WestVirginiaCemeteryPreservationAssociation

Cemetery Reading

Cemetery Name:

Withers- Harbour- Persinger Cemetery


Withers- Harbour- Persinger Cemetery, Mason Co., WV

Withers- Harbour, Persinger Cemetery, Mason Co., WV

Click images to enlarge

County: Mason
USGS Quad: Apple Grove
Coordinates: 38.712ºN  -82.143ºW
Maintained by: Descendants
Land owner: Private land - owner's name unknown
Date added to WVCPA register: March 2003
Condition of cemetery**: Fair (July 2003)
Accessibility: Not easily accessible.  Rough terrain.  Access via the Lincoln Bush homestead farm (adjacent to property on which the cemetery lies) on a long driveway, drivable only with a four-wheel drive vehicle at this time. Contact farm owners prior to visiting cemetery, if possible.

** Condition of cemetery as observed on the given date -
may not be representative of care at other times of the year
Scale: Excellent - Good - Fair - Poor - Abandoned

 

Last Name: First Name:

Born:

Died:

Inscription:

Photo:

Source:

  infant      [none]  
  I.A.W.     [presumed to be a Withers]  
Minks Mary C.

2 April 1845

30 December 1876

"Aged 31 yrs 8 mo 28 days" "Daughter of L.N. & E.J. Withers" Click for photo
Withers William Frank 1864 1923 [son of Jacob & Mary Jane King Withers]  
Withers I.B. 15 March 1884 3 April 1885 "Daughter of J.F. & N.J. Withers"  
Withers infant twins      [infant son and daughter of Albert Withers]  
Withers infant daughter ca. 2 June 1878 10 June 1878 "Aged 8 (?) days"  
Withers Elizabeth 9 April 1821 6 August 1901 [shared stone]

[son of Jacob Withers]

Click for photo
Click for photo
Withers Lewis N. 20 October 1818 24 January 1885
Withers Matilda D. 17 March 1800 19 April 1828 "Aged 28 yrs 1 mo 2 days" "Wife of Jacob Withers" Click for photo
  H.C.     [family historian identifies this as a Harbour child]  
Harbour James 1930 1930    
Harbour John 15 January 1921 21 February 1928 [son of C.W. & Rosa Harbour]  
Duncan Moses 26 April 1831 15 August 1919    
Persinger John Alexander       Click for photo
Persinger Nancy   28 August 1883 "Wife of J.A. Persinger"  
Persinger Joseph   31 January 1915    
Persinger James T. 2 October 1918 28 July 1953 "West Virginia PVT, HQ CO 35 INF, 25 INF DIV WWII" [killed in auto accident in Lancaster, OH - son of Thomas & Gertie Persinger] Click for photo
Persinger Thomas J. 1867 1 June 1935 [grandfather of contributor, Lois Downour] Click for photo
Persinger Gertie 9 February 1891 11 October 1959 "Wife of Thomas" [daughter of George & Barbara Neville Minks] Click for photo
Persinger Warren G.H. 1921 1927 [Son of Thomas & Gertie]  
Denny Martha A.J. Persinger 12 May 1864 13 November 1887 [Wife of George W. Denny]  
Hill Syntha Ann 1836   [wife of Ruben Siders]  
Burns James 18 December 1844 27 April 1929 [shared stone]

[Lucy:] "Aged 72 yrs" [dau of Jack Casey]

Click for photo
Click for photo
Burns Lucy Ann 1 September 1856

10 September 1921

Meeks Samuel     "Corporal 18th Ohio Inf" Click for photo
Meeks Lucy ca. 1875 7 August 1900 [wife of Samuel, believed to be the daughter of Dan & Lou Jenkins]  
Meeks Albert ca. 1871 28 February 1900 "Aged 29 yrs" [Son of Samuel & Rachel Meeks - died in Ben Lomond]  
Russell Herd     [half brother to Gertie Minks Persinger, and buried next to her grave.  Older cemetery books say he is here, and there are stones marking the graves, but no names or dates on them]    
Russell Jerry        
Neville Hiram Allen 5 August 1871 ? [grave at the feet of Gertie and Thomas Persinger.  Hiram was the uncle of Gertie Minks Persinger, her mother's twin brother]  
Russell- Minks- Neville Barbara Allis 5 August 1871 ? [twin of Hiram A. Neville - also buried at the foot of Gertie, who was her daughter]  
Burris infant     [child of Ora & Elmer Burris - no dates]  
Barke Emma 17 March 1811 26 June 1886 [widowed daughter of Emma Withers]  
Siders Ethel   11 March 190? [stone broken and otherwise damaged, only partially legible] Click for photo
Siders Minnie 29 August 1886 16 March 1906   Click for photo
Siders Hattie 21 February 1876 18 August 1901 "Wife of Jim" [cemetery records say she was a Clemens] Click for photo
Burns Bertha 29 May 1889 25 July 1909   Click for photo
Burns Burt 16 June 1884 28 March 1905   Click for photo
Holley Bub     [cemetery books say he is buried here, but found no identifiable stone per July 2003]  
Withers [photos of Withers infant stones - uncertain to which children they belong] Click for photo
Click for photo

 

Comments: Near Ben Lomond, WV, 3 miles out Mud Run in Clendenin District. Originally named the Withers Cemetery, later changed to include Harbour and Persinger to represent the three main families buried there.

There are about 13 headstones that were illegible or unidentifiable per July 2003, and maybe more. Many graves are marked with stones with no inscriptions, and many stones have been lost.  

In July 2003, a gathering of 21 family members of those buried in this cemetery spent a day in conjunction with a family reunion to clear away brush and trees and record what gravestones remained. This, following years of neglect and damage from cattle allowed to graze in the cemetery through lack of concern of the present property owner (unrelated to those buried there).  They found that the gravestones of Herd and Jerry Russell, and those of brother and sister Hiram and Barbara Neville had been knocked over and virtually destroyed by the cattle that had broken through the fence that had been surrounding the cemetery.  These tombstones are being re-created at the time of the posting of this page, and will be placed in their appropriate locations when completed.  To quote the primary contributor for this page, Lois Downour (granddaughter of Gertie & Thomas Persinger), when describing the "cemetery rescue": "a lot of the Persinger headstones are missing from just being very old and some were destroyed by cattle before we got the fence up. Some of the Withers headstones were saved we think because they were under a lot of multifloral, so we think the cattle didn't bother them, others weren't so lucky, We had to use chain saws to cut away some of the multifloral because weed eaters just wouldn't cut it, But we had to crawl through the multifloral to make sure there was no stones in the way".

While these family members live far away from this cemetery, they showed the care and concern to preserve the memory of their pioneer ancestors for generations to come, and have pledged to continue to see that this burial ground will no longer be forgotten.  All of the photos on this page were contributed by Lois Downour, and all the readings were completed in July 2003 by her and extended family.  The information presented here is still incomplete, as many of the graves have yet to be clearly identified.  As they are, and as additional photos are taken, they will be added to this page.

Work completed under auspices of WVCPA: Lois Downour brought her family cemetery to the attention of the WVCPA in March of 2003, having the distinction of being our first "official" contact for helping rescue the family cemetery from being lost for future generations.  WVCPA, while being very limited in its ability to help Lois and her family in these early days of being established as an association, have remained in contact with Lois throughout these past months, encouraging and offering advice where we could.  This cemetery is, and always will be, in a very special place in our hearts.  And while those who are buried there are, at best, very, very distant cousins multiple times removed and frequently only by marriage, they will be as family to Joel and I the rest of our days.  Thank you for touching our hearts as you have, Lois, and reaffirming to us that what we have set out to do with WVCPA is a truly worthwhile and endearing venture.

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 Updated: 07 September 2012