On April 8, 2023, we made our second visit to Ball Cemetery, in Franklin Furnace, Green Township, Scioto County, Ohio. Our initial visit was in March 2020, but circumstances limited our ability to return until this week.
This rural area is originally known as the French Grant as it was a tract land federally granted to French colonists of the Northwest Territory who were defrauded defrauded by the Scioto Company of purchased land grants which rightly were controlled by the Ohio Company of Associates.
The Ball Cemetery is situated on Lot 33 of the Scioto County’s French Grant and is on private property. Sitting on a narrow ridge this small cemetery follows the tradition of east-facing burials, but given the limited space created an unusual overall arrangement with the burials being head-to-toe single file versus the typical side-by-side arrangement.
The markers at some point had been broken at ground level, and oral tradition states that a tractor had been used to push the markers over to allow for bush hogging. This story is partially proven out by buried bottom portions of the tablet being located in a near vertical position with the top broken portions being located adjacent to the bottom portion. This is an important as to note that the headstone weren’t completely removed and stacked away from the actual burial locations.
The current property owners have expressed a strong interest in completing the excavation of the markers and using proper techniques and materials, re-erect the monuments.
