Place:Bloomingburg Cemetery, Fayette, Ohio, United States

History

The Bloomingburg Presbyterian Church and cemetery was established in the northwest corner of the current cemetery grounds on March 7, 1818. Several years later it became a center for anti-slavery activity. The Reverend William Dickey, who presided over the church, and other members, devoted their lives to the anti-slavery cause not only in voice but also abolitionist activity. By the mid-1800s, their work, as well as the fact that Bloomingburg had become home to a vibrant African American community, led to the town becoming the area center for the Underground Railroad, which helped transport many fugitive slaves to freedom in the north. Six soldiers from the American Revolutionary War, nineteen from the War of 1812, and over 100 from the Civil War and Spanish-American War are buried in the Bloomingburg Cemetery, including Henry Casey, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor at Vicksburg. (Source: Ohio Historical Society marker)

Resources

• Listings on FindAGrave.com