Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery Lebanon Ohio

Warren County Genealogical Society
Warren County, Ohio
Chapter of Ohio Genealogical Society

Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery
Turtlecreek Township

(513) 695-1144

406 Justice Drive, Lebanon, Ohio 45036
Hours: 9 AM-4 PM Monday through Friday
Driving Directions

wcgs@co.warren.oh.us

Alphabetical Surname Index Cemetery Description Virtual Cemetery Cemetery Main Page

This online index only lists the individual, death date (if known) and reference page. We are creating a master index of everyone who is buried in this county and their burial location to aid researchers. We are especially in need of people buried here who have no stones or whose stones no longer exist. If you have any of this information or if you have additional information for anyone who is buried in this cemetery, please email the Warren County Genealogical Society.

Cemetery Description

Cemetery Name

Lebanon Pioneer

Variant Name(s) Pioneer Cemetery, Old Baptist Graveyard, Old Methodist Graveyard, [This was NOT the Old Presbyterian Graveyard]

Township
Turtlecreek

Status
Inactive

First Known Burial
1799

General Condition
Highly Maintained

Tombstone Condition
Good

OGS Cemetery #
12292

Location:
City block in Lebanon, Ohio bounded by Main St, West St, Mulberry St. and Harrison St. Located at the NE corner of West Main Street and West Street in Lebanon.

Coordinates:
39° 26' 3.57" N, 84° 12' 53" W

STR/ VMD
Section 6, Township 4E, Range 3N

Property Account:
6141447

Parcel ID:
12064650060

Map:
GIS Map of Location Plat Map Township Map

Cemetery History

From Beer's History of Warren County, Ohio, pages 471-477:

"The first burials of the early settlers of Turtle Creek Township were made in the graveyards connected with the two earliest churches. There was a graveyard connected with the Turtle Creek Presbyterian Church at Bedle’s Station, and one connected with the Turtle Creek Baptist Church east of Lebanon. Other old burying-grounds were established, generally in connection with a church, but occasionally a lonely grave was to be seen in the forest, or a family place of burial on some neglected hillside.

On the 7th of September, 1806, Jonathan Tichenor and Abner Smith, as Trustees of the Presbyterian Church at Lebanon, in consideration of $40, purchased of John Shaw a lot, which is now in the western part of Lebanon, for a graveyard, and is known as the Old Presbyterian Graveyard. This is the oldest graveyard at Lebanon. It is much older than the date of the deed to the Presbyterian society would indicate, as it is known that it was used as a place of burial as early as 1799. There are no inscriptions upon the tombstones marking the earliest graves. Capt. Robert Benham was buried here, but there is no inscription upon his tombstone. The grounds have long been neglected, and are grown up with weeds and briers. Many remains interred here have been removed to the Lebanon Cemetery. Among the names of well-known families of Warren County, the following are found on the tombstones in this yard: Beller, Ferguson, James, Randolph, Dill, Perlee, Dunlap, Halsey, Monfort, Miller, Blackburn, Beedle, Braden Bone, Brown, Liddell, Krewson, Cowan, Perrine, Tharp, Goodwin, McCrary, Dunham, Crane and Benham.

About 1811, the Baptists removed their church from the site east of Lebanon to a lot in the western part of the town, as since enlarged. The churchyard from that time was used as a burying-ground, and is still known as the Old Baptist Graveyard. Here are the graves of Judge Francis Dunlevy, Elder Daniel Clark, Judge Joshua Collett, Judge Matthias Corwin (the father of Gov. Corwin), and Keziah Corwin (grandmother of the Governor). In this yard was buried a daughter of Henry Clay, the inscription upon whose tombstone is as follows: "In memory of Eliza H. Clay, daughter of Henry and Lucretia Clay, who died on the 11th day of August, 1825, aged twelve years, during a journey from their residence at Lexington, in Kentucky, to Washington City. Cut off in the bloom of a promising life, here parents have erected this monument, consoling themselves with the belief that she now abides in heaven."

What is known as the Methodist Graveyard, which adjoins the Baptist burying-ground on the south, does not seem to have been used as such until about 1820. There is now no line marking the boundary between the two yards, both being within the same enclosure, and the whole comprises a square within the corporate limits of Lebanon. Although some of the remains have been removed to the new cemetery, the grounds are still kept in good preservation, and no steps have as yet been taken for their abandonment as graveyards.
Note: Most of those named were born prior to 1800. Some of the tombstones marking the graves of the pioneers have fallen down, and on others the inscriptions are almost illegible. Many graves are marked by rough stones, without any inscription. In a few instances, the date of death and age have been ascertained from other sources than the tombstones.

The square occupied by the old Baptist and the old Methodist graveyards remains as a cemetery now called the "Pioneer Cemetery". The square does not contain the old Presbyterian graveyard which no longer exists. The grounds of the old Presbyterian graveyard are now occupied by an automobile dealership.
The Old Baptist section contains Revolutionary War veteran Francis Dunlevy and War of 1812 veterans David Sutton and Levi Woodward

Cemetery Transcriptions

D.A.R. TURTLECREEK CHAPTER: Early Vital Records, Volume 5 pp. 1-17

Beers History: p. 457-477 (Pages 475 through page 477 of the Beers History of Warren County contains 3 individual listings of burials in the old Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian Graveyards. These 3 listings have been transcribed by John L. Cowan, Ph.D., of Baltimore, MD, into a single table identified as PIONEER CEMETERY IN LEBANON, OHIO)

WARREN COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: Vol 7 Old Cemeteries in six townships, pages 457-473
On 29 July 2007, Dot Maruscik started photographing all extant gravestones for the Warren County Virtual Cemetery Project. These photos will be used to update our cemetery books. The photos are also being added to the Warren Co OHGenWeb Project.

Gravestone Images

Gravestone photos for the Warren County, Ohio Virtual Cemetery Project are being posted to the Warren County OHGenWeb Project
To view images ===> Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery
Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Clinic, Lebanon

To submit images ==> email to Arne H. Trelvik at atrelvik@gmail.com [please send high resolution digital images if available]

Alphabetical Index

Clicking on the below link will redirect you to our virtual cemetery project.
To return to the WCGS site please use your back browser.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z [no surname]

Cemetery Name	Lebanon Pioneer
Variant Name(s)	Pioneer Cemetery, Old Baptist Graveyard, Old Methodist Graveyard, *[This was NOT the Old Presbyterian Graveyard]*
Township	Turtlecreek
Status	Inactive
First Known Burial	1799
General Condition	Highly Maintained
Tombstone Condition	Good
OGS Cemetery #	12292
Location:	City block in Lebanon, Ohio bounded by Main St, West St, Mulberry St. and Harrison St. Located at the NE corner of West Main Street and West Street in Lebanon.
Coordinates:	39° 26' 3.57" N, 84° 12' 53" W
STR/ VMD	Section 6, Township 4E, Range 3N
Property Account:	6141447
Parcel ID:	12064650060
Map:	GIS Map of Location Plat Map Township Map
Cemetery History	From Beer's History of Warren County, Ohio, pages 471-477: "The first burials of the early settlers of Turtle Creek Township were made in the graveyards connected with the two earliest churches. There was a graveyard connected with the Turtle Creek Presbyterian Church at Bedle’s Station, and one connected with the Turtle Creek Baptist Church east of Lebanon. Other old burying-grounds were established, generally in connection with a church, but occasionally a lonely grave was to be seen in the forest, or a family place of burial on some neglected hillside. On the 7th of September, 1806, Jonathan Tichenor and Abner Smith, as Trustees of the Presbyterian Church at Lebanon, in consideration of $40, purchased of John Shaw a lot, which is now in the western part of Lebanon, for a graveyard, and is known as the Old Presbyterian Graveyard. This is the oldest graveyard at Lebanon. It is much older than the date of the deed to the Presbyterian society would indicate, as it is known that it was used as a place of burial as early as 1799. There are no inscriptions upon the tombstones marking the earliest graves. Capt. Robert Benham was buried here, but there is no inscription upon his tombstone. The grounds have long been neglected, and are grown up with weeds and briers. Many remains interred here have been removed to the Lebanon Cemetery. Among the names of well-known families of Warren County, the following are found on the tombstones in this yard: Beller, Ferguson, James, Randolph, Dill, Perlee, Dunlap, Halsey, Monfort, Miller, Blackburn, Beedle, Braden Bone, Brown, Liddell, Krewson, Cowan, Perrine, Tharp, Goodwin, McCrary, Dunham, Crane and Benham. About 1811, the Baptists removed their church from the site east of Lebanon to a lot in the western part of the town, as since enlarged. The churchyard from that time was used as a burying-ground, and is still known as the Old Baptist Graveyard. Here are the graves of Judge Francis Dunlevy, Elder Daniel Clark, Judge Joshua Collett, Judge Matthias Corwin (the father of Gov. Corwin), and Keziah Corwin (grandmother of the Governor). In this yard was buried a daughter of Henry Clay, the inscription upon whose tombstone is as follows: "In memory of Eliza H. Clay, daughter of Henry and Lucretia Clay, who died on the 11th day of August, 1825, aged twelve years, during a journey from their residence at Lexington, in Kentucky, to Washington City. Cut off in the bloom of a promising life, here parents have erected this monument, consoling themselves with the belief that she now abides in heaven." What is known as the Methodist Graveyard, which adjoins the Baptist burying-ground on the south, does not seem to have been used as such until about 1820. There is now no line marking the boundary between the two yards, both being within the same enclosure, and the whole comprises a square within the corporate limits of Lebanon. Although some of the remains have been removed to the new cemetery, the grounds are still kept in good preservation, and no steps have as yet been taken for their abandonment as graveyards. Note: Most of those named were born prior to 1800. Some of the tombstones marking the graves of the pioneers have fallen down, and on others the inscriptions are almost illegible. Many graves are marked by rough stones, without any inscription. In a few instances, the date of death and age have been ascertained from other sources than the tombstones. The square occupied by the old Baptist and the old Methodist graveyards remains as a cemetery now called the "Pioneer Cemetery". The square does not contain the old Presbyterian graveyard which no longer exists. The grounds of the old Presbyterian graveyard are now occupied by an automobile dealership. The Old Baptist section contains Revolutionary War veteran Francis Dunlevy and War of 1812 veterans David Sutton and Levi Woodward
Cemetery Transcriptions	D.A.R. TURTLECREEK CHAPTER: Early Vital Records, Volume 5 pp. 1-17 Beers History: p. 457-477 (Pages 475 through page 477 of the Beers History of Warren County contains 3 individual listings of burials in the old Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian Graveyards. These 3 listings have been transcribed by John L. Cowan, Ph.D., of Baltimore, MD, into a single table identified as PIONEER CEMETERY IN LEBANON, OHIO) WARREN COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: Vol 7 Old Cemeteries in six townships, pages 457-473 On 29 July 2007, Dot Maruscik started photographing all extant gravestones for the Warren County Virtual Cemetery Project. These photos will be used to update our cemetery books. The photos are also being added to the Warren Co OHGenWeb Project.
Gravestone Images	Gravestone photos for the Warren County, Ohio Virtual Cemetery Project are being posted to the Warren County OHGenWeb Project To view images ===> Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Clinic, Lebanon To submit images ==> email to Arne H. Trelvik at atrelvik@gmail.com [please send high resolution digital images if available]