Preservation of Woodmansee Sugar Valley Cemetery

Section 3, Liberty Township, Butler County, OH

Finishing up Sept 20 2008 and 1^st  and 3^rd Sat in October 2008.

 If you would like to help Call- Caroline Huppi 513-779-2004

2008 final push for completion planned to begin in April 2008

Cemetery maintenance continues beyond 2008

     There are currently 27 identified burials in Woodmansee Sugar Valley cemetery.  Four large monuments, the collapsed “mausoleum” for the “poet” James Woodmansee and 18 or so tombstones and/ or footstones in need of repair or resetting.  The Woodmansee and Griffis descendants from around the country are contributing to make the preservation of this burial ground possible.  The Woodmansee Sugar Valley Cemetery or burial ground is an example of early settlement in Ohio burial practices.  The earliest burial is Revolutionary War veteran James Woodmansee who died in 1818.  The last burial was also a James Woodmansee who died in 1887, grandson to the first James Woodmansee.  The “strangers” buried in the cemetery may be relatives by marriage but specific genealogy is not known by the writer.  Look at the Butler County Cyclopedia, online or at the Liberty Township newsletter archive 3/2004 page 4 to learn about the pioneer families in Liberty Township 

2007  3 of 4 large monuments righted

all but 2 tombstones that were found have been  repaired and righted

2003  Prior to 2003  Brandon Yarberry and Boy Scout Troop cleared out the cemetery knoll. 

2005 Road back to cemetery is in.

Corners of cemetery identified.

2006 Tree removal Winter 2005

Repair Tombstones begins

2007 Stump removal. Continued to repair tombstones.  Foundations for large monuments and upright large monuments

Area “leveled,” and seeded for future mowing

2007 area around James Woodmansee “the Poet” mausoleum

2008 Last of the large monuments righted

2008 finished up Isabella Kirk’s tombstone, righted Daniel & Rachel Woodmansee, clean up the mausoleum and pile remaining mausoleum stones in a “pile” perpendicular to the mausoleum