The Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing has a new portal seeking "Revolutionary War Era" cemeteries to enroll in its America 250-Ohio Program that matches volunteers to cemeteries with specific problems.

Sharing the links posted by the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing encouraging those responsible for Ohio's Revolutionary War era cemeteries to take part in this program managed through this dedicated portal. 

1.  "Ohio's Revolutionary War Cemeteries Encouraged to Sign-Up for new Interactive Clean-up Portal."  

2.  A link to the "Cemetery Clean Up Portal." 

"In recognition of the yearlong America 250-Ohio celebration, the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing has launched a new Cemetery Clean-Up Portal to highlight the many ways that Ohioans of all ages can step up to help preserve Revolutionary War-era cemeteries located across the state, many of which have fallen into disrepair and are in need of attention."

Please read all of the particulars to understand the full scope of this program.

How this works:

• Cemetery owner/operators can submit a volunteer request by submitting the form below.
  The cemetery and information about the request will be posted to the interactive map and local volunteer
  groups can contact the cemeteries directly to connect with projects. 
• Potential project types include: Beautification/Landscaping/Planting Flowers/Placing Flags, Mowing/General Grounds Maintenance/Tree Limb Removal, Headstone Cleaning, Donation, Trash Cleanup
• This initiative is primarily focused on assisting cemeteries across Ohio that contain grave markers dating back to the Revolutionary War-era.

click to expand

Submit a request:

Submit a request by filling out the form,

available online or the form provided on

the website. 

Appropriate requests will be posted to the
interactive map within 5-7 business days.

Only legal owner/operators
 of cemetery properties are permitted
to submit a volunteer request. 

click to expand

Is your cemetery registered
with the state of Ohio? 

"You may be eligible to apply for grant funding!
Grant applicants shall be cemetery operators
properly registered pursuant to
Ohio Revised Code section 4767.02,
except for registered cemetery operators
that are for-profit companies."

click to expand

Legal Disclaimer:

"The Ohio Department of Commerce provides

the Cemetery Clean Up Portal as a tool to
connect community service groups
with cemeteries seeking assistance. 

Participation in the program is optional
and does not guarantee that a cemetery
will be matched with volunteers. 

All cleanup activities are conducted
independently by volunteers or volunteer
organizations. 

The Ohio Department of Commerce is not
responsible for supervising or managing
volunteer activities. 

By submitting a cleanup project
or participating as a volunteer, participants
acknowledge that they assume
all risks associated with their activities. 

The Ohio Department of Commerce
is not responsible for any damage
or claims that may arise
from volunteer cleanup facilitated
through the portal."

Updates regarding some W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps in counties where they are not posted online.

*****UPDATES*****
                                
Recent contacts I made to counties that have their W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps, and that have responded, however, stated they are not placing theirs online on their websites, at least at this time, for various reasons.:

Mentioning first that the following counties I was told have their collections at the Levering Library in Athens.:
Athens, Gallia, Jackson, Meigs and Perry Counties - Check the Levering Library 24 W. State St. Athens, OH 45701, 740-592-2280, library@athenshistory.org
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Below are the remainder as I know them to be.:

Clark County

Columbiana County

Darke County

Medina County

Ross County

Wayne

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

OHIO COUNTIES WHERE WPA CEMETERY PLAT MAPS HAVE NOT BEEN LOCATED TO DATE OR HAVE BEEN FOUND BUT LACK INFORMATION ON THE MAP PAGES:

1  ADAMS COUNTY – MAP DRAWINGS ONLY NO OTHER INFORMATION SHOWN ON THE MAPS – THE RECORDER’S OFFICE.  THE PAGES WERE PHOTOGAPHED AND REDUCED IN SIZE AND PUT IN A 3 RING BINDER AT THE ADAMS COUNTY  HERITAGE CENTER

2.   CARROLL COUNTY

3.   GALLIA COUNTY

4.   HANCOCK

5.  HIGHLAND COUNTY

6.  HURON COUNTY – MAP DRAWINGS ONLY NO OTHER INFORMATION SHOWN ON THE MAPS – AT THE RECORDER’S OFFICE.

7   JACKSON COUNTY 

8.  LUCAS COUNTY

9.   MAHONING COUNTY

10.  MEIGS COUNTY

11.  MONTGOMERY COUNTY 

12.  NOBLE COUNTY

13.  OTTAWA COUNTY  

14.  PERRY COUNTY    

15.  PIKE COUNTY – The maps are drawn but no         information on them.

16. PREBLE COUNTY

17. SENECA COUNTY

18. STARK COUNTY 

19. WOOD COUNTY

The W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Shelby County have been added to the right side bar of the blog.

The Shelby County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps have been added to the right sidebar of the blog.  They are .jpg photographs.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps in .PDF form can be found on the Shelby Recorder's website.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Please note that the Shelby County W.P.A. Cemetery Plats do not contain the names of veterans on their map pages.  Yes, this is a setback for those who are researching Shelby County Ohio veteran burials.  However, all is not lost! 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 
Shelby County does have the individual W.P.A. veteran grave cards, however they are not posted on the Recorder's website.  

These grave cards for Shelby County can be found on the website Fold3.  Also, anyone living in Ohio can get a virtual library card from any Ohio public library and research from home. 

I have utilized the Akron - Summit County's Public Library website to link to Fold3.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For the Seven Day Baptist Cemetery seen above left in the image with the two cemeteries.  Deed Vol 68/517 (1891) and Vol. 124/112 (1935)

Shelby County Ohio Gen Web

Tina Hursh - Copyright 1999

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Van Buren Township.:

Barnett Cemetery

Colored Cemetery.  On west side of Lucas-Gieb Road just north of intersection with State Route 29.

Abandoned

Clinton Cemetery

Colored Cemetery.  In small wooded area about 1000 feet northwest of intersection of State Route 119 & Staley Road.

Abandoned

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Note for the Beechwood Cemetery on Page 3, the "Legend of Wars" box has a typed name and not a handwritten name.  

Also, see notation in the left margin regarding Sections on the Map. 

Beechwood Cemetery

Washington Township

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hines Cemetery
Located in Van Buren Township located in a field just off the south side of Wells Road.
Cemetery consists of only one marker, that of a colored soldier of the Civil War.
Hines, Wm. D. Aug 6, 1865, 23y4m  Co. G, 9th  O.V.C.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sharing this example of utilizing the individual veteran grave card and its information in relation to the corresponding W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map of the cemetery that the veteran was buried at.  The Row, Section and Grave number shown on the veteran's grave card should match up with a black coffin symbol for that location on the map image. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~