Clermont County Genealogical Society
CALVARY CHURCH AND
CEMETERY
Washington Township,
Clermont County, Ohio (Rt. #756)
by Helen Fisher
The small New England style church looks out across the old cemetery. It was erected in 1872, as the Calvary M.E. Methodist Church. It was enhanced with stain-glass windows of different shapes and hues. The wide oval framed doors contain a large padlock. A faded white bell tower stands tail above the red brick structure; grey moss covers the fieldstone foundation. Many initials are carved on the belfry walls, including my father's. The boys climbed the belfry ladder before Sunday School.
Sometime in the 1960's, its parishioners gone, the church fell to neglect. The chimney bricks were scattered on the roof, bits of stain-glass in the windows were slipping from their molding to the ground. Vandals had camped in its sanctuary leaving their litter. Mice had chewed into confetti, the remains of a hymnal and lesson leaflets. One handmade walnut pew remained.
Later, along came the Baptist. They restored the interior to serviceable condition. The windows were replaced with colored plexiglass.
At dusk one Sunday evening while visiting the cemetery, lights from the open doors and windows cast a warm glow, as a shouting minister reminiscent of the era of my grandparents echoed across their graves.
For many years, a Home Coming was held at the Methodist Church. After the morning service picnic baskets were carried to Schwabs Grove down at the crossroads and spread on the ground. In later years, tables were set up in the church yard.
Calvary Cemetery newer section nearly surrounds the church. The old section is across the road. It is on the land where William Buchanan made a clearing and settled in 1795. It is said the family gave the land for the cemetery. Just inside the wire gate are the graves of my grandparents, John T. and Henrietta Hall, two of their Sons Elmer E. and Arthur P. Hall (WWI soldier).
When I was a child, a few days before Decoration Day, my father Emery Hall, put a scythe and sickle in the car to cut the tall grass and weeds on family graves. The cemetery was not well taken care of as it is today. There were sunken graves, fallen and broken gravestones everywhere, hidden in weeds, briers and vines. One could walk but a few yards.
My last visit to the cemetery with my father was in 1977. We walked around the side of the church hearing murmurs as prayers in unison. There were no cars in the parking area. My father suddenly laughed, it was the pigeons in the belfry settling down for the night, talking to their young.
Many names of old settlers can be found; one, Alexander Buchanan - Ohio Revolutionary War M.B. 1813. At this gravesite is a small fieldstone with date - 1805.
Family names I have jotted down on occasional visits in the
old section are:
ALEXANDER. PURKHISER, GREGG, TERWILLEGAR,
MOYER. RIGGIN, THOMPSON, TAYLOR. ABRAHAM,
HITCH, RICHARDS, GILBERT, THOMAS, CAMERRA.,
FISHER, PHILLIPS, PENN, PLANCK, SWOPE,
UHLENBROCK, WILLER, BARBER, CLARISA, SELBY,
POE, RICHARD, BARTLEY, PAGE, IRETON, PADGET,
LAYCOCK, HALL, BRANNEN, HILL AND HOLTER.
BIRTHS
Birth
Records
*
Early
Clermont
Co. Births 1856-1857
*
First Presbyterian Churches of Monroe
At Nicholsville & Bantam
*
Baptisms of Children
*
Anderson
Township Births 1906-1907
*
Old
Bethel
Church Baptisms
*
Old Bethel Church Baptisms 1894-1908
*
Early Births 1856
*
MARRIAGES
Early
Marriages 1800 - 1808
*
Marriage
Book 13
1874-1876
*
Goshen M. E. Church
Marriage
*
DEATHS
Funerals
Conducted
by Rev. Hezekiah Hill 1862-1908
*
The
Old
Village Graveyard
*
Deaths
of Residents
Over 75 in 1875
*
Infirmary
Discharges That Mention a Burial Place
*
Death
Dates from
I.O.O.F. Lodge #313
*
Early
Clermont
Deaths from The Ohio Sun
*
Obituaries
From
the Clermont Sun 1890-1891
*
Early
Deaths
from Clermont Sun 1855
*
More
Deaths
1857-1859
*
Stirling
& Moore Funeral Records 1888
*
1880 Mortality Census
*
Census
Goshen
1875
Quadrennial Census
*
Quadrennial
Census,
Batavia, 1847
*
Quadrennial
Census,
Batavia, 1855
*
History
Incidents
in The
Early History of Clermont County
*
Stonelick
Historical Notes
*
Vacation
of a
Road in
Union Township
*
Brown and Clermont County Families Mentioned
in the 1880 Clinton County History
*
Day
Book For Clarke
& Frambes Mills 1838
*
Immigration
Early
Naturalizations from Common Pleas Minutes
*
Citizenship
Papers
1844-1900
*
Names
of
New Found Naturalization Applicants
*
Military
Veterans
in
Various Cemeterys
*
Revolutionary
War Soldiers
*
Clermont
Courier
Ads November 18, 1863
*
Mexican War Veterans
*
Revolutionary War Veterans
*
Post Office
Post
Marks of
Clermont County
*
Clermont
Postmasters 1800 - 1930
*
Early
Unclaimed
Letters
*
More
Unclaimed
Letters
Unclaimed
Letters 1855
*
Bible Records
Manning
Bible
*
Banister
Bible
*
Bible
Records of
James McKinnie 1830
*
Bible
Records
Index Volume Two
*
Bible
Records Index
Volume Three
*
Churches
Old
Bethel Church
and Cemetery
*
History
of Old
Bethel Church 1868
*
Calvary
Church
and Cemetery Washington Twp
*.
Edenton
Church
1861
*
Places
Perin
Mills in 1863
*
Goshen-
Land Of Milk
and Honey
*
First
Settlers of
Jackson Township
*
Legal
Voters of
Goshen Township 1855
*
Batavia
in1847
*
Poll
Book Goshen
Township 1853
*
1840
Account
Book, Laurel Ohio
*
Edenton
School # 4
Pupils
*
Pensions
Pensions
1890
*
More Pensions
1890
*
Other
Indentures
1825
- 1831
*
Index
To General
Store Account Book 1816-1819
*
Vital
Statistics
From An Old Record Book
*
Items
from Clermont
Courier 1836
*
Clermont
Pensioners 1883
*
Ohio
Pioneers That
Moved to Texas
*
Persons
on the Petit
Jury 1880
*
Jails
and Sheriffs
*
Items
From
Early Clermont Courier 1852
*
Meeting
of
Patriarchs 1882
*
Surrender
Records From Childrens Home
*
Gazetteer
1882
*
Potpourri
*
Articles
From The
Clermont Sun 1889
*
River Boatmen
*
Sale of Delinquent Lands
*