Ancient Burlington Cemetery Has Many Interesting Old Messages
August 1954 Ironton Register
Shortly before the beginning of the eighteenth century and seventeen years prior to the time the county seat was established at Burlington, a burial plot was laid out at Burlington, [Ohio]. Believed to be one of Lawrence County, [Ohio’s] oldest burial grounds and known as Burlington Cemetery, it is located approximately two blocks from Route 52 at Burlington.
Old stone monuments, erected by many of the county’s first settlers, have weathered the years and are still standing. The lettering on many of the markers dated in the early eighteenth century is not legible today. Probably one of the most interesting monuments is situated near the cemetery entrance.
The marker has the inscription, “J. & M. Browning, wife of L E. Kouns and their three children, Bonnie Lee, bom March 1, 1878; George W., born March 11, 1879; Rachel, born Jan. 2., lost on steamer Golden City which burned March 30, 1882. In death, they were not divided.”
An account of the disaster in which the family of Capt. L. E. Kouns perished was carried in the Ironton Register of April 1882. Due to inadequate communication facilities in this area, the newspaper account of the tragedy was incomplete.
The news article stated only that Capt. Kouns had received a telegram from Capt. Noah Scovell, another of the county’s first settlers, informed him that the steamer on which his family was aboard burned and sunk near Memphis, Tenn. The Kouns family had been visiting Shreveport, La., and was en route to Burlington at the time of the disaster.
Buried in the center of the cemetery is John Davidson, one of the first county commissioners. The first commissioners organized for the first time on April 7, 1817, at the Davidson home. The man responsible for surveying this county’s first roads, John Poage, is also interred at Burlington Cemetery. Poage conducted his survey in June of 1817.
A member of the state legislature and one of the county’s first postmasters is buried in the old section of the cemetery. He is Benjamin Johnston, born in 1803, and died in 1863. The Johnston plot is very different because in the center of the area is a large monument and on either side are small stone markers designating the various members of the family.
Among the unique inscriptions on the old stones are: “Anna, consort of Robert W. Poage, a native of Ireland, who departed this life Oct. 30, 1848, aged 50 years, 3 months and 4 days.” Another is ‘William Gillen, Esq., born Oct. 17, 1782, and died May 24, 1841 Mr. Gillen was the son of E. F. Gillen, superintendent of construction of the Iron Railroad. Another is Lawson Drury, who died July 12, 1B70, struck by lightning.
Many of Lawrence County’s pioneer residents, who are interred there include the following families: William Nixon, Alexander family, Joseph Beckley family, Holliday family, Frampton family, Gardner family, Davidson family, Ellis family, Dillon family, Campbells, Scovell, Ankrims, and many others.
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