it met with opposition from many quarters. Mr. Koontz was severely beaten on several occa- sions for preaching this faith.
Another co-laborer was Elder Andrew Moffett, who also suffered for this cause as a malefactor and was committed to jail; nor was he the last of his family to be persecuted for his convictions; for Rev. John Moffitt, who fell by the hand of an assassin in 1892, because of his stand against the saloon in the city of Danville, was a relative.
Linville Creek ordained Elder John Alderson, Jr., in 1775, and for two years he served the church as pastor. He then moved to Greenbrier County (now in W. Va.), where he was destined to do a work that few men accomplished.
Conspicuous among the Rockingham Baptists stood the life of Elder John Ireland for being maltreated by the Estab- lished Church. He was sent to Culpeper Jail for preaching without a permit. In prison there he suffered many things. From 1838 to 1842 the Baptist church throughout the South was torn asunder over missions. One wing, self-styled Old School, or Primitive Baptist, was and still is anti-missionary in spirit; protests against Sunday school as being without scriptural support, does not have any salaried ministers, etc. This body now separated from the church, causing much con- fusion and contention over church property. The other body was afterwards known as Regular, or Missionary, Baptists.
When the division was made (about 1840) the Old, or Primitive, Baptists had churches located in this county as follows: one near Dayton; Linville Creek; Mt. Pleasant; and Runions Creek; the latter two being in Brock's Gap. At the time of this writing the Runion Creek Church, in Brock's
-244-
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
Gap, which has a small membership, with Elder Reuben Strickler of Page County as pastor, is the only surviving church of this faith in this county.
Rev. John E. Massie and Rev. V. L. Settle were the first Missionary Baptists to visit this county, and they awakened the missionary spirit in the remnant; and then soon Mt. Crawford, Linville Creek, and Turleytown churches were organized as Regular Baptist churches. Mr. Massie moved the old Linville Creek Church from near Green Hill to a far more convenient site, where it now stands, and for this he was sued in the Rockingham Court by one of the trustees. Mr. Massie plead his own case, and Mr. Jacob Myers, who was present, quotes him as saying: "I admit I moved the building, but I beg to state that I placed it in a more con- venient place where more people can and will attend services." He won his case.
Turley Town may truly be called the mother church, since Singers' Glen, Broadway, Cootes' Store (River View), also North Mill Creek and South Mill Creek, of Grant County, W. Va., are her offspring, and many churches in the far west now have in their membership those who joined Turley Town before leaving this state. The first fruits of the evangelical work of these missionaries were Timothy, Solomon, Benjamin, and John Funk, sons of Joseph Funk, a Mennonite layman of Singers' Glen. All except John were called to the ministry of the churches, and for many years they preached in the county and elsewhere. They were lovers of music and taught it as well as preached the Gospel. Rev. Timothy Funk for more than 50 years taught music and preached, going as far east as Orange County, Va.
Mr. Joe K. Ruebush of Dayton has located the site of the Primitive Baptist Church at that place. It stood just out of town, toward the southwest, near the point where the railroad now crosses the Warm Springs Pike.
Silas Hart, a native of Pennsylvania, high sheriff of
-245-
A HISTORY OF
Augusta in 1764, and senior justice of Rockingham in 1778, was a Baptist.1
The regular Baptist churches in Rockingham now have a total membership of about 600; while there are in the county about 60 primitive Baptists.
BRETHREN CHURCH.
Since about 1882 there has been an organization of the Brethren Church (Progressive Dunkers) in Rockingham. They at present have four houses of worship: One in Dayton; Bethlehem, a mile and a half southwest of Harrisonburg; Mt. Olive, near McGaheysville, and one at Arkton, east of Tenth Legion.
Bethlehem was dedicated in February, 1894, by Eld. E. B. Shaver; John Thompson, Lee Hammer, and J. H. Hall being the building committee.
Among the pioneers of this church in Rockingham were Eld. E. B. Shaver, of Maurertown, Va., and S. H. Bashor. A history of the denomination at large was published in 1901 by Eld. H. R. Holsinger, of Lathrop, Cal. The member- ship in Rockingham is about 350.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Christian Churches in Rockingham (1912).
1. Antioch: A mile and a half south of Greenmount; organized by Rev. I. N. Walter about 1832; present house erected in 1880.
2. Bethlehem: At Tenth Legion; admitted to confer- ence in 1851; original deed dated Sept. 21, 1844.
3. Linville: Organized June 10, 1871, by Rev. D. A. Long; dedicated 3d Sunday of January, 1873.
4. Concord: Organized in 1891 by Rev. E. T. Iseley; house built in 1893. Located 3 miles north of Tenth Legion.
5. New Hope: Three miles southeast of Harrisonburg; organized in 1895 by Rev. E. T. Iseley; house built in 1896.
1. See Waddell's Annals of Augusta, pp. 204, 238; Semple's History of Virginia Baptists, 1810 edition, p. 192.
-246-
0
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
6. Bethel: Four miles northwest of Elkton; organized August 25, 1896, by Rev. J. W. Dofflemyre; house built in 1899. 7. Beulah: Five miles southeast of Harrisonburg; organized in 1898 by Rev. W. T. Herndon; house built in 1899.
8. Mayland: Organized in 1899 by Rev. W. T. Hern- don; house built in 1900.
9. Mt. Olivet. . Two miles southwest of McGaheysville; organized in 1899 by Rev. W. T. Herndon; house built in 1900.
10. Island Ford: House built in 1905.
For most of the facts embodied in the foregoing state- ments regarding the Christian Church in Rockingham, I am under obligation to Rev. A. W. Andes, of Harrisonburg. He has also supplied a list of ministers, which will be found in the Directory at the end of the volume.
Mr. C. O. Henton of Harrisonburg has loaned the deed made in 1833 at Antioch. This deed is before me. It bears date of May 4, 1833, and is signed by Martin Croomer, who made his mark. It conveys a lot containing 10,848 square feet of land to John Kratzer, Sr., John Higgens, Peter Paul, Mar- tin Burkholder, and Jacob Burkholder, Jr., trustees, for the use of the Christian Church and all other religious denomina- tions that might obtain consent of the trustees to preach there. The lot was bounded as follows: Beginning on the lands of the said Martin Croomer, near the residence of Mar- tin Burkholder, at a stone where there was formerly a white oak, corner made for the school house lot, by the said Martin Croomer and Molly his wife, in the year 1810, thence with the patent line S. 10 degrees W. 113 feet to a walnut, thence S. 80 degrees E. 96 feet, crossing the big road to a white oak, thence N. 10 degrees E. 113 feet to intersect the line of the school house lot, thence with the said line N. 80 degrees W. 96 feet to the beginning.
The consideration was one dollar; and a building was already erected on the land. Daniel Bowman, Jacob Burk- holder, Jr., and David Lawman signed as witnesses.
From the published minutes of the Valley Christian Con-
-247-
A HISTORY OF
ference, held in Edinburg, Shenandoah County, and Antioch, Rockingham County, in August, 1869, it appears that Antioch and Bethlehem in Rockingham were represented.
The following items have been gleaned from the files of the Rockingham Register:
In June, 1866, a new Christian church was dedicated at Cedar Grove, 22 miles from Harrisonburg. This must have been in the vicinity of the present New Hope Christian Church.
In August, 1868, the Valley Christian Conference met at Bethlehem. John Burkholder presided; and the following Rockingham churches were represented: Antioch, Bethle- hem, and Cedar Green (Grove).
At the organization of the Linville Church in 1871, Rev. D. A Long presiding, DeWitt C. Beery was secretary, H. C. Beery was treasurer, and A. R. Rhinehart, John C. Williams, and H. C. Beery were deacons. The building committee was composed of Col. E. Sipe, Isaac Stone, John C. Williams, Harvey Simmers, John Fridley, and D. C. Rhinehart.
In November, 1874, Eld. Benj. Seever, of the Christian Church, "who used to preach in this part of Rockingham from 1843 to 1849," visited Harrisonburg.
On April 3, 1877, died David Ralston, aged 74, who had been "for more than thirty years a member of the Christian Church at Antioch."
On January 24, 1897, the Christian Church east of Har- risonburg, at Mt. Vernon school house, E. T. Iseley, pastor, was dedicated. This evidently refers to New Hope.
The membership of the Christian Church in Rockingham at the present is about 700.
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN.
Church of the Brethren (Dunker) Church Houses in Rockingham (1912).
1. Garber's: "The Old Meeting House"; two miles west of Harrisonburg; built about 1820; rebuilt recently.
-248-
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
2. Linville Creek: One mile east of Broadway; house built in 1828 or 1830.
3. Beaver Creek: First minister, John Brower; Martin Miller made elder April 5, 1855; house burned June 13, 1869; new church used for communion meeting Nov. 13, 1869.
4. Mill Creek: Congregation organized in 1840, Isaac Long (1815-1895) and Daniel Yount being present; new house erected in 1860.
5. Greenmount: Built in 1859; rebuilt 1898. In 1872 at Greenmount died Benj. Bowman, aged 87 years, who had been a minister for 50 years.
6. Pine Grove: Two miles northeast of Linville; built about 1850.
7. Plains: A union house, the Brethren having prece- dence on fourth Sundays; a schoolhouse as early as 1827; pres- ent building erected 1857.
8. Bridgewater: Built in 1878. In September, 1892, Eld. Solomon Garber died near Bridgewater, aged over 80. 9. Dayton: House built in 1851 by the Lutherans, and used by them, the Methodists, and the United Brethren prior to 1861.
10. Timberville: House completed in 1879. The first Dunker meetings in Timberville began about 1820 in John Zig- ler's barn; his brick house, built in 1832, was arranged for meetings.
11. Mt. Olivet: Three miles northeast of Cootes' Store. On Lake's map (1885) a Dunker church is shown at this point.
12. Montezuma: Old schoolhouse, used as a church for a number of years.
13. Fairview: Two miles north of Mt. Clinton.
14. Fairview: Two miles northeast of Tenth Legion.
15. Newdale: One mile north of Tenth Legion.
16. Bethel: At Mayland.
17. Cedar Run: Two miles west of Broadway.
18. Brock's Gap: Organized in 1895.
19. Oak Grove: Three miles west of Cootes' Store.
20. Mt. Zion: Two miles northeast of Singer's Glen.
-249-
A HISTORY OF
21. Melrose.
22. Mt. Pleasant: Near Peale's Cross Roads.
23. Harrisonburg: Mission opened by Eld. P. S. Thomas and others about 1900; church built in 1907.
24. Hinton Grove: Formerly Trinity; present church built at Hinton about 1900.
25. Rawley Springs.
26. Briery Branch.
27. Bridgewater College Chapel: In use since 1884.
28. Pleasant Run: Near Pleasant Valley.
29. Sunnyside: Two miles west of Port Republic.
The Brush Meeting House was erected in 1843, west of Broadway, and an old church used to stand near Ft. Hoover.
On May 10, 1798, Martin Garver, certifying a marriage he had performed, subscribed himself as "Minister of the Duch Babtist Susiety."
In 1875 it was stated in the Register that there were at that time 35 Dunker ministers in Rockingham County.
Among the leaders of the church in Rockingham, not already named, may be mentioned Peter Nead (1795-1877), John Kline (1800-1864), Samuel H. Myers (1832-1897), and Daniel Hays (1839).
The anti-slavery and anti-war principles of the Dunkers are well known, and they, with the Mennonites, suffered not a little in Rockingham during the civil war by arrest, im- prisonment, etc.
The establishment of a school in 1880, now well known as Bridgewater College, has done much to give efficiency and distinction to the work of the Brethren in the Valley of Vir- ginia and adjacent sections. The membership of the church in Rockingham totals about 2500.2
2. For more particulars regarding the Church of the Brethren, the reader is referred to the following publications: Howard Miller's Record of the Faithful; Wayland and Garber's Bridgewater College, Past and Present; Hays and Sanger's Olive Branch; D. H. Zigler's History of the Brethren in Virginia; Two Centuries of the Church of the Brethren, Chapter II.
-250-
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
CHURCH OF CHRIST.
There are two church houses of the Church of Christ in Rockingham, one on E. Market Street, in Harrisonburg, the other in Dayton.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.