Cemetery Name

Roachester Methodist Cemetery

Township

Status

First Known Burial

General Condition

Tombstone Condition

OGS Cemetery #

Location:

Coordinates:

STR/ VMD

Property Account:

• Property Account: 4813294; Parcel ID: 14313520060 - 1.25 acres

• Property Account: 4810414; Parcel ID: 14313520070 - 0.09 acres twp garage

Parcel ID:

Map:

• Roachester Methodist Cemetery page by Darren Waters
• USGS GNIS National Mapping Information for Roachester Methodist Cemetery (Feature ID 1963105)
• Warren County Auditor Property Summary for
• Property Account #4813294 [Parcel ID 14313520060] for the 1.25 acres occupied as "township cemetery"
• Property Account #4810414 [Parcel ID 14313520070] for the 0.09 acre area occupied by the township garage
• Aerial Map from Windows.Live Local

Cemetery History

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 dry goods stores and groceries, a post office, 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."

Cemetery 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 & Laurie Waters 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 has provided additional photos of the Jabish and Rebecca Phillips gravestones

Gravestone Images

Gravestone photos for the Warren County, Ohio Virtual Cemetery Project are being posted to the Warren County OHGenWeb Project
To view images ===> Roachester
To submit images ==> email to Arne H. Trelvik at atrelvik@gmail.com [please send high resolution digital images if available]