Brown-Harris Cemetery

Brown-Harris Cemetery. . , The Brown-Harris Cemetery was lost sometime in the early 1900s and was recently re-discovered during an archaeological survey for the surrounding University Boulevard Project. It was named for the early African American settlers who owned the land. , Genealogical Research. Extensive genealogical research was conducted working from the property atlas maps, census records, cemetery records and obituaries. It is believed that the Brown-Harris families are related through a common ancestor, Mary (Harris) Brown. Through this research, living relatives of both the Brown and Harris families were able to be identified and take part in the process to restore the cemetery that bears their name. , Archaeology. Archaeologists, when searching for lost cemeteries, use such high tech gear as ground penetrating radar and magnetometers to search for likely soil anomalies to indicate grave shafts. This allows them to search large areas quickly and nonintrusively. However, all of this data only gives an indication of where to look. Using machinery to carefully excavate a shallow layer of soil allows archaeologists an opportunity to identify the subtle changes in the soil created by the excavation of grave shafts, such as those you see to the right. Using hand tools, the area is scraped clean and the tell-tale rectangular shapes are then photographed, drawn and geo-located. A report is then filed with the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office for record keeping. , Archaeological excavations resulted in the identification of 22 grave shafts. The graves were loosely organized into four rows and located facing east in the Christian tradition of facing towards the rising sun. There were no attempts to exhume the remains and burials were left in place, with a steel rod placed atop the grave shaft so graves can be easily identified in the future before topsoil was added. , Grave Marker. During the geophysical survey to relocate the graves, a small portion of a grave marker with the letter "H" was found on the surface of the field. This is the only known grave marker for the cemetery. The gravestone of a 12-year-old boy named Joshua, who died in 1854, was found and documented in 2004. The gravestone was moved to the front of the property and likely destroyed during the 2005 demolition of the farmstead. The "H" marker is made of unpolished marble that was squared off and professionally engraved by a stone mason. This may have been a footstone for a Harris family member. A reproduction of this footstone is memorialized in the Brown-Harris Cemetery marker. , The Emancipation Papers;. During the research into the Brown and Harris families, a set of emancipation papers were found that related to some of the African Americans who owned the property. The emancipation papers indicate that Elizabeth Rowzie of Powhatan County, Virginia freed a number of slaves upon her death on 13 October 1835. She also provided for their relocation to Ohio. This included members of the Harris and Smith families who would settle in rural Washington Township on the very land this cemetery is located.