Grahamsville Cemetery, Jackson County, Ohio
Location: Scioto Township
Jackson County, Ohio
Coordinates (lat, lon) 38.9550738, -82.7101673
Tombstones of Grahamsville Cemetery | Views of Grahamsville Cemetery | Burial Index
Tombstones of Grahamsville Cemetery
Kate's Introduction: This report on Grahamsville Cemetery in Jackson County, Ohio is the result of a collaborative effort of several dedicated family genealogists, particularly Rebecca Albrecht, Linda Hoff, Nancy Rotonda, Becky Schreick, and Bill Gilliland.
After comparing their photos and notes with an existing index published in 1982, "Cemetery Inscriptions of Jackson County, Ohio, Volumes I and II, by Mary J. Hixon and Frances Welch Hixon", as well as the Belle (Brunton) Gilliland family Bible, they have compiled an updated index of Gilliland-related burials at Grahamsville.
Many thanks to Rebecca, Linda, Bill, Becky and Nancy for their efforts to record the gravesites at this endangered cemetery and for contributing their photos, family records and notes to this report.
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Jehiel Graham, 14 Apr 1819 - 23 May 1885 Photo contributed by Rebecca Albrecht. |
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James. M., son of Jehiel and Rebecca (Gilliland) Graham. Died Aug. 23, 1855, aged 1 yr. Photo contributed by Rebecca Albrecht. |
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Susan (Gilliland) Kinkade, daughter of Hugh and Rebecca (Martin) Gilliland.
Wife of James Kinkade/Kinkaid. Photo contributed by Rebecca Albrecht. |
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Nathan M. Gilliland There are two stones at Grahamsville for Nathan M. Gilliland, Nathan is the gr-gr-grandfather of Gilliland Trails contributor Bill Gilliland, whose family album is posted to our library. Photo of what is believed to be the original stone for Nathan, which had been broken and buried for many years. Photo contributed by Rebecca Albrecht. |
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Photo of what is believed to be the replacement stone for Nathan, but engraved with conflcting dates. Photo contributed by Nancy Rotonda. |
Notes by Rebecca Albrecht concerning the two stones for Nathan M. Gilliland:
As for the two stones for Nathan M. Gilliland, I have always gone by the broken stone as his original stone as it looks like it is from the time period he died. The second stone is a tiny mystery. I ask this because the second stone gives his death age, which means the birthdate of the NATHEN M. Gilliland of the second stone is Jan. 18, 1824. But, it also states his death date as 1857, but our Nathan died in 1859 according to most researchers. Also, the second stone seems to have his name spelled NATHEN. I have always questioned the second stone as it does not fit the dates like the older broken stone.
Also, I would like to add the [published] index for Grahamsville Cemetery is not complete and has a few mistakes as can be expected with an old cemtery listing.
I was not able to find a stone for quite a few of the people that were listed in the index at Grahamsville, they are probably long gone or buried. Felix Gilliland's stone is not visible as of this October.
A few years ago when I was researching at the Jackson County Library, a nice women there named Beth said that the older crumpled stone was the original and it had been buried for many years and that the second one was added when Nathan's wife Lydia died 40 years later in 1896 or later by some grandchildren. Beth's husband who had passed on from Cancer as of 2003 was a descendant of Nathan's.
I suspect that we will never know which of the two Nathan's/Nathen's stones are correct. Unfortunately, the stone for his wife Lydia [Graham] is not there to be seen.
Kate adds: The key to unlocking this mystery can be found in the Belle Gilliland family Bible, furnished by Bill Gilliland for the Gilliland Trails library. Belle recorded Nathan's birthdate as January 18, 1819, and his death occurring on August 24, 1859.
Views of Grahamsville Cemetery
Photos by Becky Schreick
(Click on a thumb for larger image.)
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Going up the hill towards the cemetery. Scattered and broken stones throughout. |
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Another view that illustrates the condition of this historic cemetery and the damage that was done in previous years when the cemetery was used as a cow pasture. |
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View facing north. |
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View of the east field. Broken and scattered stones barely visible. No doubt there are many stones now buried or missing that were not recorded in the published index and are yet to be recovered. |
Linda Hoff's Notes
Sept. 12 [2009] was my first trip to this cemetery, however, one of the girls with us said that it looked as though someone had come in there and turned over some of the stones that had been standing just a few months prior.
I noticed that under some of the grass it appeared that maybe there were more stones that were "grown over". This was on the west side of the cemetery.
While walking in that area, I could feel rock or stone. We didn't have anything to peel back the ground to see, so I am not sure what is there.
The site does have a fence around it, a gate, and one recent gravesite.
Burial Index
Updated 2009 index for Gilliland-related burials at Grahamsville (may be incomplete due to missing stones):
Jeheil and Rebecca (Gilliland) Graham; single stone, intact but fallen.
James M., infant son of James and Rebecca (Gilliland) Graham. Stone fallen and broken.
Nathan M. and Lydia (Graham) Gilliland; two stones for Nathan M. Older stone recently unearthed, is shattered. Also a replacement stone with incorrect dates? Stone for Nathan's wife Lydia not found but was listed in an index published in the 1970's.
Susan Kinkade aka Susannah (Gilliland) Kincaid. Susannah's name engraved "Susan Kinkade" on her stone, which is broken and fallen. Not known where her husband James was buried.
Felix Gilliland. Stone not found during a recent search but was listed in Hixon's published index. According to the Belle (Brunton) Gilliland family Bible, Felix -- a son of Nathan and Lydia (Graham) Gilliland -- was born January 12, 1854 and died December 20, 1855.
Other possible stones missing, based on information from the Belle Gilliland family Bible: John "Johnny" Gilliland, born April 7, 1847, died January 3, 1854, and Nathan M., born January 25, 1858 and died February 11, 1858. Both were sons of Nathan M. and Lydia (Graham) Gilliland.