THE HASEROT ANGEL, Death Victorious - Frances Haserot & Family, Lakeview...

Sharing this link to the NBC4 TV story of July 28 2022 by reporter Jamie Ostroff - "Children told to pay to move parents' remains buried in wrong plots"

Sharing this heartbreaking story from NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio concerning glaring ongoing serious problems impacting lot owners at Fairview Memorial Park in Delaware County. 

Tim Foor - the sexton for Fairview Memorial Park, which is located in Berlin Township, Delaware County, conducted a short yet eye-opening interview with the TV channel's reporter offering a sobering account of the situation and details of other existing problems at this once For-Profit cemetery whose owners ended up in jail.  

Afterward a Receiver was put in place for awhile, however, the problem situations at the cemetery continued and now Berlin Township has ownership of this Active/Registered cemetery.   

Sharing this link from "Heritage Ohio" - Their publication - "Revitalize Ohio" - "The Search for African American Cemeteries in Ohio" - By Krista Horrocks

It is indeed my pleasure to share this link to the Summer 2022 edition of "Revitalize Ohio" by "Heritage Ohio".  

Please note this wonderful article on pages 8, 9 and 10.:

"The Search for African American Cemeteries in Ohio" - by Krista Horrocks. 

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Sincere thanks to Krista for all of her work in this field!  
And,

A huge thank you to Krista for mentioning this blog in the footnotes on page 10! 

Please note the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat maps are shown on page 9.  

As we have learned, these maps can hold important informational value beyond their initial primary reason for being which was for identifying veterans gravesites.

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Re-visiting the Madison County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps - Andrew Cyprus and Joel Wilcox, Revolutionary War veterans, listed as those with unknown burial locations.

The initial blog post of July 17, 2022 about the Madison County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps referenced three Revolutionary War veterans listed on the right lower portion of the Cemetery Index Page whose burial locations were unknown.:  

David Colver, Andrew Cyprus, and Joel Wilcox.  Only David Colver's burial location was identified by a reference for it on Find A Grave.  

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Since then additional information has come to light for Andrew Cyprus and Joel Wilcox. 

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After further searching, it was learned that Andrew Cyprus was also known by other surnames shown in various records including.: Andrew Cypress, and Andrew Sifrit.  

Ultimately, it was learned that he was buried at the Paint Township Cemetery, in Section 2, Lot 159, grave 7 - Page 37 of the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map:  

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Joel Wilcox, on the other hand, has proven more elusive.  

Unfortunately, his burial location remains unknown at this time.  There are however references about him that verify his military service record.:

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Sharing the latest update regarding the "African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act" - from the website of Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown.

On February 22, 2022, Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Mitt Romney of Utah introduced the "African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act". 

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On July 21, 2022, Senator Sherrod Brown's webpage announced that this important legislation will now go to the U.S. Senate for a vote. 

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Excerpt:

"The African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act, 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 cemeteries. Providing federal resources will ensure sites like Union Baptist are preserved and maintained for future generations."

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A link to the Madison County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps on Flickr have been added to the right sidebar of the blog

A link to the Flickr Album of W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Madison County, Ohio has been added to the right sidebar of this blog. 

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These map images are also posted in PDF format - the map pages identified by numbers only - on the Madison County Recorder's website.

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Thanking Chuck Reed, the Madison County Recorder, for overseeing this worthwhile project - making these maps accessible for research in the public domain. Note, there are links for several types of useful records posted on the Madison County, Ohio Recorder's website.  

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These W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Madison County follow the same format as those from other Ohio counties we have seen thus far.  Both a Project Title Page and a County Index of Cemetery Names page begin this collection.  

 We need to be mindful that these maps were created from research conducted during the 1930s -- the decade long timeframe that was defined by the Great Depression.  Thus, cemetery names may not "match up" to those listed on "Find A Grave" or on a county government website.  Also, for the veterans war designations, World War I was the last war fought at that point in time.  A World War I veteran's number is 31.   

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The Madison County Cemetery Plat Maps appear to be in their original form. 

 Please note, however, that Deercreek Township is shown as "Deer Creek Township" - see map page 65 below.:  

The title page of the Lafayette Cemetery shows the township name spelled as "Deercreek" Township.  

The Madison County government website also spells it as one word "Deercreek".:

  Also:

Somerford Township - is spelled as "Summerford Township"on the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat maps.   Wikipedia clears up some of this confusion with their listing.:

" Summerford is an unincorporated community in Somerford Township, Madison County, Ohio."

Here is a link to Find A Grave for the Somerford Cemetery (AKA Somerford Township Cemetery) in Summerford, Madison County, Ohio. 

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  Below are some other points to take note of regarding these maps.:  

  There are three Revolutionary War veterans who have the word "unknown" by their names listed under the heading of "Cemetery" shown in the lower right corner of the county Cemetery Index page. (See below - Page 2).:

David Colver is shown as one of the three Revolutionary War veterans with an unknown burial location.  

Sharing a link to his Find A Grave memorial where a D.A.R. plaque is in place including his name as having been buried in the Garwood Cemetery in Logan County, Ohio.  Of interest are the photo images posted for him. 

One provides a biographical sketch in a letter dated March 16, 1925, stating in part.:  

"He was allowed pension on his application executed September 19, 1832 while a resident of Deer Creek Township, Madison County, Ohio.  He died October 24, 1847.  

There is no data on file as to his family."

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The next veteran listed is Andrew Cypress.  Below is the information that was located for him.:

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For the third Revolutionary War veteran, Joel Wilcox, thus far the only information found that could possibly be this Joel Wilcox is shown in a Revolutionary War Veterans' Index by the Ohio Genealogical Society that his "birth county" was "Madison" and that he served in the "CT Line" as a private.  It is possible that "birth county" should be "death county". 

Thus far there has not been any definitive source located stating the location of his burial.

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Next, taking a look at the different types of Legends included in this collection.:

Below is a fairly typical Legend which includes such information as the official project numbers, war designation numbers, and the size of the cemetery.: 

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Below is an abbreviated version of a Legend that denotes an unknown burial position at a cemetery by an asterisk (*).:  

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Below is a Legend that has "C" for Crypt and "T" for Tier.  A Legend like this would be chosen for a mausoleum.:

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Below is a close-up view of the soldiers' circle at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Union Township, followed by the full map image. :

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Thus, we can see there are many interesting W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps in this collection that were created for Madison County, Ohio! 

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From the Warren (Ohio) Tribune Chronicle: "Society Restores Obelisks" by Bob Coupland

Sharing from the Warren Tribune Chronicle this full coverage story explaining how a smaller size historical society, the Vienna Historical Society, and its President, Christine Novicky, led the tireless preservation project to properly repair and reset the larger size obelisk type monuments; and thus accomplish their goal to restore the entire Vienna Township Cemetery (AKA Vienna Memorial Cemetery)  

You can also check out the Vienna Historical Society's "Viennapedia's Save a Grave Campaign to learn more or donate to their cause." 

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Tim Foor and his son, Michael Foor, of Hallowed Ground Cemetery Preservation LLC were hired for the work. 

See below the photo collage of steps taken to repair and reset the Bartholomew obelisk at the Vienna Township Cemetery.: 

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This is another example of win-win outcomes benefitting all concerned.

 The preservation efforts enable the cemetery to continue as a resource to respect in the community and one everyone can be proud of and support.  

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The Vienna Historical Society on Facebook

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The 2023 Ohio Dept. of Commerce /Div. of Real Estate & Professional Licensing (REPL)Cemetery Grant Program is now available for application - ONLINE ONLY TO APPLY - ONLY for ACTIVE NOT FOR PROFIT CEMETERIES - WHICH EXCLUDES cemeteries that are Inactive = meaning no burials in the past 25 calendar years, OR cemeteries deemed to be Family Cemeteries per the Ohio Revised Codes - DEADLINE TO APPLY IS AUGUST 1, 2022

Please note.:  

This is a Link to information from the Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing regarding applying for the 2023 Cemetery Grant Program. 

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"CEMETERY GRANT"

"The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (REPL) is pleased to announce the availability of the FY2023 Cemetery Grant for qualifying not-for-profit and local government cemeteries. 

Allowable grant requests include those to defray costs of exceptional cemetery maintenance or training cemetery personnel in the maintenance and operation of cemeteries. 

Eligible applicants shall be cemetery operators properly registered with REPL, be a documented not-for-profit entity under the IRS tax code and be in compliance with any applicable endowment and/or preneed cemetery merchandise and services trust accounts. 

"The REPL Superintendent is accepting only online applications."

Please gather all information prior to application entry. 

****"Once you start the application, the information entered cannot be saved and if you exit out of the application you will lose all information previously entered."**** 

"The Cemetery Grant application instructions are being provided as a worksheet guidance document only. This will allow you to gather all of the necessary information prior to submitting the grant application online."

****You can find the grant instructions here.****

"The application must be answered completely to be considered for grant funds and submitted no later than August 1, 2022."

Contact: Laura A. Monick at (614) 466-5384 or

 CemeteryGrants@com.state.oh.us

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****Please keep this information in mind when applying for a 2023 Cemetery Grant."****:  

*****Please read each word carefully.*****  

Please direct any questions you may have to Laura Monick at:

614) 466-5384

 or

 CemeteryGrants@com.state.oh.us

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***WHEN READY TO APPLY":

"THERE IS AN APPLY NOW BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CEMETERYGRANT.COM MAIN PAGE***

Sharing screen prints below.:

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"The Division’s cemetery grant program advances grants to properly registered cemeteries, except for-profit corporations, to defray the costs of exceptional maintenance or training of cemetery personnel in the maintenance and operation of the cemetery. 

A cemetery that has not had a burial in the last 25 years or is a family cemetery is exempt from registration and does not qualify for a grant.

"Reasonable maintenance, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code section 4767.09, done in the day-to-day operations of a cemetery is not considered exceptional for purposes of awarding grants. Exceptional maintenance is construed broadly to cover non-routine, non-repetitive maintenance.

The grant program runs on a state fiscal year. The grant cycle announcement and application will be announced on our website and via email. The application deadline will be included in the grant announcement.  You may sign up for the email list here.

An operator may apply every other year for one grant of up to $2,500. Operators of five or more cemeteries registered with the Division may apply each year. Grant funds cannot be used for activities or purchases prior to formal approval of the grant application by the Superintendent and the Division’s receipt of a signed grant award agreement."

"Complete information and the application can be found at https://cemeterygrants.com.ohio.gov/ 

"If you have any questions or require additional assistance, please contact the Division at CemeteryGrants@com.state.oh.us."

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***FYI***

"C. 4767.02(A). As used in R.C. 4767.02(C), the term "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." R.C."

Sharing from "The Portager" - Portage County, Ohio - "Rootstown cemetery restoration underway, with obelisk secured and more work planned" - by Jeremy Brown - July 1, 2022

 Excerpt from story.:

The Rootstown Township Trustees and the Rootstown Old Cemetery Committee sponsored a two-day cemetery workshop June 17-18, kicking off an ongoing tombstone marker process for “The Old Cemetery” on Tallmadge Road. 

The workshop featured cemetery restoration specialist Tim Foor, from Ashley, Ohio, who has helped townships restore cemeteries in locations as far away as Charleston, South Carolina. 

During the workshop, Foor educated trustees, committee members and other participants about the process of tombstone restoration. He also shared his knowledge regarding the history of old cemeteries and gravestones and the vivid record of community history that they hold. More than 20 participants attended the event over the course of both days.  

Restoring the grave markers at what was formerly known as “Ye Olde Cemetery” has been in the plans for a while, Rootstown Historical Society Trustee Don Boyle said, but acquiring the resources to undertake such a project has been a challenge."

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Here is a link to the Facebook Page of "Rootstown OH Old Cemetery Restoration Project"

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Here is a link to "The Old Cemetery" in Rootstown as it currently appears on Find A Grave