Valley View, Ohio
While it seems strange to have a cemetery in the middle of a commercial area, this kind of thing happens a lot in Ohio. As cities grow, particularly in areas known for historic settlements, tiny cemeteries that have been around for centuries end up getting built around, because the act of disinterring the bodies and moving them tends to be lengthy, problematic, and not very cost-effective.
According to the sign “This cemetery on the John I. Harper farm was located on Old Rockside Road. Beginning in 1816, it was the burial place for the Harper family and early settlers of the area. It has been said that some of those buried here were workers that died from swamp fever and other causes during the time the Canal was built. It is also the burial place of Canal Boat Captain Orange McArthur – who departed this land November 13, 1837, Aged 26 Years and 9 Months.”
Harper McArthur Cemetery
Which brings us to Harper McArthur Cemetery. Located on a small segment of Old Rockside Road (head west on Rockside Rd, turn right onto Valley View Rd, and then make a quick right onto Old Rockside – the street is easy to miss) right in the middle of a commercial segment of Valley View, the cemetery is all that remains of the old Harper family homestead.
John I. Harper
Born in Delaware County, New York in 1774, John I. Harper was born to Revolutionary War Colonel John Harper and his wife. The family founded Harpersfield, NY, which they fled in 1777 when it was attacked by Native Americans. Returning to the village in 1783, John I. Harper and his siblings, along with his father and step mother (his biological mother passed away in 1778) grew up there.
In 1810, John I. Harper, his family (including wife Amanda and daughter Hannah), plus his brothers, moved to Ashtabula County, Ohio. Ironically, Ashtabula County also has its own Harpersfield, founded and named by John I. Harper’s uncle, Captain Alexander Harper.
By 1816, John I. Harper and his family made their way to what is now Valley View, Ohio, although it was a part of Independence, Ohio at the time. They bought 110 acres of land. As an interesting side note, they lived near Abraham Garfield at the time – the father of future President James A. Garfield.
John I. Harper died in 1849 and was buried in the cemetery on his family’s land – what is now known as Harper McArthur Cemetery.
Captain Orange McArthur
What about the other part of the cemetery’s name? The “McArthur” comes from Orange McArthur, who, according to oral history, might have been a boat captain on the nearby canal. What is known is that Orange McArthur, born in 1811 to War of 1812 Colonel Rial McArthur, Rial McArthur spent time in the Independence area working as a surveyor for the Connecticut Land Company, and fully moved to the location in 1833.
While Rial McArthur served as postmaster in the Independence region, his son, Orange McArthur was elected to a constable position in 1834. He died in 1837 at the age of 26. There are no sources that list his cause of death, and canal boat records from the area only date back to 1839. As a result, there is no written proof that he served as a canal boat captain, and notices of his death merely list him as Captain Orange McArthur. He was buried in the same cemetery as John I. Harper.
The Cemetery
When John I. and Amanda Harper purchased their property in 1816, it was located right on the riverbank and stretched to the east, towards the hilly region on the other side of the valley. Starting in 1825, diggers constructed the canal through their property, building one of the four locks located in Independence on their land. This connection is why Captain Orange McArthur was buried in their cemetery, which also reportedly became the afterlife home of several dozen canal workers who died of swamp fever.
As time went by, the land changed hands as well as city names, and it is now a part of Valley View. There are numerous businesses and roads constructed through what once was a farm owned by John I. Harper and his wife, but the only remaining sign is this small slice of land – a cemetery that bares their name.
Found in Ohio 