After a number of twists and turns,
the story of this cemetery has been worth the wait.
One of the questions that needed to be answered was given the fact that the property for the Cemetery was not purchased until 1859, where did all the people come from that died prior to that time. An example, is that of Smith Towner who was not famous or infamous but a farmer who lived in Independence and passed away on August 11, 1833 and is buried in the cemetery. He has a beautiful old stone pictured below. The inscription is now nearly unreadable:
The inscription reads:
In memory of Smith Towner
who died August 11th, A.D. 1833
Great god I own my Sentence Just
And nature must decay
I yield my body to the dust
To dwell with fellow Clay
As you are now so once was I
Prepare for Death for you must die
To Dwell With Fellow Clay: The Story of the East Cleveland Township Cemetery, written by Nancy Fogel West is available for purchase, please follow the link to the order form.
Additional Historical Links:
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The following link will take you to a short story about life in the City of East Cleveland written in 1896. |
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The following link will take you to information on the Collinwood School Fire in 1908. |
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The following link will take you to information on the Hezekiah Ford Family. |