W. P. A. Cemetery Survey - Doll Cemetery, Washington Township

The Works Progress Administration was formed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in reaction to the Great Depression as a means of employing Americans and stimulating the economy.  Established in 1935, one of the projects of the W.P.A. was to conduct Historical Records Surveys, one of which included finding information on cemeteries and the graves of veterans.  The W.P.A. was disbanded in 1943, but the historical information provided on these surveys continue to be of interest and are, thankfully, preserved.

In this series, some of the general surveys of Defiance County cemeteries will be shared, transcribed as written with a few punctuation and/or spelling changes for readability.  The surveys were probably done around 1936.

For more up to date information on the cemeteries, check out this chart on our website:
 http://defiancecountygenealogy.org/cemeteries.html

Doll Cemetery

 (In the original report, this was called Doud Cemetery in error.)

1. Name of cemetery:

Doll Cemetery, so named from the Dolls who own the land on which it is located.

2. Location; how reached:

This is another out of the way graveyard, easy to miss and hard to find.  It is one mile east of Ney Village about an eighth of a mile back on a gravel angling road, in the northeast corner of section 22.  It is reached by taking the east road out of Ney, past the Ney High School and going one mile on this road to the first crossroad, then turning right and going one eighth of a mile.  Watch closely to the right, the graveyard sets to the right of the road on the top of a hill and is easily missed.

3. Name and address of caretaker:

Geo. Garver, Ney, Ohio and Washington Township Trustees

Photo from www.findagrave.com

4. General description, size, appearance, denomination, fencing, etc.:

 The Doll Cemetery is small, contains only three quarters of an acre.  It sets in a woods on the top of a steep hill, Lick Creek bounds it on the west and north sides.  It is not well kept, much of the ground has washed down the hill, some of the stones have fallen over.  

Many of the older graves have been moved to the Ney Cemetery a mile away.  It, however, is not an old graveyard, and at first was a family bur(y)ing plot, at one time connected with a church.  Today it is not and the care it gets is a little time the trustees of the township can give it.  It is not fenced and no driveway leads into it.  It is rather an unhandy place for this day burials.

5. Name and date of first burial records:

Chas. Doll, an infant in 1877.  This cemetery was used the most between 1880 and 1905, according to the markings on the tombstones.

Photo from www.findagrave.com.  Doll tombstone at Doll Cemetery

 6. Names of important persons buried there, for what noted:

The most noteworthy graves are those of Jenny and William Hay (Hoy), two twins of James Hay (Hoy), who died the same time being nine years old.  Old settlers buried here are Moons and Donleys.  The Dolls have all been moved to the Ney Graveyard.

 7. Markers of unusual appearance:

There are three nice markers in the graveyard, the heavy granite kind and several of the old obelisk type.  There are around thirty stones standing.

8. Unusual epitaphs:

None.  Very little reading on any of the stones.

9. Is cemetery used for new burials?

Not used today, or at least not in the last ten years.  The trustees say it can be revived if any one would take an interest in it.  It is not completely abandoned

C. Cadwallader and C. Gish, Reporters

Consultant: Geo. Garver, Ney, Ohio