History of of Greenlawn Cemetery

History of of Greenlawn Cemetery. . , In 1887, the citizens of Wilmot determined that there was a need for a new, larger cemetery as burial grounds in the area were either private or had no room for expansion. Citizens met on June 16, 1887 in the Methodist Church and selected a committee, chaired by minister Augustus Bower, with J. F. Lenz, Joseph Putman, John Longenecker, Will Spidle and Jacob Wyandt as members. It was tasked with identifying a potential location. The committee identified 4 acres of the original Wyandt homestead located along the Wilmot-Mt. Eaton Road as an appropriate site. Citizens met on July 28, 1887 to discuss raising funds to purchase the property., The land was purchased, surveyed and lots laid out. The first burial was the infant son of John H. and Mary Raff Vail on November 12, 1887. In subsequent years, many families whose members had been buried at the Old Wilmot Cemetery, Weimer Hill, Beidler Cemetery or in a family plot elected to have their remains moved to the "new" cemetery. As a result, there are many family plots within the cemetery which reflect death dates prior to the creation of the cemetery. Among the early pioneers who now lay at rest herein include: George Agler (1810-1870), William Agler (1821-1860), John Frease (1786-1869), Abraham Freed (1818-1880), John Putman (1791-1872), Gabriel Putman (1795-1882), Gabriel Weimer (1801-1876) and Henry Wyandt (1787-1858)., Joseph W. Putman erected a burial vault in 1894 which was rebuilt in 1918. A storage shed was built by Julius Lenz in 1900. The Soldiers Monument was dedicated on September 19, 1908. The archway, posts and fence were erected in 1931 by Garvin Thompson. In 1947, two additional acres were added to the cemetery., To oversee the maintenance and perpetuity of the cemetery, the Wilmot Cemetery Association was created on September 8, 1887. The first members were: John Longenecker, President; Will S. Spidle, secretary; Jacob B. Wyandt, treasurer; and J. F. Lenz, William M. Johnston, Walter S Putman and Alfred Sigrist, trustees. The Association, licensed by the State of Ohio, has continually existed due to many dedicated volunteer trustees.