Exploring Almost Forgotten Gravesites in the Great State of Ohio

Dedicated to cemetery preservation in the great state of Ohio


"A cemetery may be considered as abandoned when all or practically all of the bodies have been Removed therefrom and no bodies have been buried therein for a great many years, and the cemetery has been so long neglected as entirely to lose its identity as such, and is no longer known, recognized and respected by the public as a cemetery. 1953 OAG 2978."

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Sharing this story from the "Canton Repository" - The Hillcrest Cemetery in Stark County Ohio. "Lack of care at Hillcrest Cemetery at issue" by Malcom Hall - June 26 2022

Sharing this story from the "Canton Repository" - Stark County.  

The title of this story could, if space allows, be expanded to include a reference to what lies at the heart of this subject matter.  That is the need to understand the Ohio Revised Codes and their impact on the ownership of a cemetery among other issues affecting them.   

This particular excerpt from this story is one to pay attention to.:

"State law does not allow county-owned cemeteries"

"Stark County officials say there are no provision in state law that permits counties to own and operate cemeteries. State law says cemeteries must be operated by municipalities, townships, associations and religious organizations."

"The legal reality is there is no such thing as a county cemetery," said Brant Luther, Stark County administrator. "I think it was one of those things that no one was paying attention to. Somehow, the county was taking care of it. Nobody is pointing fingers at anyone. There is no hostilities. This is one of those scenarios where the Ohio Revised Code dictates what we should do. The county really doesn't have any authority to own or take care of a cemetery."

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Let's take a look at the Ohio Revised Codes and what they tell us about the legal system in Ohio regarding ownership of cemeteries.:

Title 7 in the Ohio Revised Code - Municipal Corporations

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Chapter 759 - "Cemeteries" - "Title 7 Municipal Corporations"

This can be expanded into the "Authenticated PDF version

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Thus, we can spend quite a bit of time referencing the provisions found in the Ohio Revised Codes. Many, if not most, have references to other Ohio Revised Codes imbedded in the sentences.  

Thus, it is best to keep track of all of the information in every paragraph you read to better understand how one "ORC" impacts another "ORC" and thus the entire subject matter at hand.  

Also, keep track of the date of the Ohio Revised Code.  The word "Revised" is in their name and that is a clue because some ORCs have revisions over time while others sit stagnant needing review and possible revision.  So, you want to make sure you are citing the most current version of any Ohio Revised Code.  

An attorney may need to be consulted if a major dispute arises between a village and a township; or perhaps the county and a township. 

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Sharing also a link to the Hillcrest Cemetery as it appears on Find A Grave.  

Please note that as of this writing Find A Grave shows 3,262 memorials for individuals interred at the Hillcrest Cemetery.  

The preface to the more official description of the Hillcrest Cemetery reads.:

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Hillcrest Cemetery is a lonely piece of land where 2,617 souls sleep.

Most are forgotten. Numbers alone mark many graves.

Some are not marked at all.

Stark County opened Hillcrest Cemetery in 1927 as a burial ground for the indigent -- among them the homeless, welfare recipients, the poor who died penniless. Some had no families; at least no family or friends that cared. Sometimes relatives couldn't be located or couldn't afford a more traditional burial.

All the bodies from the Stark County Home Cemetery were reinterred at Hillcrest and placed in a common grave. Most of the graves at Hillcrest Cemetery do not have stones. Records are kept at Nist & Stark County Public Works Dept., Mahoning Rd. & Maple Ave., Canton, Ohio. Date of Death was rarely recorded. All dates are burial dates."

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And:

This link takes us to a post on the website: "Genealogy.com" dated February 10, 2002 offering transcriptions of two stories from the same newspaper, the Canton "Repository", that  provides important historical details about the Hillcrest Cemetery entitled.: 

"Article about Hillcrest Cemetery - Canton Township" by Lori Sue Baus who began with:

 "Here are two articles about Hillcrest Cemetery in Canton Township that I thought may be of interest/use to somebody....."

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see that there is a "Share your opinion" option with a "Start Commenting" button for readers to use.  Just above that we see the words "No Replies".  

I felt it is now past time to add a reply because 20 years later serious condition issues and outstanding ownership questions still exist that negatively impact the Hillcrest Cemetery in Canton / Canton Township, Stark County, Ohio.  

Thus, I attempted to add my comments in today, however, I am not sure they were accepted. Not surprising if that is the case, though, because after 20 years websites, like the people who created them, can and do become inactive and static.   

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Spotlighting the contributions and achievements of Krista Horrocks, Project Reviews Manager, at the Ohio History Connection's State Historic Preservation Office

I will fall far short here listing and describing all of the achievements Krista Horrocks - Project Reviews Manager of the Ohio History Connection's State Historic Preservation Office that have advanced the cause of cemetery preservation in Ohio.  However, it is my pleasure to try by at least focusing on some of Krista's more recent ones. 

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Krista has been quite active advocating for the full conservation of the Old Fredericktown Cemetery in Knox County, Ohio including conducting hands-on preservation work at the cemetery.  Krista has created a Facebook Page devoted to this early Ohio cemetery enabling followers to keep updated of the progress.

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Krista is a contributing member of the Association for Gravestone Studies as well as the Ohio Chapter of the Association for Gravestone Studies

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Krista has given presentations at Ohio Genealogical Society conferences and at some of its chapter monthly meetings.

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Please note, there is an upcoming meeting at the Morrow County, Ohio Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society - August 20, 2022 at 2:00 p.m.:
"Join us as Krista Horrocks, Archeologist with the Ohio History Connection , presents Ohio Cemeteries 101. Do you have questions about an old cemetery? This is your opportunity to ask those questions and learn about cemetery preservation, access, laws, and more."

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Also, visit the Ohio Archaeological Counsel's website where you can learn more about what Krista has been doing.:

"Human Burial Places Protection. Work on this matter with the Ohio History Connection (OHC) and its State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) continues. It is listed as a priority for the Executive Director and State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in OHC’s 2021 – 2031 Strategic Plan

Ohio Archaeological Council (OAC) member and SHPO staffer Krista Horrocks wrote an article titled “Ohio Cemeteries are in Grave Danger: A Call to Action” in the September-October 2021 issue of OHC’s Echoes Magazine."

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AND:

"S. 3667/H.R. 6805, African American (AA) Burial Grounds Preservation Program. Introduced February 16, 2022, by Ohio Senator Brown and Utah Sen. Romney, and referred to Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. On February 22, a bipartisan companion bill, H.R. 6805, was introduced in the House and referred to its Committee on Natural Resources. It has six cosponsors, including Ohio Rep. Beatty. The bills would establish a program at the National Park Service to provide grant opportunities and technical assistance to local partners to research, identify, survey, and preserve these burial grounds 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/3667?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22s3667%22%2C%22s3667%22%5D%7D&s=1&r=1

Senator Brown’s office contacted Tonetti requesting information on AA burial grounds in northern Ohio. He sent his office some useful information. Krista Horrocks at SHPO is compiling relevant information for all of Ohio for Senator Brown." 

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Also,

I wish to take this opportunity to offer my personal appreciation to Krista Horrocks for her so kindly nominating me for the Association for Gravestone Studies' Oakley Certificate of Merit for 2022.  Her thoughtful and generous gesture resulted in my receiving this prestigious award.  Krista's information submitted for consideration included mentions of this blog which began in 2008, and the Facebook Group "Preserving Ohio's Cemeteries" which was created in 2013.

Additionally, Krista attended the A.G.S. Conference and graciously accepted the Oakley Certificate of Merit on my behalf.  

Thank you Krista!

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Below are some photographs captured from a video taken during Krista's acceptance speech on June 18, 2022 during the A.G.S. Conference.:  



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Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Friday, June 10, 2022

Cemetery Preservation Committee Update from the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve - Homer Taft, Committee Chair

 "Cemetery Preservation Committee"

by Homer Taft, Committee Chair

"The Cemetery Preservation Committee has inventoried all the available old records at West Park Cemetery and is planning the inventory of those stored at Highland Park.  

There are both alphabetical indexes and lot books of the original grave interment locations that have never been scanned and have additional burials and other valuable information.   

We are developing a plan in cooperation with the Cleveland Public Library Digital Lab to scan over 100 volumes of material, approximately 10,000 pages, and file drawers full of record cards and maps.  

We will need hundreds of volunteer hours to accomplish this task. To volunteer, please email Homer Taft at hstaft@yahoo.com.

We are also trying to build awareness and resources to locate buried monuments, re-set and restore monuments, and better maintain all our cemeteries. Our primary focus initially will be preserving records and documenting monuments and markers on Find A Grave. 

Longer term, we hope to assist local groups to organize to take responsibility for stewardship of local cemeteries and involve descendants of the interred, cemetery neighbors, and history groups to preserve and maintain the cemeteries."
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Wednesday, June 8, 2022

The Summit County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps are now included on the right sidbar of this blog.

The Summit County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat maps are now included in alphabetic order with the other W.P. A. Cemetery Plat Maps shown on the right sidebar.

Summit County is among the largest collection of W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps posted to date.  

Please reference the Cemetery Name Index page.  

Also, it helps to study the map page that has a listing of the Summit County cemeteries under their respective township names. 

The cemeteries have numbers by their names that refer to their numbered location on the map. 

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Summit County, Ohio cemeteries on Find A Grave

Monday, June 6, 2022

Eli Allen's photos on Google Maps & Find A Grave - The Friends (Quaker) Cemetery and Butcher (Walnut Grove) Cemetery in North Lewisburg, Champaign County, Ohio

 Below is Eli Allen's photograph of the original William Wright Fell marker not identified before. 

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Below: 

A panoramic view of the Butcher Cemetery from the rear of the cemetery.:

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Adaline D. Limes Winder Winder Ballinger Dailey - buried at the Butcher (AKA Walnut Grove) Cemetery in North Lewisburg.:

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Thanking Eli Allen, creator of "WanderingAppalachia" for taking photographs (see examples above and below) at both the Friends (Quaker) and Butcher (Walnut Grove) cemeteries in North Lewisburg, Champaign County, Ohio; including some 360 degree panoramic type photographs which really help tell the story of these two early Ohio cemeteries and their current condition. 

 Unfortunately, neither cemetery is in good condition.  Both are located wholly within the boundaries of The Village of North Lewisburg so they are not the responsibility of Rush Township.  

Sadly, the Butcher Cemetery is in worse condition due to severe lack of routine care.:

-- The landscape is in need of regular grass cutting; trimming weeds around markers and monuments; as well as repairing and re-setting markers and monuments for those that need it.  

-- Also, dead trees and tree branches lying on the ground need to be removed. 

-- The cemetery sign needs to be painted or replaced due to peeling paint.  

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Eli has shared his photographs on "Google Maps": 

The Friends (AKA Quaker) Cemetery on Google Maps.

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The Butcher AKA Walnut Grove Cemetery on Google Maps

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Eli Allen has also so kindly posted his new photographs on many of the Find A Grave memorials for both the Friends Cemetery and the Butcher Cemetery

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Additional photographs shown below:

Olive Brown - Friends Cemetery 

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Susan Victoria Dickerson - Friends Cemetery

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Unknown - death year 1856

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I invite you to check out Eli Allen's Wandering Appalachia website

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Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Sharing a link to this spotlight article from the Highland County Press - "Local Group has been restoring Greenfield's Old Burying Ground since 2014""

It is wonderful to see this story spotlighting the almost a decade long effort by the "Friends of the OBG" - at the Old Burying Ground - Greenfield's pioneer cemetery adjacent to the Travellers Rest - both sitting on the Paint Creek. 

Thanking John King, Scott and Venus Andersen, Michael Lee Anderson, and Jackie Doles for their steadfast work at the "OBG" that has transformed the entire cemetery!  

Excerpt from the story.:

"Those that just want to observe the work and the progress are welcomed to do so during work sessions. Anyone wishing to make a monetary contribution to the project may do so by making the check payable to the Greenfield Historical Society (indicate on the memo line that the donation is for the Old Burying Ground) and mailing it to The Greenfield Historical Society, P.O. Box 266, Greenfield 45123."
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Below are a few photographs taken at the Old Burying Ground September 16, 2016 by this author.:
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Announcement: Paul LaRue Presentation - "Washington Cemetery's Prominent Early Black Citizens" - Monday, June 20, 2022 - at the Washington Cemetery in Washington Court House, Fayette County, Ohio - beginning at 6:30p.m.

There will be a free and open to the public presentation scheduled for Monday, June 20, 2022 at 6:30p.m. by renown educator and historian Mr. Paul LaRue at the historic Washington Cemetery in Washington Court House, Fayette County, Ohio.  

The presentation is sponsored by the Fayette County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society

The meeting will be near the fountain in the cemetery (see flyer below).: 

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The Washington Cemetery on Find A Grave

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Google Map for the Washington Cemetery

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