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.

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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.  

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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. 

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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

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The following townships comprise Williams County.:

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

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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.  

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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

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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.:  

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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.:

  

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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!

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

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: 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. 4 Skelton Cemetery - Williams County Ohio - Denver Henderson with the Williams County Public Library

From the Williams County Public Library.  

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Skelton Cemetery 

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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.

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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