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The Virginia Genealogist, April-June 1983

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Preface for Book 6

TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS Toms Brook and Vicinity Shenandoah County, Virginia

This compilation is being published for posterity, and as another tool for family researchers, genealogists, historians, and others, who have a sincere interest in their ancestors, and a deep respect for the deceased, and their final resting places, as it is all too common for individuals to forget their ancestors, and the memory dulls with each succeeding generation. It is hoped that errors of perception, transcription, and collation are minimal, as they are not intentional, however they do represent the frailties of man. Approximately eighty (80) names failed the collation process by "falling through the cracks", and these eighty names appear in a supplemental name index on page 483. A tombstone inscription, per se, does not guarantee that the spelling of the name is correct, nor does it guarantee that the death dates, birth dates, and other data is correct, or "the gospel". Therefore, it is advisable that these dates be verified from other sources, if there is a doubt as to their correctness. Often times, tombstone inscriptions are arranged for, by estate administrators, executors, distant relatives, friends, neighbors, and others, and the data that they furnish to the stonemason, or monument manufacturer, may, or may not, be correct. Newspaper funeral notices and obituaries, and mortuary records, are some sources that may be helpful. Those using the name index of this volume are cautioned to search for variants of any surname that they may be interested in, as a large percentage of the listed surnames are of Germanic origin, and the very early scribes recorded the names in many different ways, mostly phonetically, and thus corrupted many surnames and the perpetuation of the incorrect orthography. If one cannot locate the name, or names of their ancestors and collateral kindred in this volume, it is possible that they may appear in five previous volumes of tombstone inscriptions by this compiler-researcher, which were transcribed primarily in Shenandoah County, Virginia, as follows: (l) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Toms Brook, and Vicinity, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1982, 309 pages, soft cover, seventeen cemeteries, and a 3,500 plus name index. (2) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Strasburg, and Vicinity, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1982, 370 pages, soft cover, ten cemeteries, and a 5,600 name index. (3) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Woodstock, and Fort Valley, Vicinities, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1983, 460 pages, soft cover, two hundred and forty eight cemeteries, mostly private or family, and a 9,000 plus name index. (4) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Woodstock, and Vicinity, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1983, 456 pages, soft cover, twenty-four large church and community cemeteries, with a 12,114 plus name index. (5) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Shenandoah and Page counties, Virginia", 1984, 360 pages, soft cover, 141 cemeteries, 34 transcribed in Page County, Virginia, and a 8,140 name index, more or less. This volume contains tombstone inscriptions transcribed from seventeen (17) cemeteries, mostly Church and Community, located in the Southern half of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and also lying lest of New Market, Mt, Jackson, and Edinburg, Virginia. Two exceptions, are the Union Church cemetery at Timberville, Virginia, and the Rader Lutheran Church cemetery slightly Northwest of Timberville, both located in Rockingham county, Virginia, and in close proximity to the Southern border of Shenandoah County, Virginia. The name index of this volume contains 13,000 plus names. Quite a large amount of burials pertain to persons born in the 1700's. A very large number of burials were made in the l800's, and quite a number of the burials were in the 1900's. The most frequently listed surname in the index pertains to MILLER, with almost 500 listings, followed by ZIRKLE with almost 400 listings. Surnames with over 200 listings include BOWMAN, DELLINGER, FUNKHOUSER, and PENCE. Surnames with over 100 listings Include BOWERS, BRANNER, COFFMAN, ESTEP, FOLTZ, FRY, GOLLADAY, HARPINE, HENKEL, HEPNER, KIPPS, MINNICK, MOORE, OLINGER, OREBAUGH, RYMAN, SCHAEFFER, TUSING, and WILL. Thus far, approximately five hundred (500) cemeteries, mostly private-family, have been recorded by this compiler, and associate compilers, in and near the boundaries of Shenandoah county, Virginia, and it is the judgement of this compiler-researcher, that probably another five hundred (500), or more cemeteries remain, to be located and surveyed. A great number of the private-family cemeteries thus far surveyed and recorded, have been found in advanced stages of neglect, and they will not withstand many more decades of neglect.

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