Spotlighting a "Bryan Times" Veterans Day story that highlights the presentation by Brian D. Fritsch of the Williams County, Ohio G.I.S. Department - published on November 11, 2023.

Sharing a link to this story - "Fritsch Discuses Veterans' Gravesite Dashboard" by the "Bryan Times"  covering this program that was part of the most recent meeting of the Williams County, Ohio Genealogical Society - a Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society.  

~*~*~*~*~*~

Here is the main link for Williams County Engineer's Brian D. Fritch, the coordinator of the G.I.S. (Geographical Information System) Department, for the veterans graves locations in the county by utilizing the 1930s - Depression Era - W.P.A. Cemetery plat maps that were created by workers of the Works Progress Administration during that time period. 

These unique cemetery plat maps list the names of veterans who served in American wars, uprisings, and rebellions since the American Revolutionary War. 

Black coffin-like symbols shown on the grave plots of these maps depict where each listed veteran was buried (i.e. row / grave/ lot).  

The corresponding number designating the war they served in is provided, if known, by their name in the listing of all veterans.

Shown below is a composite image of a typical Veterans Graves Registration Project (Works Progress Administration - AKA "W.P.A.") Title Page for the cemetery plat maps used for a collection of these maps for a county in Ohio shown on the top half. 

Below the Project Title image is the numbered list designating the wars, uprisings, and rebellions that American soldiers served in through World War I, which was the last war at the time these maps were drawn.   

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This is the main link for the 

"Williams County Geospatial Hub.":

"The Williams County Geospatial Hub contains useful information about drainage, location, and parcels in the form of interactive maps, apps, story maps, and dashboards."

Williams County Veteran Grave Locations.:

Williams County Veteran Grave Locations.: 

Interactive Dashboard

 Story Map

Web Experience

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sharing here also is a link to what I feel is a companion website created by the Williams County Recorder. :

"Works Progress Administration (WPA)"

"When the Great Depression hit the United States in 1929, the American economy hit rock bottom. The value of the dollar became nearly worthless and millions of Americans lost their jobs. 

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced “The New Deal,” a series of new programs designed to pick America back up on to its feet and get the economy moving again. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was one of those programs."

"Initially designed to fund the building and improvement of America’s infrastructure, it also funded Veterans Graves Registration, the arts, history, and culture of America. In short, the WPA employed out-of-work Americans who were certified by local agencies as meeting certain qualifications."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Additionally, note on the left hand side of this page is a listing of each of the townships in Williams County. 

Accessing each township brings up its listing of cemeteries with their map images. It is best to view them full size.:

Brady, Bridgewater, Center, Florence, Jefferson, Madison, Millcreek, Northwest, Pulaski, 
Saint Joseph, Springfield, and Superior.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Williams County, Ohio cemeteries as listed on Find a Grave. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Williams County, Ohio Veteran Graves Locations, "A project to map the final resting places of veterans in Williams County, Ohio" was created by Brian D. Fritsch, P.E. and is posted on the county's G.I.S. website.

Williams County Veteran Graves Locations

Brian D.Fritsch P.E. - G.I.S.

Submit additional information to:

 bfritsch@wmscoengineer.com

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A link to the Williams County Veteran Graves

Locations' website has been added to the 

Pages on the right sidebar of this blog.  

This link is right below the links for the W.P.A.
Cemetery Plat Maps for Williams County,
including the link to the Williams County Recorder.

********

Introductory Paragraph:

"The only known effort to map the locations of veteran graves in Williams County was conducted nearly 100 years ago.

A project was conducted by the Works Project Administration (WPA) to locate veteran grave locations."

Below this statement Brian appropriately includes images that serve as examples of a representative W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map with the map of the Brown Cemetery in Center Township, therefore, connecting these maps and their purpose to his 21st Century project. The current scope and content reach far beyond what anyone creating those 1930s era maps could have contemplated ever being possible.

Thus, a researcher has a vast array of information

and images for exploring and learning while browsing
through this  exceedingly well organized and useful website

for Williams County, Ohio.

*******

On May 13, 2022 a spotlight story was published in

 the "Bryan Times" announcing that this website 

would be created by Brian D. Fritsch.  

In order to read the full story, however, a reader

 must be a subscriber to the newspaper.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A link to the Williams County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps is now listed on the right sidebar of the blog.

A link to the the Williams County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps collection on Flickr has taken its place among those listed for other Ohio counties on the right sidebar of the blog.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Williams County Recorder's Office provides PDF versions of these maps for viewing.  

Their website also presents a wonderful introduction to this map collection with an extensive history of the "Works Progress Administration's Veterans' Graves Registration" - a title and description associated also with the individual veteran's graves cards that are even more commonly located at Ohio Recorder's offices.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

The Williams County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps possess particular points of interest to keep in mind.:

 For some maps, the page number, normally shown in the lower right corner, is missing due to being cut off the page.  

For some other maps, the page number area is darkened enough that it could not be read.

Also, please note that even the smaller cemeteries have their own page; not the typical 2, 3, or 4 smaller cemeteries to a page. Thus, this fact eliminates the need for a "Multiple Townships/Smaller Cemeteries" album in this collection of maps. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Williams County, Ohio is the most northwestern county of the Buckeye State.  

In fact, there is a Northwest Township in Williams County.:

The map image below is from the "Lay Me Down To Rest" Youtube series created by the Williams County Public Library for the Columbia Cemetery in Northwest Township.: 

Northwest Township, Williams County, Ohio

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The following townships comprise Williams County.:

Brady, Bridgewater, Center, Florence, Jefferson, Madison, Mill Creek (or Millcreek), Northwest, Pulaski, Saint Joseph, Springfield, and Superior. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sharing a link to the Williams County, Ohio Public Library's "Lay Me Down to Rest" announcement from January, 2021 about their then upcoming Youtube Video Series hosted by Local History Assistant, Denver Henderson.  His visits included overhead and ground level drone footage that augment the historical commentary he presents for each of the 63 cemeteries in Williams County.  These short but most certainly engaging and educational videos are well worth watching for anyone interested in leaning more about Williams County, Ohio cemeteries!  Each video virtually puts the viewer in the setting of the cemetery while the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map page created for it some 90 years ago reminds us of its unique history.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Below is a link to the main page for the "Lay Me Down to Rest" videos.: 

Williams County Cemetery Videos by the Williams County Public Library

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Below are examples of Williams County cemeteries with unusual characteristics.: 

West Buffalo Cemetery straddles two townships: Florence and Saint Joseph.:

Clarksville Cemetery in Saint Joseph Township is reported to be the oldest cemetery in Williams County.:
View the Williams County Public Library's Youtube Video for the Clarksville Cemetery.

Below is a newspaper article about Clarksville from "The Crescent News" dated July 9, 1976 from neighboring Defiance County.: 

Clarksville Cemetery shown on Google below: 

The source remains unknown for the origin of this faint photograph added to the map page by an unknown person, and at an unknown time. It shows an older marker, and two similar ones seen to the right of it, placed left of the Legend at the bottom right-hand corner of the page.  

However, it is quite possible the marker is for Thomas Wilson who died November 25, 1831. 

The top image is shown with inverted colors.:  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The W. P. A. Cemetery Plat Maps for Olive Branch Cemetery in Mill Creek (AKA Millcreek) Township and the Brim Cemetery in Superior Township have the black coffin symbols similar to the ones shown below that denote a veteran's burial plot location (a coffin symbol ⚰ ). :

However, sadly the veterans' names are missing.:

  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So as we move along exploring the Williams County W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps, we learn they hold their share of mysteries woven as threads within the decades of histories.  What a treat it is to try to solve them along the way!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~   

Lay Me Down to Rest: FINALE The Lost Cemeteries - February 15 2022

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 58 Olive Branch Cemetery from the Williams County Public LIbrary

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 55 Kunkle Cemetery - Williams County, Ohio presented by the Williams County, Ohio Public Library

Sharing the latest episode of "Lay Me Down to Rest" spotlighting the  Kunkle Cemetery in Williams County, Ohio presented by the Williams County Public Library.

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 49 Heritage Cemetery - From the Williams County Public Library.

The Heritage Cemetery in Williams County on Find A Grave

"Lay Me Down to Rest": Episode 40 - Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery - hosted by Denver Henderson - Williams County Public Library

Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Williams County Ohio

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 34 Louden Cemetery - From the Williams County Public Library.

Sharing from the Williams County Public Library.  

The Louden Cemetery on Find A Grave.

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 12 French Cemetery - Williams County, Ohio by the Williams County Public Library

Lay Me Down to Rest: Ep. 4 Skelton Cemetery - Williams County Ohio - Denver Henderson with the Williams County Public Library

From the Williams County Public Library.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~

Skelton Cemetery 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

From the Williams County Ohio Public Library - Local History Assistant, Mr. Denver Henderson, hosts another video of the library's series entitled: "Lay Me Down to Rest".  

We see in this episode a short but strikingly stark view powerfully presenting its message.:  Small family cemeteries can be quite remote and uniquely vulnerable.  Their locations make it difficult for descendants of those buried in them to visit or arrange and conduct any cleaning or repair of grave markers.  The burials are on private land where permission must be granted to enter, otherwise, a person could be prosecuted for trespassing.  

The Ohio Revised Codes exclude family cemeteries from being Registered.  They are placed  in the same category as Inactive and Abandoned cemeteries.  All such categories are designated to be Unregistered.  Thus, the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission (with the Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing under the Department of Commerce in Ohio) will not accept, review, or act upon any complaints about their care.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4767

Under Section 4767.:

" Sections 4767.02 to 4767.04 of the Revised Code do not apply to or affect a family cemetery or a cemetery in which there have been no interments during the previous twenty-five calendar years. As used in this division, "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."

Lay Me Down to Rest: Episode 2 Clarksville Cemetery - From the Williams County Public Library

Clarksville Cemetery in Williams County on Find A Grave

Sharing Updated Information about Williams County, Ohio's WPA Cemetery Plat Maps

I learned today from Patti Rockey of the Williams County Recorder's Office that their WPA Cemetery Plat Maps are now all posted on their website! 

The maps are arranged alphabetically by township name with cemetery names listed alphabetically within each township.  

A real bonus for a researcher, is the additional historical information that details the entire history of the WPA program (Works Progress Administration / Works Projects Administration).  

Many younger folks, in particular, may not be well versed in this important part of American history and its direct impact on those who were out of work during the long years that were known as The Great Depression. 

"She Lived In Three Centuries" -- Spotlighting Alma F. (nee Wasnich) Shambarger buried at Floral Grove Cemetery in West Unity, Williams County, Ohio

Sandi Litzenberg 'introduced' me to a person she learned about named Alma Shambarger and told me "she lived in 3 centuries."  I didn't want to believe it at first until Sandi sent photographs of the Shambarger monument.

Sandi wrote:  

"I also have a photo of a headstone of a woman who lived in 3 different centuries.. the 19th, 20th & 21st centuries.. I believe she lived to be 104??.". 

"her stone was already pre-dated, probably when her husband died, with the death date of 19-- and they had to inscribe next to that the 2002.. it caught my eye so I took a few pictures.."

Two views of the gray granite monument erected for Alma F. (Wasnich) Shambarger and her husband, Galen W. Shambarger, buried at Floral Grove Cemetery, West Unity, Williams County, Ohio.  

Photograph courtesy of Sandi Litzenberg. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is an obituary for Alma F. Shambarger as it appeared in "The Toledo Blade" on Saturday, December 14, 2002.  This obituary is taken from the website of "infonewsbank.com" from a search via the Cleveland Public Library website's premium resources section:

"CENTENARIAN KNOWN FOR APPLE DOLLS"

Blade, The (Toledo, OH) - Saturday, December 14, 2002

Author: Blade

Alma Faye Shambarger [1899-2002], who was known for making apple dolls and speaking at area churches and schools, died Wednesday of complications from bronchitis at Harborside Healthcare in Bryan. She was 103.
Mrs. Shambarger graduated from West Unity High School in 1916 and married Galen Shambarger a year later. He died in 1971. 

The couple lived in Detroit for five years, then moved to Chicago. They lived there until 1963, when Mr. Shambarger retired and they returned to West Unity.

Mrs. Shambarger worked part time for 26 years as a beauty counselor for Vanda Cosmetics in Chicago. She visited people's homes to give makeovers and teach women about skin care. "She was kind of ahead of her time with the skin care," said her grandson, Russell Pritchett.
While living in Chicago, she was a member and secretary of the Federated Woman's Club from 1927 to 1942. After returning to West Unity, she spoke at churches and clubs about her experiences in Chicago.

She also gave talks on the history of her ancestors settling in the West Unity area. Her great-grandfather, a preacher, rode on horseback around the settlements in the region.
Mrs. Shambarger was featured in a local newspaper in the 1970s for her expertise making apple dolls. The dolls had padded bodies and carved dried apples for heads.

"She made the clothes for these dolls out of her parents' and grandparents' clothes," her grandson said. "They looked pretty authentic."

Mrs. Shambarger enjoyed taking train trips to Colorado and the West Coast. Her husband was a railroad detective, so she had access to discount train passes.
She belonged to West Unity United Methodist Church and the Jefferson Township Garden Club. Mrs. Shambarger was a staunch Democrat who was vocal about her political views, her grandson said.

Surviving are two grandsons, a great-granddaughter, and two great-great-grandsons. A son, Russell, died in 1970.

Services will be at 10 a.m. today in the Hollingshead Beck Funeral Home in West Unity. The family requests tributes to Harborside Healthcare in Bryan.

 
Edition: CITY FINAL
Section: SECOND NEWS
Page: B7
Index Terms: OBITUARY
Dateline: WEST UNITY, OHIO
Record Number: 0212140117
Copyright, 2002, The Blade

Spotlighting Williams County, Ohio - Scattered Stones at Four Cemeteries Need Saving!

Extending my appreciation to Sandi Litzenberg of Williams County, Ohio

(Sandi is a "Find A Grave" contributor)

for bringing to my attention the need for preservation work to be conducted at four small Williams County cemeteries.  

Sandi located several groupings of broken gravestones in each cemetery that need repairing and re-setting -- most are Civil War era markers.  

In fact, one white marble marker belongs to Ohio Civil War veteran, Joseph T. (Joseph Theodore) Kast.  It is toppled over, but intact, lying on the ground at the West Jefferson Cemetery.  How sad since I'm sure the marker had stood upright for decades proudly marking the location of the veteran who was buried beneath it.

However, there is another grave marker for Pvt. Joseph Theodore Kast that Sandi photographed and it is shown below:

 Pvt. Joseph T. Kast, of Co. "D", 38th Regiment O.V.I. buried at the West Jefferson Cemetery

Original filed under Joseph T./Kast
nara publication title:	Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Ohio.
nara publication number:	M552
nara roll number:	57
film number:	0882270

 ~~~~~

 John Kast - Gravestone for John Kast also buried at the West Jefferson Cemetery.  

John Kast also served as a private in Co. "D' of the 38th Regiment, O.V.I.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sandi has sent over some of her pictures and identfies them by cemetery name.  All cemeteries are listed on "Find A Grave":

 Above is a photo of a grouping of small mostly sunken stones that appear to have been removed from their original location at some point and just placed next to the tree we see in this picture.  Judging by their small size, they could have once been placed as footstones for larger markers.  

These stones are at the Billingstown Cemetery which is located in Northwest Township.  Per the cemetery sign the cemetery was established in 1843. 

Per the Ohio Genealogical Society's publication:  "Ohio Cemeteries 1803 - 2003" published in 2003, on page 686 - K. Roger Troutman, Editor for the Billingstown Cemetery:  

"This is the northwestern most cemetery in Ohio, being only 3100 feet from the intersection of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana."  There is a WPA map for this cemetery.  

Currently, there are 121 burials listed for the Billingstown Cemetery on "Find A Grave. "

Per "Find A Grave": GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 41.68944, Longitude: -84.79694 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Above is a photograph of a grouping of tossed aside broken markers and perhaps some plot marker stones at the Lash Cemetery in Williams County.   

Obviously, the flat white marble stones sitting on each end are grave markers that were once intact and upright over their original burial locations.  The one on the far right may still be over its original location.  It is not easy to tell.   

The burial ground is located:  "Just west of where US 20 turns to the north.  On the north Side of SR107," per the O.G.S. "Cemeteries 1803 -2003" publication, page 686, (referenced above.)

Currently, there are 157 interments listed at the Lash Cemetery on "Find A Grave." 

Per "Find A Grave": GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 41.58690, Longitude: -84.55970

Sandi has posted two nice recent longer shot photographs of the Lash Cemetery on its cemetery page on "Find A Grave."  Fortunately, most of the gravestone markers in those pictures are still standing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 The above photograph is for at least 2 broken white marble markers at the Ring Cemetery in Brady Township, Williams County.

Per the O.G.S. "Ohio Cemeteries 1803 - 2003" publication (see reference above), page 685:  "Rings (Ring) Cemetery is located "Northeast of West Unity.  On East Side of U.S. 127.  There is a WPA map for it.  

Per "Find A Grave": GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 41.59250, Longitude: -84.43000 

Currently, 129 interments are listed for the Ring Cemetery on "Find A Grave."  

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Above is a photograph Sandi took of a grouping of several random pieces of once standing marble grave markers now in a scattered pile at the West Jefferson Cemetery in Jefferson Township.  

The intact larger marker on the left belongs to Civil War Veteran, Joseph Theodore Kast, whose non-military white marble grave marker is shown in this post above.

  

There are 66 interments listed at the West Jefferson Cemetery on "Find A Grave." 

Per "Find A Grave": GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 41.57640, Longitude: -84.55640

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Hopefully, thanks to Sandi's concern and intervention, as more people in these communities become aware of the need to restore these broken markers, steps will be taken so these gravestones can once again be made whole and regarded with the respect they deserve from us and also from future generations.