W. P. A. Cemetery Survey - St. John's Lutheran Church Cemetery, Mark Township

In this series, some of the general surveys of Defiance County cemeteries will be shared, transcribed as written on the original W.P.A. reports, 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)

St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery

Mark Township

1. Name of cemetery: Mark Township Lutheran Graveyard of the St. John's Lutheran Church

2. Location, how reached:

Two miles northwest of Sherwood, Ohio, one mile north of Route #18 on the first gravel road, west of U.S. #127 in Mark Township and on the township line road.  It sets just back of the church and school located there.

3. Name and address of caretaker:

Members of the St. John's Lutheran Church, for information, see John Behnfeldt

St. John Lutheran Cemetery at www.findagrave.com

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

Modern German graveyard, fenced in with wire with an iron gate, cedar trees surrounding the plot, but no trees in the yard itself.  Contains about an acre of land, only a small part of it is now used.

5. Name and date of first burial recorded: Caroline Behnfeldt, 1901

Carolina Behnfeldt at www.findagrave.com

6. Important persons buried there:

Behnfeldts, Eichoffs, Wittes, and Millers, important only in their German community as thrifty farmers.

John and Elizabeth Eickhoff at www.findagrave.com

7. Markers of unusual appearance:

The markers are all new and modern.  The only thing that this cemetery is not like others is that, it was planned in the beginning to start at the southwest end and bury people along in a row as they died.  There were supposed to be no lots.  This worked for awhile, but people wished to be buried beside their relatives and this practice was discontinued.  There are around twenty fine markers here; none are unusual.

8. Unusual epitaphs: 

None unusual for a German graveyard; most of the inscriptions are in the German language.

9. Is cemetery used for new burials?  It is still used today.

C. Callawader and C. Gish, Reporters

Consultant: A. J. McFeeters, caretaker of the Sherwood Cemetery, supplied the above information.    

     

(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.)