Chestnut Ridge Cemetery is a small cemetery located on private property in a wooded area just off Comertown Road at the eastern edge of the corporation limits of the Town of Shenandoah.
The Chestnut Ridge Cemetery Association was created in 1891, and the cemetery at that time was located just outside the corporation limits of Town of Shenandoah. As a result of the friendly boundary line adjustment between the Town and Page County on January 1, 2007, brought the cemetery and nearby properties into the corporation limits of Town of Shenandoah.
This cemetery sits in the woods, surrounded by trees and no cleanup had been performed in a very long time until the Page County FCCLA started cleaning it up in the fall of 2023. See our story about their cleanup efforts at the following link:
Page County FCCLA Cemetery Cleanup Project
Not a lot has been written about this cemetery association. From the below certificate it says the association was incorporated in 1891. It also shows that that Charles J. Stevens purchased 15 shares of capital stock of in January 1892. The certificate was signed by secretary H. N. Sims and president Charles J. Stevens. This certificate was found in the history room of the Shenandoah Museum at 507 First Street Shenandoah Virginia.
In April of 1892 the contract had been establish and the lumber is being hauled for the fence to enclose the land of the newly formed cemetery. Page News and Courier April 28, 1892
Thirty-five years later the below announcement was found in the Page News and Courier April 5, 1927.
IN THE CLERK’S OFFICE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF PAGE COUNTY. On the 31st. day of March, 1927, Shenandoah Land and Improvement Co., Inc. Plff. Vs. Chestnut Ridge Cemetery Association Company, &c., ~Dft. The object of this suit is to subject that certain tract or parcel of land; excluding that part already occupied for burial purposes, known as the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery, comprising the whole of Blocks Nos. 55 and 56; Lots Nos. 34 to 45 inclusive, and portions of Lots Nos. 33 and 46 In Block 63, Including the streets and. alloys connected there with, as shown on the Plat of the Shenandoah Land and Improvement Co. containing as a whole 8.81 acres, more or less, situated In the suburbs of the town of Shenandoah in the County of Page, to the payment of the residue of the purchase money due thereon to the Plaintiff, which said land was sold by the plaintiff to the said Chestnut Ridge Cemetery Association on Jan. 15, 1892, at the, sum of $1762.00, of which $100.00, was paid on Jan. 1st. 1893; the residue to be paid, in four annual instalments of $415.50, each, on the 1st. day of January, 1894, 1895, 1896 and 1897 respectively, and; the deed to said real estate to be made upon the payment of said deferred installments, none of which have been, paid. and for Which said-real estate, no deed was executed, and for general relief.
And an affidavit having been made and filed to the effect that the defendant, Chestnut Ridge Cemetery Association, is a defunct corporation, formerly chartered under the laws of the State of Virginia; that diligence has been used on behalf of the plaintiff to ascertain in what County or corporation the defendants, W. H. Dent, H. N. Sims and J. P. Brown are, without effect; and that there may be other persons interested in the subject to be disposed of in said suit, whose names are unknown, and it being so stated in the bill, and who are made parties defendant by the general description of "parties unknown.", It is ordered that they do appear Within ten days due publication hereof and do what may be necessary to protect their interests In this suit. And it is further ordered that a copy hereof be published once a week for four successive weeks In the Page News and Courier, a newspaper published in the County of Page, and that a copy be posted at the front door of the Court House of this County on the 4th day of April, 1927 that being the next succeeding Rule Day after this order is entered. Grover C. Miller Clerk. Keyser & Keyser, p. q.
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From obituaries published in the newspapers, we know of a few burials had taken place at the cemetery prior to the above announcement in the papers. According to the announcement in the paper stated it was a defunct corporation, although funerals at the cemetery continued.
On Find a Grave website at the time this article was written, they list 17 individuals that are buried at Chestnut Ridge Cemetery. They are:
George Arrington, Malinda Arrington, Ada Elliot, Leona O Forrest, George David Hurst Jr., May Johnson, Albert J. Lewis, Allis Lewis, Thelma Lewis, Hattie Belle Green Mitchell, Leon Ray Mitchell, Louseal Mitchell, Walter Mitchell, Ida Lewis Stewart, Frank Ward, Grant Wise, Henry Wright. Of these 17 listed on Finda a Garve website, only 7 of them have grave marker identifying them.
Our research has revealed obituaries for 10 individuals that state the deceased were buried at Chestnut Ridge Cemetery. Of these, these four are not listed on Find A Grave website: Bertha White, Georgia Wright, Walter Wright and Lottie Wise.
George Arrington
George Arrington, an old and respectable
colored man died at his home near Shenandoah, Monday
morning. He is about seventy years old.
Burial and funeral will be at the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery Wednesday
at 2 P. M. He made his home practically all his life at Shenandoah.
He has several distant relatives.
Page News and Courier March, 22 1932
We found a second obituary for Mr. George Arrington.
OLD EMPLOYE OF WM. MILNES
DEAD
Shenandoah, Va., March 24. The
funeral of George Arrington, colored
age about 70 years, whose death, occurred
at his home at 5:30, A. M.
Monday was conducted by Rev.
Howard Blakey, at the
home with a short service,
and interment In the Chestnut Ridge
Cemetery. He leaves the wife of
his second marriage, one son, Thomas,
and one daughter, Frances, of Harrisburg
and Pittsburg, Pa., and one;
sister, Mrs. Comora Blakey of Shenandoah.
The children were by his
first wife. He was better known as|
Uncle George. He came to Shenandoah
In the early eighties from
Jack’s Shop Madison County and has
made it his home ever since. He was
employed by the Hon. William Milnes
at the Old Forge and later at the
Gem Furnace. He was a peaceable
citizen and -was liked by both white
and colored. Misses Hattie and
Leona Arrington, of Pittsburgh, Pa.,
Uncle George’s daughters attended
the funeral, also his step-daughter,
Patsy Wright.
Card of Thanks
I wish to thank both white and
colored for their kindness shown
during the sickness and death of my
brother, George Arrington, also for
the use of their cars. Mrs. Comora
Blakey, his sister.
Page News and Courier March 25, 1932.
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Malinda Arrington
Malinda Arrington (colored), age;
80 years, widow of the late George
Arrington, died at her home near
Shenandoah at 5 am. Wednesday
after a long illness. She is survived
by the following daughters, Miss
Frances Arrington, of Pittsburg, Pa.
Mrs. Bettie Harvey, of Buena Vista,
Va., and Mrs. Patsy Wright, of Shenandoah,
and one son. The funeral,
with short services at the home will
be held at 11 a. m., (today) Friday,
May 6th with interment in Chestnut
Ridge cemetery.
Page News and Courier May 6, 1932
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Leona O’dessa Forrest
Mrs. Forrest’s Rites
Funeral Services for Mrs. Leona O’ dessa Forrest, who died Thursday night, will be held Sunday afternoon at two o’clock from the Naked Creek Baptist Church, near Shenandoah, Va.
The Services will be conducted by the Rev. J.O. Wright. Burial will be in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery.
Active pallbearers will be: Leo M. Howard, Isaiah Brown, Marvin N. Williams, Frank Duncan, W. W. Graves and Cecil Guy.
The body now rest at the Lindsey Harrisonburg Funeral Home, where it will remain until Sunday afternoon at 12:15, when it will be taken to the church to lie in state from one o’clock until the hour of the service.
Relatives, friends and pallbearers are asked to meet at the church at 1:45pm Sunday afternoon.
Daily News Record January 17, 1958.
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George David Hurst Jr.
Hurst Funeral
SHENANDOAH - The
funeral for George David Hurst
Jr., 81, of Shenandoah will be
conducted 11 a.m. Saturday at
the Warren G. Kyger Funeral
Home in Shenandoah by the
Rev. Hudson Nuckols.
Burial will be in Chestnut
Ridge Cemetery near
Shenandoah.
Mr. Hurst died Wednesday at
Rockingham Memorial
Hospital, where he had been
admitted July 3 after breaking
his hip.
He was born in 1896 in
Madison County and was the
son of the late Mr. and Mrs.
George D. Hurst Sr.
He lived most of his life in
Shenandoah, where he was a
handyman.
Daily News Record September 16, 1977.
A picture of George D. Hurst Jr. is in the book Shenandoah A History of Our Town and Its People on page 197.
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Albert Lewis
Lewis Funeral At
Naked Creek Today
ELKTON, October 27 Funeral services
for Albert Lewis 55, will be
held from the Naked Creek Baptist
Church Friday afternoon at
2:30. the Rev. W. M Rowe officiating.
Burial will be in the Chestnut
Ridge cemetery, at Shenandoah.
The family and friends will
meet at the home of his daughter
Mrs, Aussie Field, in Elkton,
at 1:45. The body will be taken
from the Brill funeral home to
the church to lie in state at one
o’clock.
Pallbearers will be: Ross Jones,
Roy Jones. Jesse Major, Robert
Major, John D. Williams and M.
W. Cubbage.
Daily News Record October 28, 1955.
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Hattie B. Mitchell
Hattie B. Mitchell
The funeral for Hattie Belle
Mitchell, 95, Shenandoah, will be
held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at
the Kyger Funeral Home in
Shenandoah.
The Rev. Hudson Nuckols will
conduct the service. Burial will be
private at the Chestnut Ridge
Cemetery in Shenandoah.
She died July 7, 1996, at her
home. She was born July 30, 1900, in
Page County and was a member of
the Naked Creek Baptist Church.
Surviving are three sons, Robert
Mitchell, Elkton and Claudie and
Melvin Mitchell, both of Shenandoah,
seven grandchildren; and six
great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends
7-8 p.m. today at the funeral
home.
Daily News Record July 9, 1996.
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Bertha White
The body of Bertha White, daughter of Bettie Wise, arrived on Train
14 Saturday, and was taken to her
mother’s home. The funeral was
conducted from the home at 1, p. m.,
Sunday with interment in Chestnut
Ridge cemetery. She was fifty-one years old.
Page News and Courier February 18, 1930.
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Lottie Wise
The funeral of Lottie Wise, who
died in Harrisburg Sept. 1st, was
held from the home of her mother,
Bettie Wise, on Sunday with interment
in the Chestnut Ridge cemetery
Rev. Robert Snyder, of Elkton, officiated.
The funeral was attended by
many white and colored friends. Her
mother, four sisters and one brother survive.
Page News and Courier September 8, 1931.
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Georgia Wright
Death of Georgia Wright
Georgia Wright, colored, aged
about 40 years, died in the Petersburg
Hospital on Wednesday morning.
Georgia was the daughter of
Nash and Patsy -Wright, who survive
with one sister, Beatrice (Mrs. Fred
Wise). One brother, Walter, died
several years ago, with influenza.
The deceased had been ill for several
weeks, but her death was entirely
unexpected. The body was
brought to Shenandoah on Wednesday
evening by Undertaker Brill. Interment
in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery
near Comertown on Thursday.
Page News and Courier April 22, 1938.
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Walter Wright
Walter Wright, colored, died at
his home near Shenandoah, Wednesday
evening at 3:30, aged about
21 years. Death followed an illness
of nine days with pneumonia. He
was a son of Nash and Patsy Wright
and was employed by Mr. Whiteside
at his cleaning and pressing
establishment on Pa., ave. By his
polite and friendly manners toward
every one he had many friends
both white and colored. The funeral
was conducted from his home at 10
o’clock Friday morning with interment
in Chestnut Ridge cemetery.
Page News and Courier April 12, 1932.
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Words on tombstone is part of a poem wrote for World War I “For The Fallen” by Laurence Binyon an English poet and scholar of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose career spanned 50 years.
Ida Lewis Stewart
We could not find an obituary for Ida Lewis Stewart but did find her will, marriage and death certificates online at Ancestry.com. She married Norman G Stewart on October 6, 1931 at Dauphin County Pennsylvania. On the application for marriage, we learned that she was born in Shenandoah Virginia, her father’s name was Georg Lewis and her mother’s maiden name was Julia Evans.
From her death certificate we learned she was born March 18, 1886 and she passed away June 11, 1936. The informant was Norman Stewart, Valley Forge Pennsylvania.
Ida Stewart wrote her will on May 26, 1936 in Valley Forge Pennsylvania and was recorded in Pennsylvania on June 24, 1936 and was recorded in Page County Virginia on December 29, 1937.
