A cemetery was laid out

A cemetery was laid out, containing about one-half acre of land, by Francis Olmsted and Jonathan Noble, along the division line of their farms, each giving one-half, one-third mile south from Blendon 4 Corners, on the east side of the road. ... This cemetery not having been used by the people generally, the remains of the bodies were removed to the Old Church Pioneer Cemetery, in the center of Blendon township, in October, 1902, and there given a prominent position. In some of the graves, where the bodies had lain for fifty years, there were only small particles left, but in every grave there was some evidence. [1]

The graves that were moved to what is now known as Blendon Central Cemetery include those of Francis Olmsted (d. 1828) and Jonathan Noble (d. 1832), who donated the land to establish the original cemetery. Today the gravestones stand as handsome examples of 19th century tablet markers found in central Ohio. The Noble gravestone features the familiar prepare-for-death epitaph.

FRANCIS OLMSTED,
died January 21, 1828;
in the 68 year of his age.

JONATHAN NOBLE,
died March 28, 1832;
in the 57, year of his age.
Behold and see as you pass by,
As you are now so once was I,
As I am now so you must be,
Prepare for death and follow me.

---

Blendon Central Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

[1] Phelps, H. Warren. (1903). First Settlement of Blendon Township, Franklin County, Ohio. The “Old Northwest” Genealogical Quarterly, 6, 40–41.

Two columns—of text, that is

The marker at the grave of three Smothers infants has no intricate carvings, but it caught my eye immediately. It is wider than normal, but rather than being a double (triple?) gravestone with somewhat matching side-by-side inscriptions, it strikes me as a simple tablet gravestone with a two-column inscription.

And of course now that the idea is in my head, I will forever think of this gravestone as the two-column gravestone—text, not architectural columns.

In
Memory of

George son of John & Rosa Linda SMOTHERs DIED dec. 11, 1826, aged 5 weeks.

Also, two Infant sons the first of which died in the year 1831. second, in the year 1833.

The sweet epitaph, a popular one for infants and children during this time period, is from the hymn “Thy Life I Read” by Samuel Stennett (b. 1727, d. 1795).

I take these little Lambs saith he
And lay them in my breast
Protection they shall find in me
In me be ever blessed.

Red Bank Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio

“Our darling boy”

A popular gravestone motif is the broken column, an obvious symbol for a life cut short. Often a wreath is draped on the broken column to represent victory in death.

The white marble marker at the grave of Simon Craig McDannald (d. 1863) caught my eye because it is a broken obelisk with wreath—and because it marks the grave of a child. Young Simon’s gravestone seems unusually adult-like, except for its small size and the touching inscription, “Our darling boy.”

SIMON CRAIG
son of
A.C. & P.O.
M^cDANNALD.
DIED
Mar. 9, 1863,
AGED
6 Yrs. 4 Mo.
The epitaph is on the back of the stone:

The joys of earth to
us are blight[f]ul since
thou left us for thy
Heavenly home.

Blendon Central Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Epitaph: Happy soul thy days are ended

Hymns were a popular source for epitaphs—in 19th century Ohio and elsewhere. Find a poetic epitaph? It just might be a verse from a hymn.

The epitaph for Samuel McDannald (b. 1787, d. 1844) is taken from a hymn written by 18th century hymnist Charles Wesley.

SAMUEL
M^cDANNALD.
was born March 12th.
1787,
and died March 17th.
1844,
aged 57y. & 5d.
Happy soul thy days are ended
All thy mourning days below,
Go by angel bands attended,
To thy blessed Jesus go.

Blendon Central Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio

Wednesday’s child: Mary Noble

The simple tablet marker for Mary Noble features a beautifully carved willow tree. This popular symbol for sadness and mourning is an apt choice for the gravestone of a young girl who died when she was only 12 years old.

MARY
daughter of
Jonathan & Hannah
NOBLE.
died Jan. 27, 1839;
aged 12 ys.

Blendon Central Cemetery, Franklin County, Ohio