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The following Description of
NEW WESTON CEMETERY
Village of Weston, Wood Co., Ohio
Some Facts about our Cemetery:
In the Spring of 1900, the Cemetery Trustees began
keeping record of every death, place of burial, lot & location of
grave on lot, so that in years to come, every grave in our cemetery
could be accurately located, and its occupant known.
Mr Amos Dewese was the number one on the New
Burial Permits, & was buried March 28, 1900 and I then decided if I
was living at the time the two hundredth burial certification was
issued, I would make for the HERALD a statement involving some of
the strange or peculiar incidents connected with those two hundred
interments in the (New) Weston Cemetery. Now one of the
peculiar coincidences is, that while Mr Amos Dewese was
number one, Mrs Amos Dewese is number two hundred. The time
taken for the burial of two hundred people in our cemetery, is four
years, six months and seventeen days; averaging a little over
forty-four burials in a year. Of these two hundred, fifteen were
above eighty; the oldest were Mrs Phoeba Brisbin and Mrs
Caroline Sautter each aged 88 1/2 years; twelve were old
soldiers, 50, or one-fourth of all, were less than one year of age;
twenty died of consumption, two were drowned, three suicided, four
were killed by railway trains, one was shot, two died from
operations from appendicitis; ninety-one were male and one hundred
and nine female; three preachers and one doctor. The family burying
the most members was the Dewese Family: Amos Dewese, Ellen
P. or Mrs. Jessie Dewese, Walter Dewese, Donald R. Dewese, George I.
Dewese & Mrs Sarah Dewese - six members. There were 12 young
ladies and six young men between the ages of 15 and 21, one soldier
of the Spanish-American War. Two bodies were sent from Michigan, two
from Kansas and two from West Virginia; there were forty-two from
the Village of Weston and also forty-two from Weston Township,
thirty-nine from Milton [Twp], nine from Liberty [Twp], seven from
Washington [Twp], six from Plain [Twp], four from Jackson [Twp], six
from Henry County, nine from Bowling Green, seven from Grand Rapids
Township, three from Toledo [Lucas Co, Ohio], three from North
Baltimore [Wood Co, Ohio], one each from Cincinnati, Norwalk,
Bellevue, Paulding County, Perrysburg, Portage & Middletown Township
[all towns, counties and townships in Ohio]. Eight were stillborn,
two insane and two feeble minded. There has been interments every
month since March 28, 1900 except in August 1903, when there were
none. In the months of September 1901 there were eight interments,
the greatest number of any one month. In this time the Cemetery has
received $595.25 for digging graves, building brick graves, etc, and
there is still due for this kind of work: $38.00. The vault has been
occupied twenty-six and a half months out of the time.
Our Vault is the handsomest one, in Northern Ohio, and
has amply proved the wisdom of its construction, and its
preservative qualities are wonderful, five and a half months is the
longest any one body has occupied it and that without scarcely a
change in the features. Weston Village and Weston Township have both
shown public spirit and liberality, in dealing with our cemetery,
and it has been a source of great gratitude with me, to note the
increasing interest in, and respect for, our beautiful cemetery, and
I ask our people to take more interest yet so that next year more
and more flowers shall be planted in remembrance of our loved dead;
plant flowers on your friends' graves, there is nothing more
beautiful in the last resting place of our friends, than lovely
flowers. A dollar or two a year invested with our cemetery
greenhouse will give you satisfaction.
[signed] G.B. Spencer, Secretary
NOTES from Contributor: The above vintage newspaper article
was copied from a page at the front of the Weston Cemetery Index
book, compiled by the Wood Co Historical Society. This book also has
a plot/lot map of both the Old and New Weston Cemeteries, as well as
the names of most of the known gravemarkers within the cemeteries.
FYI - The 'Old Weston Cemetery' was actually known as: Westfield
Cemetery. - The Village of Weston was formerly known as: Westfield,
before being re-named: Weston. After the 'New' Cemetery was started
in March 1900 the Westfield Cemetery was then known locally as:
'Old' Weston Cemetery. (My Grandfather has an old Cemetery Deed that
lists several Family Plots in the east end of the Westfield
Cemetery). Now, the Old Weston Cemetery, is only known to the
families that are buried there, generally the rest of the people
commonly call it: Weston Cemetery, and there is little distinction
between the Old & New Cemeteries.
Westfield Cemetery - Aka: Weston Cemetery - Old (north side of Euler
Road). Then you should ADD: Weston Cemetery - New (east side of
Center Street) . The 2x cemeteries are physically/geographically
located next to each other but have totally separate access points.
The Old Cemetery is along side the Euler Road in Weston Twp. The New
Cemetery is located within the Village limits & is accessed via the
main entry road on Center Street. (I grew up less than a mile from
both of them - I've walked them several times over the years while
attending various graveside services there).
Contributed by Bob
Weaver |
