A Find A Grave Update for the Walnut Grove Cemetery (Butcher Cemetery) in North Lewisburg - Champaign County, Ohio.: Three additional burials were added.

 For several years the Butcher Cemetery (AKA  Walnut Grove Cemetery) in North Lewisburg, located in Champaign County, Ohio has had 100 memorials posted for it on the website Find A Grave.  However, recently a check was made on this cemetery on the Find A Grave website that led to the discovery that now it has 103 memorials posted on it!  

Thus, the three new memorials were reviewed to learn who the memorials were created for and what information was posted on them.  This occurrence is highly unusual for the Butcher Cemetery because it has been inactive for burials for over 100 years, and the cemetery has been on Find A Grave since January 1, 2000.   

Thus, listed below are links to the three most recent memorials posted to the Butcher Cemetery on Find A Grave.:

Robert J. Monroe - Father 

Clarence Monroe - Son

Florence Mendenhall Monroe (later Williams and Becks) - Mother 
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Robert Monroe - Both the marriage certificate and the newspaper notice of marriage show his name as "Robin" Monroe.

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Posted below are the death certificates for Robert, and Florence Monroe, who were the parents of Clarence,  Also shown below is the death certificate for Clarence Monroe.:  

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A point worth noting from studying each of these death certificates is that Robert J. Monroe; the first to pass away in 1915, that his burial location is listed as having been at the "Walnut Grove Cemetery".   Florence, who married again twice after his death, her burial was stated only as being in "North Lewisburg".  The same is true for their son Clarence Monroe.  

All were buried by the M. F. Freeman Funeral Home in North Lewisburg.  M. F. Freeman was Marion Floyd Freeman.  

Unfortunately, many of the burial records from this funeral home have been lost over the years, per the current funeral home located in North Lewisburg, the Freshwater, McDonald & Vernon Funeral Home.

From what is known, no one in this Monroe family has a marker on their grave. 

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Below are the local newspaper death notices for Robert J. Monroe, his wife Florence (Mendenhall) Monroe, and their son, Clarence Monroe.: 

(Source: The online newspapers provided by the Champaign County Public Library.)

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Clarence Monroe's short life nevertheless had significant twists and turns during his early childhood that are chronicled in the news reports below.: 

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Further, the records from the Champaign County Children's Home provide additional details for Clarence Monroe and his siblings Emma, and Merl (AKA Mearl / Merle) Monroe who were also admitted to it on September 4, 1908. (Source:  FamilySearch).  

  

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There are U. S. Census records for 1910 and 1920 for this Monroe family.:

1910 U. S. Census

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1920 U. S. Census

Beginning on Line 40:  

Joseph Williams, his wife Florence Williams, Merle Monroe - step-son age 15, and Lester Monroe - step-son age 13. 
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The notification below brings a sad ending for the dwelling where Robert J. Monroe and his wife Florence (Mendenhall) Monroe once lived with their children in North Lewisburg.: 

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May everyone from the Robert Monroe and Florence (Mendenhall) Monroe family rest in eternal peace.  They are not forgotten.

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Thanking Mr. Jim Blanton for placing flags at veterans gravesites at the Butcher AKA Walnut Grove Cemetery and Friends AKA Quaker Cemetery in North Lewisburg, Champaign County, Ohio

Once again, Mr. Jim Blanton, of the American Legion, has placed flags at gravesites of American Civil War veterans buried at the two cemeteries in North Lewisburg, Champaign County, (Rush Township), Ohio - the Friends (AKA Quaker) Cemetery and the larger Butcher (AKA Walnut Grove) Cemetery.  Thanking Mr. Blanton for caring about these American Civil War veterans and honoring their service to preserve the Union and keep our country standing united behind its flag.

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The shadow of Mr. Blanton is seen behind the marker (newly installed in June 2020) for Commissary Sergeant William H. Wagstaff  

(The photo below is after Mr. Blanton cleared off the dead weeds and grass from the top of the marker.)

(The photo below is before Mr. Blanton cleared off the dead weeds and grass from the top of the marker.)

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Below is Jim Blanton's photo of the Captain James M S Butcher marker installed in June, 2020; the same time as the William H. Wagstaff marker was installed. 

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Two photos below of the Butcher Family plots

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Below is the marker for Corporal William Apple

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Below is the marker for Loda Jones

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Below is the marker for Pvt. Harrison Apple

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Below is the marker for Pvt. William Tribbett

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Small American flags placed inside the small fenced in area at the Butcher Cemetery

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Below is the marker for Pvt. William Wright Fell

the lone known veteran buried at the

 Friends Cemetery in North Lewisburg

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Sharing new photos of the Walnut Grove Cemetery AKA Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg, Champaign County, Ohio and taking a look back at earlier ones.

Thanking Nathan Holycross for taking the May 14, 2021 photographs below during a visit to the Butcher AKA Walnut Grove Cemetery in North Lewisburg. They are helpful to see also for comparison purposes to photographs taken from earlier dates. 

May14, 2021 - Photo of Butcher Cemetery sign above

And,

In the photograph below, the white marble monument on the right with a bible or prayer book on top of it, was erected for Aaron and Adaline D. Limes Winder Winder Ballinger Dailey. 

Also, on the right side of the monument is an inscription for Aaron and Adaline's grand-daughter, Birddie B. Sherrett.

To the left of their taller monument is the smaller monument on a base for their daughter, Phebe Annie Winder Sherrett. Birddie B. Sherrett's small marker sits between them. 

Phebe Annie was the first wife of Eli Sherrett who is buried at the nearby Maple Grove Cemetery in Rush Township. 

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The July 2, 2017 photo below was taken by this author who was standing between the Winder monument and the Sherrett markers following a clean up of the weeds around them.  Also the monument and markers themselves were cleaned with D/2 Biological Solution and rinsed. 

"This Place Matters"

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The photo taken May 14, 2021 below shows the tall black granite monument for Dr. John Milton Butcher and his wife Nancy Brock Butcher. 

The flat marker to the left was installed in June 2020 is for Dr. William H. Wagstaff who served as a Commissary Sergeant in Co. E of the 54th Regiment of the Indiana Infantry.

The flat marker to the right also installed in June 2020, is for Captain James M S Butcher, who served also in the Civil War attaining the rank of Captain of Co. I of the 30th Regiment of the Indiana Infantry.   

Below is the same scene and two close up photos of the two new veteran's markers courtesy of Christine Roby - June 8, 2020 - following the installation of the two new flat markers.

Below is a May 14, 2021 photograph of a large dead limb that has cracked off from the tree and is lying on the ground on a sloping area of the Butcher Cemetery.  Low lying branches from the tree can be seen. 

Also, a partial view of a tree in a photo from May 14, 2021 that needs pruning of its long overhanging branches. 

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The above two photos show the fenced in area in the front of the Butcher Cemetery.  

The damaged wrought iron fence has badly deteriorated over the years.  There are a lot of dead tree limbs and branches lying on the ground both inside and outside of it that need to be gathered up and removed.  

Martha Matilda Abrams McClung is one of the two known burials in this area. The other burial is for a 20 day infant, little Charlie Chappell.

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Below is a photograph taken by this author in June of 2017 of the fenced in area when it was in better condition.:  

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Below are among my most favorite photographs! 

To the left is a photograph of Mr. Richard Holycross, father of Nathan Holycross, and myself.  To the right is a close-up view of the repaired and re-set Mary E. Good monument that Mr. Holycross completed a few months earlier.  

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It is my hope that the Village of North Lewisburg will resume regularly scheduled maintenance at the Butcher Cemetery.  It is the town's early settler burial ground that gave it the start it needed to grow and proper. 

To lose any more history due to apathy and neglect would certainly become a major loss for the community, and for those who are eager to see its integrity protected and preserved.  So much history is alive at cemeteries.  Those that came before us deserve our respect and our willingness to pass their legacy on to future generations. 

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“Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.”

By

Sir William Ewart Gladstone

Lacking a legal owner for over 116 years - The Walnut Grove Cemetery /AKA Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg, Champaign County Ohio

This blog post was compiled to help clear up any misconceptions some folks may have regarding the legal ownership of the Walnut Grove Cemetery AKA Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg, Champaign County, Ohio. 
(Linda Ellis and Mr. Richard "Dick" Holycross in 2005 standing next to the the marker for Mary E. Good.  
Her marker was repaired in 2004 by Mr. Holycross. Sadly, we lost Dick in 2007.)
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Both the Recorder and Auditor in Champaign County, Ohio  have replied to my various requests for information and copies of documents, such as Wills and Deeds, going back as far as 1995 after my discovering that my 3rd great-grandfather, Harmon Limes, Jr., was buried in the Friends AKA Quaker Cemetery in North Lewisburg. 
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It was not long afterward that I learned one of Harmon Limes' children, Adaline D. Limes Winder (Winder Ballinger, Dailey), was buried at the other cemetery in North Lewisburg - The Walnut Grove / AKA Butcher Cemetery, that I became interested in her life and the cemetery where she and her first husband Aaron Winder, her daughter Phebe Annie Sherrett, and grand-daughter Birddie B. Sherrett were buried. 
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In 1997, the Friends Church in North Lewisburg closed and the ownership of the building and the adjacent Friends Cemetery were transferred by deed to the Village of North Lewisburg.  The former Friends Church became a branch of the Champaign County Library. 
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So,  I turned some of my attention to communicating with local people and researching the Walnut Grove Cemetery/Butcher Cemetery.   I quickly ran into a brick wall trying to learn who really owns it today and is responsible for its care.  
I was able to visit the  Walnut Grove / AKA Butcher Cemetery at least once a year for many years.  The cemetery's property has had long-standing condition issues. 
There isn't much for grass left these days.  It is mostly weeds of one variety or another that grow at the Walnut Grove Cemetery/Butcher Cemetery.  More routine trimming needs to be done around the markers and what is left of the standing monuments.  
The cemetery may be mowed on a somewhat regular basis, however, the trees are not pruned and the downed branches pile up and require removal.  
Needless to say, the cemetery landscape, particularly in the back portion, is where several downed monuments are strewn about lying in pieces on the ground.  Some of them could be put back up if someone with a tripod and experience could be hired to do the work.  I have seen it done numerous times at other cemeteries; even some like the Walnut Grove / AKA Butcher Cemetery.
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Recently, the Recorder's office again answered my questions about the ownership of the Walnut Grove Cemetery AKA Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg.   
I was prompted to revisit this subject yet again due to some remarks published recently that the Walnut Grove Cemetery was "gifted" to the Village in 1963.  
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That information was not what I had ever heard before from anyone in North Lewisburg or anywhere in Champaign County.   

The Walnut Grove Cemetery AKA Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg was never sold to anyone since the time it was deeded to the Walnut Grove Cemetery Association in 1882 by Dr. John Butcher.   

(Above photo courtesy of Christine Roby of 

Roby's Memorial Design and Lettering of Madison Ohio)

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1882 is a long time ago of course, and all of the members of that cemetery association have long since passed away themselves.  The last one to depart this life was  Dr. William H. Wagstaff in 1904.  Dr. Wagstaff had been an ill man for a number of years when he died.  Several searches were done to see if he deeded the cemetery to the Village of North Lewisburg, but none could be found.  

Sharing below one of the latest replies received from the Champaign County Auditor.: 

Glee Knoop gknoop@co.champaign.oh.us 

 Fri, Jul 17 at 3:18 PM

"The Auditor gave me your information and through the records at the recorder’s office I have found that this property is deeded to Walnut Grove Cemetery Association and until we have a deed that transfers to a new owner, it will remain in that name. I did see where a split off that parcel was processed in our office like you said, the 0.09 acre tract, it is now part of a parcel that is owned by a Alice M O’Brien.

 I hope this answers your questions."

 Thank you,

Glee Knoop, Deputy for Karen T. Bailey

  Champaign County Auditor
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This goes back over five years ago:

June 12, 2015 8:58 AM

 My question: 
Butcher Cemetery 
Lot #268 in North Lewisburg

"The cemetery is still owned by Walnut Grove Cemetery Association of North Lewisburg.  
There has not been any transfers since they bought it from John Butcher in 1882.

Prior to that sale, Mr. Butcher gave a small piece of land to the Village of North Lewisburg to put in a road to the cemetery.  
The road way was to be for the Walnut Grove Cemetery (AKA Butcher Cemetery), however, it was never built."

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  What did happen in 1963 was that the Village of North Lewisburg sold the .09 strip of land to Mr. and Mrs. James Freshwater. 
Per the Champaign County Recorder's Office in a reply dated July 17, 2020: 
"The Village of North Lewisburg split 0.09 acres off of the 2.50 acres of cemetery land and sold it to James and Kathleen Freshwater.  The survey is not attached to that deed."
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Thus, the Freshwater couple never owned the Walnut Grove Cemetery / Butcher Cemetery itself to be in a position to gift it or deed it to anyone.  
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  Sharing below another quote from the Champaign County Recorder:
"It looks like it was combined with the parcel you are inquiring about by an amended certificate of transfer in 2003.  

It is part of 88 Tallman."

 Sincerely, Glenda L. Bayman Champaign County Recorder

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I believe the Champaign County Recorder's and Auditor's offices answers to my questions.:  
"Who owns the Walnut Grove Cemetery / AKA Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg? " The legal documents they possess prove legal ownership of the cemetery. I wish to thank them here for all of their assistance with my requests.  
Sadly, the Walnut Grove Cemetery / AKA Butcher Cemetery in North Lewisburg wasn't ever deeded over to anyone when the last trustee of the Walnut Grove Cemetery Association died in 1904, that's 116 years ago.  I feel it is long past due to change that! 
Every cemetery deserves to have an owner, a legal owner that properly cares for it.  So does the Walnut Grove Cemetery / AKA Butcher Cemetery!  
"All Cemeteries Matter!!
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