Ohio Cemetery Records Research Guide
You may already realize that birth records, marriage records or divorce records can help with genealogy, but did you know Ohio cemetery records can help too? Ohio cemetery records can offer a real wealth of data when it comes to completing your records. Consider that from Ohio cemetery records you can often find:
- full legal and maiden name
- when and where a person was born
- any affiliations including military
- names of other family members
Of course, some of this depends on whether or not you go to the cemetery in person or not. Ohio cemetery records can help a great deal, of course surveying the area for other possible family members can lead to even greater information. It may not be possible, however, for you to do this so getting records or tombstone transcriptions is the next best thing.
For Definitions of all Cemetery Terms See Symbols on Gravestones and Their Interpretations
Getting a Hold of Records
There may be numerous ways to obtain Ohio cemetery records. If you want to go the easiest route possible, you can simply hire someone or a service to try to track records down for you. Other than that, you can try to find Ohio cemetery records through:
- church records if you know what faith the person may have been
- county records if you know what county the person lived in
- military related records if the person was enlisted or retired
- newspapers and microfilm that could help you with the area where the person lived
Remember if the person was born in another state, he or she may have been returned to the hometown for burial. Of course, you could also use newspapers and microfilm for the place where a person was born to find out if their death announcement mentions where they may be buried.
To have success with your Ohio cemetery records search, you should try to track down which county you think you should be looking in. This is one of the most important pieces of information to have so you can find good results. Even without it, you may find the Ohio cemetery records you want; it just may take more time.
Research In Ohio Cemetery Records
Most Ohio counties have published their cemetery records, but not in a uniform way. The Ohio Genealogical Society suggests that researchers contact major genealogical libraries or local historical societies for information on Ohio cemetery records.
Famous People Buried in Ohio Cemeteries
| County | Name / Date / Cemetery | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Butler | Middletown Firefighter and Police Memorial - Woodside Cemetery |
Established to honor firefighters and policemen of Middletown who have lost their lives in the line of duty. |
| Cuyahoga | Feller, Bob 11/3/1918 - 12/15/2010 Gates Mills North Cemetery |
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. A legendary pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, he was felt by some to have had the fastest fastball ever. |
| Cuyahoga | Garfield, James Abram 11/19/1831 - 9/19/1881 Lake View Cemetery |
20th United States President. His administration lasted but 200 days of which 80 were spent languishing in a fight for his life after being shot in the back by an assassin. |
| Cuyahoga | Ness, Eliot 4/19/1903 - 5/16/1957 Lake View Cemetery |
Law Officer. He was the Federal Bureau of Ivestigations lawman who brought gangster Al Capone to justice. |
| Cuyahoga | Rockefeller Sr. , John D. 7/8/1839 - 5/23/1937 Lake View Cemetery |
American financier, oil magnate and philanthropiSt. Best known as the patriarch of the socially prominent Rockefeller family of New York, founder of the Standard Oil Company and founder of the Rockefeller Foundation. |
| Darke | Oakley (Mosey), Annie (Phoebe Ann) 8/13/1860 - 11/3/1926 Brock Cemetery |
Sharpshooter. She was born Phoebe Mosey in Darke County, Ohio. |
| Franklin | Gentile, Don 12/6/1920 - 1/28/1951 Saint Joseph Cemetery |
World War II American Fighter Ace. He was the only son of Italian immigrants born in Piqua, Ohio. |
| Franklin | Rickenbacker, Eddie (Edward Vernon) 10/8/1890 - 7/23/1973 Green Lawn Cemetery |
World War I Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient, Distinguished Service Cross Recipient, Fighter Ace, Aviator, Race Car Driver, America's 'Ace of Aces' during World War I. The son of Swiss immigrants, he first gained fame driving race cars. |
| Franklin | Thomas (David), Dave (Rex) 7/2/1932 - 1/8/2002 Union Cemetery |
American restaurateur and philanthropist, best known as founder of the hamburger chain, Wendy’s International Inc. Wearing a Wendy's apron, Thomas was one of the nation's most recognized television spokesmen. |
| Greene | Burma Hop Aviators' Memorial - National Museum of the United States Air Force |
Erected by aviator veterans, this monument is to the memory of all the combined allied and US forces who served in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations during World War II. |
| Greene | Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Monument - National Museum of the United States Air Force |
Monument to the Doolittle Airmen, who were made famous for bombing Japan, after months of Japanese military success against American forces in the Pacific. Their success story is told in the book by pilot Lieutenant Ted Lawson, "Thirty Seconds over Tokyo," and by a 1944 film of the same name. |
| Greene | Memorial to World War 2 Aviators - National Museum of the United States Air Force |
On August 28, 1987, the Association of Former Prisoners of World War II in Romania, dediated the memorial. The monument stands in honor to the memory for all the airman who flew combat missions over Romania in liberation for peace and freedom. |
| Greene | Tuskegee Airman Memorial - National Museum of the United States Air Force |
The Tuskegee Airman Memorial is located at the USAF Museum Memorial Park, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Dayton, Ohio. The monument stands in honor to all America's African American men and women whom served their country during World War II. |
| Greene | Vietnam Aviators' Monument - National Museum of the United States Air Force |
In 1988, the Vietnam Aviators' Monument was dedicated by the Red River Fighter Pilots Association at USAF Museum Memorial Park Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The memorial is dedicated to the US Military pilots whom flew over the Red River Valley North Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. |
| Hamilton | 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Memorial - Spring Grove Cemetery |
This monument, erected in 1895 by the regiment's survivors, commemorates the soldiers who fought for the 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War serving the Union Army from 1861 to 1865. They were organized under Colonel Samuel H. Dunning three days after President Lincoln's call for volunteers. |
| Knox | Lynde, Paul Edward 6/13/1927 - 1/10/1982 Amity Cemetery |
Actor. Lynde played Samantha's mischievous Uncle Arthur (the practical joker) on the television show "Bewitched. " Comic-Actor-PaneliSt. Born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Paul Lynde was one of six children of Hoy and Sylvia Lynde. |
| Montgomery | Bombeck (Fiste), Erma 2/21/1927 - 4/22/1996 Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum |
Newspaper ColumniSt. For three decades she chronicled life's absurdities in a syndicated column carried by hundreds of newspapers. |
| Montgomery | Dayton Veterans Soldiers Monument - Dayton National Cemetery |
Dayton Veterans Soldiers Monument. This monument is located atop the central mound at the Dayton National Cemetery on the grounds of the former National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Central Branch. |
| Montgomery | Moorehead, Agnes 12/6/1900 - 4/30/1974 Dayton Memorial Park |
Actress. She was born Agnes Robertson Moorehead in Clinton, Massachusetts, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. |
| Montgomery | Wright, Orville 8/19/1871 - 1/30/1948 Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum |
Inventor. The younger of the two brothers who would invent the airplane and start the aerial age, he outlived his brother Wilbur by 36 years. |
| Montgomery | Wright, Wilbur 4/16/1867 - 5/30/1912 Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum |
Inventor. The older of the two brothers who invented the airplane and started the aerial age, he died of typhoid fever 36 years before his brother Orville. |
| Portage | Kent State Memorial - Kent State University |
During a Vietnam anti-war protest rally at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, four students were shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard. Erected in 1999, the memorial marks the spot of the incident with the names of students killed. |
| Sandusky | Hayes, Rutherford Birchard 10/4/1822 - 1/17/1893 Oakwood Cemetery |
19th United States President, Civil War Union Major General, US Congressman, Ohio Governor. He became President after one of the closest elections in United States history. |
| Scioto | Nelson, Glenn Richard 'Rocky' 11/18/1924 - 10/31/2006 Sunset Memorial Gardens |
Major League Baseball Player. Nicknamed "Rocky" for his ability to talk, he played nine seasons in the Major Leagues while playing for 5 teams. |
| Stark | McKinley, William 1/29/1843 - 9/14/1901 McKinley Memorial Park |
25th United States President. His hometown was the small town of Niles, Ohio. |
| Summit | Sultana Civil War Veteran's Memorial - Oakwood Cemetery |
The bronze plaque reads "Memorial to soldiers who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. *Indicates those whose lives were lost on the Mississippi Steamer, Sultana when it blew up at Memphis, Tenn. , April 27, 1865. |
| Tuscarawas | Young, Cy (Denton True) 3/29/1867 - 11/4/1955 Peoli Cemetery |
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Born Denton True Young in Gilmore, Ohio, he was one of the most dominate pitchers of all time in baseball history. |
Ohio Cemeteries
| Cemetery Name | Cemetery City |
|---|---|
| West Lawn Cemetery | Canton |
| Grandview Cemetery | Chillicothe |
| Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum | Cincinnati |
| Calvary Cemetery | Cleveland |
| Lake View Cemetery | Cleveland |
| Green Lawn Cemetery | Columbus |
| Mount Calvary Cemetery | Columbus |
| Union Cemetery | Columbus |
| Woodland Cemetery | Dayton |
| Riverview Cemetery | East Liverpool |
| Enon Cemetery | Enon |
| Knob Prairie Cemetery | Enon |
| Buck Cemetery | Evansport |
| Brock Cemetery | Greenville |
| Mansfield Catholic Cemetery | Mansfield |
| Mound Cemetery | Marietta |
| Rose Hill Cemetery | Massillon |
| Oxford Cemetery | Oxford |
| Woodlawn Cemetery | Toledo |
| Oak Hill Cemetery | Youngstown |
Ohio Cemeteries & Graveyards Links
- Find a Grave - Ohio Cemeteries
- Web: Ohio, Find A Grave Index, 1803-2011
- Ohio Cemetery Records
- Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997 (familysearch.org)
- The Ohio Political Graveyard
- Ohio Cemetery Books
