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."

Monday, January 9, 2012

Update for Sugar Grove Cemetery, Perry Township, Fayette County, Ohio

From the December 12, 2012 Meeting of the Perry Township Trustees (Fayette County, Ohio)

"THERE WAS A BIG DISCUSSION ON THE SUGAR GROVE CEMETERY.  WAS RESOLVED TO MEASURE THE POTTERS FIELD AREA FOR APPROXIMATE GRAVE SITES ADDED TO THE GRAVE SITES THAT ARE ALL READY PLOTTED TO COME UP WITH A FAIR AMOUNT FROM THE CHURCH FOR SUCH.  BOWERS IS TO CONTACT THE COUNTY ASSIST PROS ATTORNEY WITH ALL THE PARTICULARS PERTAINING TO CEMETERY AND THE TOWNSHIP HAVING TAKEN CARE OF IT FOR YEARS AND HAVE HIM GET A READING FROM THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL AS TO THE TOWNSHIP TAKING THE CEMETERY DEED AND CONTROL OF IT BACK AND AS TO WHAT OBLIGATION THE CHURCH OWES TO TOWNSHIP FOR PAST CARE PLUS THE GRAVE SITES IT HAS TAKEN, AND A READING ON THE GRAVE SITE TO BE MOVED,  ONCE A READING IS OBTAINED FROM THE STATE LEVEL THERE WILL BE A MEETING WITH THE TWP BOARD AND THE CHURCH BOARD."
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Find A Grave" shows 29 burials at the Sugar Grove Cemetery .

"OhioGravestones.org" shows 4 burials at the Sugar Grove Cemetery.

Also, on "Rootsweb" -  Sugar Grove Cemetery has 22 gravestone photographs on 6 pages. 
    
                                                                      

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Spotlighting the Greenfield Historical Society - Greenfield, Highland County, Ohio

The Greenfield Historical Society in Greenfield, Highland County, Ohio, has a wonderful website containing several links with online information available to the public. 

Click on title to link to the Home Page of The Greenfield Historical Society.
The  Genealogical Information page contains several links including to the Sheep Pen Cemetery listing of 2010.  

Other links include:

"SOGS" is the genealogical society for Highland County, Ohio.  Their genealogy resource library collection is kept at Southern State College in Hillsboro, Ohio.

A link to their history of the life of  Noble Edward Irwin - "A brief summary of one of Greenfield's most highly decorated serviceman." 

The three-generation Patterson Family Tree 


and several others.

The Greenfield Historical Society
103 McArthur Way
Greenfield, Ohio 45123
(937)981-7890
Email:  
info@GreenfieldHistoricalSociety.org
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If your ancestors lived in southern Perry Township, Fayette County, Ohio and/or Madison Township, Highland County, Ohio, the City of Greenfield would be one of the larger nearby cities for them to visit for shopping, etc.  The county boundary line in the early days was "invisible" and many early settlers owned land in both counties. 

Monday, January 2, 2012

Sharing a recent news story about the Ava Maria Cemetery in Watertown Township, Washington County, Ohio

Click on link to read a December 29, 2011 news story featured in the "The Marietta Times" written by Tom Shawver about the history of the Ava Maria Church and adjacent cemetery.  Many members of the Schwendeman family are buried there.  There are five photographs of different views of the cemetery included with his story.

Currently, "Find A Grave" lists 119 interments at the Ava Maria Cemetery.

The Cemetery is listed as the "Ave Maria - Saint John" Cemetery on page 669 of the book, "Ohio Cemeteries: 1803 - 2003" published by the Ohio Genealogical Society in 2003.