Exploring Almost Forgotten Gravesites in the Great State of Ohio
Dedicated to cemetery preservation in the great state of Ohio
"A cemetery may be considered as abandoned when all or practically all of the bodies have been Removed therefrom and no bodies have been buried therein for a great many years, and the cemetery has been so long neglected as entirely to lose its identity as such, and is no longer known, recognized and respected by the public as a cemetery. 1953 OAG 2978."
The initial blog post of July 17, 2022 about the Madison County, Ohio W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps referenced three Revolutionary War veterans listed on the right lower portion of the Cemetery Index Page whose burial locations were unknown.:
David Colver, Andrew Cyprus, and Joel Wilcox. Only David Colver's burial location was identified by a reference for it on Find A Grave.
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Since then additional information has come to light for Andrew Cyprus and Joel Wilcox.
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After further searching, it was learned that Andrew Cyprus was also known by other surnames shown in various records including.: Andrew Cypress, and Andrew Sifrit.
Ultimately, it was learned that he was buried at the Paint Township Cemetery, in Section 2, Lot 159, grave 7 - Page 37 of the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Map:
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Joel Wilcox, on the other hand, has proven more elusive.
Unfortunately, his burial location remains unknown at this time. There are however references about him that verify his military service record.:
While researching Ohio newspaper stories about the cemetery documentation work conducted by the W.P.A. workers in the 1930s, I became aware of many other "newsy" cemetery stories published on the same pages as the W.P.A. related stories.
I learned that many veterans were buried in unmarked graves.
I learned that fraud by cemetery owners is a crime not unique to our times. I learned that cemetery owners engaged in fraudulent activities to scam unsuspecting people out of their money by not delivering goods to customers that were promised.
Sadly, I also learned that thefts at cemeteries happened then just like they are happening today.
"Lorain County commissioners, during their Oct. 10 meeting, kicked in $2,000 for a pair of funerals.
Each
board of county commissioners in the state is required by law to pay up
to $1,000 toward the funeral expenses of indigent veterans of the U.S.
military.
This may seem odd for a government entity, but Commissioner Ted Kalo said they are happy to do it.
“It
doesn’t bother us in the least,” Kalo said. “It’s the least we can do,
as government, to make sure they have a proper burial.
"That’s not even an arguable position. It’s the right thing to do.”
Mary
Misencik Andras, funeral director and owner of Andras Crematory and
Funeral Home, 3900 Broadway in Lorain, said the process of getting a
veteran’s funeral paid for begins when she gets the call notifying her
about the death, as many who are indigent have not made prior
arrangements for their funeral.
“Usually, when they’re dying, they’re in a facility, so there’s not a whole lot of planning,” Misencik Andras said.
It
is the responsibility of the funeral home to fill out an application
and prove that the deceased is an honorably discharged veteran and they
are indigent.
“Typically, their only means of income is Social
Security or disability," Misencik Andras said. "So, if that’s their only
income, then they really are indigent.
“Generally, they know if
someone is a veteran or not, or you go through the county recorder’s
office and check if they filed their discharge papers.”
Misencik
Andras said because the county only will reimburse the funeral homes for
$1,000, most indigent veterans are cremated and then interred at Ohio
Western Reserve National Cemetery in Seville, which is federally-owned.
The
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website said some veteran benefits
include a grave site in any of the 136 national cemeteries with
available space, as well as “opening and closing of the grave, perpetual
care, a government headstone or marker, a burial flag and a
Presidential Memorial Certificate, at no cost to the family.”
State
law, though, does not specify where the burial must be made, except to
say that it must not be a “used exclusively for the burial of paupers
and criminals.”
The funeral homes then send the application to the
Lorain County Veterans Service Commission, which then processes the
application and documents.
Martha Garreau, administrative assistant for the
Veterans Service Commission, said the agency processed 13 applications
this year, 13 in 2017, 12 in 2016, 16 in 2015 and 10 in 2014.
“As we’re going, each year, it becomes more and more,” Garreau said.
From
there, the applications are given to the county administration where
they are further processed and presented to county commissioners for a
vote.
Lorain County Budget Director Lisa Hobart said she time
stamps the application then gives it to Theresa Upton, the county clerk,
who places it on the commissioners’ agenda for a vote.
Misencik Andras said the applications are almost never denied.
The county then reimburses the funeral home, a process that usually takes about a month, she said.
“You
never want someone that’s served our country, who put their life on the
line for our freedoms, to not have a proper burial,” Kalo said. “It’s
really important for our society that we make sure those men and women
are taken care of for a final resting place.”
"Identifying Civil War Graves" -- This is a great link that can serve as a handy reference guide to identifying and understanding the inscriptions on Civil War era government issue markers, and the war medallion on flag holders that are quite often placed next to them. However, not all cemeteries allow the installation of the flag holders.
The information was compiled and provided by:
Austin Blair Camp No. 7 is located in Jackson Michigan and meets locally.
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Also, check out the free database on the Ohio Genealogical Society's website:
Keep browsing through your "Google" searches for additional links for Veterans Graves Registrations in Ohio that may be of interest to you.
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Sample Veteran's Grave Registration Card:
Above is a Legend with the names of the wars (through WWI) and numbers assigned to each War that is designated by the veterans' names on WPA Cemetery Plat Maps.
