On Sunday, March 20th on our way home we made a detour south off of I 64 to Blue Ridge Farm off of Ortman Road near Greenwood in Albemarle County. Ortman road can be accessed from US 250 about 1.5 miles west of exit 107. The map at the bottom of the page shows the site.
Blue Ridge Farm is on the National Register of Historic Places. The main house was built in the mid 19th century by the Smith family. Randolph Ortman had the house enlarged in 1923. The work was done by renowned architect, William Lawrence Bottomly. The Epperson family seemingly owned land that at least partially makes up the current Blue Ridge Farm tract. In fact, the mountain just east of the current Blue Ridge Farm was once known as Epperson Mountain. John Epperson sold the land to the Durrett family in 1800 not long after his father David Epperson, Sr. died.
David Epperson was born in 1734. It is not known for sure who his parents were but it is thought that he was the son of John Epperson and Elizabeth and may have been born in New Kent County. In 1753, he married Hannah Thompson. David Epperson and family were patriots during the American Revolution. Both David Sr. and his son David Jr. enlisted and served. The elder David was in the 14th VA regiment. He also provided financial assistance to other volunteers who otherwise could not have afforded to leave their families. In 1776 his name appears on a dissenters petition for colonists who wished to be free of the Church of England.
Unfortunately, the younger David lost his life in the service of his new nation. He died at Valley Forge in 1777, leaving a young wife and children. It is from these young children that our line comes. David Epperson, Jr. married Judith Maupin. One of their daughters, Hannah Epperson, married Dillard Sandridge. Their child, Joel Maupin Sandridge had a daughter Elizabeth Sandridge who married Clifton Rice Wood Their daughter was Martha Frances "Fanny" Wood, wife of Algretus Rice Via. Another child of David Epperson and Judith Maupin was Anna. It is possible that Anna was a twin sister of Hannah. Anna married John Gardner. Their daughter, Sarah Harris Gardner was the wife of William Maiden. She is buried in the Maiden Cemetery in Rockingham County.
David Epperson, Sr. survived the war and died in late 1799. He was buried on his land and the cemetery remains to this day. Durretts are also buried there. The David Epperson marker is definitely not original. There is also a marker from the Sons of the American Revolution. The view from the cemetery is spectacular. We pulled up not knowing where to look for the cemetery, but a fenced in area was easily visible south of, and opposite the main house. I presumed this to be the cemetery. I happened across a farm hand who allowed me to drive the short way up the gravel road toward the cemetery. On the map below, the cemetery can be seen at the bottom center of the frame. By zooming in, you can easily make out the fenced in area that contains the cemetery.
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