The Union Township Cemetery at Milford Center, Ohio

Today I invite you to head over to my other blog to read a history tidbit about another Chuckery area cemetery.  Many Chuckery residents have found a final resting place at the Union Township Cemetery.  Check it out!

Guy Cemetery

Guy Cemetery is another graveyard that dates pioneer times in the Chuckery area.  It is located on the east side of Guy Cemetery Road.  It is on land that was donated to Pike Township by William and Adelaide Guy upon the death of their son, Lewis F. in 1843.  This land is still well maintained and used as a cemetery today.

Phellis Cemetery Update

It has been a year since I first discovered the Phellis Cemetery on Rosedale Road near Chuckery.  And, in that year I still do not know much about this cemetery.  Find-A-Grave has thirteen listings for interments in this cemetery, but there are no pictures.  A friend of mine said he thought that gravestones might have been destroyed by a tenant farmer in recent years.  Whatever the story, I would love to visit this tiny cemetery.  I hope that someone reads this post and decides to pay this cemetery a visit.

The Bigelow Cemetery - An Ohio State Nature Preserve

The Bigelow Cemetery (A repeat of an oldie but goodie!)

The Bigelow Cemetery is a pioneer cemetery containing many of the remains of the Bigelow family and their neighbors. This cemetery is alternately known as both the Chuckery Cemetery and the Boerger Cemetery. This is due to its location near land presently owned by the Boerger Family and the Chuckery community.

In pioneer days, native vegetation was cleared from the Darby Plains by setting fire to the prairie each spring. Then the land would be prepared for planting. Largely, the land was not heavily tilled. It is here on the Darby Plains that people came from the New England states to settle. These pioneers included the Bigelow family, the Reed family, the Mc Cloud family, and the Smith family. In old histories, scarcely a family was left untouched by the plague and malaria in the early 1800s.

In 1978, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources named the Bigelow Cemetery a state nature preserve. This was due to the fact that it had never been tilled, and it is considered to be a remnant of the vast Darby Plains. This site is owned by the Pike Township trustees, while being managed by ODNR.

For me, this is another one of those spots that I get lost, I get lost in yesteryear as I read the tombstones.  My heart breaks as I read of young children who died very young. And, my heart rejoices as I read of those pioneers who have lived to ripe old ages. And, sometimes, if I close my eyes, I can smell the light fragrance of the prairie flowers, I can see a wagon on the road. I can hear the clip-clop of the horse hooves, and for a moment I am truly living a life on the Chuckery Prairie.

Mitchell (Robinson) Cemetery in Darby Township, Union County, Ohio

Today I invite you to head over to my other blog to read a history tidbit about another Chuckery area cemetery.  Check out Mitchell Cemetery!

The St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery

Today I invite you to head over to my other blog to read a history tidbit about a Chuckery area cemetery.  Check out the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery!

Chuckery Area Cemeteries

As a genealogist, I have always been fascinated by cemeteries.  I like to stroll among the graves, reading names and dates while I imagine how these people might have lived their lives.  I also have a fascination of history, especially the local histories of Union and Madison Counties in Ohio.  In many cases, I know the stories behind the people. . .  But, it is still something that I ponder.

Since Memorial Day is a traditional time for people to visit cemeteries, I have decided to take my readers on a virtual tour of the cemeteries near Chuckery.  As we stroll through yesteryear, please let me know if there is specific information that you would like to know about each cemetery.  And, if you would like specific pictures taken, I am more than willing to help you out.

Thank you for visiting!

Happenings at Lewis Chapel

Today it is hard to imagine, but once upon a time there were two churches in Chuckery.  And, the larger church was the Lewis Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church.  In late May of 1894, Lewis Chapel hosted a New England Supper.  This supper was well attended by Methodists from Marysville, Unionville, Resaca, and Plain City.  The church made around $32 on the dinner.  And, plans were made for a Sunday School - Children's Day.

Bad News From Marysville

Wind Causes Damage at the Burns Brickyard

In late May of 1904, the Burns family of Chuckery received word that relatives near Marysville had suffered a huge loss of bricks at the Burns Brickyard.  John Burns, formerly of Chuckery, was in the process of enlarging the kiln at the family brickyard.  His workers had made 55000 bricks needed complete an expansion of the kiln.  These bricks were destroyed by rain when high winds destroyed the drying sheds on the Burns property.    

The 175th Anniversary of St. Johns Lutheran Church at Neudettelsau

Today I invite you to head on over to my other blog.  I would like you to check out this post specifically - The 175th Anniversary of St. Johns Lutheran Church.  Enjoy!

A Petition Filed

On May 19, 1904, residents of the area surrounding Chuckery petitioned the Union County Probate Court for a "graded" school.  This was the official beginning of the Chuckery Special School.  It was called a "special" school because it did not follow the township system.  This district was later created from parts of Pike and Darby Townships in Madison County and Union and Darby Townships in Union County.  More about the Chuckery Special School can be found in earlier posts on this blog.  Check out these links for more information:  Chuckery Special Public School, Chuckery and a Graded School, and The Creation of the Chuckery Special School.  Check out my other blog as well!  The Humble Historian, specifically The Fairbanks School District - Darby Township Roots

German Church Dedication at Chuckery

On May 18, 1892 the Marysville Evening Tribune reported that the German (Lutheran) Church at Chuckery was nearly complete and awaiting a proper dedication.  Today that church is known as St. Paul Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod.  But, in 1892, that church had a much longer name.  It was the founded as the Plains Branch of St. Johns Lutheran Church.  St. Johns Lutheran Church was, and still is, about 10 miles away on the Plain City-Marysville Road (present-day State Route 736).  The dedication that was announced in the Marysville Evening Tribune was eventually held on May 29, 1892.  At that time, the Plains Branch sent forth a call to the Missouri Synod asking for a pastor to lead their church.  And, that call was denied due to an extreme shortage of pastors for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.  The congregation was asked to wait another year before reapplying for a pastor.  And, so the small congregation remained a part of St. Johns Lutheran Church for the next year.

I am back!

After a hiatus of nearly a year, I am back to working on researching Chuckery history - one day at a time.  Thank you to those who have followed me on this trip.  There are a lot more stories to share!  Happy Friday!