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The Virginia Genealogist, April-June 1983

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Shenandoah County,

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Preface for Book 8

TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS Shenandoah County Virginia and Bordering Counties Frederick - Rockingham - Warren - Fauquier - Rappahannock and Hardy County West 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 in the lower valley of Virginia, 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. 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 are correct, or 'the gospel'. Therefore, it is advisable that the inscription data 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 who may use the name index of this volume are cautioned to search for variants of any surname that they may be interested in, as a great number of the listed surnames are of Germanic origin, and 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 very possible that they may appear in seven previous volumes of tombstone inscriptions by this compiler-researcher, which were transcribed primarily in Shenandoah County, Virginia, as follows: (1) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Toms Brook and vicinity, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1981, 309 pages, soft cover, 17 cemeteries, and a 3,500 plus name index. (2) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Strasburg and vicinity, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1982, 370 pages, soft cover, 10 cemeteries, and a 5,600 name index. (3) "Tombstone Inscriptions, Woodstock and Fort Valley vicinities, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1983, 460 pages, soft cover, 248 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, 24 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 of which were transcribed in Page County, Virginia, and a 8,140 name index, more or less. (6)"Tombstone Inscriptions, New Market, Mt. Jackson, and Edinburg vicinities, Shenandoah County, Virginia", 1984, 493 pages, 13,000 name index, 17 of the largest church and community cemeteries in the Southern half of Shenandoah County, Virginia. (7)"Tombstone Inscriptions, Prospect Hill Cemetery, Front Royal, Virginia, and other Warren County vicinities", 1985, 495 pages, soft cover, 13,000 name index, and 22 cemeteries. This instant volume of 348 pages contains some 123 cemeteries, mostly private or family, and the name index contains some 7,000 names, more or less. On page 334 there is a supplemental name index containing some 14 names that failed the collation process, and do not appear in the main index. Purchasers or readers of this volume who find errors therein should report them to this compiler-researcher who would welcome them, and cause corrections to be published in reprints or subsequent volumes. Also, this compiler-researcher would like to obtain the precise locations of family-private cemeteries that have not yet been published. Although all known church and community cemeteries in Shenandoah County, Virginia have been surveyed and the inscriptions published, there is ample evidence that there are possibly 200/300 family-private cemeteries yet to be located and surveyed. This volume (No. 8) does contain a great deal of genealogy, especially that which pertains to the BORDEN family. Explanatory remarks, and other remarks and comments by the compilers of this volume, usually appear in parenthesis, immediately following a inscription. This volume contains several cemeteries that have been 'updated' to include corrections, omissions, and new data and inscriptions. Buffs of United States president Abraham Lincoln may find the Rockingham County, Virginia, section of this volume to their liking, as three cemeteries pertain to the LINCOLN family. President Lincoln, was the son of Thomas Lincoln, grandson of Abraham Lincoln, and great grandson of John Lincoln. John Lincoln and his wife Rebecca Flowers Lincoln are buried in a Lincoln family cemetery {page 173) on road No. 42, near the village of Edom, North of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Virginia. Other Lincoln's were buried in another Lincoln cemetery on road No. 11, between Harrisonburg, Virginia on the South, and New Market, Virginia, on the North (page 197). Many years later, this Lincoln cemetery was in the path of Interstate Highway No, 81 lander construction, and all Lincoln remains were moved to the nearby Lacey Springs cemetery (page 177). Page 117 through 147 pertain to dates of death, and dates of burial that were recorded in the 18 volumes of diaries maintained by Levi Pitman in a 47 year span between 19 November 1844 and 7 January 1892. These volumes are in the holdings of the Alderman Library, at the University of Virginia, at Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia, Refer to the text on pages 117/119. Levi Pitman was an amazing man, and his diary entries have been thoroughly researched as to dates of death and dates of burials, and they have proven to be remarkably accurate.

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