Roachester Methodist Cemetery, Salem Twp, Union Twp, Warren County, Ohio
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Warren County, Ohio Virtual Cemetery Project
a project of the Warren County Genealogical Society a chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
in partnership with the Warren County OHGenWeb Project.


Roachester Methodist Cemetery
Salem Township, Warren County, Ohio

looking east

Index to Available Tombstone Photos
A C D E F G H K M N O P R S T U W [no surname] [missing stones] [Roachester Methodist Cemetery Home page]

This is an inactive cemetery owned and maintained by the Salem Twp trustees. A township garage building is located in the center of the cemetery, with burials on both sides of the structure. It appears that a part of the garage "may be" part of the old Methodist Episcopal Church that was located here as shown on an inset map of Roachester on Warner's 1867 Wall Map of Warren County. From current aerial maps it appears that the eastern portion of the cemetery "may" have been used as the construction site of additional township garage buildings. To the east of these township buildings is the old District #3 schoolhouse that was built in 1875.

from page 666 of Beers 1882 History of Warren County, Ohio
"The Methodist Episcopal Church, in the same village, a one-story brick, was erected prior to the year 1830; upon ground deeded to that congregation by Mahlon Roach. It was one of the early religious societies of Salem Township. It is now a part of the South Lebanon Circuit, and has a membership of forty. The minister in charge is Rev. G. M. Hammell."

and from page 667 of Beers 1882 History of Warren County, Ohio
" Roachester was the first village laid out in the township. The first plat contained forty lots, owned by Mahlon and James Roach, and was recorded October 12, 1816. It became a thriving country village of 800 inhabitants, containing two or three drygoods stores and groceries, a postoffice, three hotels, cabinet, blacksmith, and wagon-making shops, and physicians and lawyers. The following were some of the leading citizens about 1840: Lewis Fairchild, merchant; James Turk, gun smith; Isaac Patterson, cabinet-maker undertaker; Drs. Thacker, Hunt, Starbuck, Leever and Roach, and Dr. James Scott, our present Representative in the Legislature; J. Phillips and S. Parker, blacksmiths; John Harford, shoemaker, and Judge Mickle, Joseph Thacker, and Captain Gilham, hotel-keepers. Roachester was then notorious for its musters. Muster days were not only devoted to instructions in the science of the drill, but to the settlement of all personal difficulties by fisticuffs; and on these occasions blood and whisky flowed freely. After the village of Morrow began to be settled, there was a general exodus of all business to the new village, and Roachester became almost deserted. The ravages of time and fire have destroyed about half of the buildings. The town now contains a population of about 100 inhabitants, two groceries and a blacksmith shop."

We would welcome any additional information that you may have regarding the town, church or cemetery. Email Arne H Trelvik
looking northwest

Location:  
  • From Route 22 & 3, go north on Whitacre Drive (Twp Rd 0277) opposite of where Route 123 turns east off 22 & 3.
  • Cemetery #12288 in "Ohio Cemeteries 1803-2003" by the Ohio Genealogical Society
  • Coordinates: 39° 21' 28"N, 84° 05' 53"W
  • Virginia Military Survey #1494
Links:  
Transcriptions:  
  • D.A.R. Turtlecreek Chapter & Warren County Historical Society (available at the Historical Society Library)
    • Early Vital Records Volume 3, page 53 - 54
    • Early Vital Records Volume 8, page 87 - 88
  • Warren County Genealogical Society
    • Warren County Cemetery Records Volume 6 page 381 - 383 [also see on-line Name Index]
    • Darren Waters & Laurie Taber revisited the cemetery in April & May 2006 for the Warren County Genealogical Society Virtual Cemetery Project and photographed all extant tombstones. The results of their efforts are presented on these pages and will also be incorporated into a future edition of Volume 6. They were able to locate and photograph all but 6 tombstones that had been identified in previous readings of the cemetery. If you have photos of any of the missing tombstones please consider contributing the image to our Virtual Cemetery Project.
    • Tom Luce & Gene Caplinger have provided additional gravestone photos taken at the cemetery.
Variant Names:  
  • Methodist Cemetery

Photographic Records. [Click on the thumbnail images for larger photos]

[To contribute your photos email them in jpg format to Arne Trelvik with any other details that you would like to share]
Inset map of Roachester from Warner's 1867 Wall Map of Warren County. by
Arne H Trelvik
12 May 2006 
Map of Roachester from L. H. Everts 1875 Combination Atlas Map of Warren County Ohio by
Arne H Trelvik
12 May 2006 
Everts 1875 Warren County Atlas shows the location of the District #3 schoolhouse built to the east of the cemetery in 1875. by
Arne H Trelvik
12 May 2006 

Missing Tombstones
The following burials were noted in previous readings of the cemetery but were not found during the 2006 survey by Darren Waters & Laurie Taber. If you have photos of these stones please email a copy of them to Arne H Trelvik
Surname Given Name Born Died Age Other
McFadden Nancy   28 Jun 1871 48-8-8  
  from Darren Waters & Laurie Taber:
"Nancy McFadden---born October 20, 1822---died June 28, 1871"
Gilmore         [family marker with only surname inscribed]
Shourd Jesse   24 Apr 1849 37-2-16  
  from Darren Waters & Laurie Taber:
"Actually Jesse Sheward---born February 08, 1812---died April 24, 1849---Husband of Elizabeth Terwilliger---
Father of 5 sons who all fought in the Civil War and all buried here as well----Mathew, Richard, James, Silas, & Thomas"
Apgar Mary 21 Feb 1815 5 Dec 1892    
Downs James E.   5 Apr 1859 26-1-29  
  from Darren Waters & Laurie Taber:
"James E. Downs----born February 07, 1833----died April 5, 1859"
Fairchild David B.   18 Sep 1864 39-10-23 [WPA Plat Map of Morrow Cemetery lists a Dav. B. Fairchild in Sec 1 Lot 171 Grave 2, Civil War but no stone was found.
The WPA may have confused him with a 17 year old David Bryam Fairchild who died in 1866?]
  from Darren Waters & Laurie Taber:
"Full name David Byron Fairchild, Born October 26, 1824. s/o Lewis Fairchilds & Elizabeth Day
Mil rec shows Byron David; died in the Civil War; Co A, 12th OH Inf Reg then Co C, 23rd OH Inf Reg."

 

WPA Gravestone Registration Project
Map Legend Plat (756 gravesites) List of Veterans
by
Arne H Trelvik
12 May 2006 

The WPA Gravestone Registration Project Veteran List indicates the following civil war veterans are buried in this cemetery but no tombstones were found during the 2006 reading of the cemetery and are not included in previous readings of the cemetery that are available to us.

Surname Given Name Military Service
Lemmon Samuel see service record =>146th O. V. I.
Lemmons William see service record =>146th O. V. I.
Rose J. W.  
Shenard Richard see service record =>146th O. V. I.
Shenard Thomas see service record =>146th O. V. I.
Shumard Silas see service record =>146th O. V. I.

Index to Available Tombstone Photos
A C D E F G H K M N O P R S T U W [no surname] [missing stones] [Roachester Methodist Cemetery Home page]

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This page created 10 May 2006 and last updated 8 March, 2011
© 2006-2008 Arne H Trelvik  All rights reserved