St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery

St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery is located where Burns Road meets State Route 38 on the north side of Big Darby Creek in Darby Township, Union County, Ohio. The original 1.45 acre plot was purchased January 17, 1899 from Gottlieb and Lizzee (Lizzie) Burns for a total price of $37.50. On February 17, 1974 the congregation purchased an additional 3 acres from William and Mary Burns for a price of $2,400. The original layout of the cemetery contained steps leading to a central walkway. This walkway is now being utilized for additional gravesites. The ground water level is too high much of the year at Chuckery, therefore, it was not a suitable site for the cemetery. The present site has excellent drainage because it is located on a gravel bank.

There are markers indicating 17 graves which are not listed in our caretaker's book. Four of these were deceased prior to the purchase of the land. It is presumed they were moved to the cemetery from another burial site. To explain the missing entries would be conjecture on our part; most likely they had not kept a "caretaker's book" but were recorded in other church records prior to 1909. The first recorded burial in the caretaker's register was that of Andrew Greenbaum, a stillborn child, on February 2, 1909.

Early caretakers of the cemetery were presumed to have been the Church Trustees. Sometime in the late 1940's the congregation elected George Vollrath as the official caretaker. He was replaced by William Schmidt in 1956. Edwin "Bud" Bosley took over the duties in 1967. Bud maintained burial records on a map, drawn by Irene (Boerger) Burger, at the recommendation of Reverend C. J. Wachholz who served the congregation from 1925 to 1946. Harold Gaulke was the cemetery care taker after Bud Bosley. Larry Nicol and Dave Picklesimer became the care takers after Harold’s death in 2008.

The July 3, 1921 minutes of a church meeting include a motion to reimburse the grave digger $8.00 for a grave lined with stone or brick; if without, then he was to be paid only $6.00. The older graves did not have a sealed vault; the coffin was placed on a stone slab, the sides were built up with bricks and another stone slab was placed on top.

When Florence Rausch was buried, the Chuckery band, in uniform, assembled at the covered bridge and led the funeral procession into the cemetery playing the Funeral March in a cadence of either 90 or 60 steps per minute.

In 1985 the church accepted an endowment grant from Dr. Lorenz Nicol, former member, with the proceeds being used to establish the St. Paul Cemetery Turf Fund which is used for upkeep of cemetery grass.

In July of 1993 a flag and flag pole were donated to the church by VFW Post 3320. The flagpole was erected at the west end of St. Paul Cemetery near the adjoining Mitchell Cemetery so that it can be accessible for military services in either cemetery. On July 4, 1993 the flag and pole were dedicated in a service conducted by Reverend Hubert Rausch of St. Paul.

The purpose of St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery shall be to provide a final resting place for the family of believers belonging to St. Paul Lutheran Church of Chuckery, Ohio. Any member of St. Paul Lutheran Church may acquire the use of a burial lot for himself, his spouse, and any minors in his care. Members are granted the right to bury; they do not own a specific plot.


- from the 2011 St. Paul Genealogy Book