Camp Creek Cemetery TALES THE TOMBSTONES TELL

Tales The Tombstones Tell - Republican Observer - August 22, 1957

                  Camp Creek Cemetery

    This little, unused cemetery is located in the town of Forest. It is at quite an important point in the township for close to it is an old church building, neglected and silent. Meetings are not held there any more and from the looks of things a meeting has not been held there for a long period. The old church, the old cemetery, the present town house of Forest township and a school are here clustered together with the old church and the present school on one side of highway 56 and the town house and cemetery on the other. No doubt that funeral services for some of those buried in the cemetery were held in the old church. We learned that it was a Baptist church built long, long ago.
    Some of the names on the stones are Yakley, Barton, McKittrick, Swancutt, Sanford, Clark and Jones.

    Adam Barton who died in 1891 at the age of 60 years, 11 months and 22 days, was a soldier boy, a member of Co. 134 Ohio Infantry. Many citizens born back in the early days are here. One of these was Annie Young, born November 13, 1793, and died September 24, 1857. Her son F. H. Young, is buried close by. He was born in March, 1820, and died in July, 1905. He was, we were told, an old time surveyor and took great delight in playing the drum. He lived near Viola and the roll of his drum could be heard for quite a distance. On the monument for Mrs. Young is the old, old inscription found in many cemeteries.
            "Remember friends as you pass by,
            As you are now so once was I,
            As I am now so you will be,
            Prepare for death and follow me."

    There is a pretty inscription on the marker for William Baker, who died November 17, 1872, aged nine years. The inscription says:
            "I think when I read the sweet, old story.
            When Jesus was here among men,
            How He called little children as lambs of His fold,
            For such is the kingdom of heaven."

    John Jones, a native of England, and his wife Mary, also of English birth, are here. Mr. Jones was born October 19, 1827, and passed away April 17, 1892. His wife first saw the light of day October 11, 1827, and she died September 24,1890. Their son Thomas is also buried here as is his wife Susan. He was born in 1848 and died in 1914; his wife was born in 1840, and died in 1924.

    Stella and Hulda Jones are here also. Stella died in 1899 and Hulda in 1902.

    An early born citizen, of whom we have no information except that upon his gravestone, is Norris Orion Baman, who the stone says, was born in New York in 1808. Ivan Bufton and his wife, Rose, have a marker which gives the dates of their birth and death. He was born in 1843 and died in 1900, and Mrs. Bufton was born in 1849, and passed to the beyond in 1907. Another quite early birth was that of Jacob W. Scott, born in 1823; his wife, Julia, was born in 1825. David Johns, died, so his tombstone says, in 1895 at the age of 86 years, 10 months and 20 days.

     One of the oddities of this burying ground is that it contains a monument for a man whose name is not mentioned on it. Neither is there any inscription of who he was, when he was born or when he died. However the monument, a bronze one, has a GAR emblem on it, a couple of verses and the three links of the I.O.O.F. lodge. However the monument does have a clew of the man for on the south side of a tablet which reads:
                Anna Joseph
            Wife of S. D. Wiltrout
               Died July 26, 1888
                Aged 34 years
            "Dear Mother, in Earth's thorny path
            How long thy feet had trod
            To find at last this peaceful rest
            Safe in the Arms of God."

    Also on the monument in large letters is the name Wiltrout and the date 1888.

    It is no doubt the grave of S. D. Wiltrout and his wife Anna, although there is nothing to prove that he is buried there. There was a S. D. Wiltrout, who, David Bender with us in the cemetery, says was named Samuel. In checking up for a bit more information, we find he was a charter member of Jerry Turner GAR Post which was organized in 1883. There are some verses on the monument, one of which reads:
            "No more the bugle calls the weary one,
            Rest, noble spirit in this grave unknown,
            We will find you, we will know you
            Among the good and true,
            When the robe of white is given
            For the faded coat of blue."

    With us on the visit to the Camp Creek cemetery on April 30th, were Frank Spry, Frank Poynter and David Bender. Mr. Bender was born in that area and he knew a few of the folks buried here. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jones, spoken of above, were his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

    School was in session across the highway when we were in the cemetery but recess came and the boys and girls trooped out to play and were soon intent upon and wondering what the strangers were doing over in the cemetery. One boy, we noted, had climbed up on the pump to get a better view of the surroundings.

    The cemetery is in need of a lot of care, weeds grow rank and many sunken spots mark a neglected grave.

S. F.

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