Security camera shows latest vandal damaging Green Lawn Cemetery

Security camera shows latest vandal damaging Green Lawn Cemetery

"Ever seen a carved tree headstone in a local cemetery? This is what they mean."

Intricately carved "Tree Stump" styled monuments are the subject of this wonderfully presented and well-written article.  

Not all tree stump monuments are "Woodmen of the World", however, but were similarly carved as one-of-a-kind artistic stone creations that can be quite elaborate in design! 

A reader can find greater in-depth history about these breathtakingly beautiful monuments included as a link in the main article: "History Among the Headstones"

Ridgeville Cemetery, North Ridgeville, Ohio

Calvary Cemetery, Lorain, Ohio

Rushsylvania Cemetery, Logan County, Ohio

Elaborately modified version of a Tree Stump Monument

Forest Cemetery, Circleville, Pickaway County, Ohio

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Flickr Photos of "Woodmen of the World" Tree Stump Monuments

Update: New Albany Ohio - Old Burying Ground - Plans Proceed for Long-Term Restoration

Sharing the latest from:

"This Week Community News" of January 24, 2017:

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  "New Albany leaders are helping facilitate the restoration of the Old Burying Ground, New Albany's first known cemetery that dates back to the 1850s."

By Sarah Sole

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Currently, there are 52 interments listed on "Find A Grave"for the Old Burying Ground in New Albany. 

"Find A Grave" lists two alternate cemetery names:  Landon Cemetery and New Albany Cemetery

Read the newspaper article to learn just how many interments are now thought to be at the New Albany Cemetery! 

"Going High-Tech to See Into the Past: Scanning the Stratford Cemetery in Search of Graves and Other Clues" -- Wednesday, February 8, 2017, - 7:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. at the Stratford Ecological Center

Presentation on Stratford Cemetery by Dr. Burks

**"All are welcome to this free presentation!"**

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Stratford Ecological Center 

3083 Liberty Road

Delaware, Ohio • 43015

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                Phone:   740-363-2548    info@stratfordecologicalcenter.org

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"Jarrod Burks, PhD, of Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc. completed a geophysical survey August 30 and 31, 2016 of the Stratford Cemetery on the grounds of the Stratford Ecological Center. 

 Stratford is very pleased to have Dr. Burks visit the Ecological Center on Wednesday evening, February 8 at 7pm to review his amazing findings, research and methodology. 

His work is the foundation of the restoration of this private, pioneer cemetery with recorded burials from 1816 to 1888."

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The Stratford Cemetery on "Find A Grave"

Sharing an Uplifting Story of Well Deserved Recognition for Groundskeepers of Two Athens Ohio Cemeteries

Sharing from "The Post" in Athens, Ohio.  

"Cemetery Caretakers Strive to Maintain Respect on the Grounds" 

by Julia Fair -- published on January 18, 2017.

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Cemeteries mentioned in the story:

 (Find A Grave links):

West Union Street Cemetery 

(AKA: Athens Cemetery)

and

West State Street Cemetery 

(AKA: State Street Cemetery)

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This well-written and heartfelt cemetery story recognizes the dedication and efforts of those who regularly tend to the needs of their community's cemeteries. 

The details spotlight their caring and concerned approach that springs from a deep understanding that their city's cemeteries are vitally important and should be maintained.   

There is a great deal of inspiration to be found in this easy-reading article from Athens, Ohio that encourages others to feel it worthwhile for them to follow in the footsteps of these groundskeepers.  

The Green Lawn Cemetery Vandal Has Struck Once Again -- But This Time He was Caught On Camera!

Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio has been the target of one individual this past year who has repeatedly and savagely vandalized the monuments, markers, and even stained glass windows at the city's largest and most historic cemetery; but his days in doing so appear to be over according to the latest news reports.  

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Sharing here a WCMH TV - NBC4 report of January 19, 2017 that gives the cemetery officials good hope that this criminal's days of committing violent acts at Green Lawn Cemetery are coming to an end; permanently.  

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Reminder:

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation is holding a "Walk for Restoration" on January 29, 2017 from 2p.m. to 4:00p.m.  

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"Exciting News!" 

"The next Columbus Landmarks tour on January 29th will raise money to repair some of the historical monuments damaged by recent vandalism. 

Please consider buying tickets on the Columbus Landmarks website and joining us for what will be an interesting and informative tour!"

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Click HERE Purchase Tickets

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Click HERE to access the "Go Fund Me" Account for Green Lawn Cemetery.

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Sharing a link to Green Lawn Cemetery on "GenealogyBug" - (© 2001-2017 by David K. & Leona L. Gustafson)!-- a great website!

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You can also find:

 Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio on "Find A Grave" with over 143,000 interments - including 49 famous persons!

Tombstone Inscriptions Reveal if Your Ancestors were Quakers

So, you have visited the gravesites of some of your ancestors, and luckily for them (and you!), original and readable gravestones mark their final resting places.  

However, while paying your respects, you note something different about how the death date was inscribed -- an oddity you know you haven't seen on other gravestones.  You realize you do not see the name of the month; but rather the number of the month after the word"DIED".  For example,  you see"8th Month".  What does this mean?   

(Gravestone photos below from the Friends (Quaker) Cemetery

in North Lewisburg, Champaign County, Ohio). 

To help explain the reasons for the preference to use the number of the month rather than its name, we can turn to a well-written article in the "Quaker Calendar". 

We also need to consider the result of a larger element that over time has changed the world's dating system.  

For gaining a better understanding of these date changes, I have utilized a helpful resource provided at the website: 

"Search For Ancestors" and their page:

 "The Change from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar."

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Finally, I access the "Ancestor Birthday Search Calendar" to determine the date of birth; actually a calculated birth date, and I denote it as such.  

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Thus, we can make this our first step on our longer journey to learn more about the lives of our Quaker ancestors!

Spotlighting American Revolutionary War Veteran Lieut. Samuel Eldred, and his son Moses Eldred, buried at the Ridgeville Cemetery in North Ridgeville, Lorain County, Ohio

Thanking Frank Schmidt for sharing his biographical information about Lieutenant Samuel Eldred, Revolutionary War veteran, who rests in peace at the Ridgeville Cemetery in North Ridgeville, Ohio.  

Also, Samuel Eldred's son, Moses Eldred who was a War of 1812 veteran, and his wife Martha (DeWitt) Eldred (Marthy is inscribed on her marker), who are both buried by him. 

   Sharing from Frank Schmidt: 

"The attached photo is the headstone of my wife's 4th great grandfather, Lieutenant Samuel Eldred who is buried in North Ridgeville cemetery near Elyria, Ohio. Samuel answered the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775; crossed the Delaware with General Washington; was at Valley Forge until he was taken prisoner and held for 3+ years, and was at Yorktown for the surrender of Cornwallis.

Just several years ago, my father passed away, and I started documenting in Ancestry what I knew about his family and then started doing my wife's as her 3rd great grandfather was Joseph Cahoon who founded Bay Village. 

As I started to document family members, all these hints started popping up, one of them being Samuel Eldred. So, we contacted the local DAR and provided all the documentation, and she was admitted to the DAR with Samuel as her ancestor.

One really fantastic find as we were preparing her application was that Samuel took part in the Whitemarsh Encampment.  I had never heard of this, so decided to do more research. Here, the Whitemarsh Encampment took place less than 1/2 mile from where we currently live. Just to think, he may have walked on the very land we now live on."

"Here is a more detailed listing of what Samuel Eldred participated in.": 

Answered the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775

Siege of Boston

Battle of Long Island

Crossed the Delaware with Washington's troops

Battle of Trenton

Siege of Fort Ticonderoga

Battle of Saratoga

Whitemarsh Encampment

Valley Forge Encampment

POW from December 28, 1777 to January 28, 1781 

Surrender at Yorktown

"Resigned June 3, 1783 after serving for 8+ years (from what I understand, this is unusual for someone to have served this long.  I believe the typical enlistments were originally 1-3 years.)"

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 More information about Moses Eldred:

"Moses Eldred was the first postmaster of Ridgeville from 1815 to 1828. He was elected as an associate judge for Lorain County in 1824, and in 1816 owned an inn/hotel in Ridgeville."

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(Photos below) 

by Linda Ellis - January 15, 2017

  

(Above)

Original gravestone for Revolutionary War veteran 
Lieutenant Samuel Eldred

(Above)
War of 1812 Marker for Private Moses Eldred

"Roster of Ohio Soldiers of the War of 1812"

The Adjutant General of Ohio

Page 93

"Roll of Captain Harvey Murray's Company"

Served from August 21 until September 20, 1812

  (Above)

Original gravemarker for Martha (DeWitt)Eldred, 

wife of Moses Eldred
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(Above)

WPA Cemetery Plat Map for the Ridgeville Cemetery.

The gravesites for Samuel Eldred and Moses Eldred underlined in red.

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(Above)
Linda Ellis with a"This Place Matters"sign for the gravesites

of Samuel Eldred, his son Moses Eldred, and Moses Eldred's wife, Martha (Dewitt) Eldred (Inscribed as "Marthy" on her gravestone.) 
#ThisPlaceMatters

RIDGEVILLE CEMETERY, NORTH RIDGEVILLE, LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO

Sharing my video slideshow of the photos taken at the Ridgeville Cemetery in North Ridgeville, Lorain County, Ohio on January 15, 2017.

The Ridgeville Cemetery on "Find A Grave"

SB 106 and HB 395 Left on the Table by Ohio's Legislators at the End of 2016

HB395 and SB106 are quite similar in nature. :

As Introduced

131st General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 395

2015-2016

Representative Pelanda

Cosponsors: Representatives Green, Grossman, Fedor, Ruhl, Hill, Sprague

A BILL

To amend sections 3705.17 and 4767.01 and to enact section 4767.09 of the Revised Code to establish the cemetery grant program and to make an appropriation.

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As Introduced

131st General Assembly

Regular Session S. B. No. 106

2015-2016

Senator Tavares

Cosponsors: Senators Yuko, Seitz, Williams

A BILL

To amend section 4767.03 and to enact section

4767.10 of the Revised Code to establish the

Township Abandoned Cemetery Maintenance Grant

Program.

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Even one of these bills would have helped with supplying some appropriation of funds for abandoned cemeteries in Ohio.  I suppose most folks don't really care about Ohio’s early burial grounds; that is unless and until they discover their own ancestors are buried in them; and if they also discover that their grave stones are either sinking out of sight, vandalized, or barely readable. 

Also, cemetery vandalism is on the rise at all cemeteries, not just the abandoned ones.  Look at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus which is having to reach out through a Go-Fund-Me account to obtain enough funds because of currently over a million dollars worth of damage done there due to repeated episodes of vandalism of gravestones and monuments in the last few years. 

Untold numbers of volunteers who care are working on their own or in small groups to do the best that they can to restore gravestones, gravesites, and clean up cemetery grounds, but the need is so great in every Ohio county. 

Ohio also greatly lacks strong enough laws to properly protect and preserve its cemeteries. 

Townships are dependent on levies to pass, ongoing disputes arise over cemetery ownership due to various reasons including owners who have left the state and abandoned them. The list goes on an on; and yet Ohio state government is largely absent for its part in reversing this situation that is so adversely affecting its cemeteries. 

Too much history has already been lost; cemeteries are an integral part of their communities; yet some are so lost and forgotten that even local residents don't realize that they are even there.

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From: Greater Ohio Policy Center <greaterohio@gmail.com>

Sent: Friday, December 2, 2016 3:12 PM

Subject: Re: [Restoring Prosperity to Ohio] Comment: "Ohio General Assembly: 2016 Election Review, Lame Duck, and Upcoming Budget "

"The issues you inquired about fall outside of our usual scope of work. However, we do have a brief summary of the bills you inquired about:

HB395 (Pelanda) has received a single hearing in the House Finance Committee. That took place on November 15. The bill is not scheduled to be heard next week. 

We have inquired with Rep. Pelanda’s office to find out if there is a plan to take any other form of action on the bill in lame duck (such as amending it into another bill) but as of 3pm have not received a response. 

SB106 (Tavares) has not received any hearings and will not before the end of lame duck session."

Hope this helps.

Best,

Greater Ohio Policy Center staff

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"Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals."

By Sir William Gladstone 

Doing Online Exploring for Ohio Cemeteries - Don't Forget Pinterest!

When the Winter winds are whipping up already fallen snow into a solid white swirl of cold isolating confinement, we are resigned to the fact that exploring Ohio's cemeteries will not be done by in-person visits!  

So, to fill the void that Winter presents us with, we can still explore Ohio's cemeteries through the virtual world of the Internet. 

Here is one suggestion:  

Sharing a link to the Pinterest Ohio Cemetery Boards, and one in particular is the Ohio Cemeteries board of the NecroTourist.

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Don't forget to also explore online for any updates to your favorite cemetery preservation websites in preparation for when Spring arrives when you will be out once again exploring Ohio's cemeteries and finding lost gravesites that will need your dedicated attention!      

Only on NBC5: Good Samaritan gives Sterlingville Cemetery some TLC

Sharing from Oregon. 

This story illustrates how one person who cares and takes action can make great improvements at a cemetery. 

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  Only on NBC5: Good Samaritan gives Sterlingville Cemetery some TLC: Jacksonville, Ore. -- There's a spot just outside of Jacksonville, that holds a special place in one Rogue Valley man's heart. Tonight, he's working tirelessly to leave it better than he found it, for the sake of his father and those around him too. 'He was my soul... #allen #cemetery #dennis

Stroll Hudson, Ohio - Learn Its History & Visit its Cemeteries!

"Did you know that Hudson Owns Five Cemeteries"? that is the title on the official web page for Hudson, in Summit County, Ohio that appears under 'city news and updates' posted on October 14, 2016.

Hudson is not a large Ohio town, so it is quite unique that it would have five cemeteries! 

"Markillie and St. Mary Cemeteries set far back on North Main Street. 

In addition to these popular cemeteries, there is O’Brien Cemetery located in the woods on Hudson Drive, the Olde Hudson Township Burying Ground near Western Reserve Academy, and Draper Cemetery, where Hudson’s first historian is buried." 

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Markillie Cemetery on "Find A Grave"

St. Mary Cemetery on Find "A Grave"

O'Brien Cemetery on "Find A Grave"

Old(e) Hudson Township Burying Ground on "Find A Grave" 

Draper Cemetery on "Find A Grave"

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Five great reasons to visit Hudson, Ohio!

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And, here is a link to the history of Hudson, Ohio

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By the way, did I mention that its downtown district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places? 

**😊**

Enjoy your visit!