Across Ohio, many pioneer cemeteries remain hidden on farms, wooded land, private property, and forgotten corners of historic communities. These burial grounds hold the stories of early settlers, families, veterans, and communities that helped shape the state.
The Ohio Pioneer Cemeteries Authority exists to help ensure these sites are documented, respected, and preserved for future generations.
Identify
Locating known and forgotten pioneer cemeteries across Ohio.
Document
Recording cemetery names, locations, photos, inscriptions, and historical context.
Preserve
Supporting restoration, cleanup, and responsible long-term care.
Collaborate
Working with landowners, caretakers, families, historians, and local communities.
We are building a developing registry of Ohio’s historic pioneer cemeteries, including known locations, photographs, and available historical details.
If you know of a pioneer cemetery not yet listed, we invite you to help us document it.
Pioneer cemeteries are more than burial grounds. They are physical records of Ohio’s earliest families, settlements, and local history. Without documentation and care, many of these sites risk being damaged, forgotten, or lost entirely.
Draiman Gill
Chairman, Ohio Pioneer Cemeteries Authority
The Authority is led locally with a focus on preservation, documentation, and cooperation with communities across the state.
The Ohio Pioneer Cemeteries Authority does not claim ownership or control of cemetery properties. The Authority works in cooperation with landowners, caretakers, descendants, and local communities to support documentation, preservation, and responsible stewardship.