Sharing this Fallbrook California feature story about Ohio Civil War veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient Serg (Rev.) William Pittenger

Sharing this CBS story coming from Fallbrook, California with a focus on Ohioan and Civil War Medal Honor Recipient Sergeant William Pittenger who served in Company "G" of the 2nd Ohio Infantry.  

It is always heartwarming to learn about recognition given to Ohio veterans who moved away from the Buckeye State at some point in their lives.  Those who died long ago and were buried in their adopted home states - some several hundreds of miles away from where they were born and grew up.  

Sergeant William Pittenger's Find A Grave memorial shows his name and occupation title of Reverend.  

It contains a wonderful biography of his life.    

Clarifying the status of U. S. Senate Bill 2827 of the 116th Congress - "The African American Burial Grounds Study Act". On December 20, 2020 it was unanimously passed by the U. S. Senate and sent to the U. S. House where it "died" by the end of that day.

From Ohio Congressman Dave Joyce of the 14th District of Ohio.:

January 27, 2021

"Thank you for contacting me to express your support for S. 2827, the African American Burial Grounds Study Act. Your thoughts on this matter are most welcome and appreciated.

As you may know, S. 2827 was introduced on November 7, 2019 by Senator Sherrod Brown. The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of African American burial grounds, and for other purposes. This measure passed the Senate under Unanimous Consent, and went onto the House for further review. 

It was not taken up in the House for a vote before the end of the 116th Congress, so the legislation expired. 

Should the same or similar legislation be introduced in the House of Representatives during the 117th Congress, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind."

"Once again, thank you for contacting me. Should you have additional comments or questions on this or any other issue, please feel free to contact me at my Mentor, Twinsburg, or Washington, D.C. office. I also invite you to stay in touch by signing up for my weekly email newsletter, the Weekly Wrap, which you can do by visiting my website at":

https://joyce.house.gov/newsletter-sign-up/

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Thus:

"S. 2827 (116th) was a bill in the United States Congress."

"A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and then be signed by the President to become law.

Bills numbers restart every two years. That means there are other bills with the number S. 2827. This is the one from the 116th Congress.

This bill was introduced in the 116th Congress, which met from January 3, 2019 to January 3, 2021. 

Legislation not passed by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books."

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From the National Trust for Historic Preservation.:

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund - Preservation

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 4 Skelton Cemetery - Williams County Ohio - Denver Henderson with the Williams County Public Library

From the Williams County Public Library.  

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Skelton Cemetery 

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From the Williams County Ohio Public Library - Local History Assistant, Mr. Denver Henderson, hosts another video of the library's series entitled: "Lay Me Down to Rest".  

We see in this episode a short but strikingly stark view powerfully presenting its message.:  Small family cemeteries can be quite remote and uniquely vulnerable.  Their locations make it difficult for descendants of those buried in them to visit or arrange and conduct any cleaning or repair of grave markers.  The burials are on private land where permission must be granted to enter, otherwise, a person could be prosecuted for trespassing.  

The Ohio Revised Codes exclude family cemeteries from being Registered.  They are placed  in the same category as Inactive and Abandoned cemeteries.  All such categories are designated to be Unregistered.  Thus, the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission (with the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing under the Department of Commerce in Ohio) will not accept, review, or act upon any complaints about their care.

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http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4767

Under Section 4767.:

" Sections 4767.02 to 4767.04 of the Revised Code do not apply to or affect a family cemetery or a cemetery in which there have been no interments during the previous twenty-five calendar years. As used in this division, "family cemetery" means a cemetery containing the human remains of persons, at least three-fourths of whom have a common ancestor or who are the spouse or adopted child of that common ancestor."

Finding our veterans - From the Register-Herald in Eaton, Ohio

Finding our veterans

Berlin Twp. trustees taking closer look at Fairview Memorial Park

Berlin Twp. trustees taking closer look at Fairview Memorial Park

Sharing this updated story from the Delaware Gazette - January 20, 2021.:

Fairview Memorial Park on Find A Grave

A fast and furious gravestone cleaning routine by Tony Walker on the website "TikTok"

Sharing this short video demonstrating cleaning gravestones using  "D/2 Biological Solution" which has been tested an approved by the NCPTT - National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. 
A link to "D/2" references on the website of the NCPTT
Below is a link to an Ohio distributor of D/2 Biological Solution:
Hallowed Ground Cemetery Preservation LLC

Ohio House Bill 444 - Signed into law by the Governor of Ohio - Effective April 9, 2021 - Affects transfer of cemeteries to townships

 Ohio House Bill 444, affecting Ohio's township cemeteries, was signed into law January 9, 2021 and will take effect April 9, 2021.  

State Representative, Cindy Abrams, a primary co-sponsor of HB 444 published an announcement of the passage of the bill on January 12, 2021.  Brian Baldridge is the other primary co-sponsor of this bill. 

A link to the legislative summary of HB 444.:

"Under current law, Ohio’s 1,308 townships must receive legislative permission from the Ohio General Assembly in order to enact any new abilities to carry out their duties to the public. H.B. 444 authorizes Ohio’s townships to execute decisions individually to help improve local government services and operations."  

Provisions of the bill include:

"Putting minimum standards in place regarding the transfer of cemeteries

 Allowing for another source of revenue for townships through Industrial Development Bonds

Addressing public safety concerns by making emergency responses more efficient

Providing flexibility to create Special Improvement Districts to spur economic growth

Establishing liability protections for county treasurers, municipal treasurers, and township fiscal officers for loss of funds in certain circumstances

Clarifying property tax law in regard to liens"

Proponent testimonies are included and available for download.

Lay Me Down to Rest: Episode 2 Clarksville Cemetery - From the Williams County Public Library

Clarksville Cemetery in Williams County on Find A Grave

Problems continue with the ongoing operation of Maple Grove Cemetery in Portage County, Ohio

Sharing from the Record-Courier in Ravenna, Portage County, Ohio this latest story from reporter Diane Smith:

Maple Grove Cemetery in Portage County, Ohio will suffer from budget cuts due to nearby Grandview Memorial Park that the township has assumed responsibility for in recent months.  

First, for better understanding, it helps to learn more about what constitutes a Union Cemetery:

"759.27 Union of municipal corporations and townships for cemetery purposes."

"The legislative authorities of two or more municipal corporations, or of one or more municipal corporations and the boards of township trustees of one or more townships, when conveniently located for that purpose, may unite in the establishment and management of a cemetery, by the purchase or appropriation of land therefor not exceeding one hundred acres, to be paid for as provided by section 759.30 of the Revised Code."
Effective Date: 10-01-1953 .

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"759.341 Union cemetery district."

"The legislative authority of each municipal corporation and the board of township trustees of each township that has united in the establishment and management of a cemetery under section 759.27 of the Revised Code, by an affirmative vote of a majority of each legislative authority and board, may form a union cemetery district comprised of all of the territory within the united municipal corporation and township for the purpose of levying taxes within the territory of the district for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the cemetery. The legislative authority and board, acting jointly, shall constitute the taxing authority of the union cemetery district. Notwithstanding sections 759.37, 5705.19, and 5705.191 of the Revised Code, in order to adopt a resolution to levy a tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation within the district, a majority of the members of each legislative authority and board of township trustees constituting the taxing authority must vote in favor of the resolution. In all other matters, when the legislative authority and board are acting jointly as the taxing authority of the union cemetery district, each member of the legislative authority and board shall have one vote as described in section 759.37 of the Revised Code."

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Excerpt from the story.:

"This summer, the township asked the city to dissolve the union cemetery agreement, something that can't happen unless both sides agree.

The township cited financial constraints, noting that it also now operates Grandview Cemetery. 

Since then, city and township officials have met but haven't come to an agreement, except to explore cost-saving measures."

Also, it is worth noting that with this situation again we see an example of how there can be a negative "trickle down" effect when a township assumes responsibility for a for-profit cemetery, which Grandview Cemetery was, after the departure of the previous owners who were prosecuted because they committed crimes that directly caused adverse consequences for the cemetery and those who own lots in them.  

The cemetery then becomes one without a legal new owner. In other words it becomes abandoned.  

So, thus in Ohio, we can have an active yet abandoned cemetery.  Most of us might think of abandoned cemeteries as being those that have not had a burial in over 25 years, and are in the inactive status because of it.  We can see that may not always be the case.  

The Ohio Revised Code does not have in place a provision that would ease hardships that arise when these situations occur and the cemetery essentially becomes abandoned and orphaned if the township, or other type of municipality where it is located, does not agree in a timely manner to assume ownership and responsibility for it and its routine care. When they do ultimately agree to accept responsibility, the problems and expenses have greatly increased. 

As we can see, often with these types of disputes between two entities such as a town and a township regarding the responsibility and care of two close proximity cemeteries, in the end, at least one of those cemeteries will suffer.  

We see in this case, it is a scramble to resolve a financial situation by placing budget cuts on one cemetery resulting in a reduction of its staff in order to operate both cemeteries.  This move will in turn affect the ongoing maintenance of that cemetery in a negative manner.

Lebanon Ohio Pioneer Cemetery Aerial 4K Drone Video 2021 - Warren County

Lebanon Ohio's Pioneer Cemetery

Ohio township websites are good places to look for cemetery information. Sharing one for Springfield Township, Hamilton County, Ohio

It's now 2021, however, the reality is that unfortunately not all of Ohio's townships have websites.  Thus, those without websites cause more difficulties for someone seeking to get an answer to questions like "What is your contact information? "Do you have information about your township's cemeteries"?  

Many of Ohio's townships are quite small and lack the funds to set up and maintain a website.  The Ohio Township Association does not mandate them to have one.    

We can still learn more about Ohio's townships through other sources.  A good one for learning  more about Ohio's townships can be found on the Ohio History Connection's website.

 

Wikipedia is another resource for history about Ohio's townships.

We have to keep in mind that many Ohio counties have townships with the same name as townships in other Ohio counties.  A good Ohio map showing counties and their townships can be of great help. 

A go-to book entitled:  "Ohio Her Counties Townships & Her Towns" by Joan Colbert Gioe published by the "Researchers" has been an invaluable source for me when looking up townships in a county.  Learning their borders and where they are geographically located in a county is important.  Some cemeteries, as we know, straddle two townships.  

"Ohio Towns and Townships to 1900" A Location Guide (Revised 2011) by Julie Minot Overton offered for purchase from the Ohio Genealogical Society is another must-have resource.  

The most helpful township websites from the standpoint of burial research are the ones that have information about their township's cemeteries. 

One excellent example is the Springfield Township, Hamilton County website which has a dedicated page for its cemeteries - Beech Grove Cemetery and the Smiley Cemetery.  

A wonderful video of Beech Grove Cemetery is included.  So is the link to search for gravesite locations. 

Links at the bottom include:  

Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Newsletters.

Know your townships!  

Know the counties your townships of interest or concern are located in and any historical information you can find about them.  

Learn where their cemeteries are located.  Learn if the trustees are currently maintaining those cemeteries as they should be.  

Learn if your townships of interest have a website where so much can be learned about the area where your ancestors once lived and perhaps died and were buried in.

Please share your knowledge with those who also have interests or concerns about those township cemeteries! 

Sharing information about the Lucas County Cemeteries Historical Association - Lucas County, Ohio

 Lucas County Cemeteries Historical Association.  Lucas County, Ohio. 

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"New Members are Welcome!"

Just Email us at: 

" lccemetery@bex.net to get the info needed to attend our next meeting.

"You can then express your interest in volunteering your time and what sort of tasks that you enjoy doing (e.g. transcribing from paper to digital, photographing, drafting, data entry, historical research, organizing, web design, data mining)."

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Lucas County Cemeteries on Find A Grave

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 1 Maple Grove Cemetery

Sharing this story from the Dayton Daily News -- The Stranger buried at the Old Greencastle Cemetery in Dayton

As we begin reading this article we soon learn it was known that the deceased was a woman who died on January 4, 1851 at age 24 years, yet her name was not known. Instead she has been 'identified' as "The Stranger" for 170 years.  Only those two words were carved on a small white marble marker where one would expect to see a person's name.  The tombstone appears to have been toppled over years ago and lies flat sinking each year lower and lower into the ground at the Old Greencastle Cemetery in Dayton. 

To commemorate her short life and the 170th anniversary of her death, this news story spotlights what can be made of her time on earth in this fitting tribute thanks to Dayton Daily News reporter Lisa Powell.  

Be sure to check out the photographs of the marker and older news stories that were published about it also in this article. 

Well-known Dayton historian and author Curt Dalton, who has authored several books, was interviewed for this story. Perhaps through some means like conducting a DNA study on her remains, this young lady's story in a future anniversary spotlight article will indeed finally tell us her identity. 

 

Virtual Cemetery Tour: Rocky Fork Cemetery - from Wandering Appalachia

Rocky Fork Cemetery on Facebook with 34 memorials added. 

Putting faces to names of fallen soldiers -- Sharing this truly inspiring story

"Putting faces to names of fallen soldiers"

This paragraph provides a striking statement of fact to take note of.:

"I’ve visited my fair share of cemeteries over the years here in America, and the condition of some of the graves can be disheartening, so the fact there are people overseas who have taken care of graves of American soldiers since 1945 is a wonderful tribute to these American heroes."