Welsh Hills Cemetery

Welsh Hills Cemetery was once part of the United States Military Tract given to veterans of the Revolutionary War. The land was owned by a Philadelphia Welshman named Samson Davis. On September 4, 1801, a portion of his land was purchased by the co-founders of the Welsh Hills community, Theophilus Rees and Thomas Philipps, who came from Carmarthenshire, Wales. On February 6, 1808, Theophilus Rees donated a portion of his land for the establishment of this cemetery. On that same day, Rees Thomas, the 8-year-old grandson of Theophilus Rees, became the first person interred. , Located on this site was the first Welsh Hills Baptist Church, housed in a cabin owned by “Big” David Thomas, the son-in-law of Theophilus Rees. A stone marker denotes the location of the church and lists original members. Theophilus and his wife, Elizabeth, are buried in this cemetery with their descendants and those of Thomas Philipps and other Welsh settler families. One of the most noteworthy Welshmen buried here is Thomas David Jones, a sculptor known for his stone bust of Abraham Lincoln and Vicksburg Memorial located in the Ohio Statehouse. His grave is marked by a simple boulder that he engraved.