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Old grave sites remain empty in Claridon
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - April 15, 2009)
Old grave sites remain empty in Claridon
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Unused grave sites at Claridon Center Cemetery are costing Claridon Township.
Jeannette Grosvenor, township cemetery sexton, told Township Trustees Monday that some 359 grave sites, possibly reserved for family members a long time ago, have sat unused and unclaimed since 1949.
Given the cost of a grave site and opening and closing costs, Mrs. Grosvenor said, the township is watching a sum of $57,440 in revenue go by the wayside. She said the amount is "a princely sum to forego on the slim-to-none chance of a future claimant."
Mrs. Grosvenor said the lots only would be used for cremains, not full burials. She said cremains could easily be moved if an heir would appear.
She proposed that trustees pass a resolution to allow empty graves in nine sections of the cemetery to be sold at the prevailing rate for cremains burials.
"If a descendant appears and can give reasonable proof of ownership in a certain lot, a deed shall be issued at no charge," she said.
However, Trustee Mary Briggs said she would be traveling to Columbus to meet with representatives of the Ohio Auditor's Office and also could meet with representatives of the division of cemeteries to discuss the issue.
She said the Ohio Revised Code has clear language spelling out how townships should handle cemeteries, and it would be "prudent" to wait and ask questions before taking action.
Mrs. Grosvenor said she already consulted with the Geauga County Prosecutor's Office on the matter, and there's no need to wait. "I got that information, and I don't care about it," she said of Ms. Briggs' trip to Columbus.
Ms. Briggs said there would be "no fire sale" on the lots before she gets back from the conference, so there's no need to rush the resolution.
Trustee David Brockway asked Mrs. Grosvenor whether the prosecutor's office had reviewed the proposed resolution that was before the board.
Mrs. Grosvenor said she was advised on how to write the resolution but had not seen the final version.
Mr. Brockway said the board should wait until the prosecutor's office could review the final draft of the resolution before passage. He said the review also would give Ms. Briggs time to travel to Columbus and inquire about the board's possible action.
Ms. Grosvenor said part of the problem rests with the record keeping, or lack thereof, since the cemetery came into being. "The records were ridiculous," she said.
The first section of the cemetery was donated to the township by Chester Treat but was not recorded until 1851. She said the first burial on the property was done in 1817.
She said no deeds for grave sites were issued until 1940. Often, she said, the names of those buried were simply "scratched" onto a map of the cemetery and sometimes those graves lacked a headstone.
Mrs. Grosvenor said deed book No. 1 begins with page 12, while pages 1 through 11 are missing.
In many cases, she said, deeds were granted to descendants of those buried there, but it is unlikely that any heir could produce any document or deed to show ownership.
She said new record books now show if there is a deed, and whether a space is reserved or empty, she said.
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