© Harrisonburg - Rockingham Historical Society. All rights reserved. The "Star" is a trademark of HRHS. 
| 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 |
Surnames are sorted by section / plot / row / grave - only sections and rows are shown
| Section | Row | Surname | Given Name & MI | Birth Date | Death Date | Headstone Notes | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | C. R. | 6 Dec 1833 | 26 Jul 1898 | ||||
| Maupin | Wm. A., Col. | 18 Feb 1882 | Aged 66y 9m 17d | ||||
| Maupin | Mary | 3 Sep 1889 | Aged 74y 7 m 25d | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| 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 |
© Harrisonburg - Rockingham Historical Society. All rights reserved. The "Star" is a trademark of HRHS.