Althaus/Schumacher-cemetery stones in Bluffton, OH
I am not sure what is going on but if any one has info, please let me know. A few days ago, I went to Bluffton, Ohio to look up my genealogy through the cemeteries. My grandparents, Jennie Fox and Ephraim Althaus, are buried in Maple Grove. The other cemetery I planned on visiting, was Ebenezer just about a mile down the road. Most of my family is buried there. Their history, in the cemetery, goes back to 1870's, at least with Althaus. I walked up and down the rows, taking pics. Along with headstones, I found a bunch of numbers on the ground, which stated the row and lot number. Looking towards the back of the cemetery, there was a small area of older headstones in a small pile. When I say pile, I am not kidding. I was allowed to look through the stones, which was difficult (hardly any room!)There were probably 100 leaning on or beside other stones. I asked about this and was told to call the trustee. Now this cemetery is run by the church but what I was told was this: The stones were in bad need of repair. Some had fallen over, others could not be read. They had talked with the congregation about this and the possible removal of the stones. Apparently, before the congregation realized what was going on, the town of Bluffton, (zoning) came in and removed the stones and placed them in a small area toward the back of the cemetery. (They were just placed on the ground, or on other stones.) They will be sorted through, the base stones will probably be crushed. The headstones, eventually, will be available for the relatives to do with what they choose. If they want to repair or replace, fine. In the meantime, these stones are not tagged. I asked the trustee if he knew which one was which and I was told to look through them, that they were not marked. I questioned someone else on this and was told there was paperwork on the stones. At least that is what they were told. I don't think anyone knows for sure. I am looking for David Althaus' stone. I think I found it. Unfortunately, there was nothing on the stone...I mean nothing. It was virtually wiped clean from the weather. It is, from what I understand, one of the oldest ones in the cemetery. So, if you are looking for a relative in that cemetery, maybe they are #33 or #56. I found quite a few relatives among these older stones but it wasn't easy. This, to me, is desecration. Why didn't they mark each stone when they were pulled out or make contact with relatives? I don't know the whole story or wasn't told everything when I asked. If you want more info about this, please email me at [email protected]. The list of names also includes Basinger, Steiner, Luginbuhl and Gerber.