© 2003 - 2007 by Leona L. Gustafson


Mennonite Cemetery
Madison Township,
Franklin County, Ohio

Mennonite Church Cemetery, Madison Township, Franklin County, OH

Gravestone Photographs

A brief history:

The Mennonite Church. Beginning about 1843 meetings were held at the residence of George Hoffman (father of Mrs. David Martin), and Abraham Lehman, who were among the first members of this society. Under date of March 6, 1850, Mr. Hoffman deeded a lot to the congregation and a frame meeting house was soon after erected. This building was located about 200 yards east of the Hibernia road, on the north side of the Columbus and Winchester pike; services were held here regularly until the summer of 1898. On September 15, 1898, the land was sold at auction to Dr. L. W. Beery, and the building to Jones Alspach, who removed it to the west end of his residence. A new meeting house was erected on the farm of Benoni Stemen, in Violet township, Fairfield county, in 1890, and services are now held there. Rev. John Good was the first pastor and John Brenneman the first resident preacher. Jacob Bowman, David Martin, and Noah Brenneman have been been chosen from among the members as resident preachers; the two latter serving at the present time. The following was a list of members in 1897: David and Barbara Martin (a daughter of George Hoffman), Noah and Elizabeth Brenneman, Henry and Martha Stemen, Benoni and Catherine Stemen, Abraham and Mary Lehman, Mrs. Elizabeth Good (a sister of Abraham Lehman and a daughter of Abraham Lehman, Sr.), Elizabeth Smith, Elizabeth Strohm, Mrs. Hannah Beery, Lydia Stemen, Martin Stemen and Rachel Stemen.--Geo. F. Baries, History of Madison Township, Canal Winchester and Groveport (1902), pages pages. 396-398, transcribed for this page by Lisa Evans.

The cemetery is all that remains to remind us that there was once a church nearby and a Mennonite community who worshiped there.  In 2003 James Hummel, a member of Boy Scout Troop #103 in Canal Winchester, and other members of the troop, did a complete cleanup, weed removal, fence repair and painting, and put up the new sign as part of their Eagle Scout project.  Since then the cemetery has been well kept by the township trustees.  It has been the final resting place of some buried here since 1845 when the cemetery was established.  At least four Civil War veterans are buried here along with members of their families.  This cemetery is located on the west side of busy Gender Road just south of Lehman Road (about three tenths of a mile north of Winchester Pike).

This page contains a complete photographic inventory of all remaining stones.  In some instances information was taken from the 1981 reading done by members of the Franklin County Chapter Ohio Genealogical Society and published in Franklin County, Ohio Cemeteries; Madison Township, volume 2 of 11 volumes (Columbus 1981), pages 45-46.  That information is enclosed in brackets ( [ ] ); information enclosed in parenthesis is a "best guess" on my part.

A few of the stones were inscribed in German; I translated the information for use here.  Those with the surname Hare were undoubtedly related to those with the surname Herr.  Hare is an anglisized pronunciation and spelling of the German surname Herr.

Aerial Photo of Cemetery,
Spring 2004

Headstones: | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V |W | X | Y | Z | Unknown | HOME

(Click on the underlined name to view the photograph)

  • Dill
    • Infant, (dau) of J.K. & C., died Apr 12, 1874
    • Infant of J.K. & C., born & died Oct 9, 1879
  • Detwiler
    • Anna, wife of Samuel, died oct 24, 1863, aged 25 years 10 ms & 24 d
    • Elizabeth, wife of Samuel, died Jan 20, 1854, aged 49 years 5 mon & 13 days
    • Isaas [Isaac], son of Samuel and Elizabeth, was killed at the Battle of Stone River Tennessee, Dec 31, 1862, aged 21 years 1 m and 26 ds
    • Samuel, died May 1, 1874, aged 77 7ears & 8 months
  • Dochterman
    • Jacob, son of J. & M. --- (Appears in 1981 list, but no stone found)
    • Jacob, died April 10, 1877, aged 72 ys 7 ms & 5 ds
    • Magdelena, wife of Jacob, died Dec 24, 1862, aged 59 y 5 m 25 d (Appears in 1981 list, but no stone found)
    • Mary, wife of Levi, died June 10, 1873, aged 40 yrs 2 ms & 6 ds
  • Good
    • Elizabeth, wife of John, died Sept 21, 1897, aged 72 y 27 d
    • John, June 28, 1817-August 16, 1862, aged 44 years 8 mon & 8 days
    • John, son of John & Elizabeth, died Febr 6, 1866, aged 12 years 4 mon [19 days]
    • Rebecca, daughter of John & Elizabeth, died (March) 22, 1852
  • Gusinger, Andrew J., 1855-1917; Malinda Z., 1862-1944; and Vernon A., 1894-1912
  • Hare
    • David, died May 11, 1882, aged 31 y 7 m 17 d
    • John, 1836-1924
    • Samuel, Sr, died Jan 16, 1876, aged 66 y 11 m 27 d (Civil War veteran)
    • Christian, Aug 22, 1814-Mar 21, 1887 and Barbara, his wife, Oct 18, 1919-Sept 13, 1892
  • Herr
    • Christina, wife of Samuel, died 21 Mar 1858, aged 48 years 2 months & 18 days
    • Samuel, Jr, son of S. & C., died 8 Dec 1869, aged 29 years 5 months 13 days
      • Note:  It seems much more likely that this Samuel is the Civil War veteran; he is buried next to Samuel Hare, Sr.
  • Hoffman
    • Adda, wife of George, died Jan 21, 1845, aged 42 years 6 mo & 19 days
    • Barbara, wife of Henry, died May 20, 1855, aged 24 years [9 mo 2 days]
    • George, died Aug 19, 1857, aged 54 years, 8 mo 19 days
  • Horning, Catharine, daughter of Jacob & Anna, died July 23, 1854, aged 14 days
  • Horst, [Su]sanah, dau of [D]avid & Mary, died [Dec --], 1848, aged 4 weeks, 4 ds
  • Hurst, Henry M., son of David & Mary E., died April 12, 1848, aged 10 mo, & 2 days
  • Leady
    • Eliza, wife of J., died Dec 27, 1869, aged 54 years 9 ms & 12 ds
    • John, died Jan 11, 1881, aged 79 y 11 m, 23 d
  • Lehman
    • Abraham, died Oct 22, 1868 (Appears in 1981 list, but no stone found)
    • Catharine, wife of A., died Oct 24, 1878, aged 71 years, 11 m & 28 d
    • Ida E., dau of Jacob S. & E___ B., died Feb 6, 1865, aged [3 yrs] 3 mos & 7 ds
  • Leidy, Jno., CO F, 1ST OHIO CAV
  • Martin
    • David, 1829-1927
    • Elizabeth, 1835-1888
    • John, son of David & Elizabeth, died April 23, 1863, aged 9 mon and 9 days
  • Nicklas
    • John, son of P & K, died Mar 4, 1852 [aged 11 months]
    • Peter, died Sept 8, 1851 [rest broken]
  • Shuman, Allas, dau of J & M, died [Feb 14, 18--]
  • Smith, Infant, son of A.R. & Leah, died Oct 12, 1887
  • Steman
    • Father, Benoni, Mar 30, 1833-Aug 17, 1909, aged 76 y 4 m 17 d and Mother, Catharine, Nov 3, 1837-July 4, 1907, aged 69 y 9 m 1 d (Whole stone)
    • Catharine, wife of Nicholas, born in the State of Pa in the year 1802, came to Fairfield Co. O. in the year 1816, died May 2, 1877, aged 75 y 13 d; and Nicholas, born in the State of Pa in the year 1902 came to Fairfield Co. O. in the year 1803, died Dec 22, 1878, aged 76 y 7 m 11 d
    • George, 1857-1931
    • Henry, Mar 8, 1823-Dec 13, 1914 and Martha, his wife, May 2, 1824-Mar 25, 1900
    • Lydia, Dec 29, 1829-Jan 2, 1908, aged 78 y 4 d (Whole stone)
    • Nicholas, died Fev 17, 1896, aged 67 y 1 m 6 d (Whole stone)
  • Strawn
  • Strohm
    • Catharine, wife of J., died Aug 16, 1888, aged 84 y 10 m 2 d
    • Jacob C., son of H. B. & E., died Nov 11, 1878, aged 5 Y 3 M & 10 d
  • Strom, H. B. (Henry B.), CO F, 159TH OHIO INF
  • Strome
  • [Vandemark], Infant dau of G.G. & M.J., died May 18, 18[7]5
  • Unknown

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