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James Madison University Libraries Special Collections
880 Madison DriveDavid Black
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. Staff have taken special care to identify and remove sensitive materials. However, in rare instances, privacy protected information may be revealed during use of this collection. Researchers agree to make no notes or other recordation of privacy protected information if found within this collection, and further agree not to publish or disclose such information for any purpose. Researchers agree to alert Special Collections staff if potentially privacy protected information is found within this collection. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
Parts of the collection are restricted, due to the presence of personally identifying information. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.
[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Woodbine Cemetery Records, circa 1830-2006 (bulk 1940-2006), SC 0236, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
The collection was donated by Charlie Chenault, Woodbine Cemetery Board of Trustees, Secretary/Treasurer, on August 27, 2015. Additions were made by Lisa Batchelder, superintendent of Woodbine Cemetery, in September and October 2021.
Due to the lengthy time period covered by this collection, the materials were created, collected and organized by a variety of individuals, and completeness of the records varies. Where possible, the original order and naming conventions were retained. The collection also originally contained various stamps, keys, and other 3-dimensional objects, which were not retained.
Woodbine Cemetery Company was founded on March 19, 1850 by the Virginia General Assembly, as a non-denominational burial ground in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The first land for the cemetery was purchased seven months later, on October 11, 1850, from Harrisonburg's first mayor, Isaac Hardesty, who sold 2½ acres to the cemetery company. It has continued to expand in size over the years, and the current grounds cover about 18 acres. Woodbine Cemetery contains roughly 11,550 burial plots with approximately 9,000 interred.
Soon after the Civil War, the cemetery created an area dedicated to Confederate soldiers and veterans. This section was originally maintained by the Ladies Memorial Association, founded in 1868 with the charge of caring for the graves of Confederate soldiers buried in Rockingham County. The Ladies Memorial Association erected a soldiers monument in 1876, and in 1899 with the aid of the Turner Ashby Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, replaced all wooden head boards with white marble stones. The section was expanded in 1886, when Samuel Shacklett donated a 5 acre-plot, containing land likely already in use as a Confederate cemetery. There are now over 200 Confederate soldier or veterans buried there, representing states of Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee. The cemetery also contains area known as "Little Arlington," dedicated to those who served in World War I and World War II.
The Community Mausoleum was erected in 1926, though there are no records of incorporation until 1936, when it was incorporated as the "Communal Mausoleum Crypt Owners, Inc." In February 2006, the mausoleum merged with Woodbine Cemetery Company.
According to a Woodbine Board of Trustees report dated April 2, 1853, the original cemetery contained plots designated for African Americans, stating, "…in the rear plats have already been appropriated to single interments, and likewise for the use of colored persons." According to Nelson J. Liskey's, "History of Woodbine Cemetery," in 1969, the board adopted a policy that "no restrictions as to race would be applicable to lot purchasers." Certificates of Ownership of Communal Mausoleum Crypts at Woodbine Cemetery state that "the crypts are for the entombment of the human dead of the Caucasian race only."
Superintendents of Woodbine Cemetery include, but are not limited to, the following individuals: John Foster (1851), J.P. Hyde (1863), J.E. Good (1880), Bowman Gilmer (1918-1958), Sherman Gilmer (1958-1981), David Schrock (1981-1992), Lisa Batchelder (1992-present).
The Woodbine Cemetery Records, circa 1830-2006, are comprised of materials related to the operation of Woodbine Cemetery, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The collection includes a wide array of financial and commercial materials, including receipt books and loose receipts, account books, checks, ledgers, bank statements, board minutes and reports, customer correspondence, insurance information, maps, and other materials produced during the course of business, between the 1850s and 2006. This includes records relating to the management of the Woodbine Mausoleum, which existed as a separate entity until 2006, when it was acquired by Woodbine Cemetery.
Due to the lengthy time period covered, the materials were collected and organized by a variety of individuals, and completeness of the records varies. When possible, the original order and naming conventions were retained. The material relates almost exclusively to Woodbine Cemetery in Harrisonburg VA, though some of the ephemera relates to other cemeteries as well.
The collection is arranged in six series. Broadly speaking, each series is arranged first by the type of material, and then chronologically within these broader categories. Exceptions to this arrangement were made in order to pay respects to the original order, as well as when precise dates could not be readily determined.
Financial Files, circa 1840-2006 (bulk 1890-2006) Administrative Files, 1853-2002 Business Records, 1898-2006 Mausoleum Records, 1924-2006 Ephemera, 1985-2000 Maps, 1913-1966A copy of the book, "Beautiful Thornrose," edited by Arista Hoge (Staunton, VA: Press of the McClure Co., 1914), was separated from the collection, and is housed in Special Collections Monographs, F234.S8 B4 1914.
Financial Files, ca. 1840-2006, is comprised of financial documents of various types. These include receipts for materials purchased by the cemetery for operations, including hardware, materials, landscaping services, and other expenses relating to the day-to-day care of the cemetery grounds and buildings. Cemetery account books, receipt books, and ledgers track the income and expenditures of the Cemetery, including payments made to the cemetery for the one-time purchase of plots and ongoing income from perpetual care plots. Additional information includes cemetery tax documents are returns, employee payment and salary information, banking documents (including deposit slips and account statements), donor pledges, and other related documents directly impacting the financial affairs of Woodbine cemetery. Certain folder within this series are restricted, due to the presence of personally identifying information.
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Administrative Files, ca. 1830-2002, is comprised of documents which record the information used to manage the cemetery. As such, it contains reports and minutes compiled by the cemetery's various treasurers and presidents over the years, information relating to board meetings, insurance policy papers, and other similar documents created in the course of running the business.
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This series contains material relating to the business side of Woodbine Cemetery from the years 1898-2006. The materials within this series relate to the cemetery's interactions with their customers and patrons. As such, it includes lists of lot owners, deeds, and contact information for customers. Among these materials are documents relating to disputes, and questions arising about specific plots or persons in the cemetery. Also included are newsletters, fund letters, mailing lists, and correspondence generating through interactions with the Harrisonburg community at large.
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This series contains the information related to the management and fundraising efforts of the Woodbine Community Mausoleum from its founding in 1989 until it was acquired by Woodbine Cemetery in 2006. This includes financial documents, board minutes, owner information, and all other material relating specifically to the Mausoleum. The voided certificates of ownership of communal mausoleum crypts at Woodbine Cemetery, dated 1927-1970, state that "the crypts are for the entombment of the human dead of the Caucasian race only...".
This series is comprised of general records that were maintained by the cemetery for posterity, including photographs of the cemetery, sesquicentennial celebration information, and various publications and information related to cemeteries.
This series is composed of maps and charts of Woodbine Cemetery and the Mausoleum, which show how the cemetery expanded during
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