Chestnut Grove Cemetery

Thanks to Boy Scout Troops 91 (American Legion) and 142 (Westminster Presbyterian), and Girl Scout Troop 455 for their super effort at the CGC yesterday. Over 100 bags of leaves were collected and hauled to the road. There were several dads and "friends" helping out too. In the latter group were Bruce Mitchell (descendant of David Johnson, 1776 Patriot buried there) and Jacob Cevallos (a Marine who lives in the neighborhood).

Julea Moats will conduct a Wreaths Across America event next Saturday December 14 at 10 a.m. to honor all veterans. Active duty and retired military members will lay wreaths at the gravesites of known veterans (17) buried in the cemetery. A wreath will also be laid at the graves of Solomon Long and Ira Gibson for giving land for this historic old cemetery. (Solomon in the 1820s and Ira in 1887). Parking will be available at the south end of the cemetery or in the parking lot of the St Andrew Episcopal Church on that end.

We will participate again this year in the Wreaths Across America program at the Chestnut Grove Cemetery laying wreaths at the gravesites of veterans of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War I.

The mission of the WAA program is to REMEMBER the Fallen ..., HONOR those who Serve ..., and TEACH the next generation the value of Freedom. See https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ for further information. Thanks to those who purchased a wreath this year.

The event will be on December 14 at 10 am and last about 20 minutes. Thanks to Julea Moats for setting up and coordinating this event. That's her in the picture at David Johnson and his wife Winefred's gravesite. David was a Patriot in the Revolutionary War. The other picture is of Benjamin Johnson's gravesite. He was a son of David and served in the War of 1812; he was the Justice of the Peace for the Chestnut Grove community in the early 1850s.

The Scouts of Troop 91 (Scoutmaster Michael Kimmett) and Troop 142 (Scoutmaster Jonathon Dry) will participate in the ceremony. They'll also be helping to clear off the cemetery before the event. A special thanks to them! They are planning to rake/blow and bag leaves on December 7 in the morning. If you are a descendant, a neighbor or a "friend"of the cemetery and want to help out, please come by for whatever time you can give. There're many, many leaves! Ugh.

For your information the first known burial in the CGC was a Means infant buried in 1823 so that makes the cemetery 201 years old this year. Solomon Long gave a quarter acre of land in the 1820s for a Long family cemetery. As Chestnut Grove grew Ira Gibson gave another acre on the north end in 1887. Wreaths will also be placed at their graves to honor their gifts. There was a Methodist Episcopal Church across the road on the north end in the 1800s, on present day Thomas Holland property. There is more history and facts about this cemetery and community in the Journal of the Morgan County Genealogy Society at the Morgan County Archives.

Parking will be available on the south end of the cemetery (if dry) and at the St Andrew Presbyterian Church located there.