Private Farm Cemeteries


of Lancaster County
Last Update:


Groff-Stoneroad-Reese Graveyard




[Tombstone of Jacob Rees* abt 1703-abt 1780]


The Groff-Stoneroad-Reese graveyard is located near the junction of Sawmill Road with Pennsy Road just west of New Providence.
The caretaker organization for the graveyard is the Mt. Airy Graveyard Association


[Headstone of Johannes Meier?]


It is next to an identical stone for Christian Meier?


Pre-restoration scenes

















The tobacco barn was probably the one mentioned in Ellis and Evans as the one built by Thomas Groff, son-in-law of Adam Stoneroad. He warranted the 42 acre farm in 1803. The name of the farm was "Amsterdam." The barn was torn down in 2001 and used to construct some smaller outbuildings.



Recovery and restoration of the Groff-Stoneroad-Reese graveyard began on Monday May 3, 1999 and additional documentation is contained in the master record.
At that time the graveyard was overgrown with vegetation




and had been abused by the Amish farmer who owns the property. The farmer had dumped 10-30 bales of rotted hay into the graveyard in or about October of 1998 and was told by Grave Concern to remove the hay and desist from any further abuse of the graveyard.


The warning had small effect as the farmer dumped more rotted hay as well as a non-organic and possibly toxic white substance in April of 1999. The farmer also cut the trees down that were growing in the graveyard about 2 years ago and burned them in the graveyard. The farmer's abuses have caused damage to headstones. The farmer had been discussing plowing the graveyard under to his neighbors, who thankfully advised him not to do it. These abuses clearly violate the intent and spirit of the historic graveyard preservation statute that exists in PA.

Initial recovery and restoration has yielded aproximately 70 headstones in 9 discernible rows. Some of these stones contain inscriptions never before recorded.



[above and below-visible are some of the recovered stones]







In the distance, well right of the gray barn the graveyard can be seen as the green strip in the midst of the plowed field.




[headstones marked with lath]

The graveyard appears to have had an active burial lifetime of about 100 years. The earliest burials probably date from the time of the Revolution with the latest known burial occuring in 1873.




The stone of Jacob Reese. A Jacob Rees appears on the tax rolls for 1726 in Pequea. He was taxed the "Conestoga" rate.

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Recorded stones
  1. Susana, daughter of David Eschleman and Catherina Riszin, born March 10, 1802, died March 29, 1803
    This might be the cause of some confusion among researchers re:David Eshleman 1780-1855. The Eshleman and Reese(Riszin)families lived fairly close to each other.in some articles about the Eshlemans and in the Groff Book, Volume 2, it is hypothesized that David married 1.Catherine Reese 1785-1855, (whose brother Andrew 1777-1856 married David's sister Feronika 1776-1847) and 2. Sarah Byers 1802-1864. Catherine Reese 1785-1855 was married to Issac Peters and died in Ohio. An 1830 Release of Heirs for Catherine's mother states the relationship between that Catherine Reese and Issac Peters.
    The Catherine Reese(Riszin) in question is likely the daughter of Henry Reese(RH) and a cousin to Catherine Reese 1785-1855.
  2. Jacob Ries*.
    NOTE:Since recovery this stone is not inscribed IAC as previously recorded and on file at area historical societies. It is actually JACOB. The letter transcribed earlier as I is really a J, and the corner of the stone that would have had the O and B is broken off, although the slightest bit of the O is discernible
  3. There were two unmarked stones next to this one
  4. 1811 P-R (Peter Rees(RP)* d.Jan/Feb.1811)
  5. Jo H (Huber?, Herr?)
  6. J.H., also transcribed incorrectly, it is I. H.
  7. In memory of Thomas, son of Nancy and Samuel Stoneroad, born Nov.30,1849, died April 27, 1837, aged 7 years, 4 months, and 27 days. (The stone or transcription was in error as the birth year would have been 1829.)
  8. Mary Ann Stoneroad, Dec.20,1825-June 3, 1844
  9. Johanes Reyenni? 1795-1801, possibly Meier followed by another word, german script
  10. Christian Reyenni? 1802-1802, this looks like Christian Meier, a twin stone to the one above.
  11. Jacob Grafft May 7, 1806-May 14, 1857
  12. Susan, wife of Jacob Groff, Aug.7,1814-March 20, 1870
  13. Adam Stoneroad, Dec.13,1777-Sept.4,1873
  14. Elizabeth, June 7,1778-Nov.25,1856, wife of Adam Stoneroad and daughter of John and Elizabeth Gibble
  15. Unmarked stones
    New Stones
  16. Simon Gochnaur
  17. S.G.
  18. T.G.
In total 68-70 headstones have been found. Most are unmarked. Further Restoration efforts will occur in April 2004.





In April of 2002, this headstone was placed for Peter Reese whose original stone has apparently disappeared in the last 40 years. It was set next to the broken stone of Jacob Rees shown above. Jacob is possibly the grandfather of Peter d. 1811.

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