Wooster Cemetery historical families - part 2

After emigrating from England to Pennsylvania, the Larwill brothers were pivotal in the 1808 founding and settlement of Wooster. Joseph, William and John were dedicated to community development while working in government, dry goods and banking.

William’s son John C. Larwill (1820-1901) was clerk of the Ohio State Senate before working in mercantile and milling. His will prescribed the construction of the granite mausoleum, which stands in section seven, the largest family monument on the grounds. Built at a cost of $25,000 (over $800,000 in today’s dollars), it is embellished with Ionic columns and stained-glass panels. Round windows and a finial adorn its domed top. Upon its completion in 1904, the bodies of John C., his parents, his first wife, and his son and two brothers were moved there from other grave sites in the cemetery.

The other two brothers who first settled Wooster are interred elsewhere on the grounds.

Gen. George Washington pardoned a suspected mitten thief who rests now in Wooster Cemetery. Samuel Jones (1742-99) was a captain in the Continental Army, which was formed by the 13 colonies and led by Washington. Jones had been tried for gambling and stealing a pair of mittens. He also was accused of behavior unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman. Following his gambling conviction and discharge, however, Washington believed him to be of good character and behavior and restored his rank and command.

Samuel’s son Benjamin (1787-1861) vindicated the family name as an outstanding Wooster citizen. After establishing a mercantile business, he served as a justice of the peace, county commissioner and mayor before being elected to the U.S. Congress.

His descendant, Dr. George Jones (1877-1970), was the captain of the medical department of the U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish-American War. It was he who commissioned the Jones monument, one of the cemetery’s most extravagant. Tucked into a hillside in section 10, it features a towering obelisk of granite blocks, flanked by steps. On the stone landing below, a mausoleum contains the graves of Samuel, George and three other Joneses.

Future U.S. President William Henry Harrison gave William Henry Harrison Wertz’s parents a gold coin for naming their son after him. Harrison stayed in the Wertz Hotel, a stagecoach stop in Dalton owned by John and Priscilla Wertz, while on the campaign trail. When he learned of the child’s name, he tossed John the coin.

That baby, born in 1838, grew up to become a druggist, nurseryman and president of the Dalton First National Bank. He married Caroline Slusser Wertz (1843-1912) and died in 1926. Their son Edwin (1875-1943) served as an Ohio state representative and was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson as a U.S. district attorney in Cleveland.

Ten Wertzes are interred in the family mausoleum in section 20, their lives having spanned 180 years. The mausoleum features fluted columns and doors accented with scrollwork. Markers honor several of them as veterans of the Spanish-American War, World War II and the Vietnam War.

On an island amid sections 25-28, steps lead up to the Cheyney mausoleum, its top carved with “Universal Love and Eternal Peace.” Flanking elaborate doors are statues of robed females, one clutching flowers. A hand of the other statue is propped on an anchor, once a common motif in funerary art, with the anchor symbolizing salvation and the steadfastness of faith.

The Cheyney family had settled in Wayne County from Pennsylvania. John Cheyney co-founded Edinburg, now part of Apple Creek, in 1832; served as township trustee and postmaster; and built many gristmills and sawmills in the area.

His father Thomas was considered a Revolutionary War hero, having personally provided intelligence to Washington, which saved many troops. Thomas’ great-grandson Solon, born in 1839, was a Union soldier who later made his fortune out west in tin mining and ranching.

But according to an 1897 Kansas newspaper, “There is trouble in Cherokee County, which may lead to a lynching.” It seems Solon allegedly killed a man a few years prior, with the incident hushed due to his prominence. When some citizens moved to disclose the truth, Solon allegedly threatened to kill them, then assaulted one with a cane. The lynching apparently never happened, as Solon lived another 21 years.

A lifelong bachelor, his estate went to a sister, who commissioned the mausoleum. Entombed inside are Solon and his sisters Amanda (1841-1918) and Mattie (1841-1930).

While the cemetery’s chapel isn’t affiliated with a family, it may be used for services. Situated in section 12, it was constructed in 1883 at a cost of $3,845. Built of red brick in the Victorian style, it is accented with sandstone blocks, stained-glass windows and a wood cupola.

Information on Wooster Cemetery is available by calling 330-264-9090 or visiting woostercemeteryohio.com or its Facebook page, Wooster Cemetery.

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