Golden Opportunities

For many of us, Memorial Day will include a visit to the cemetery to remember a loved one. Our next guest is here to remind us that cemeteries can open a fascinating door to our past, and these sites are memorable 365 days a year. Vicki Vigil is the author of “Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio.”

Question:Vicki, why write a book about cemeteries? Do people think you have a morbid sense of fun?

Answer: Cemeteries are a gateway into people’s life stories, and into an area’s history.
My personal interest in cemeteries began little over a decade ago when I read a newspaper article on a woman in Northwest Ohio whose headstone read, “Gone to Wal-Mart.” That intrigued me, so I started looking first at headstones and then at the people and stories behind them.

Question:It's Memorial Day Weekend. If we want to honor our fellow Ohioans who served our community in all ways, where would you suggest we look? Do you have a top ten list?

Answer: The Erie Street Cemetery is Cleveland’s oldest existing cemetery. The Carter family, Cleveland’s first permanent residents, are buried there. Also present are two Native American chiefs and Gamaliel Fenton, a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
Cleveland’s Woodland cemetery (on East 65th Street) has a huge Civil War section, including the graves of members of the USCI—the United States Colored Infantry. The cemetery has great decoration and holds big, lovely ceremonies this weekend.
Five Revolutionary War Veterans are buried in Geauga County’s South Newbury Cemetery, as well as the well-known Punderson Family. This is a mid-sized cemetery that makes an interesting walk through.
An incredible 14 Revolutionary War Veterans are found at Burton’s Lower Cemetery. The cemetery is tucked behind the water-treatment plant. Most striking are the monuments for the Fox Family, one of whom was a private in the Pennsylvania militia.
The book does include directions on how to get to these locations.

Question:Why are so many of the Revolutionary War veterans buried here?

Answer: After the Revolutionary War, Congress gave soldiers and their families land in the Northwest Territory (of which Ohio was part) as a bonus. Some of these bounty lands, called the Firelands, were given to Connecticut Veterans whose homes had been burned by the British.
When researching this topic, I found information on the Ohio Treasurer’s website. Why? Because there was a discussion on giving veterans of current conflicts some similar type bonuses. It really connects the past with the present.

Question:Now, there are several stories about citizens who served your state in unusual ways. Please share a few of them.

Answer: There are so many stories!
Hector Boiardi, better known as Chef Boy-ar-dee, is at All Souls Cemetery in Chardon. He came to Cleveland in 1917. An interesting story on Boiardi—he entered and won a contest to improve World War II rations. The award was $1 million…and he donated it back to the war effort.
Benny Kaufman, buried at Bet Olam Cemetery in Beachwood, sold everything from pet supplies to bicycles during the depression. At the time, he was named “the youngest businessman in the country.” In 1971, he was shot in the neck during a robbery and paralyzed from the neck down. But after a year, he was back in the bike shop selling his wares. I remember going there and seeing him. His family still owns B&K Bikes in South Euclid.
Also buried at Bet Olam is lexicographer David Guralnik, who was responsible for putting “ain’t” in the dictionary.
Rocky River judge William McCrone is at Brook Park’s Holy Cross Cemetery. His daughter, Kathleen, is married to Wayne Newton.
Also at Holy Cross is Don Supinski, the first quadriplegic to finish the New York Marathon. People still take part every year in the NYC Marathon as part of “Don’s Team.”
Heinrich Christian Schwan is considered the father of the American Christmas tree. He’s buried in Lakeview Cemetery.
Rev. Henry F. Birkenhauer, buried at Northfield’s All Saints Cemetery, was a president of John Carroll University. He was also a seismologist, and spent time studying in Antarctica, making him known as the “polar priest.” He also was the person who invited Mother Teresa to Cleveland to receive an honorary doctorate in 1978.
Again, this is just a taste of some of the interesting history here in Northeast Ohio cemeteries.

Question:What about veterans of other wars, like World War II, Korea, or Vietnam?

Answer: Several cemeteries have “Veteran circles” near flagpoles. For example, St. Mary’s Cemetery on Clark Avenue has one honoring the 24 World War II and Korean vets. Other cemeteries have markers listing the names of veterans from their county/city from each war.

If you’d like to dig into Ohio’s rich history, you’ll want to read “Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio.” We’ll tell you where to find a copy next. My thanks to Vicki Vigil.