Dear Commissioners:
My name is Eli Allen and I am a genealogist and local historian. As native of Scioto County and West Portsmouth I have long held a strong interest in the history of the former Scioto County Infirmary, also known as the County Home, and those that both were wards of the County and those who provided for their care.
Over the past five years I have drawn a focus on research and publishing stories related to the Infirmary, and during that research I have been able to determine the identities of several of those interred beneath numbered markers at the Infirmary Cemetery. Not all interred there were inmates, the common term used for folks whose care fell to the Infirmary Board, but some were also people who met tragic circumstances while working, residing, or just passing through Scioto County. The often sudden and unfortunate circumstances that caused them to perish while here often left the obligation of burial to the Scioto County Infirmary Board of Directors, and later, the Scioto County Commissioners. Either through established practice or fiscal necessity their funery needs were austere and their graves matched that austerity as evidenced by their grave markers predominantly marked by only a number.
It is my goal, with the Commissioners’ assistance, that appropriate grave markers bearing the decedent’s name and dates of birth and death (if known) be placed alongside existing markers as each person is identified. I believe this is a worthwhile endeavor that serves the public good and the public interest.
I look forward to your response in how and when we can proceed mutually in this project to preserve Scioto County’s history.
Sincerely,
Eli Allen
Wandering Appalachia
www.wanderingappalachia.org
