Update regarding Floral Hills Memory Gardens - Looking ahead as the Huntington Township Trustees assume responsibility for this beautiful Active cemetery in Ross County, Ohio.

Definitive news is finally unfolding that confirms that the Huntington Township Trustees in Ross County, Ohio are assuming responsibility for the Floral Hills Memory Gardens in their township.  

For well over a decade the Huntington Township Trustees have persistently refused to take over Floral Hills Memory Gardens -- an Active cemetery that was abandoned by its owners who committed crimes against it and the lot owners -- and fled the state avoiding to pay the taxes owed on the cemetery.  

Now in 2024, after at least a decade of the cemetery being maintained solely by volunteers, the court in the county agreed the cemetery is a public cemetery and therefore it belongs to the township.

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Sharing this link to the latest story by the Scioto Post about the take over of Floral Hills Memory Gardens by the Huntington Township Trustees.

Huntington Township Trustees -- Approx. 8 minute Youtube video interview. 

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David Robertson is mentioned in the video. 

David has been at the forefront since Floral Hills Memory Gardens was first abandoned and has continued on regular basis to mow the grounds.  He was able to enlist groups of volunteers from various sources when needed to handle the needs of the cemetery. He has been an inspiration for others who seek to save a cemetery when perhaps no one else steps up to stay steadfast and follow that same path.    

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Below is a link to the Facebook Group: "Clean Up Floral Hills Memory Gardens". :

https://www.facebook.com/cleanupfloralhills

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Floral Hills Memory Gardens on Find a Grave

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Conclusion.:  

The Huntington Township trustees are wished all of the best with their duties assuming all of the responsibilities of this Active public cemetery with over 3,000 burials.  

The trustees are going to need all the support, financial and otherwise, they can garner from the community and beyond to assure they will be successful to do right by the cemetery itself and for those whose friends and families rest in peace on its sacred grounds.  

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Yes, this reality has been a long time coming for Floral Hills Memory Gardens; thus in the end, the wait for it to arrive needs to be well worth it for all concerned.  

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Announcing from the Fayette County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society - Monday, June 17, 2024 - 6:30PM - "A Walk in St. Colman's Cemetery" - Mr. Paul LaRue is the tour guide.

Sharing from the Fayette County Genealogical Society.:

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For further reference.:

Saint Colman's Cemetery on Find a Grave

Ohioans can report cemetery maintenance issues to a state commission - WFMJ.com -- The Ohio Department of Commerce - Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing

Ohioans can report cemetery maintenance issues to a state commis - WFMJ.com: 

"Ohioans may not be aware that there’s a place they can file a complaint if a cemetery where a loved one is buried is overgrown or has other maintenance issues.

The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing the registration of cemeteries with recent burials and works to ensure appropriate maintenance is taking place. Family cemeteries are exempt from this registration requirement.

The division encourages people to help keep the state’s cemeteries beautiful and safe by reporting maintenance issues.

“Whether it’s during Memorial Day or at any other time of the year, we encourage individuals who notice a potential issue at a cemetery to first address it with cemetery management so it can be resolved,” Hawk said. “While management is usually responsive to those concerns if issues persist, individuals may choose to file a complaint with the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Commission so the necessary steps can be taken to address that issue.”

The Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission is a nine-person commission that assists in resolving complaints against registered cemeteries, or a cemetery that is not registered but is required to be registered. A complaint may be submitted to the Commission by downloading a form online.

In addition to resolving disputes, the Commission suggests the below minimum maintenance guidelines for cemeteries:

    Cut grass and trim around all markers and/or monuments once per month during the growing season.

    Have a plan in place to remove underbrush, leaves, tree seedlings, dead trees, and flowers.

    Remove trash and funeral flowers once a month (artificial flowers once a year).

    Sod or seed graves as necessary within one year of interment.
    Foundations for new markers that have been ordered should be set within one calendar year.

    Roads, buildings, structures, and fencing should be maintained and repaired as needed.
    Cemetery perimeter should be marked either physically or recorded at the County.

Management/Maintenance of Rules, Regulations, and Records

Electronic or paper cemetery records of interment, entombment or inurnment right owners and interment, entombment or inurnment records indicating the deceased name, place of death, date, and location of the interment, entombment or inurnment should be maintained in the cemetery's office.  Paper copies of records required for the verification of interment, entombment, or inurnment rights and cemetery interment, entombment, or inurnment records as indicated above should be maintained in a fireproof container within the cemetery office.  If possible duplicate copies of all cemetery records should be maintained off-site. It is permissible to maintain records in an electronic format so long as the electronic copies are true copies of all the original documents.

All graves or lots should be identified by a map that is stored in the office of the cemetery per ORC Section 1721.09.

Effective March 19, 2015, newly developed lots should be pinned and owners’ names should be recorded so that family lot positions are identifiable and able to be located.

Cemeteries should conduct all interments within seven days of the date of the order unless waived by the next of kin or other responsible party."

Rules regarding flowers and decorations should be posted at the cemetery.

The vault or any other burial container should be placed at least twelve inches below grade.

The cemetery’s rules and regulations should be provided upon request.

Cemetery management contact information should be posted at the main public entrance of the cemetery and at the onsite office if one exists." 

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Ohio Revised Code Section 4767.02

Announcing the Memorial Day 2024 Sale - Atlas Preservation - Jonathan Appell

 Sharing from Jonathan Appell of "Atlas Preservation" - Memorial Day 2024 Sale.  

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Jonathan Appell has been at the forefront in the field of cemetery preservation as a nationally recognized conservator who has consistently followed the Do No Harm Best Practices Guidelines as put forth by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT).

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Gravestone & Monument Preservation on Facebook  

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Jonathan Appell at work

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The W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Paulding County have been posted on the right sidebar of the blog.

Paulding County, Ohio is comprised of the following townships.:

Auglaize Township

Benton Township

Blue Creek Township

Brown Township

Carryall Township

Crane Township

Emerald Township

Harrison Township

Jackson Township

Latty Township

Paulding Township

Washington Township

The collection of Paulding County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps follow the same format adopted by most other Ohio counties that have been researched to date. There is a Cemetery Index and Cemetery Locator Map.

All cemetery map pages are numbered.  

The map images are in good condition overall and readable, however, the veterans names are in a smaller size font in the listings, particularly so for the smaller size cemeteries and family cemeteries where the veterans names are shown inside the maps themselves at the plot locations.  For each veteran the war number designation, which is shown in a circle, matches the listing for the wars in the "Legend of Wars" Section.  This is shown in the lower right-hand corner of the map page inside of an outlined box containing the Official WPA Project Numbers; and the size of the cemetery shown in acres.  There may or may not be a short description included under the History heading.  

Larger size cemeteries have their own Title Page and Key Map if there is more than one section for a cemetery.  

Please check out the Paulding County cemeteries as shown on Find a Grave.  It is an excellent research resource.  This is particularly true for Paulding County because many contributors have included detailed descriptions about a cemetery itself with additional information provided about some of those buried at the cemetery.

A sampling of unique map pages.:

Paulding Township - Live Oak Cemetery - Block F - Nich. G. Saurwein, Lot 86 - Grave 6.  

The war for this veteran is listed as Number 21. 

War Number 21 was seldom listed in these W.P.A. Cemetery map collections.  It is designated as having been one of the 200 American Indian uprisings that was fought following the American Civil War.  

See the numbered listing of the wars, rebellions, uprisings, etc. below.:

 
Also, note.:

Here is a cemetery map page with four small cemeteries.  None of the cemeteries show names for veterans, however, note though the presence of the Six Mile Creek for three of the four cemeteries.: 

 

Young Cemetery in Paulding County's description:

(Taken from the History of Grover Hill by Laurence R. Hipp, published in 1971.):

"The one-half acre of land for the site of the Young Family Cemetery, located in the Northeast Quarter of Section 27 of Washington Township, was deed to the township trustees by Jackson Young, Mary 2, 1888. 

This deed is recorded in Volume 47, page 200, Paulding County Record of Deeds. 

This is a small cemetery located only a few rods to the northwest of the Fought Cemetery, both of these burial grounds being located slightly north of the former site of Plumb's Crossroads. 

Only black residents of Washington Township are buried in the Young Cemetery.

The cemetery is located at the northern end of Township Road 265 about 0.25 miles north of its intersection with Township Road 32.

The cemetery is located in Washington Township, Paulding County, Ohio, and is # 9284 (Youngs Cemetery / Young Cemetery) in "Ohio Cemeteries 1803-2003", compiled by the Ohio Genealogical Society.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) feature ID for the cemetery is 1048213 (Young Cemetery).

And:

From the same publication this historical account was provided for the Wilson Cemetery.:

"Amelia Pleasants was the last person to be buried in the Wilson Cemetery, in the year 1914. This small cemetery located in the Southeast Quarter of Section 9 of Washington Township, was established very early by the residents of the Black community in the immediate area. On January 3, 1880, Harrison and Caroline Wilson deeded to the trustees of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church the land for this cemetery; the deed is recorded in Volume 28, page 180, Paulding County Record of Deeds. The Black settlement in the area also contained a church and a school. Except in dry seasons, this cemetery cannot be reached by auto. It is located one mile east and two and one-quarter miles north of Roselms, thence west along a fence-line, a distance of about eighty rods. During the winter months, when the tree foliage is gone, the cemetery may be seen from the road south of the cemetery at a point near the former home of Pearl H. and Mary Taylor.

The cemetery is located about 1250 feet north of County Road 60 about 0.3 miles west of its intersection with Township Road 187.

The cemetery is located in Washington Township, Paulding County, Ohio, and is # 9283 (Taylor Wilson Cemetery) in "Ohio Cemeteries 1803-2003", compiled by the Ohio Genealogical Society.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) feature ID for the cemetery is 1047978 (Wilson Cemetery)."

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However, Find a Grave has Fred Allen Moore as being the latest burial at the Wilson Cemetery.:

There are two "Middle Creek" Cemeteries, and the one below was designated a "Colored" cemetery.:

The .pdf images of these cemetery plat maps can be accessed via the Paulding County Engineer's website. 

Thus, if you research Paulding County, please check out all of its cemeteries on Find a Grave!

Announcement from the Friends of the OBG - Old Burying Ground in Greenfield, Highland County, Ohio. Next session is a mapping session scheduled for May 14th, 2024 - weather permitting.

2024 Next Session **************** This will be a mapping session May 14th, weather permitting.

 "We are slowly getting back to our work at the OBG for 2024, but rains have limited us, as has lack of volunteers. However, Amanda K. and John K. have continued our mapping efforts on April 30 and May 7. 

It was work between rain, but we did get many burials mapped.

We will make another attempt on May 14th, but predictions seem to indicate more rain. So cross your fingers that we will be able to get some work done before the drops (or downpours) begin.

We would also like to schedule a time when volunteers can help in cleaning gravestones. 

This is not difficult, but we do need to know if you want to help so we can provide enough items to perform the cleaning. 

If that is something of interest to you, please email, and we will put your name on the list and let you know when we can  schedule that session. Thanks."

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Since 2014, the Old Burying Ground (OBG) in Greenfield, Ohio, has been undergoing work by a group of dedicated volunteers.  Throughout each year, work sessions have been held by key volunteers Scott and Venus Andersen, John King, and Michael Anderson.  We encourage your continued support in this effort and your sharing of this information with your friends.  Thank you for caring. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Friends of the OBG Website  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Old Burying Ground on Find a Grave ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A link to the Lawrence County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps has been added to the right sidebar of the blog.

 Please note that a link to the Lawrence County W.P.A. cemetery plat maps has been added to the sidebar of the blog. 

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Lawrence County, Ohio is comprised of the following townships.:

Aid Township
Decatur Township
Elizabeth Township
Fayette Township
Hamilton Township
Lawrence Township
Mason Township
Perry Township
Rome Township
Symmes Township
Union Township
Upper Township
Washington Township
Windsor Township
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Ironton is the county seat.
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All of the WPA Cemetery Plat Maps pages in this collection for Lawrence County are numbered.

Cemeteries on some pages lack the names of their townships and those need to be provided from further research.

The microfilms of these maps are at the Lawrence County Recorder's Office. 

The images can be viewed online via the Search Index Tab with the blue background.

Access the New Online Index Books Search.
Search Record Book choosing "Veterans Grave Plats". 

The images are in fair to poor condition.

Map pages 1 through 3 were saved in the .pdf format, however following that the pages were saved in the .txt format. "RetrieveCachedPDF.txt"

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Enjoy researching these WPA Cemetery Plat Maps!

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A link to the Paulding County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps is now on the right sidebar of the blog.

 The Paulding County, Ohio Engineer's Office has a link to the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for their county on their website. 

The map images are in excellent condition and the names of the veterans can be easily read.  

 See link below.: 
https://pauldingcountyengineer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Combined-Veterans-Graves-Registration.pdf

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Also, there is a link to these W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps on the right sidebar of this blog.:

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Paulding County Cemeteries listing as shown on Find a Grave.

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