Houtz Cemetery

 

Locality: Salem City                             Temporal Period:                  2nd-3rd quarters 19th c.

Realty Map:          250-1-1.5                                Cultural Affiliation:              Euro-American

USGS Map:           Salem                                      Landform:                              Terrace

Grid Locus:            I-12                                         Elevation:                              1000 feet

UTM Easting:       585940                                    Aspect:                                  Flat

UTM Northing:    4125370

 

Site Dimensions:   19.5 by 30 feet

 

Survey Description:  Site consists of a small family cemetery with at least 11 graves.  All of the observed graves were marked by recently repaired and reset inscribed headstones.  All observed graves are oriented to the east.  Other graves may be present.  Site has been enclosed by a modern chain-link fence and is covered with mowed grass.  Historic plantings were not observed on the site.  Site was field inspected, photographed, and grave marker inscriptions were transcribed and compared to previous documentation.  Site size was derived by measuring the horizontal extent of the surrounding fence.

 

Survey Date:         12/98

 

Field Notes:           _x_Yes   ___No

Photographs:        _x_Yes   ___No

 

References:           Roanoke Valley Historical Society

                                1986        Roanoke County Graveyards Through 1920.  Privately printed, RVHS, Roanoke.

 

Works Progress Administration of Virginia, Historical Inventory, Roanoke County, Virginia,

Document #64.

 

Additional Comments:  Assigned temporal period was based on the 1825 through 1862 range of death dates inscribed on observed headstones.  However, other interments may be present in the cemetery and these may reflect an earlier or more recent use of the site.  The cemetery is not marked on the USGS Salem map, but a 30 by 98.92 feet preserve containing the cemetery is marked on local realty maps.  Site is located in an industrial park.  During park development the cemetery was in very poor condition with all stones toppled and covered in the high weeds of a former pasture.  The cemetery preserve was established during development of the industrial park.

 

This cemetery was initially surveyed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration of Virginia and recorded as the “Houtz Cemetery” in Document #64 of the Historical Inventory of Roanoke County, Virginia.  The WPA file provided biographical information for the five graves of Ester Gish, Catherine Houtz, Elizabeth Houtz, Henry Houtz, and Susan Houtz.

 

The RVHS also surveyed the cemetery and used oral history and the WPA file to document biographical information pertaining eight graves in cemetery that predated 1921 (1986:  142).  Biographical information was recorded for Hannah Brown, Esther Gish, Catherine Houtz, Elizabeth Houtz, Henry Houtz, John Houtz, Salome Houtz, and Susan Houtz. The RVHS reported, “stones here are so scattered and broken there is no way to tell where the cemetery was originally . . .”.  All of the headstones recorded by the WPA were also recorded by RVHS, and all of the stones recorded by both of these earlier surveys were also observed during the 1998 site inspection.


Houtz Cemetery (continued)

 

In 1997, the City of Salem retained Radford University Professor Clifford Boyd and his students in his archaeological field school to conduct excavations at the cemetery.  The goals of the excavation were to determine number and location of interments in the cemetery, and to determine site size.  This work also resulted in the recovery of numerous headstones.  Following the fieldwork, the City enclosed the discovered graves with a chain-link fence and members of the Houtz family and City representatives repaired the recovered headstones and reset each in the cemetery.  The results of the archaeological survey were not available for inclusion in this report.  Information presented here was derived from a site inspection immediately after repaired headstones were reset in the cemetery.

 

Marker Inscriptions:

 

Bold print indicates information missing form a broken marker but recorded by the RVHS.

 

Hannah Brown                                     In memory                                             Esther

Born                                                       of                                                            Wife of

Sept. 27, 1795,                                       Henry ____                                           Abraham Gish

Died                                                        Aged 48 yrs.                                         Died

____ 30, 1869                                                                                                      Nov. 5, 1843

                                                                                                                                Aged

                                                                                                                                About 50 years.

 

Salome                                                   Henry Houtz                                         Hester J.

Daughter of                                           Born                                                       Daughter of

Henry & Susan                                     Oct. 18, 1797                                         Henry & Susan

Houtz                                                     Died                                                        Houtz

Born                                                       Feb. 21, 1860.                                        Born

Oct. 25, 1824.                                                                                                         Aug. 15, 1842

Aged.                                                                                                                     Died

About 1 year.                                                                                                        Jan. 30, 1851

 

Catherine A.                                          John                                                       Elizabeth

Daughter of                                           Son of                                                    Daughter of

Henry & Susan                                     J.C. & S.                                               Henry & Susan

Houtz                                                     Houtz                                                     Houtz

Born                                                       Born                                                       Born

May 4, 1834                                           Feb. 18, 1862                                        Dec. 17, 1826.

Died                                                        Died                                                        Died

Jan. 23, 1851                                          Apr. 5, 1862                                           Dec. 9, 1850

 

SALLVW. HOUTZ

(inscribed fieldstone,

a drill has been used to

outline parts of the

inscription that were

covered by recently

applied cement)


 

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