Bucy CemeteryOwned by AEP where a current mining project is ongoing {2008}. War of 1812 veteran buried here with his family, very poor condition. The following story was an actual email sent to Flora L. VerStraten, from chapter member, Nancy Martin, who expressed sincere concern for the Jefferson County pioneer cemeteries and is worried about the effects of a local mining and logging project. Please read the entire story, which makes a connection to Jefferson County in the final paragraph. Flora L. VerStaten felt compelled to share Nancy’s story, of not only support for our local efforts here in trying to save our pioneer cemeteries, but also felt it important to share what many family historians feel, the need to share, learn, and be strengthened by one another’s experiences. Flora wants to thank Nancy Martin for sharing this beautiful success story and giving permission to share it with other chapter members in hopes that it to may touch your heart, and help grow support for our efforts here locally, as well as wherever you may live. You may not live where your ancestors are buried, but someone does. It has always been my hope that if we care enough to get involved in Jefferson County maybe other historians and genealogy societies will be interested in saving the graves of my ancestors in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Photo taken by Flora VerStraten. {L to R: unidentified woman, John Borkowski, Jeffrey Reichwein, Ph D, Archeologist.}
Bucy Cemetery, (also known as the Pendar Farm Cemetery up on Buckingham Ridge) Wells Township - owned by AEP. A current mining project is taking place as of January 2008, with core drilling right at the corner of the pioneer cemetery where Joshua Bucy, War of 1812 veteran is buried. “Flora, each time I get an email from you that talks about how endangered the Jefferson County cemeteries are, I get sick inside. Mining might be important, development might be important, but more than anything, PEOPLE are important. History is important. Not just to you and me, but to everybody. We cannot allow this sacred memory to be taken from us. We cannot allow destruction of these hallowed grounds. I am who I am because there was a William in my life - even though I never knew him. He's a part of me as surely as if he were here today. He assures me that he WAS, and because he WAS, I am. We are connected. And 100 years from now, another little girl might go to that cemetery, and find that she, too, is connected to a family history that matters. It is William's mother, and my great grandmother, Ada Louisa Householder, who was born in Jefferson County. These are our roots; our family and it matters to me that her ancestors, whoever they are, remain in the ground in which they were laid to rest.” I write you because of a similar danger to a local cemetery here in Minnesota, the 100-year old grave of my grandfather's brother would have been lost to me. Here's the story: I discovered when I began doing genealogical research on my grandfather's family that he had a brother I never heard of. His name was William. Now, all of my grandfather's family is gone, and I had no one to ask questions of. I contacted the Minnesota State Historical Society to obtain a death record for William, and on receiving it, I learned he died in 1907 of TB at the age of 29, here in Minneapolis, and was buried in the Layman's Cemetery. I looked in the phone books for the Layman's Cemetery, but found nothing, so I checked the Internet, and lo and behold, I found the cemetery name had been changed and is now known as the Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. Apparently, Mr. and Mrs. Layman had begun the cemetery way back when and donated some of their farmland so folks would be able to bury their dead. Then, when Mr. Layman died, the family couldn't afford to keep up the cemetery, and it was eventually condemned because of neglect and vandalism. I contacted the cemetery and found that (get this!) 7000 bodies had been removed from the cemetery (this was in the '70s I believe) and buried in other local cemeteries. The city was proposing to sell the land to developers such as Target, or to the railroad, who were interested in it at the time. The farmland (and hence, the cemetery) had become entrenched in the bustle of a big city, and the land was located in a very prime spot, apparently. I contacted those cemeteries to see if my William was buried there, but they had no record of him. And when I contacted the Friends of the Cemetery email listed on the web site of the cemetery, they said he was not listed on their spreadsheet of those buried there. I was devastated. I drove down to the Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery on a Saturday morning, and found an old caretaker there. They have no real office space except a tiny cottage that served as one many years ago, and only index cards from the very old days. This kind gentleman took me inside and looked through what amounted to drawers of index cards, and sure enough, there was William! So he searched the plot map, and walked me out to the gravesite. I cannot tell you how moving this experience was. There I was, 100 years later, standing on the grave of my ancestor whom I never knew existed! Because there was no stone to mark his grave, I worked with the cemetery folks and a local granite company to have a stone made for William so that no other little girl like me (I'm now 66) would have to feel what felt when I stood on that unmarked grave. We fashioned a stone that would be appropriate both in material and style, so that it would fit in with those surrounding William's grave. Once it was laid, the caretaker called me, and I met him at the cemetery with a bouquet of red roses for William, which the caretaker helped me set on the grave. NOBODY should die and not be remembered. Nobody should feel what I felt when I couldn't find William, and was told his grave had been moved. And EVERYBODY should have the experience I had when I finally found this lost piece of my family history, and was able to give William the respect and the dignity and honor of a family member – even an estranged one. In talking with a woman who is the head of the Friends of the Cemetery, there, I learned that as long as ONE person objects they could not close the cemetery and sell the land. Bless that person, whomever it was. Today, that cemetery is an historical site, filled with not only the Williams of this world, but people historically significant to the City of Minneapolis and Minnesota's history. It makes me wonder how many other "significant" pioneers were moved to other cemeteries in the city during that awful time. I now feel a strong connection to the cemetery, now that I've connected with William, this young man who worked in a sawmill and probably died alone of a horrible disease when he was only 29 years old. Thanks to William, I've become a "Friend of the Cemetery," and have been doing research for the cemetery on about 320 babies buried there, for which they've had little information. Through the Minnesota Historical Society, I've been able to read death records/certificates on most of the babies, and gleaned information about parents, gender of the child, verified dates and other information on their scant records.
There are no new burials in this cemetery. But it's now owned and operated by the City of Minneapolis. It is being planted with new trees, old stones are being restored and/or up righted, the metal fence surrounding it is being refurbished, and it's now a sacred haven for those who remain there. Families come from all over the country to find a loved one there. There are about 30 Civil War vets buried there, and honored each Veterans Day. Walking tours are given periodically by the "Friends" and the stories of those people are told to all that come to listen. There's a mass grave of cadavers (street people, prisoners, and unknowns) who were once used for medical research by the local university, and there's a group of people working to get the university to provide a memorial to these people. Chapter member, Nancy Martin from Minneapolis, MN
The chapter has been working with the Department of Ohio Mineral and Resources. We met with several representatives to scout out the hillside for possible remote cemeteries. There is an active mining project near the Bucy Cemetery with core drilling apparent at the corner of the cemetery. No other pioneer cemeteries have been located in this area on Buckingham Ridge. The chapter has received permission to enter the cemetery in the spring of 2008 with hopes to probe, reset tombstones, and epoxy broken stones. The chapter will be working very closely with AEP to see that this cemetery is not disturbed more than what it has already been. We look forward to safeguarding this cemetery from any future disturbances. The chapter is planning to see that a fence is installed and a sign is posted, naming the cemetery and its time of establishment. This cemetery appears to be the burial location of the pioneer Bucy Family. Joshua Bucy was a War of 1812 Veteran. It appears that his son, also named Joshua was buried here along with his wife and possible other children and extended family members. More updates to follow.
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