This past Saturday several members of the Lima Chapter NSDAR (National Society Daughters of the American Revolution) spent the afternoon doing some clean-up at the Old Union Township Cemetery, the Chapter’s project for their annual Day of Service. It was a nice fall day to rake leaves and pick up sticks.
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Old Union Township Cemetery, aka Kalida Pioneer Cemetery, dates back to the 1840s, and was abandoned about 60 years ago. It had been forgotten and overgrown until Kalida, Ohio, resident Abby Schroeder began the cleanup and restoration process and became the project manager. The one-acre cemetery is located behind some homes and is on the edge of Plum Creek.
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Some tombstones may be on the banks of Plum Creek
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Approximately 80 individuals are buried in Old Union Township Cemetery, but the only tombstone standing a couple years ago was the broken headstone of Nancy C. (Branch) Lee (1800-1855), the daughter of Revolutionary War Soldier Zephaniah Branch. Branch served in the Vermont Militia under the command of Capt. Samuel Robinson, Jr., serving from 1 January 1777 to December 1780.
Alice Bassett (1850-1853), Nancy (Branch) Lee (1800-1855), Ira Lee (1795-1851), Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Nancy Lee is a Real Daughter, the daughter of a Revolutionary War soldier.
Nancy (Branch) Lee (1800-1855), Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Nancy’s husband, Ira Lee (1795-1851), is also buried in the cemetery. Ira was a War of 1812 veteran.
Last year the Lima Chapter NSDAR became a sponsoring organization for the restoration project and helped secure a DAR Historic Preservation Grant for repairs to the burial ground. The grant money has allowed for the headstones of Nancy Lee and her husband Ira Lee to be reset and placed on a concrete base. In addition, the Veterans Administration provided a new headstone for Ira Lee.
Abby is working to identify as many burials as possible, by locating and cleaning headstones and research. She is piecing broken tombstones together, somewhat like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, and placing them on palates, with plans to eventually repair and reset them in their original locations if possible. A number of headstones and footstones have been recovered and several tombstones have been reset in the ground.
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
Old Union Township Cemetery, Kalida, Ohio
A big thank you to Abby, for all her hard work and dedication to this historic preservation project to restore this historic cemetery and honor the memory of those early settlers of the Kalida community.
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Karen, that is a wonderful project. Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter is doing a similar project but I have never been able to help with it because of prior commitments. I am interested in learning more about the Capt. Samuel Robinson, Jr. that you mentioned in the article. I have a missing generation in Grandma Bollenbacher’s family line and that grandfather would be a Samuel Robinson and his life span would be in the approximate time. I have not found anything regarding a Samuel Robinson in DAR. So maybe I will start searching again. Keep up the good work girl.
Thanks,
Deb
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It is a good project and we are happy to support it and help them get the grant. Our grant was the first they received and it helped them get other grants, so it was helpful in several ways. Very interesting about Samuel Robinson. I know nothing more about him, but that would be amazing if he were connected to your family! Thanks for writing.
I haven’t visited for a long time, but I’ve heard that the Willshire Cemetery is in bad shape and needs help? Isn’t there a group in the area that would take it on?
My family is buried in Wright Cemetery in Elgin, south of Van Wert. Have you ever been there?
I grew up in Willshire and it’s sad that the cemetery stones are in such poor condition.
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The old part of Willshire Cemetery is in rather sad condition. A couple years ago several people talked about doing some restoration work there. I don’t know the status of the project. I have not been to Wright Cemetery but we should try to go there sometime. Thanks for writing.