Halterman family cemeteries at Halterman Hollow

12 August 2021

These cemeteries are located in Halterman Hollow, south and west of Mathias, West Virginia. They are located on private land and accessible via Cherry Run Road off Crab Run Road.

For purposes of this survey, I've named them the Old Halterman Cemetery and the New Halterman Cemetery. Online records for old family cemeteries in this area are confusing and full of errors.

Old Halterman Cemetery

Online sources, including findagrave.com, seem to refer to this site as Halterman Cemetery #2. We went searching for this place because the online sources say that this is the resting place of my fourth great grandparents, Christian "Chrisley" Halterman (1800-1873) and Sarah "Sally" Feathers Halterman (1804-1880). There are a couple of stones dating to about the time they would have been buried here, but we found no trace of Christian and Sally here.

This old family cemetery is located several hundred feet north and west of the new cemetery. The cemetery is fenced off with a barbed wire fence, but there is evidence of livestock intrusion over the years. The forest is slowly taking over the site. We identified about a dozen memorial stones, many unmarked. The fenced in portion is rather large so I suppose that there are many more unmarked graves here.

Harvey Halterman
CO B
11 VA CAV
CSA

This is the resting place of Harvey Halterman, born c. 1833, the son of Aaron Andrew Halterman and Phoebia "Phebe" Yankey Halterman. A marriage registration recorded in Rockingham County Virginia, dated 29 March 1857, shows Harvey Halterman of Hardy County, age 24, son of Aaron and P. Halterman, marrying Eliz. McLoud of Rockingham County, age 26, daughter of Alex and N. McLoud. According to the census, Harvey and Elizabeth are living in Hardy County in 1860 with two sons, Benjamin A., age 2, and Joseph M., age 0.

There are many Civil War records documenting Harvey Halterman as a member of the 11th Virginia Cavalry in the Civil War. At some point after the war, the family moved to Missouri, where we find them in 1870, 1880, and 1900. In the 1900 census, Harvey's birth date is listed as May 1833.

Elizabeth McCloud Halterman died in Ray County, Missouri, on 17 August 1900. Some time afterwards, Harvey returned to Hardy County. In the April 30, 1908 edition of the Moorefield Examiner, in the notes from Mathias, we find this:

Our old friend Harvey Halterman, from Missouri, is staying with Arthur Snider this week. Mr. Halterman has not been very well for the past few days.

Several months later, in the September 10, 1908 edition of the Moorefield Examiner, in the notes from Mathias, we find this:

Our old friend Harvey Halterman from Missouri, is spending a few days with Arthur Snider.

Harvey is mentioned again on September 24, 1908:

Our old friend Harvey Halterman attended church at Mathias today. He is stopping with C.J. Snider.

Harvey Halterman, age 81, is listed as a boarder in the home of Silas Snider at Lost River in the 1910 United States Census. Harvey is listed as divorced in the census record. Silas Snider's wife is Harvey's sister, Hannah Jane Halterman Snider (1849-1927). Hannah was married twice; her first husband was her cousin, William W. Halterman (1847-1880).

Father
John
Halterman
Feb. 18, 1840
Jan. 4, 1926
at rest.

This is the resting place of John Aaron Halterman Jr., son of Aaron Andrew Halterman and Phoebia "Phebe" Yankey Halterman. The dates on that site match his memorial stone, but the site says he's buried at Halterman Cemetery in Mathias, and not Halterman Cemetery #2. His tombstone is in pretty good shape, but is sadly broken in half.

I found John Halterman's obituaryPage 4 of The Moorefield Examiner, published in Moorefield, West Virginia on Thursday, January 21st, 1926, archived at Potomac State College. in the Moorefield Examiner archives.

Our dear father and grandfather, John Halterman, passed from this world to a better one at the old homestead near Mathias, W. Va., Monday evening Jan. 4, 1926, after a brief illness caused by a paralytic stroke received Dec. 31, 1925. He was born Feb. 18, 1840, and had almost attained his 86th birthday when death silenced his beating heart and the voice of the Saviour said "Come up higher, all ye who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest." All was done that tender hands could do but without avail. "Death Dews" were gathering soon after he was stricken and it was known by all present that the time was not long off. He no longer recognized anyone, neither could he receive medicine or nourishment.

He was a Civil War veteran having served through the entire war with Lee and Jackson. He belonged to the 11th Va. Cavalry and was present at nearly all the major engagements, having received three bullet wounds during the war.

He leaves to mourn their loss his widow, six sons, Simon, of Bergton, Va., Lee and Sidney, of Moorefield, Benjamin, Saul and Lory, of Mathias, and two daughters, Eliza and Mrs. John A Cooper, of Mathias, besides a host of grandchildren and friends. Two sons and one daughter preceded him to their reward.

Funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Selestine See at the Caldwell school house, after which interment was made at the family burial ground near where he lived practically his entire life.

The six living sons, Lee, Simon, Saul, Benjamin, Lory and Sidney acted as pallbearers which was the last tribute possible for them to pay to a dear father on this earth.

Some may think that we forget you,
While on earth you are no more,
But in memory you are with us,
As you always were before

His granddaughter Clarise

John was married to Dorothy A. E. See Halterman (1848-1933). A notice of Dorothy's passing appears in the Moorefield Examiner on August 23, 1933.

Mrs. Dorothy Halterman, 85, widow of the late John Halterman, died at the home of her son, Lory, Thursday night.

Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon at the Church of the Brethren by Rev. S. W. See and Rev. W. D. Walker. She is survived by two daughters, Miss Eliza Halterman, Mrs. Laura Cooper, and six sons, Saul Halterman, Lory Halterman, Ben Halterman of Mathias, Lee Halterman of Moorefield, Sidney Halterman of Cumberland, and Simon Halterman, of Peru. A sister, Mary Halterman, and a brother, Tom See, also survive.

Dorothy See Halterman is buried in the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Mathias.

D 5
1889

This is the grave of Phoebia "Phebe" Yankey Halterman (1811-1889). Phebe was the wife of Aaron Andrew Halterman and the mother of John Halterman. The face on the slate tombstone is broken off, and only the "D 5 1889" remains. This matches her death date of December 5, 1889 as documented on her page at findagrave.com. According to findagrave, she is buried in Halterman Cemetery #2. Her husband's date of death is documented as unknown but he is also supposedly buried at Halterman Cemetery #2.

S. V. Halterman

J. H. Halterman

There are two sons of John Halterman and Dorothy See Halterman whose death dates and burial locations are unknown. They are James Harvey Halterman, born 1866, and Sylvanus Halterman, born 1868. This could be the memorial for James Harvey.

S. V. H.

There are two sons of John Halterman and Dorothy See Halterman whose death dates and burial locations are unknown. They are James Harvey Halterman, born 1866, and Sylvanus Halterman, born 1868. This could be the memorial for Sylvanus.

S. H. April 27 1867

I was unable to find any death records for a Halterman in Hardy County that matches this date.

J. H. H.

Unmarked stone 1

This stone may have had an inscription on it but it has worn away.

Unmarked stone 2

Unmarked stone 3

Unmarked stone 4

New Halterman Cemetery

The new cemetery is located on the top of a hill south and east of the old cemetery. It is enclosed by a chain link fence and is well maintained by the property owner.

This cemetery is listed as three different places on findagrave.com: Halterman Cemetery, Halterman Cemetery (78), and some of the people buried here are recorded as being buried in Halterman Cemetery #2.

I recorded the following burials here: