Sharing this Cleveland "Plain Dealer" article published on September 13, 2026 about legalizing Human Composting in Ohio

 Sharing the Cleveland Plain Dealer Story of September 13, 2026 - Front Page and Page 2: 
  "What if your remains could grow a tree instead of resting beneath a gravestone?"
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I feel this is the best in-depth story, that I have read thus far, that would help those who are seeking more information to answer questions that are top of mind about Human Composting.  It could answer all or most of their questions for themselves and/or loved ones for how to handle their remains after they are gone.  

There are a number of factors involved that can determine which path someone should choose.  Also relating to their family and sharing their reasons for making one choice over another.  

Human Composting is indeed a third choice after traditional burials and cremations.  It is more natural and more in tune with the environment.

  We'll see if it becomes legal in Ohio. So stay tuned for additional news about legally adopting this option in the Buckeye State.  

Sharing some newspaper stories about the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map program that helped identify veteran burials in Ohio.

 Sharing various Ohio newspaper stories published about the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map program that identified burial locations of veterans of wars, uprisings, insurrections, etc. from the American Revolution up to and including World War I (known at the time as the "World War" because WWII had not yet occurred.). 

The W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Shelby County have been added to the right side bar of the blog.

The Shelby County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps have been added to the right sidebar of the blog.  They are .jpg photographs.
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The W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps in .PDF form can be found on the Shelby Recorder's website.
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Please note that the Shelby County W.P.A. Cemetery Plats do not contain the names of veterans on their map pages.  Yes, this is a setback for those who are researching Shelby County Ohio veteran burials.  However, all is not lost! 
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Shelby County does have the individual W.P.A. veteran grave cards, however they are not posted on the Recorder's website.  

These grave cards for Shelby County can be found on the website Fold3.  Also, anyone living in Ohio can get a virtual library card from any Ohio public library and research from home. 

I have utilized the Akron - Summit County's Public Library website to link to Fold3.
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For the Seven Day Baptist Cemetery seen above left in the image with the two cemeteries.  Deed Vol 68/517 (1891) and Vol. 124/112 (1935)

Shelby County Ohio Gen Web

Tina Hursh - Copyright 1999

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Van Buren Township.:

Barnett Cemetery

Colored Cemetery.  On west side of Lucas-Gieb Road just north of intersection with State Route 29.

Abandoned

Clinton Cemetery

Colored Cemetery.  In small wooded area about 1000 feet northwest of intersection of State Route 119 & Staley Road.

Abandoned

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Note for the Beechwood Cemetery on Page 3, the "Legend of Wars" box has a typed name and not a handwritten name.  

Also, see notation in the left margin regarding Sections on the Map. 

Beechwood Cemetery

Washington Township

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Hines Cemetery
Located in Van Buren Township located in a field just off the south side of Wells Road.
Cemetery consists of only one marker, that of a colored soldier of the Civil War.
Hines, Wm. D. Aug 6, 1865, 23y4m  Co. G, 9th  O.V.C.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sharing this example of utilizing the individual veteran grave card and its information in relation to the corresponding W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map of the cemetery that the veteran was buried at.  The Row, Section and Grave number shown on the veteran's grave card should match up with a black coffin symbol for that location on the map image. 

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The Cemetery Grant Program for 2027 launched July 1, 2026 through July 31, 2026 - with significant improvements!

 Starting July 1, 2026 most Active Registered Cemeteries can apply for the Ohio Department of Commerce's Cemetery Grant for 2027. 

AND

Sharing from the "Record Herald" in Washington Court House.: 
  "Ohio Doubles Maximum Grant Funding available for Non-Profit Cemetery Upkeep"
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"Applications must be submitted online at cemeterygrants.com.ohio.gov."
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Video
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Important to read information
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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 FY2027 Cemetery Grant
for qualifying not-for-profit and

local government 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.

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

A link to look up your registration
number is located on the
application page. 

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 grant instructions should

help answer any of your questions. 

You can find the grant instructions here.

The application must be answered

 completely to be considered for

 grant funds and submitted

no later than July 31, 2026.

 **NOTICE**

 There is a typo in the

application that is

in the process

 of being corrected. 

"Amount requested

 (up to $2500)"

should instead read: 

"Amount requested

(up to $5000)."

You will be able to enter the

full amount requested. 

If you have questions,

please contact the email below."

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Contact:

CemeteryGrants@com.state.oh.us

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Allowable grant requests include

 those to defray costs of

exceptional cemetery

 maintenance or training cemetery

 personnel in the maintenance

and operation of cemeteries.

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Announcement of upcoming tour of the Washington Cemetery in Washington Court House - Monday, June 15, 2026, 6:30p.m.

Paul LaRue will lead a walking tour of the Washington Cemetery - Washington Court House.
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"WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Educator and historian Paul LaRue will lead a historical walking tour of Washington Cemetery on Monday, June 15, as part of the nation’s upcoming semi-quincentennial celebrations.

The free public event, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., is hosted by the Fayette County Genealogical Society.

Mr. LaRue noted that Washington Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year."

The Fayette County Genealogical Society on Facebook

The Washington Cemetery on Find a Grave

Just announced by Atlas Preservation - 48 State Tour 2026 - Friday - June 26 - Clifton Union Cemetery - Greene County, Ohio.

 Saving America's Graveyards - the 48 State Tour - Atlas Preservation - Jonathan Appell.
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This year's cemetery preservation workshop will be held on Friday - June 26, 2026 - at the Clifton Union Cemetery - located in Miami Township - Greene County, Ohio.
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Clifton Union Cemetery - on the Miami Township website

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Clifton Union Cemetery on Find a Grave
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"Revolutionary War Soldiers of Fayette County" - New Publication by the Fayette County Genealogical Society.

From Sue Gilmore - suegilmore@yahoo.com:

"... book committee who researched more than 78 Revolutionary Soldiers who were thought to be buried in Fayette County.  We determined there were 78 and Sue pulled all the research together and typed the book "Revolutionary War Soldiers of Fayette County".  

We have had the book printed and already sold 32 copies."

The following books have been reduced in price:

"Revolutionary War Soldiers of Fayette County"
$20.00 including tax ($18.65 + 7.5% tax 1.35)

*****

People of the Past - 15.00 (13.99 + 1.01 tax)

*****

Chancery and Common Pleas Court Records 1828-1878

10.00 or $9.32 + .68 tax

*****

Chancery Early Minute Books 1817-1841 -  

6.00 (5.60 + .40 tax)

********************
"I will be putting out the newsletter a little early so I can let everyone know about our big 4th of July America 250 Ohio Fayette County celebration.  I hope we have a big turnout."

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Also,

The America-250-Ohio - American Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Live Results Dashboard is updated in real time when new submissions are provided.:

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Currently, there are 33 grave markers documented for American Revolutionary War veterans buried in Fayette County showing on the Dashboard with 16 cemeteries being documented for these burials.

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The Washington County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps have been added to the right sidebar of the blog.

Please note that the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Washington County have been added to the right side bar of the blog. 

The images are .jpg format converted from the .pdf format offered on the Washington County Recorder's website. Every effort was made to improve the quality of the map images.
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Please note, there are instances where there are two map pages having the same page number.  This is due to the unusual circumstance where the cemetery index appears to identify with an earlier version of numbering that does not refer to the page number appearing in the lower right corner within the frame around the map; as is usually the case in these particular cemetery plat map collections.  Some map pages only had numbers in the upper right corner, and thus in those cases that number was used in the title. Some numbers are "smudged" and difficult to read.
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As is the case with other counties and their map pages, where more than one cemetery is shown on a page and there is also more than one township on that page, it is saved in its own collection entitled: Multiple Townships - Smaller Cemeteries.  Washington County has 54 pages in that album.
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Spotlighting: 

Note, Mary Bird Lake is shown on the WPA Cemetery Plat map as having been buried at the Union Cemetery, however she is listed on Find a Grave buried with her husband, Archibold / Archibald Lake at the Rainbow Cemetery. 

However, their son Thomas Lake, is buried at the Union Cemetery, and his name appears on that WPA Cemetery Plat map page. 

All three family members have a "1" designation for their roles in the American Revolutionary War. 
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Returning to WPA Cemetery Map Page 92 (upper right corner) with the Union Cemetery is the Stanleyville Cemetery. 

Four American Revolutionary war veterans were buried at this small cemetery.  One of them shown is Robert Collins whose grave marker states he died in the 109th year of his age. 

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Earlier this month, a blog post was dedicated to the Mound Cemetery in Marietta in Washington County. This cemetery is a "must see" if you enjoying viewing historically important cemeteries in Ohio.  It has a unique landscape not typically associated with most cemeteries in the state.  History abounds with its connections to the American Revolutionary War. Noting it contains the most burials of officers from that war found anywhere in America according to Wikipedia. 

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I hope you enjoy viewing these almost century old map pages drawn up during the years of the Great Depression.  

What a wonderful legacy those who documented these cemeteries, as accurately as they were able to, have left for us. These maps of veteran burials better enable us to utilize their information for our own research while passing down their importance to new generations who can build upon and preserve them as we do now. 

For me, these maps are akin to mirrors shining into a past that, in turn, was reflecting upon events of earlier times that otherwise might be lost to history by today.    

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Greene County's W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps are added to the right side bar of the blog.

Greene County's W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps have been added to the right side bar of the blog.
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Please note, these map pages contain a watermark - "Internet Image" on each page created by the Greene County Recorders office.  

To obtain a non-watermark page copy from the Greene County Recorder the cost would be $2.00 a page + $1.00 for certification, per their office.  If you are able to visit in person you can print out your own non-water marked page for .10.  

The Recorder's office's copies are in the.PDF format.
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The pages here for this collection of W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Greene County are saved in the .jpg version with improvements in clarity, despite the watermark, for better readability.
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Below is an enlargement of the listing shown at the bottom right-hand corner of the Cemetery Index Page (Page 2) that contains the names of veterans with unknown burial locations.: 

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There are some cemeteries that list American Revolutionary War veterans burials, but two stand out as having more considering their size.:

The Pioneer Cemetery in Sugar Creek Township lists four.:

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The Stevenson Cemetery lists 12 American Revolutionary War veteran burials.: 

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Below is a handy guide showing the listing of the numbers associated with the wars ranging from 1 through 33, with number 31 being World War I or the "World War" which was a term used for it at the time the war was being fought.  That is a "good to know fact" if you are researching historical newspapers published from 1914 - 1918 (when the war was fought) and onward until World War II began.   

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Note:  Number 31, the last number on the listing, shows as "World War" which we know it today to having been WWI.
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2026 Timeline - "Ohio Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Project" - Ohio History Connection. The opportunity to contribute ends on May 4, 2026.

***May 4, 2026 the Collection Portal Closes ***

Ohio Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Project - Ohio History Connection

Graphic below from the Ohio History Connection:

https://tinyurl.com/OHCMAPPINGMEMORY

https://tinyurl.com/OHCDASHBOARD

https://tinyurl.com/OHCFIELDCOLLECTIONGUIDE
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Two months from now, on May 4, 2026, the opportunity to add information documenting the burials of American Revolutionary War veterans in Ohio will close. We can only hope that all those that can be found will be through the efforts of dedicated volunteers.

Keeping this thought in mind, I would like to suggest that even if you can't do an in person visit to the gravesite of a veteran of the American Revolutionary War buried in Ohio that you know about, please attempt to contact someone who can do that with the information you provide to them.  I did this myself recently.  You can reference also websites like "Find a Grave" that might help.  Contact someone who belongs to the local chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society who might be willing to visit the gravesite in your place and use their cellphone to document the burial location at the cemetery. 

Also, if there is a nearby Chapter of the D.A.R. they may know of someone who could be of help. 

You can be creative and consider contacting a local Boy Scout or Girl Scout group who could visit the cemetery in person with an adult, armed with your information to locate the gravesite, and access the Ohio History Connection's website for all of the details pertaining to this worthwhile program and how to contribute to it.
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Taking a Scenic Tour of some Seneca County, Ohio Cemeteries with Ron & Sheila Amore.

First, I feel it important to extend my appreciation to Ron and Sheila Amore for sharing their photographs that they have taken during their tours of several North Central Ohio cemeteries.  

They have been regular contributors to the Facebook Group "Preserving Ohio's Cemeteries".  They are helping to preserve cemeteries through their photographic documentation which illustrates the current condition of so many rural burial grounds that dot Ohio's landscape that exist in various areas of the state.
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This post will feature five of such cemeteries located in rural Seneca County.:

Jerusalem Cemetery.:

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Price Cemetery:

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Reisz Cemetery:

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Shock Cemetery:

Jedediah Holmes, Sr.

"Revolutionary War Patriots Buried in Ohio"

"HOLMES, JEDEDIAH, (Seneca County) [41.02256 -83.13214] Born on March 18,1763 in Armenia, Dutchess County, NY to parents Jabez (1723-1797) & Experience Cleveland Holmes (1728-1805). He served as a Private with NY under Capts Graves, Cady, Bostick, Henry, Towne, and Young; also, Cols Waterman, McKinstree, and Willett. He married 1) Unknown, 2) Hannah Brown (1764-1860); children: Deborah, Hiram, Abraham, Cleveland, Martha, Ira, Benjamin, Hannah, Polly, David, Jedediah & Palmer. He died on May 1, 1840 and Buried at Shock's Cemetery, Eden Twp., Seneca County, OH. GM Bronze marker, 1927. Pension # W7772. Roster of Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Ohio. Wilbur R. Branthoover, compiler. Veterans Affairs, Ohio. Reprinted by OHSDAR. 1929. Also, SAR Patriot Index Edition III (CD: PP2210, Progeny Publ., 2002) plus data to 2004. Also, New York in the Revolution, pg 90. Also, pension W7772. Also, Abstractes of Revolutionary War Pension Files, pg 1688. SAR Ancestor # P-183933. DAR# A057025. Has a tombstone and a 1776 marker. Cemetery number #-2193229. Find a Grave Memorial #-79129601"

Swamp Cemetery (AKA Union Pisgah Cemetery):

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Also:

CARSON, ROBERT, (Seneca County) [41.0095000 -82.8521300]
Find a Grave Memorial for Robert Carson, veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
"Born on May 7, 1762. Served with PA in the Revolutionary War, Served 5 tours as a Ranger in Cumberland Co., PA. Married Margaret Bates (1768-1837); children: George, Samuel & Hannah. Rejected Pension #R2338V (service too short). He died on November 10, 1837 and Bured at (Old Swamp Cemetery) Union Pisgah Cemetery, Attica, Venice Twp. (Use gate opposite church; follow path some 10 rows, grave on right ). GM by Mrs. G. A. Downey, 1027, bronze marker. Tradition says this was the first person buried in Swamp Cem when it was only a spot in the woods. Ref: Mrs. Eva Smith Sutton, Tiffin, OH. Fur infor Dolly Todd Madison Chap. SAR Ancestor # P-129406. DAR # A019836. Has a tombstone &1776 marker. Cemetery number # -2227339. Find A Grave Memorial # -20896883."
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