William Blankenship Cemetery

Locality: Roanoke County                  Temporal Period:                  Historic

Realty Map:          75.00-2-25?                            Cultural Affiliation:              Euro-American

USGS Map:           Bent Mountain                     Landform:                              Bench

Grid Locus:            F-3                                          Elevation:                              1940 feet

UTM Easting:       582090                                    Aspect:                                  South

UTM Northing:    4120180 

Site Dimensions:  15 by 20 feet

Survey Description:  Site consists of a small family cemetery with at least six graves.  All of the graves were identified as slight depressions in the ground surface.  Two of the graves were marked by low, uninscribed fieldstone markers.  All of the observed graves were oriented to the southeast.  Other unmarked graves may be present.  A single locust tree is located near the graves and remnant growth of periwinkle was noted at the base of this tree.  Site appears to have used for hay cultivation for a number of years.  Site was field inspected and size was estimated by pacing the horizontal extent of the observed graves.

Survey Date:         7/98

Field Notes:           _x_Yes   ___No

Photographs:        ___Yes  _x_No   

References:       None

Additional Comments:  Collection of oral histories and documentary research may provide temporal and social information for this cemetery.  The cemetery is not marked on the USGS Bent Mountain map sheet, or on locale realty maps.  It is located on land owned by the Vaden family.  The number of observed graves and the resulting estimate of site size should be considered tentative because of vegetation cover.  Name of site was assigned following information supplied by Roy Ferguson.  According to Roy Ferguson, William Blankenship first occupied the property.  William Blankenship conveyed the property to his son Edward, who later conveyed the property to his son Charles.