Middleton Gravestones
Ebenezer United Methodist Church
144 Ebenezer Road, Oldhams, Virginia 22529
There are several Middleton gravestones in the vicinity of the Ebenezer United Methodist
Church. David English, who oversees the cemetery, recently sent photos of the gravestones:
This is the footstone for Jeremiah Middleton.
It has the name Middleton at the bottom and it looks like a J. M. on the top stone.
Jeremiah
Middleton
Born July 1, 1863
Died May 29, 1913
Asleep in Jesus
The Jeremiah Middleton, buried here, is believed to be the son of Jeremiah Middleton and
his wife Susan Anthony, and the grandson of Jeremiah B. Middleton and Nancy Harrison
Middleton.
In the 1870’s and 1880’s his family lived in Cople Parish, Westmoreland County, Virginia, as
shown in the following census documents.
.
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The 1870 & 1880 censusi
During those years, his father worked
on a farm as Jeremiah also did. In
1870 the value of their personal
estate was $100 and the value of the
real estate was $100.
This Jeremiah’s grandparents, Jeremiah Middleton and Nancy Harrison Middleton had seven
children, so he had three aunts and three unclesii:
Benjamin Middleton
Hannah Lane Middleton Purcell
Jeremiah Middleton
Robert Middleton
Martha Middleton Jewell
Hugh Middleton
Mary Middleton Mothershead
Born 1815
Born 1820
Born 1825
Born 1826
Born 1829
Born c1832
Born c1832
Died 1878
Died 1904
Died 1895 His Father
Died April 1887
Died 1889
Died 1887
The Jeremiah buried at Ebenezer United Methodist Church would have been
the nephew of Hugh Middleton, who is my husband’s great grandfather.
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Jeremiah is buried, so it appears, with his two wives:
Mary O (Ophelia)
Wife of Jeremiah Middleton
Born February 24, 1874
Died January 21, 1899
Anna J
Wife of Jeremiah Middleton
Born December 19, 187?
Died: March 2, 1905
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The following 1900 census might be a fitiii. However, if Mary Ophelia died in 1899, and the
census was taken in June 1900, then it does not. And yet her age is correct. There is also a
tombstone for a Burchel A. Middleton in the same area of the cemetery. However, his birthday
does not fit. Needless to say more questions remain.
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Burchel A (Allen). Middleton
Born: April 28, 1889
Died: August 6, 1952
In the 1930 census, taken on April 9, 1930, the Burchel Middleton family lived in Farnham,
Richmond County, Virginia (spelled Berchar). Burchel was a farmer and owned his own farm.
He and his wife were 43 years old. He could not read and write but his wife could.
Living with them were Virginia Middleton, a daughter, age 11; Joseph Beasley, a son-in-law
age 12,; Helga Beasley, a daughter-in law, age 9; Enoch, a son-in-law, age 6. All the children
attended school.
In the 1940 census, taken on April 10, B A Middleton was a laborer at a sawmill and also
worked on a farm. He had completed second grade and earned $180 during the previous year at
the mill, and also additional money from the farm. His wife Ollie had completed seventh grade
and worked at home. They lived in the same home they had lived in in 1935, which was in
Farnham, Richmond County, Virginia. They were both 51 years of age.
Living with them were Helga Beasley, a daughter-in-law, age 19 who was single and a student;
Enoch Beasley, a son-in-law age 16 who was also single and a student; and Willie Webb, age
89, a boarder. Helga and Enoch had lived with the family in 1935.iv
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On his WWI Draft Registration Card, Burchel
Middleton was a farmer and born near
Oldham’s Crossroads, in Virginia. His date of
birth was given as April 8, 1888.
On the second page of the registration card,
which is hard to read, he stated that he was tall,
slender, had blue eyes, brown hair, and was not
disabled.
On his WWII Registration Card, Burchel
Allen Middleton, lived in Mulch, Richmond
County, Virginia.
His birth was listed as April 28, 1887, and he
was born in Westmoreland County, Virginiav.
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The large stone in the top left middle is Jeremiah Middleton’s
with the Middleton footstone
The small stones on the left mark Anna, wife of Jeremiah’s grave.
The small stones on the right mark Mary O., wife of Jeremiah’s grave.
The cemetery dates back to the early 1800’s. According to Mr. David English, the current
size of the cemetery is 3 to 4 acres and they have 4 to 5 acres still available.
The lot where the Middleton’s are buried measures 24’ x 24’.
Burchel’s grave is just above Anna’s grave though not shown in the photo.
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Ebenezer United Methodist Church, the oldest Methodist church in
Westmoreland County, began in 1838 when seven-eighths of an acre was purchased for five
dollars from William and Martha Jackson for the purpose of erecting a house of worship. The
sanctuary in which they worship today was built in 1859 with bricks made in a kiln of the
church grounds. The original pulpit and pews are still being used. A shingle found under the
building bears this message, This church was built by James W. English in the year 1858 or
1859 and repaired and tower built by James M. English in 1900.
When organized, Ebenezer was a Methodist
Protestant Church. Soon after the Civil War,
the church became Ebenezer Methodist
Episcopal Church, South. In 1965 Ebenezer
became a station church, and in 1968 it
became Ebenezer United Methodist Church.vi
Location according to Google Maps
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Special Thanks to:
Kathie Pierson, Northern Neck Middletons.com
for piquing my curiosity about the gravestones at Ebenezer United Methodist Church
and
David English for taking his time to take and send me the photos,
as well as help me clarify details.
Mr. English is related to the English’s who built and repaired the Church.
One certainly meets great people when uncovering the past. Thank You!
Written by Ann Karen McVicker Michnowicz Rogers
Researching my husband, Richard Kingston Rogers’ Family.
His grandmother was Sophia Rebecca Middleton Rogers,
a daughter of Hugh Middleton.
Fall 2012
i
Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com and Middleton Family Ancestry website
iii
Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org
iv
Ancestry.com for both years
v
Ancestry.com for both registration cards
vi
Photo of Church and information were all on the note card I received from David English
ii
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