Lang Connection to Berea Undertakers
There were numerous undertakers in Berea over the years, and it seems that their business changed hands fairly frequently by either consolidating or selling to another concern. Rarely was there more than one undertaker in the village for very long. The Lang family was...
Christian Family of Berea
Edward Corlett Christian was born Aug 25, 1833 on the Isle of Man, the youngest of nine children of James and Margaret Corlett Christian. His mother passed away in 1841, and he later was apprenticed as a tailor. He departed England for the United States on the ship...
A Bit About the James Family
George James was born in 1806 in Herefordshire, England the second of five children born to George and Elizabeth Lewis James. He married Mary Probert on July 28th, 1842 in Eardisley, Herefordshire, England. They had 4 children in England prior to moving to Berea, Ohio...
Funeral History in the United States
The oldest funeral home in the United States began in 1759 in Williamsburg, Virginia, started by cabinet manufacturer Anthony Hay who made coffins as a side line. Prior to the mid 1800's, women were in charge of preparing the deceased. Many communities had a group of...
A Brief History of the Cemetery in America
The word “cemetery” has its origins in the Greek word for “sleeping place”, and is land meant for burial. The term was originally applied to the Roman catacombs. A graveyard is a term that can be used interchangeably, but refers specifically to a churchyard burial...
Dr. Alexander McBride
Alexander McBride was born in Poland Township, Trumbull County, Ohio on Jan 12, 1822. He received his education in the local schools and went on to work in a woolen mill eventually becoming a partner. He was known to often purchased books with his earnings to further...
Removal of a Local Graveyard to Woodvale
Over the years, cemeteries have been moved, destroyed, and even lost. In the best of cases, the graves have been moved from their original locations to other cemeteries where they are not forgotten. The reasons vary, but often graves from smaller cemeteries were...
A Bit of History
The Adams Street Cemetery is one of the early burial grounds in Berea, with the oldest burial being Albert Hinman in 1834. Over the years, the cemetery became rather neglected and later had issues with burials being disturbed/destroyed by a landslide on the north end...
Moved from Adams Street Cemetery
James Shelton Smedley was born in South Farms, Connecticut on September 12, 1813. At some point he moved from North East, Pennsylvania to attended Oberlin College, graduating in 1841. He also continued his education at Oberlin in the Theological department and is...