Update on Sugar Grove Cemetery, Perry Township, Fayette County, Ohio

Abstracted from the Febraury 13, 2012 meeting minutes of the Perry Township Trustees:

"The Board will write a cemetery deed to the Richard Pattion Jr Estate for l grave site in the Sugar Grove Cemetery being SE corner lot #43 (1 grave site), then the Sugar Grove Bd of Trustees can sign it as they are presently the current deed holders. Motion by Smith and sec by Bowers to accept this policy til the deed is transferred back to the township."

Currently, there are 36 interments posted for Sugar Grove Cemetery on "Find A Grave."

There are 3 outstanding requests for gravestone photographs to be taken and posted for Sugar Grove Cemetery.

News from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine -- Sues operators of Floral Hills Cemeteries in Chillicothe and Circleville, Ohio

This is an important news release of January 24, 2012 from the Office of Mike DeWine, Ohio's Attorney General, regarding resolving issues with non-delivery of markers that were already purchased.

Abstracted from the news release:

"Attorney General DeWine encourages consumers to research cemeteries and funeral homes with the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Better Business Bureau before doing business with them. Consumers also should check with the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing, to see if a cemetery is registered and to see if any complaints have been lodged against a cemetery."



"In general, consumers who have complaints against cemeteries, such as maintenance issues, should contact the Ohio Department of Commerce at 216-787-5669 or at http://www.com.ohio.gov/real/cemain.aspx."

"Consumers who paid Floral Hills for a grave marker or vault that was never delivered should file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General's Office at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 800-282-0515."

Recent thefts of Cremation Urns from the Hillside Chapel and Cincinnati Cremation Company

Click above to read the story written by Janice Morse which was published February 15, 2012 on "Cincinnati.com" about a former employee of the Hillside Chapel and Cincinnati Cremation Company who was apprehended for theft of 20 bronze urns and other various metal objects from the company.
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Abstrated from the story:
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"Established in 1887, Cincinnati Cremation is the oldest crematory in continuous operation in the United States – and houses remains of more than 11,000 people."

Presently on "Find A Grave' "Hillside Chapel" has memorials listed for 71 inurnments.

The quest to mark the gravesites of 25 Civil War Veterans buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio

First, extending my thanks to Amy Johnson Crow, who is the "Graveyard Rabbit of Central Ohio" for posting the link on her "Facebook" Page to a wonderful "Columbus Dispatch" story published today which can also be read online (click on title to read.)

It is published by Ken Gorden and entitled:

"Grave undertaking"

"History sleuths seek to identify, mark Civil War burial sites"

The article not only details the efforts being made by AmeriCorps worker, Amanda Nelson, who is working with the Ohio Historical Society to obtain gravestones to honor the unmarked gravesites of Civil War veterans buried at Green Lawn Cemetery, but it also lists their names, regiments and company identifications.

This is a well-written in-depth article that is heartwarming to read on Presidents' Day 2012!

Team Effort Resolves Language Translation for Tombstone Transcriptions at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana

Click on title to view the "Find A Grave" memorial posted for Ilija Pakaski buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana which currently has 6,472 interments listed for it on "Find A Grave."
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Kara Gullickson Graper has spearheaded the campaign to preserve the Oak Hill Cemetery.

From Kara's "Find A Grave" Profile:

"NW Indiana mother of 2... Dedicated to preserving the memory and posterity of our ancestors, and I also enjoy learning about myself from the past, and also helping others to connect the dots as well.

I am particularly interested in advocating for more respectable conditions for Oak Hill cemetery in Hammond, IN. For more info:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oak-Hill-Cemetery-Restoration-Project/173079029442809

I will gladly take photos at St. Mary's and Maplewood Cemeteries in Crown Point, and will attempt to fulfill other requests on other cemetery adventures."

Contact:

karakarag@yahoo.com

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Because of Facebook, Kara has been able to better promote the preservation efforts for Okay Hill Cemetery which include translations of inscriptions for several stones written in other languages including Cyrillic and Hungarian.

Many thanks to my Facebook Friend, Cheryl Bakker, who was able to translate the inscription on the stone for Ilija Pakaski.

A Blogger Issue

~~~Hello everyone. ~~

I wanted to mention that "Blogger" is having some problems.

Currently, I am not able to re-position the gadgets on my blog because of it!

I have been trying to move the latest one I posted from the Ohio Secretary of State down further on the left column to place it in alphabetical order, but I have been unable to do that so far -- when I click on "Save" it just hangs up and won't save the change. So, I am not going to post any more links until this issue is resolved. I have contacted "Blogger" about it. I see several other people with blogs are experiencing the same problem.

Thank you for your patience!

Featuring a Story about Restoring the Pioneer Cemetery in Middletown, Butler County, Ohio

Click on title to read the February 16, 2012 story posted online from WKRC in Cincinnati, "Local 12", and watch their short video about the restoration efforts happening at the "Pioneer Cemetery" in Middletown, Ohio in Butler County.

The preservation efforts are extensive and include adding an electric gate and security cameras to the cemetery property.

This is a success story that has been a long time coming for this once neglected early 1800's Ohio cemetery. Fortunately, however, from all accounts the restoration process is being done the right way.

The Middletown Pioneer Cemetery is listed on "Find A Grave' as the "Middletown Historic Pioneer Cemetery."

Currently, 6,316 interments are posted and fifty-three photo requests are presently outstanding to be done.

Sharing a news story about Harmar Cemetery in Marietta, Washington County, Ohio -- "The Oldest Cemetery in the Northwest Territory"

Monument erercted for Benjamin Dana Fearing
Added by: Bigwoo
8/07/2006 -- Find A Grave contributor

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Sharing a feature article written by Brad Bauer of the "Marietta Times" and published also on the newspaper's website on February 9, 2012.

The historical account gives us a detailed look at the oldest cemetery in the Northwest Territory, the Harmar Cemetery, which opened in 1796.

Local historian, Mr. Ben Bain, is spotlighted for his dedicated efforts to document burials at the Harmar Cemetery.

The title of the story is:

‘Forgotten’ cemetery: Harmar stands alone as the oldest' -- but thanks to those who have cared, the stories of the lives of those who found peace and rest at Harmar Cemetery's hallowed grounds will be retold time and again.

Currently, on "Find A Grave," 810 interments are listed for the Harmar Cemetery.

Update on the Sugar Grove Cemetery, Perry Township, Fayette County, Ohio

Sharing good news that the Perry Township Trustees will be continuing their care and maintenance of the Sugar Grove Cemetery.

From Mr. Bowers, of the Perry Township Trustees:

"Yes, I have a lot of work to do there. There are 3 trees that need to come down that are uprooting some of the stones. And I am going to try and repair some of the foundations to the stones that are leaning and falling over."

Adding my thanks to the Perry Township Trustees for their maintaining the township's cemeteries which also include Walnut Creek (Quaker) Cemetery and the Cochran Cemetery.