October 14 , 2021 The Beacon • 11
Cemeteries all have quite the stories to share
Sometimes , in the long ago as well as today , people have taken an interest in cemeteries , looking to find a bit more about their ancestry . Many have visited Coshocton County as far back as the first settlers , where we might find the remains of bears , groundhogs , rabbits , squirrels and panthers making their homes here .
P a n t h e r s ? Y e s , according to old records , a few panthers were killed during the first decade by early pioneers . Deer were so
Carole Etchells Cross
Between the Bookends
plentiful and tame they were killed with a shotgun .
Actually , there were so many wolves the state legislature paid $ 4 for each one killed . Hunters trapped the valuable fur of otters and beavers . Pike and catfish , perch and sucker filled the streams , but blackjack and clear jack have disappeared . Early records indicate copperhead , blacksnakes , viper , garter snakes , water snakes and rattle snakes .
There ’ s an added interest in cemeteries this time of year close to Halloween , so let ’ s have a scavenger hunt and try to find what these small cemeteries offer here in Coshocton .
Let ’ s look for a grave belonging to Darrell Senter , who was buried in Prairie Chapel Cemetery in 1930 . How did Darrell die ? He died choking on a bean .
Millfork Baptist Cemetery witnessed the death of Charles Slaughter in the hottest day of the season in 1916 . He came in from harvesting , complaining about feeling ill . A little later his brother found him dead in the barn .
Now look for the Blooming Grove Cemetery , organized in 1850 and located on Township Road 55 about a dozen miles west of Roscoe Village . The church , like many others , is gone , but his epitaph still reads : “ Weep not my friends I must stay . I ’ m not here but only sleeping .”
Littick Cemetery is found off Highway 83 in Franklin Township . After climbing up a steep hill , you will be rewarded with this sad epitaph : “ This tender bud so young and fair , called by early doom , just came to show how a sweet flower in paradise could bloom .”
South Lawn Cemetery in Coshocton has an unusual Halloween story . It seems as if a leg was buried without a body on May 16 , 1953 . Then oddly enough , about a week later , the body arrived and was buried in the same lot . So why was the leg separated from the body ?
I searched for disasters around 1953 but could not find any information relating to this incident . Perhaps the leg was injured in a coal mine or railroad accident .
If you have the interest and time , the local genealogy chapter sells volumes 1-11 of newspaper clippings of obituaries . Also , there ’ s a nice index of Coshocton newspapers . Good hunting this Halloween season .
BF-00519780
FAMILY FISH FRY Open to the Public Friday , Oct . 8 th • 6pm-7:30pm Adults $ 11 • Children $ 8 COSHOCTON ELKS
434 Chestnut St . • Coshocton
Chestnut Ridge Elementary Annual Potato Bar Supper 3 miles east of Berlin on State Route 39 Friday , October 15 • 5:00-7:30 p . m .
Baked Potatoes and all the Toppings , Dinner Roll , Applesauce , Apple Dumplings with Ice Cream or Cake , & Beverage
Pre-Sale at the School : Adults $ 8.00
Children 14 Years & Under $ 7.00
Children 4 & Under are FREE
BF-00532637