Every town has one - a place where boys gather with girls, where men gather with women, where the young gather with the old, where the happy gather with the sad, where the true believers gather with the apostates, where the Methodists gather with the Catholics, where the rich gather with the poor. This is common ground, where all mingle in serenity, peace, and purpose. This is a cemetery.
Along Spain Creek can be found several cemeteries - gathering places of a sort. Within the boundaries of North Lewisburg is the old Butcher Cemetery, sometimes called "Walnut Grove" Cemetery, or "North Lewisburg" Cemetery. The cemetery sits off Tallman Street, at the west side of the town, and just north of where Spain Creek passes under the roadway. It consists of approximately 3 acres of ground, once owned by John M. and Nancy Butcher, who deeded the land to The Walnut Grove Cemetery Association.
The first burial in this cemetery took place on September 8, 1846. Martha Audas, wife of William Audas (for whom the town's Audas Street was named), was 37 years, 3 months, and 2 days old at the time of her death. In the following years there were approximately 100 additional townsfolk buried here, to include John M. Butcher (1891) and Nancy Butcher (1898), prior owners of the property. There were no additional burials in the cemetery after 1898.
A second cemetery within the boundaries of the community is located at the intersection of Elm and Winder Streets, in close proximity to both the Friends (Quaker) Church and the Church of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic). The ground is part of the old Friends Church property, and was primarily a burial site for members of that congregation.
The first burial in this cemetery is believed to be that of Phebe Winder, who died March 14, 1842. There is no record of her age, nor is there a stone to mark her resting place. The last burial of record is that of Caroline S. Pim, who died May 18, 1885, at the age of 79 years, 6 months, and 1 day.
One of the town's notable citizens buried in the Friends Church Cemetery is Harmon Limes, Jr. Born in 1791 in Frederick County, Virginia, he came to Ohio with two brothers and other members of his family in 1813. He was appointed as Marshal of the community in 1844. He also served as a Justice of the Peace, and later was a member of the town's school board.
The early settlers of North Lewisburg came primarily from Virginia, and located in the area shortly after Ohio became a state in 1803. Many of these settlers were members of the Spain family. Hezekiah Spain, one of those settlers, purchased land approximately one mile west of the present village in 1806, along the east side of what is today Gilbert Road. In 1833, a portion of this land holding was set aside for the establishment of Spain Cemetery. This cemetery actually predates by approximately a decade the two burial grounds previously mentioned which are located within the town's corporation limits.
The first recorded burial in Spain Cemetery took place on March 17, 1837. Isaac Reams, slightly over three years of age, was the infant son of Jordan Reams.
Spain Cemetery consists of 13 crowded rows of approximately 1, 108 gravesites - not all of which were used before the burials ceased there. A schematic survey of the cemetery which was done as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the 1930s show these rows of graves run from north to south, but not necessarily in straight lines. In some places, rows bend back toward previous rows at sharp angles. The number of gravesites in each row also varies.
Spain Cemetery consists of 13 crowded rows of approximately 1, 108 gravesites - not all of which were used before the burials ceased there. A schematic survey of the cemetery which was done as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the 1930s show these rows of graves run from north to south, but not necessarily in straight lines. In some places, rows bend back toward previous rows at sharp angles. The number of gravesites in each row also varies.
Maple Grove Cemetery, a beautiful, wooded area was created about 1890 to expand the older Spain Cemetery, which is adjacent to the south. A concrete vault was built on the grounds to temporarily house the remains of the deceased during periods of inclement weather. (This old vault remains today, although it is deteriorating rapidly). The rest of the cemetery grounds were prepared and lots offered for sale.
The first sale of burial ground in this portion of Maple Grove Cemetery was to Mrs. Ella Chappell on April 30, 1892 (Volume A, Book of Deeds, Page 22). She purchased Square 109, Lot 403, Sites 1-4, for the sum of $10. Her husband, Harry Chappell, is the first recorded burial here.
By the early 1960s it was apparent that there were few remaining gravesites in the "old" section of Maple Grove Cemetery. The Rush Township trustees, who have responsibilities for the care and maintenance of the cemetery, acquired land directly west of the cemetery, across Gilbert Road. This area, commonly called the "new" addition, or "Gilbert Addition," provided additional burial ground.
Mrs. Marie Graham purchased the first burial site in the "Gilbert Addition" on September 17, 1955, for $30. She purchased Square 111, Lot 3, Sites 1-4 (Volume E, Book of Deeds, Page 2). The first burial in this section of Maple Grove Cemetery is believed to be that of her son-in-law, Curtis Seay, in 1956.
As of this date, the "Gilbert Addition" of the cemetery is likewise approaching capacity. There are approximately 4,200 total burials in the "old" and "new" sections of Maple Grove Cemetery. Additional expansion of the cemetery is under consideration if common ground is to be available in the future.
Notes:
- Linda Jean Limes Ellis, great-great-great granddaughter of Harmon Limes, Jr., first Marshal of North Lewisburg, has devoted years of effort to the preservation of the Butcher Cemetery and the Friends Church Cemetery. She has reconstructed burial records for both of these cemeteries, and - in concert with her husband - has helped to clean and reset grave site markers. A record of her tireless efforts can be found on her blog site at http://limesstones.blogspot.com/ Some of her written records have been incorporated into the writing of this article. I consider her to be a friend and valuable resource.
- Butcher Cemetery and the Friends Church Cemetery are within the jurisdictional control for maintenance purposes of the Town of North Lewisburg. Mr. Bob Davis, Jr., oversees these areas.
- Maple Grove Cemetery and Spain Cemetery are under the jurisdictional control for maintenance purposes of the Board of Trustees, Rush Township, Champaign County, Ohio.
