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.). 

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

A link for the Tuscarawas County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps is now on the right sidebar of the blog.

This collection of cemetery plat maps follows the same format used for other Ohio counties, such as the pages being numbered.  Also, in the lower right-hand corner is the outline box of Legend of Wars;  History; and acre size for the cemetery.  

Noting, however, that the Cemetery Locator Map is missing from this collection.  

Penciled in numbers added to the right of the cemeteries names on the Cemetery Index Page refer to their numbered locations are shown on the county map.  

Similar to the other county maps listed on the right sidebar of the blog, these map pages are showing at 24%-25% in Microsoft Office Picture Manager.  Enlarging the size to 50% should enable easier viewing of the veterans' names, as well as other information including any penciled in notes.  

There are several pages containing penciled in notes. These now fading additions could appear in various places on a map page so be on the look out for them!  See a couple of examples below.: 

    

As I moved along working with this set of maps, I found myself considering many of them as a form of "map art"!   So, I took out some time and placed  frames with a touch of color around a few just to see what they would look like!  

I'll share some here:

Below is page 120 with two cemetery plat maps - both for Oxford Township.  The cemetery on the left - Pleasant View Baptist Cemetery - shows the veterans names in a single column listing to the right of the map.  

The cemetery on the right - King's U. B. Cemetery - has fewer veteran burials.  Their names are placed within the map itself with a connecting line to the gravesite.  

Thus, it can be easy to overlook seeing some veterans names when they are placed inside the map in smaller size print.   

There was one eye-catching notation that stood out quite glaringly on page 40 - the name "Miss Elizabeth Weaber" on the Addenda Page for Unknown Veteran Burials at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Dover.  

After further research, Elizabeth Weaber's gravesite was located! This is due to the invaluable work by Scott Harmon, City of Dover City Cemeteries Superintendent, who dug deeper into the Maple Grove Cemetery original handwritten burial records.  

As it turns out, Elizabeth Weaber's surname was spelled as the more common surname of "Weaver" in their records. That important discovery enabled Mr. Harmon to visit the gravesite of Elizabeth Weaber where he so kindly took photos.  His photos and research, in turn, enabled me to create a Find A Grave memorial for Elizabeth Weaber.   

See below for the gravesite photographs and burial records by Scott Harmon.

Thanking the Tuscarawas County Public Library for sharing the New Philadelphia obituary for Elizabeth Weaber.: 

Also, thanking Lori Smith of the Tuscarawas County Recorder's Office, for sharing a scanned copy of the original veteran's registration grave card for Elizabeth Weaber.: 

Below is a side-by-side of pages 13 and 23 both in Sandy Township.  

Page 13 shows "Pleasant Valley or Old Methodist Cemetery" with 3 veterans names.

Page 23 shows in capitol letters: "VOID" SEE PLEASANT VALLEY CEMETERY".  The cemetery is identified as Old Methodist Cemetery. The same 3 veterans names are shown on page 23 as those on page 13.  

Find A Grave lists this cemetery today as the Sparks Cemetery.   

Zebulon P. Sparks is shown as one of the 3 known Civil War veterans buried at this remote cemetery.:   

David Rasler is shown as David Resler – Page 142 – United Brethren Cemetery in Sugar Creek Township.  

He is the only veteran on page 142.  

Find A Grave has his surname spelled as “Rasler", and the original grave marker is engraved with his surname of "Rasler".: 

Below is the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map for Bunker Hill Cemetery.  The location of this cemetery is shown as partially located in 3 townships.:  Sugar Creek, Franklin, and Dover. 

Working with these maps, in particular, was a twist and turn adventure; and I feel a rewarding one! 

It is my hope that others will feel these W. P. A. Cemetery Plat maps are a treasure trove of historical value having lasting usefulness worth saving for the future.

My special appreciation to Krista Horrocks, Project Reviews Manager of the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection, for sharing the PDF file of these maps; and to John Kolb, Secretary and Co-Editor of the "Lorain County Researcher" newsletter of the Lorain County Genealogical Society, a Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, for his assistance in converting the map images in this large collection.

   

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

Thanking Krista Horrocks, Project Reviews Manager with the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection, for alerting me to these Holmes County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps being available online through the Holmes County, G.I.S. Department in the PDF format. 

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These maps are now also available in photo / .jpg format on Flickr.  See the link to them on the right sidebar of the blog.

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These W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps follow the familiar format seen in most other such maps in Ohio counties.:  There is a Cemetery Index Page, and the maps have page numbers in the lower right-hand corner. 

Because there is also a cemetery locator map for Homes County, the corresponding cemetery number is shown on the map penciled in above the cemetery name in the Legend Box. 

Below is an example of the cemetery symbol on the map appearing as a cross inside of a rectangle. In this instance it is shown in the color red.: 

On the map page, which is number 43, the number "124" appears above the name Temple Cemetery in Holmes County denoting its number on the county's cemetery locator map. 

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It should be noted that the township for  Salem Cemetery in Holmes County is shown as "Clark Township" on the Holmes County map.  Although it is true that the northern half of the Salem Cemetery is located in Holmes County, the correct township for the cemetery there is Killbuck Township.  

Looking at Coshocton County, which is where the southern half of the Salem Cemetery is situated, that Legend box shows that the cemetery is located in Clark Township.  

So, it is good to keep in mind that both Holmes County and Coshocton County positioned on a portion of its southern border, have townships named "Clark". 

Below are the Holmes County and Coshocton County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat maps for the Salem Cemetery.:

It is easy to see below how the Salem Cemetery straddles the border between Holmes County and Coshocton County.:

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Holmes County is home to large Amish and Mennonite populations, and thus this fact is reflected by some of the names of its cemeteries which are family cemeteries.  Prevalent surnames include.: 

Hershberger, Miller, Raber, Troyer, Weaver, and Yoder.

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Find A Grave's listing of cemeteries in Holmes County, Ohio that have Mennonite identifications.  

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Below is a "World Cat" link to a definitive book about the Amish in Holmes County.:    

"Cemetery directory of the Amish community in eastern Holmes and adjoining counties in Ohio" by Leroy Beachy  

Here is a World Cat Link for the publications by Leroy Beachy.  

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Excerpt from:

https://www.the-daily-record.com/story/news/2015/04/11/old-millersburg-is-focus-200th/19430522007/

By:

DAVID WEISS Holmes County Historical Society:

"George Washington directed a group of soldiers to march to Sandusky. On May 30, 1782, the troops camped at the "Big Spring" just north of Holmesville. During the night William Lee Mactobe, one of the soldiers, died and was buried on the hill southeast of the spring. It is the first recorded death and burial within the limits of the county. At this same location occurred the first recorded birth in the county."

See the Bushey Cemetery in Prairie Township below.  William Lee Mactobe is listed as a burial on the Bushey Cemetery in Prairie Township - page 65.  The war number by his name is shown as "3" -  a war with native American Indians on the frontier.: 

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Spotlighting American Revolutionary War veteran Pvt. Jonathan Grant buried at the McCullah (McCulloch) Cemetery in Salt Creek Township in Holmes County.: 

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This collection of W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps contains an Addenda of "Location Unknown" veterans in Holmes County. 

Four names are listed.:
Arnold Arnold - with a penciled in correction of "Albert" for a given name, who is shown with a number"1" in a circle by his name meaning he would have been an American Revolutionary War veteran.

William Hendrickson, who is also listed as a veteran of the American Revolutionary War,

Arthur Phillips with "31" in a circle by his name denoting he was a veteran of the "World War" or sometimes called the "Great War" at that time;

and

Jonathan Wheaton, listed with number "1" in a circle for American Revolutionary War soldier who was buried at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio.  

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Additional resource:

“LIBRARY SPACES FOR THOSE WITH NO FACES:  the OHIO AMISH LIBRARY OF BERLIN”

"Blog of the Special Collections Division of the Ohio Library Council"

https://sscdblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/library-spaces-for-those-with-no-faces-the-ohio-amish-library-of-berlin/

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I enjoyed working with these maps and learning more about the people and history that are truly unique to Holmes County, Ohio!  

Sharing the full obituary for Dr. Carl Watson, the former Director of the Works Progress Administration - the W.P.A. - in Ohio.

The previous blog post spotlighted historical newspaper stories about the W.P.A. with a focus on Ohio.  

Dr. Carl Watson was the Director of the Ohio W.P.A., and a rather abbreviated obituary for him was included at the end of the post.  

Dr. Watson was buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio.  

Below is a transcription of Dr. Carl Watson's full obituary.:

 “The Findlay Republican-Courier”

August 18, 1945 – Page 1 

(and continued on page 2)

Dr. Carl Watson

“Called by Death”

“Former Ohio WPA Director, Democratic Chairman, to be buried Sunday”

Dr. Carl Watson, 68, at one time Ohio WPA administrator, died at 2 o’clock Friday morning at his home on the North River Road.  Death was attributed to a heart ailment.  

When the WPA was discontinued in February, 1942, Dr. Watson returned to his home in Liberty Township.  He spent the last several years overseeing his farms.  He had been in ill health for some time but was able to be about even on Thursday.  He was stricken with his fatal illness Thursday night.  

Active in Democratic politics for a quarter of a century, Dr. Watson first served as chairman of the Hancock County executive committee for many years.  After gaining recognition through his political activities in this county, he served on the state Democratic committee under Gov. George White.

As a political leader in his home community where people knew him well, Dr. Watson enjoyed the confidence and united following of the Democrats and commanded the respect of Republicans.  He enjoyed politics as a game and regarded it as a part of the business of government with rules to be followed, and he endeavored to play the game according to the rules.  

In the late summer of 1933, the state executive committee met in Columbus and chose him state chairman to succeed Henry G. Brunner who was retiring to take the helm of the Home Owners Loan corporation.

As a result of the Davey victory in the primary of 1934, Francis Poulson was named to succeed Dr. Watson and he again retired to his farm in Liberty Township.

Calling him to Washington in 1935, Harry L. Hopkins, federal WPA Administrator, offered him the job of Ohio administrator.  He took over the task of “Ohio’s biggest employer” in November 1935.  He held that position until the WPA was disbanded three years ago.

As head of the Ohio WPA, Dr. Watson directed the work of 250,000 men and women, ten times as many as in any other employ in the state.  At one time there were 285,000 workers under his direction.

Dr. Watson attended the public schools here, then entered Findlay College.  He attended at the same time as Tell Taylor, the composer.  He subsequently attended the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical College and started practice in Toledo.  The practice of medicine was something of a family tradition.  He retired from medical practice in October, 1908.

However, his medical career was not destined to terminate for during World War I, Dr. Watson served as a captain in the army medical corps.  He was assigned to duty as a gynecologist. 

Enlisting early in America’s participation in the war, he was assigned as a surgeon to Polyclinic Hospital, New York City, which the government had taken over. 

Since New York was the most important debarkation point for troops, the army maintained a large permanent staff of officers there.  The officers took their families with them and Dr. Watson was placed in charge of surgical work for women.

After the war, Dr. Watson returned to Findlay to devote his time to his farm and his oil interests.  He intended to retire altogether from public activity but the Democrats of Hancock County drafted him as county chairman.

An ardent fisherman, Dr. Watson was on one of his fishing trips to Michigan in 1933 when he was chosen state chairman.  

He was born November 19, 1876 in Liberty Township.  His parents were Richard M. and Mary (Harper) Watson.  On January 22, 1903 he married Grace Wentz who  survives.

Besides his wife, he is survived by a sister, Miss Grace Watson, Liberty Township.  A brother, John W. Watson is deceased. 

A member of the Masonic Lodge, Dr. Watson belonged to Mecca Temple in New York City.

Funeral services will be held at 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon at his farm residence in Liberty Township.  Rev. W. E. Bradley, pastor of the First Lutheran Church, will officiate.  Interment will be in Maple Grove Cemetery.  

The body was taken to the Perry Miles Funeral Home and later was returned to the residence.