Return to Index

  1. SUBJECT:

    2. The Blosser Graveyard.

  2. LOCATION:

    3. 3 miles northeast of Dayton, Virginia, north of the highway.

  3. DATE:

    4. 1835

  4. OWNERS:

    5. The Blosser descendants.

  5. DESCRIPTION:

    6. The graveyard is in very good condition, being kept up mostly by Jonas T. Blosser, of Dayton, Virginia, who has a grandfather and a great-grandfather buried there. Mr. Blosser is now seventy-nine years old. It is enclosed with a limestone wall about four feet high and fifteen or eighteen inches thick with an iron gate entrance in the southwest corner of the wall. The graveyard is now full and has long been abandoned as a burying ground.

  6. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:

About the year 1752, a menonite family of Blossers, consisting of four or five brothers, came from Switzerland and located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Some years later, a apart of the family located near Stonyman in Page County, Virginia: Still later four brothers of the Page County family brought a large tract of land in rockingham County, the land, which consisted of several hundred acres, was purchased from the whitmers and others and about 1818 the first menonite community, which still exists, was established in Rockingham County. There being in this family an old bachelor, Abraham Blosser, and an old maid, Annie Blosser, who together owned a part of the land pruchased; these two donated and established the theime 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 seventy-five 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 Catherine M. Suter, wife of David Suter, and daughter of A. and S. Grove. She was buried March 19th., 1860, aged twenty-three years six motns and fourteen days. The first of April, 1934, some unknown person or persons made a partieal excavation of this grave and 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 purpetrators of same, is a mystery unsolved, with no clue, except the finding of a new shovel which was left at the grave and a foreign car with Texas license having been seen several times in the vicinity about the same time of the above named occuracnce. This story is authentic from the blosser family close by, who made a written memorandum of this matter with dates, etc., and Mr. Jonas Blosser, who is the present caretaker, said that he refilled the grave himself. Thje 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 County.

The Blosser Graveyard

Page 2

1. In memory of Abraham Grove

Who died April 5th 1855 age 55 years, 5 moths & 3 days
  1. In memory of Catherine M.

Consort of David Suter who died march 19th, 1960

Age 23 years 6 months & 14 days

3. In memory of John Heatwole who

Departed this life June 15th, 1844, Age 9 months, 10 days
  1. In memory of Mary Heatwole who

    2. Died February 27th, 1842, age 27 days

  2. Erected to the memory of Martha Heatwole

    3. Who died July 19th, 1836, age 1 year & 13 days

  3. Erected to the memory of Madaline Heatwole

    4. Who died November 23, 2024 age 75 years

  4. Erected to the memory of David Heatwole

Who died April 18th, 1842, age 75 years.

8. In memory of Benjamine Blosser

Who died October 4th, 1851, age 1 year, 2 months & 10 days.

9. "Daniel Roadcap"

Who died October 16th, 1814

  1. Peter B. Wenger born October 28th, 1858

    2. Died June 17th, 1860

  2. "David"

Son of A. & S. Grove

Died March 26th, 1860, age 26 years, 1 month

12. In memory of Ann Mary Wenger

Born August 25, 1783, died December 17th, 1860

13. Benj. Wenger, born April 11th, 1781

Died 1865, age 84 years

14. Susana Wenger died 1859

in 36th year of her age

  1. Eliza Dundore born September 9, 2024

    2. Died March 27th, 1860

  2. In memory of Daniel Koontz

    3. Who died October 20th, 1859, age 32 years 11 months.

    The Blosser Graveyard

    Page 3

  3. In memory of

    4. Magdalene Blosser who died

    February 19th, 1859, age 74 years, 3 months, 4 days

  4. Peter Blosser, died April 17th, 1835

Age 83 years and 18 days

19. In memory of

Jacob Wenger who died

August 27, 1835, age 2 years 1 month 10 days

  1. Michael Blosser died March 10, 2024

    2. Age 2 years, 2 months, & 7 days

  2. Samuel Blosser died February 26, 2025

Age 5 months, 26 days

There were many others having died too late to record.
  1. ART:
  2. SOURCES OF INFORMATION:

Informant: Mr. David Blosser, Dayton, Virginia.

Tombstone inscriptions—Visit by worker.

Blosser, Magdalene 17

Blosser, Benjamine 8

Blosser, Peter 18

Blosser, Michael 20

Blosser, Samuel 21

Dundore, Elijah 15

Grove, Abraham 1

Grove, David 11

Heatwole, John 3

Heatwole, Mary 4

Heatwole, Martha 5

Heatwole, Madaline 6

Heatwole, David 7

Koontz, Daniel 16

Roadcap, Daniel 9

Suter, Catherine M. 2

Wenger, Peter B. 10

Wenger, Ann Mary 12

Wenger, Benj. 13

Wenger, Susana 14

Wenger, Jacob 19

March 1, 1973 W.A. Byerly

Bridgewater, VA