Grave Tales

Looking For Uplifting Stories

2012-02-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Do you know someone who has passed on whose life was an amazing and uplifting story? I would love to hear it and I know others would too. Finding stories of tragedy is easy. I just have to look in the paper, but the truly awesome stories are of those unsung heros who were amazing in life and never knew it or talked about it. My father would have given you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He was a wonderful man and I did a story about him on here. Do you know someone like that? Let me know and I will be happy to share the love!

Julia Wall-The Barrel Lady

2012-02-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Julia Wall. It was posted in the East Liverpool Review in October of 1940. A newlywed, just a few short days after she was married, she was found murdered.

Her body was found early in the morning on the corner of Jennings Avenue and St. Clair. She had been stuffed in a barrel after she was strangled, Oct 27, 1940. She was so tightly stuffed in the barrel the metal rings had to cut off the barrel to get her out.

Her murder was the first of three that would occur in the early 1940's.

Her case is unsolved. She buried at Spring Grove Cemetery. She does not have a grave marker, but according to the cemetery records, this tree marks her grave site.

Julia Wall's story is one of many we have on our Spring Grove Cemetery Tour.

More Grave Tales Are Coming

2012-02-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

With snow on the ground and the weather unpredictable, it is hard to get out there and track down the stories I am finding. I have one coming up about the Rev. Jenny Echert, and more names to add to the list of babies buried in Spring grove cemetery I also have another veteran story to add from the civil war. Within the next week you should see them on here.

A LIST OF BABIES BURIED IN SPRING GROVE

2012-01-30T21:24:00.000-08:00

THIS IS A SMALL PART OF BABY LAND AT SPRING
GROVE CEMETERY.

HERE IS A BEGINNING LIST OF BABIES BURIED IN SPRING GROVE. MANY OF THE GRAVES IN THE BABY LAND LOCATED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF SPRING GROVE IN SECTION 4. THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND I WILL ADD TO IT AS I GET NEW NAMES. I WAS TOUCHED THAT WHO EVER LISTED THEM IN THE CEMETERY INDEX AT THE LIBRARY TOOK THE TIME TO NOTE THEIR AGE, EVEN WHEN IT WAS ONLY A FEW HOURS OR MINUTES OLD.

Jeffery Allen McCain 1/2 hour old Sept 22, 1946
Infant McDevitt 5hrs old Jan 19, 1926
Infant McGraw, s/o William 13hrs old Mar 2, 1950
Barbara Ann Mercer 1 hr old Oct 4, 1941
... Infant Mercer s/o Betty Jane 1hr old Nov 29, 1950
Kathy Charleen Miller Sept 13, 1944
Infant Nelson lived in Pink Alley 1896-June 12, 1898
Julia Lorraine Norris 1hr old Apr 19, 1948
Infant Olmstead s/o Charles J. 5 minutes old Oct 26 1944
Doris M. Orr d/o Clinton 2 hours old April 26 1927
Infant Pearson s/o Carl Mar 1 1948
Infant Petty s/o Clyde Sept 27, 1911
Jeffery Lee Redmond s/o Clarence 5 hours old Oct 19, 1944
Infant Rickenbaugh 3 hrs old Jan 2, 1918
Infant Russell s/o Paul 22 minutes old Dec 29, 1952
Infant Seals d/o Arthur 10 months Jan 3, 1912 to Nov 19, 1912
Infant Seals s/o Arthur Jun 1, 1912 to Jun 15 1912
Infant Seevers father Ernest Jul 15 1914 to Jul 17, 1914
Infant Smith parents William and Laura 4 hrs old Oct 27, 1926

ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE
BABY LAND GRAVE MARKERS.

THERE ARE MANY MORE LITTLE ONES BURIED AND KEPT SAFE IN SPRING GROVE. HOPE TO LIST MORE SOON.

The Lane Family in Calcutta United Presbyterian Cemetery

2012-01-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

I found this grave site when I explored Calcutta United Presbyterian Cemetery two years ago. It was a mystery to me and I wondered what could have happened to nearly a whole family all at once. My first thought was a car accident or drowning or even an illness of some sort. I was wrong on all counts.
The Lane Family lived in Little England. I had never heard of Little England before. I wasn't even sure that it was any where in this area. Sometimes it is hard to remember that East Liverpool was once the Pottery Capital OF THE WORLD, making East Liverpool a much larger city at one time. There are places long forgotten about East Liverpool. Jethro, for example is now just a memory. What was once
California Hollow is now Dresden Avenue. And somewhere is Driven From Home Hollow that I have yet to find. But I did find Little England. You will find it along the Ohio River in the East End area. I am working to get pictures of the area to share soon.

The Lane Family lived in what was called a little shack, possibly built by Mr. Lane himself. The entire structure was covered with tar paper. There was no connecting door to the children's room and they had to enter their room from outside. On the morning of Oct 30, 1934, Mr. Ralph Lane was making breakfast for his family. He used heating oil to light his cook stove quicker and it was determined that he added too much oil. He lit the stove and left the room. While in his bedroom, the stove exploded. Six people died in the fire:

Ralph Lane, 36

Ralph Jr. 12

Dorothy 10

Harry 8

Carl 7

and

Mrs. Anna Applegate McCord, their housekeeper, aged 34.

Anna's funeral took place at Sturgis Funeral Home and she is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, though she may not have a grave marker. We are working to find her grave site. The Lane Family's funeral was held at Kelly Funeral Home on Pennsylvania Avenue in East End.

This information comes from the Oct 30 1934 edition of the Evening Review For East Liverpool, Ohio.

Five People Caught Up In The Silver Crypt Legend

2011-12-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Silver Crypt is located just below Spring Hill Cemetery in Wellsville, Ohio. No longer a part of the Cemetery, legend suggests it never was. The true story, however is far from the Legend.

The story that brought me to this crypt tells of an evil Doctor named David Silver. He was so evil that the people of Wellsville refused to bury him on hallowed ground. Instead he was laid to rest just outside of the cemetery grounds.

Meant to be a punishment, he would have to watch others who were worthy be buried in the light of God, while he would be forever refused. It also affected his family. There are 5 people buried in this crypt. Their real story is even more amazing, however.

Dr. David Silver was one of the first Doctors in Wellsville, and many doctors that came after him were trained by him. His wife, Nancy Hammond Silver, was the daughter of Thomas Hammond, founder of Hammondsville, Oh. Dr. Silver and Nancy have two of their children buried here also. Thomas Hammond Silver was Mayor of Wellsville in the 1880's and was the founder of the Wellsville Fair (which only ran for 4 years). He later became a Republican Representative for the State of Ohio. He died in 1919 in Virginia. Margaret Silver is Dr. Silver's daughter and was one of the first to graduate from Wellsville High School. She died in New Jersey and was brought back here for burial. The 5th person buried here is the saddest of all. Dr. and Nancy Silver had a son named Sylvester. He was born on Oct 16, 1852 and died on Oct 16, 1856. At some point he had his own grave marker, which now lies on the floor of the crypt. It is rumored that the crypt was broken into years ago and the little little body stolen and sold on the black market. As you can see by the pictures, there is some evidence to suggest that might be true. This crypt is in the woods, about thirty feet. It is not taken care of and has been broken into several times. So much history in one small crypt! I will bet there is more to the story than we know. The road that once lead to the Cemetery has been blocked off and is no longer used. Perhaps when they changed the cemetery so drastically, the crypt was forgotten. I hope some one remembers it someday and saves it.

Roger Frazier-One Of My Greatest Heros!

2011-12-22T05:55:00.000-08:00

Your parents influence your life more than any other person you will ever know. My father was a wonderful man and I loved him very much. Roger Frazier was born in East Liverpool in 1939. His father bought 160 acres in 1946 in the Calcutta area and later gave my dad 20 of those acres. He built a house with his own two hands on that property in 1965 and lived there for the rest of his life.
He was a Vietnam Vet. He never talked about it other than a couple stores about a dog they had as a pet and a snake that someone had to kill. We heard nothing ever of anything else he did.
He died on Aug 19, 2006 of cancer. He handled that the same way that he tackled any other problem in his life. He dealt with it quickly. By the time the cancer was found it was too late to stop it. He died within weeks of being diagnosed.
He left me with something that will keep for the rest of my life. My love for history and the legends of this area. He told me stories as I grew up about the Grimms Bridge Area and I have spent several years trying to find some evidence that they were true. As legends go, sometimes that is impossible. Especially when the stories took place over 100 years ago. He told the tales of The Captain and The Lady involving a Canal Boat Captain and a rich merchants daughter. He also talked of a young girl who went missing from the Grimms Bridge area. She was last seen on her horse crossing Grimms Bridge. A few days later, her horses head was found, but she was never seen again. He called her the Lost Girl. Those tales captivated my imagination for years and I credit them with my love for local history now.
Roger Frazier was a wonder, kind, generous man and everyone who met him loved him. He is at rest in Columbiana County Memorial Cemetery on the right side of the cross looking down. His view is awesome! He had 2 kids, 6 grand kids, and now, three great grand kids. We truly loved him and he is greatly missed!

DECEMBER 1, 1974 TWA CRASH 514 TAKES LOCAL WOMAN'S LIFE

2011-12-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

You hear about big tragedies all the time in the news. One of the scariest is when an air plane crashes. On Dec. 1, 1974 TWA flight 514 crashed into the side of a mountain, killing 85 passengers and 7 crew. One of those passengers was Marlene Jackson, a native of Wellsville. She is now at rest at Spring Hill Cemetery.

The crash also exposed a secret government facility. This facility was only about 1 and a half minutes away from the crash site and was described as a classified underground complex designed to serve as a headquarters for high government officials in the event of nuclear war.

"Completed in 1958, the underground bunker includes a hospital, crematorium, dining and recreation areas, sleeping quarters, reservoirs of drinking and cooling water, an emergency power plant, and a radio and television studio which is part of the Emergency Broadcasting System. A series of side-tunnels accommodate a total of 20 office buildings, some of which are three stories tall. "

For more information about this please see this web site:

http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=565

For more details about both crash site
pictures:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TWA_514_1s.jpg

These photos are from the crash site about 1 year later. This first one is sheared off trees where the plane went through.

This rock outcrop is where the plane
struck ground.

There are no words to describe a horrible disaster like this and no way to guess what those involved on this flight and afterward, had to endure. Details of the aftermath are hard to read and I chose not to write about them here. My heart goes out to the victims of this flight, their families, the rescuers, and everyone else involved.

A Brief Moment On This Earth

2011-12-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

You can find this grave marker in Spring Grove Cemetery. One of my top 5 favorites, it is in the Indigent Baby Section. Most infants that were still born or died shortly after birth, don't even get first names. Most do not have markers. In my research of the area cemeteries, I keep finding little notes beside names about how they died. For some reason, Spring Grove notes have a little more detail about the babies who reside there.
Keener, Infant of Dan Lived 30 minutes. April 4, 1957
Kennedy- Infant daughter of Lester. Lived 10 hours. September 11, 1943
Margaret Ruth Kincaid- Lived one hour Feb 1, 1940.
Notations like these break my heart. Sometimes, these messages are all there is to let us know these little lives were here, even for a moment. I am working on a whole list of baby moments I hope to have published on here in early spring. It takes time to find them, but when I do it is like finding a part of history- a moment in time long forgotten.

Jacob Grimm-Namesake for Grimms Bridge in Calcutta

2011-12-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Grave stone of Jacob Grimm
located at Longs
Run Church Cemetery.

Did you ever wonder where Grimm's Bridge along Beaver Creek got its name? I did. I always assumed it was named after some one who lived along the creek in that area. That is partially correct.

Jacob Grimm was born in 1752 in Germany. During the time of the revolutionary war he joined an elite fighting group called Hessans. Similar to a Mercenary, these men fought for the British, at least at the beginning, and were paid for their trouble. Jacob however loved America. He was not in this country long when he deserted his Hessan troupe and fought with George Washington himself again the British.

My first thought when I heard this was of the movie Sleepy Hollow. In that movie the Headless Horseman started out as a Hessan fighter who filed his teeth to points as an added fright to his enemies. According to the movie, during a battle, this demon had his head blown off by a cannon.

Played by Christopher Walken in the movie, this is what I thought of when I read that Jacob was a Hessan.

I have since did some homework though and below is what a real Hessan Soldier looked like.

They had a similar fighting technique to that of the Americans, who learned theirs from the Native Americans. Once America realized how formidable the Hessans were, they started offering them money or land to fight on our side. The standard payment was 50 to 800 acres of land, depending on their rank, for switching sides.

Jacob was awarded his land after the war and he chose this area. He was greatly involved with the first paper mill in the area and helped to print the first McGuffey Readers as well. Grimms Bridge was named after Jacob Grimm, a Revolutionary War Veteran and pioneer of the state of Ohio. He is buried in Longs Run Church Cemetery, along with a couple other generations of the Grimm Family.

Goldie Bell Taylor

2011-12-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

Goldie Bell Taylor is perhaps the most well known historical character in Columbiana County. Born in August of 1884, she was a twin. Her sister, Lena Leota, died a few days after birth. Goldie was very healthy though and her parents, Jacob and Lizzie Taylor loved her dearly. At the age of two, Jacob was making Elderberry Juice in a cast iron pot. He took the pot outside to cool so he could clean it and went back in to continue canning. Goldie could not resist the sweet juice remaining in the pot, so she scraped what she could from the sides to eat. Cast iron was different back then and every bite she took of the juice had little flecks of iron in it. Goldie died a few short days later of Iron Poisoning. Her mother, Lizzie, blamed her father Jacob, but not as much as Jacob blamed himself. Lizzie left him and they were divorced. She would go on to have 11 more sets of twins, though most of them were either still born or died shortly after birth.
Jacob decided to have this grave marker made to mark his little daughters final resting place. He sent a picture of her to Italy, where sculptors could be found to make his daughters likeness in marble. It cost $2000 to have the statue made. It cost another $2000 to have it shipped home. Jacob, who owned a large farm in the Sebring area (where the Sebring Mansion is now located) sold most of it to the Sebring family.

That is how the town of Sebring came to be.

I would love to have seen this statue when it
was first done. This statue is so detailed, despite
the weathering of over 100 years and vandals
knocking off her feet and head.

From the day Goldie was put to rest in Hope Cemetery, her father Jacob took fresh flowers to her grave every day. He rode a horse 17 miles one way to lay them at her grave and did that for 10 years. Jacob died in 1896 and was buried beside his little girls.
That is where the legend begins for Goldie Bell's statue. Even after her father's death, the flowers kept coming to Goldie's grave. No one has been able to catch who does it. The most mysterious thing to have happened is when the flowers changed in Goldie's marble hands in the winter and there were no foot prints leading to or away from her marker.

Lena Leota was Goldie's twin
sister who died just a few days
after birth. Goldie and Lena
were the first of 12 sets of
twins their mother, Lizzie, would
have in her lifetime.

A few years back there was some vandalism in Hope Cemetery and Goldie's head was knocked off, as well as her feet. The feet were never recovered.

Goldie sits quietly near the front entrance to Hope Cemetery, near the mausoleums. A visit here is highly

I have seen many different
flowers resting in Goldie's lap.

recommended and worth a moment of your time.

The stone directly below Goldie's
marker is that of her father, Jacob.

Bowman Cemetery-Elkrun Township

2011-12-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

This bridge is ancient. It is a steel and truss bridge
and I have seen pics of bridges made like this
that date to the late 1700s. The road it sits on has been
abandoned for decades.

Bowman Cemetery is out in the middle of nowhere. Literally. Located on Lusk Lock Road, there are no houses around it and no church on the grounds. There is not a lot of accurate history about it, but a lot of legend nearly drowns it.
From a historical point of view it is vastly interesting. Small (only 6 rows) and surrounded by woods on all sides, it is an inactive cemetery.

Bowmans is well known for the wooden crosses that mark many of the graves located there. The crosses themselves are unmarked. No one knows who put them there.

The road leading back to Bowmans is dirt and actually
very pretty in a country, rustic sort of way.

It is understandable that there are ghostly legends about this isolated little graveyard. It is said to be haunted by a witch. Accused of killing children, this woman was hanged by a tree somewhere in the woods surrounding the cemetery and buried beneath it. Legend says she is angry that she was not buried on Hallowed Ground.

It is a popular haunt for ghost hunters to visit. There are also veterans buried there, as well as many children.

Cool Springs Cemetery-AKA Devils Den

2011-12-01T21:17:00.000-08:00

Cool Springs Cemetery started out as a Quaker Cemetery in its early years. It may have been used as early as 1805. A church was built on the grounds in 1808 and the cemetery was already there. There are as many at 300 buriels in the field, but Quakers only marked their graves with field stones. After 1828 it served as a meeting house for the town of Cool Springs(which later became Unionville. Neither of these towns exist today). It was used especially for Anti-Slavery gatherings. The Log Church was replaced with a Frame Church in about 1835 and by 1859 that became Union Church. The cemetery was refered to as Union Cemetery on many maps. The church was used until the early 1900s. By 1910 the church building was moved off the lot all together. Union Cemetery fell into disuse and the field where the church once stood was farmed for a while.

In 1941 a new interest began in the little cemetery and a committee was formed. The rock with Cool Springs written on it was placed on the lot and it has been known as Cool Springs Cemetery ever since.

Why then is it also refered to as Devils Den? Folklore abounds as to why it is called that. In more recent years there are stories of red fire being seen erupting from the woods beside the cemetery as well as it being a place of worship for a coven of witches (pretty common story for many cemeteries in this area. Hmmm....)
Simpler stories suggest it got that name because of the fiery sermons and debates about Slavery in the 1800's. When it became the Union Cemetery and Church, it was open to all faiths to come and worship. This did not sit well with some of the more rigid members of the church and it may have gotten its name from that as well.
When I visited it earlier this year, all I saw was a beautiful little cemetery that is active(still used as a cemetery today. Not active in ghosts, that I know of, yet....). It has some beautiful grave markers left in memory of the residents there and was very pleasant to walk around in. I look forward to going back some day, not that I know some of the history. It is located on Crestview Road and well worth a moment of your time

Kimberly Ann Hanlon

2011-11-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

Kimberly Ann Hanlon was born in 1957. She was raised in the East Liverpool area and went to school both there and in Hancock County. She went missing in 1984 down in Florida. In 1988, her body was discovered in a freezer in Tampa. The murderer was James Warren Bailey. Two teenagers discovered her. Their mother was Bailey's live in girlfriend. For years they were warned never to touch the freezer in the garage with the pad lock on it. Finally they decided to take a peek inside after over 3 years of curiosity.
Bailey accused Kimberly of steeling from him and murdered her. He then dismembered her and put her in his freezer in 1984.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1988-07-17/news/0050330193_1_freezer-benito-additional-charges
I am still working on this story, but I managed to find this article in a Florida paper. I checked the Evening Review for Aug of 1988, but so far have found no reference to what happened to her murderer and there is nothing else I can find in the Orlando Sentinel.
I like her gravestone because it isn't just her name. It gives you some little part of her life that lets you know her life meant something to someone. Her nickname was "Sunshine". As you walk away from her grave, you wonder about her life and why she was called that. She must have been wonderful to have such an awesome nickname. At this point the only other legacy she has is the brutal manner of her death. I truly hope the one who murdered her went to jail and has never gotten out. If you know the ending to Kimberly's story, please let me know. ghosting12@yahoo.com
Her family truly has my heart felt prayers.
Kimberly is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery.

Charles Miller-A Salem Policeman Who Gave His Life Protecting His Town

2011-11-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

Charles Miller was a Policeman in Salem in the early 1900's. On April 8, 1908(the date on his gravestone is wrong) Officer Miller was shot and killed at the Pennsylvania Railroad Depot by an unknown burglar. Several homes had been burglarized that evening, some while the owners were at home. A man matching the description from an eye witness was seen at the depot and Officer Miller was the first at the scene. The suspect had already boarded the train, so Officer Miller pulled his Billy Club ready to use (that is right. NO GUN!) and went in after the suspect. There was no fight between them and the man seemed to come along quietly. Once on the platform however, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small caliber pistol. He pressed it against Officer Miller's chest and pulled the trigger. Mortally wounded, Officer Miller still tried to raise his club and capture the dangerous burglar. The shots had done their damage and sadly Officer Miller fell. One shot hit his heart and he died in minutes. It is believed the burglar then jumped on a passing freight train and made good his escape. The murderer of Officer Miller was never caught. At the time of his death, Officer Miller had only been married for two weeks. He is laid to rest at Hope Cemetery in Salem, Ohio.

SARAH EVANS BARCUS-1854-1947

2011-11-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

Sarah Evans Barcus was born in 1854. She died in 1947, though no one was left to have her death date inscribed on her stone. Her real life was one of love and caring. She loved dogs and had a cute little terrier that lived with her. She would walk to Salineville, which was near where she lived, to buy groceries. She was well loved by all her knew her. In April of 1947, her house burned to the ground with her inside. With her they found her little terrier. There are many mysteries surrounding her death. Some say her husband was to blame, but as you can see, he died in 1912. Others blame a farm hand who disappeared after the fire and think he robbed her.

G12P crew members Mike, Will, and Briana!

What originally got us interested in this fine lady, was the legend that grew around her death. We were originally told a witchy tale of a young woman who was accused of being a witch in 1888. She had several dogs and kept to herself, which made her seem odd to others. The inhabitants of Salineville went to her home late one night and tied her to her bed. They then put all her dogs in the room with her and locked them in. They set the house on fire and Sadie, as she was known, burned to death. Legend says that if you go to the site of her home, which the foundation is still visible, at midnight, you can hear them scream as they died in the fire. I do not know how the original story became this legend. Here is a link to the Legend of Sadie Barcus, the Salineville Witch we did on YOUTUBE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC4FpIKsJic
We uncovered her real story last year, not surprised to find a real person connected to the center of the story. Sarah is at rest in Woodland Cemetery, in Salineville, Ohio.

LIttle George Beaver Jr Drowned At 5 Years Old in 1909

2011-11-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

Little George was playing with his 3 year old brother at the end of the Shanty Boat that they lived in on April 21, 1909. Somehow he fell into the still icy waters of the Ohio River at the foot of Union Street. He went under in seconds and never came up. His father, grief stricken beyond words, worked all night to recover his sons body. When he finally did, at 8:30 am the next morning, he collapsed and finally let himself cry, to the point of being inconsolable.

He and his little family were just getting ready to move from the Shanty Boat to a house in Chester. Little George never made it. He is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery.

The Tweed/Morris Murders of 1973

2011-11-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

On July 30, 1973, there was a tragedy so horrific it will never be forgotten in East Liverpool. It all starts with the National
Furniture Store, once located on Dresden Avenue. It was owned by a wonderful man named Earl Tweed. He was kind and generous to all. He helped families with everything from used furniture to food, to skipping rent payments so they could catch up. The last time anyone talked to him it was 12:25 pm on July 30. He talked to his wife and then proceeded to fix his lunch, a turkey sandwich. He never got it eat it. Somewhere around 12:30 or so, Linda and Angela Morris walked into his store, hoping he had an apartment or house to rent for their growing family. Her husband, Lou, had just started a job working for the city and they were staying with family until they could find their own place.
It is believed they walked in on Earl being robbed and murdered. Not wanting to leave any witnesses, whoever stabbed Mr. Tweed to death, beat both Linda and Angela to death, using tools like a hammer. At 12:55 pm, their bodies were discovered by a woman entering the store.

Little Angela, who was only 4, was still alive, but died an hour later in the hospital. Linda was 4 months pregnant at the time of her death. Earl was stabbed 27 times. Despite a valiant effort by the East Liverpool Police, that goes on to this day, the murderer was never found.

This is the store that the triple murder (quadruple had Linda been 6 months pregnant instead of 4) occurred. It is now closed and used for a storage building by Pioneer Pottery.

Earl was 72 years old. He is laid to rest at Riverview Cemetery. Linda and Angela are at Spring Grove Cemetery.

While Lou had gone on with his life, when he died in August of 2010 of cancer, he was cremated and buried on top of his little family in Spring Grove.

Billy Amos-A Legend That Turned Out To Be Based In Truth

2011-11-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite legends from Columbiana County is the story of Little Billy Amos. He was born in 1919 and died nearly 7 years later in 1925 of a congenital heart defect. Living across the street from Spring Grove Cemetery in East Liverpool, his parents had him buried there. For years after his death people claimed to see him playing in the cemetery. Many felt he was playing hide and seek among the stones. Others claimed to have seen him trying to cross the street to go home.

For years it was felt that he haunted Spring Grove. In 1954, his mother Agnes, died. Sadly, they are not buried near each other. However, after her death, no one saw little Billy again. Many believe that when she died, the first thing she did was go and get her little son.

I first read about this story on the Internet and wrote about it on my other web site. I was surprised to receive an email from a lady named Paulette Boley who said she was related to him and that he was once a real living person. She sent me a picture of his family also and told me where to find his grave and that of his parents. Billy was here and deserves to be remembered.

Elizabeth and Harold Sharp-Grandview Cemetery

2011-11-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

Death is always sad, though few are sadder than this story. G. Very and Elizabeth Sharp had a son in 1894. They named him Harold. Not long after he was born however, they realized he was ill. He would have seizures every day. They were so bad that it affected his growth and speech. Initially, Elizabeth took it in stride and always had hope that he would get better. She made sure he had the best food, best clothes, and loved him with all her heart. She would sing to him every night, and sometimes he would sing with her. By the time Harold reached the age of 14, Elizabeth realized he would never get better. If anything, he was worse. It broke her heart that he would never be normal. On the evening of June 7, 1909, the two retired like usual. They were heard singing and all seemed well. But some time in the night, Elizabeth took a small caliber pistol, wrapped it in bed clothes and shot her son twice. Once in the heart and once behind the right ear. She then returned to her own bed and put the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. She simply could not deal any longer with watching her son struggle to live every day. Yet she could not live with out him. They are buried at Grandview Cemetery in Salem, Ohio.

Stories Not In Stone

2011-11-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

Goldie Bell Taylor resides in Hope Cemetery in Salem, Ohio.

People are buried in cemeteries. People who once loved, worked, played, built, learned, grieved, hated, smiled, lived. Sometimes the only way you know they were even here is through their grave marker. And sometimes, they don't even have that. This blog is dedicated to everyone who has passed on. They ALL have a story, whether their grave is marked or not. They were here and deserve to have their moments of life and breath remembered. Every one from the very old to the minutes old have a story to tell. I am out there looking. If you know someone who's story you would like told, please email me! ghosting12@yahoo.com

The stories will come from any cemetery I can find in my area (Columbiana County, Beaver County, and Hancock County). Large or small, it does not matter.For now this is a work in progress but I have a lot of plans for it, so please keep checking back. It will become more organized as it gets older. I also have another blog. http://www.ghosting12.com/ It is full of ghost stories from Columbiana County and the surrounding area. Looking for stories for it, too!!