Contributor::
|
Transcription contributed by Arne H Trelvik 26 May 2003 & 7 December 2003 |
Sources: |
The History of Warren County Ohio Part IV Township Histories Turtle Creek Township (Chicago, IL: W. H. Beers Co, 1882; reprint, Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, 1992) |
Related Links: |
|
Page |
The first burials of the early settlers of Turtle Creek Township
were made in the graveyards connected with the two earliest churches. There
was a graveyard connected with the Turtle Creek Presbyterian Church at Bedle’s
Station, and one connected with the Turtle Creek Baptist Church east of
Lebanon. Other old burying-grounds were established, generally in connection
with a church, but occasionally a lonely grave was to be seen in the forest,
or a family place of burial on some neglected hillside.
On the 7th of September, 1806, Jonathan
Tichenor and Abner
Smith, as Trustees of the Presbyterian Church at Lebanon, in consideration
of $40, purchased of John
Shaw a lot, which is now in the western part of Lebanon, for a graveyard,
and is known as the Old Presbyterian Graveyard.
This is the oldest graveyard at Lebanon. It is much older than the date
of the deed to the Presbyterian society would indicate, as it is known
that it was used as a place |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page 472 |
of burial as early as 1799. There are no inscriptions upon the gravestones marking the earliest graves. Capt. Robert Benham was buried here, but there is no inscription upon his gravestone. The grounds have long been neglected, and are grown up with weeds and briers. Many remains interred here have been removed to the Lebanon Cemetery. Among the names of well-known families of Warren County, the following are found on the gravestones in this yard: Beller, Ferguson, James, Randolph, Dill, Perlee, Dunlap, Halsey, Monfort, Miller, Blackburn, Beedle, Braden Bone, Brown, Liddell, Krewson, Cowan, Perrine, Tharp, Goodwin, McCrary, Dunham, Crane and Benham. About 1811, the Baptists removed their church from the site east of Lebanon to a lot in the western part of the town, as since enlarged. The churchyard from that time was used as a burying-ground, and is still known as the Old Baptist Graveyard. Here are the graves of Judge Francis Dunlevy, Elder Daniel Clark, Judge Joshua Collett, Judge Matthias Corwin (the father of Gov. Corwin), and Keziah Corwin (grandmother of the Governor). In this yard was buried a daughter of Henry Clay, the inscription upon whose gravestone is as follows: “In memory of Eliza H. Clay, daughter of Henry and Lucretia Clay, who died on the 11th day of August, 1825, aged twelve years, during a journey from their residence at Lexington, in Kentucky, to Washington City. Cut off in the bloom of a promising life, her parents have erected this monument, consoling themselves with the belief that she now abides in heaven.” What is known as the Methodist Graveyard, which adjoins the Baptist burying-ground on the south, does not seem to have been used as such until about 1820. There is now no line marking the boundary between the two yards, both being within the same inclosure, and the whole comprises a square within the corporate limits of Lebanon. Although some of the remains have been removed to the new cemetery, the grounds are still kept in good preservation, and no steps have as yet been taken for their abandonment as graveyards. The Lebanon Cemetery Association was organized at a meeting in the town hall of Lebanon, June 20, 1850. The capital stock of the association was divided into twenty-five shares of $50 each, and one share was taken by each of twenty-five stockholders. The first officers were: A. H. Dunlevy, President; John E. Dey, Jacob Egbert, Robert Boake and William M. Charters, Trustees; Horace M. Stokes, Clerk; and William F. Parshall, Treasurer. The grounds of the association at first consisted of eight and one-half acres, which were tastefully laid out according to a plat drawn at the request of the President, by John Van Cleve, Esq., of Dayton. Additions have since been made to the grounds, until they comprise nearly fifty acres. The first interment was that of Hannah Seely, who was buried August 29, 1850. In 1881, there were 450 lot-holders, and the total number of burials in the cemetery was 1,913, of which 208 were remains removed from the older graveyards. The grounds contain many beautiful and costly monuments, among which is the family monument, simple and chaste in design, of one of Ohio’s most distinguished men – Thomas Corwin. The following list of the names of persons buried in the three old graveyards at Lebanon was obtained by the writer with the assistance of Mr. S. C. Drake. Most of those named were born prior to 1800. Some of the gravestones marking the graves of the pioneers have fallen down, and on others the inscriptions are almost illegible. Many graves are marked by rough stones, without any inscription. In a few instances, the date of death and age have been ascertained from other sources than the gravestones, and are given in the list: |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page 473 |
[blank page] |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page 474 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page 475 |
BAPTIST GRAVEYARD
METHODIST GRAVEYARD
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page 476 |
METHODIST GRAVEYARD - Continued.
*Four sisters killed by lightning near Lebanon, May 30, 1844. PRESBYTERIAN GRAVEYARD
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page 477 |
PRESBYTERIAN GRAVEYARD - Continued
|
7 Dec 2003 Arne H Trelvik |
The square occupied by the old Baptist and the old Methodist graveyards remains as a cemetery now called the "Pioneer Cemetery". The square does not contain the old Presbyterian graveyard which no longer exists. The grounds of the old Presbyterian graveyard are now occupied by an automobile dealership. The 3 indivual listings of burials in the Old Baptist Graveyard, Old Methodist Graveyard and Old Presbyterian Graveyards preceeding this note have been transcribed by John L. Cowan, Ph.D., of Baltimore, MD, into a single table identified as PIONEER CEMETERY IN LEBANON, OHIO . As noted above, the Old Presbyterian Graveyard is not included in what is now called the Pioneer Cemetery. |
10 Mar 2005 Arne H Trelvik |
About 1907 remaining stones in the Old Presbyterian Cemetery were relocated to Lebanon Cemetery - see photos |
NOTICE: All documents and electronic images placed on the Warren County OHGenWeb site remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. These documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or their legal representative, and contact the listed Warren County OHGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent.
This page created 26 May 2003 and last updated
24 February, 2017
© 2003-2007 Arne H Trelvik
All rights reserved