. . . . . . . * * Newberry Friends Burial Ground (FBG) * * . . . . . .
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The monthly meeting records show that the first monthly meeting was held the 12 Mo. 2, 1816. The name came from Newberry County, or District, in South Carolina. Newberry Monthly Meeting was "set off" (Started or Approved) from Clear Creek Monthly Meeting by Fairfield Quarterly Meeting, 11 Mo. 2, 1816.

In recognition of the practices of The Society of Friends, they did not use grave markers until the early to mid 1800's and varied by location. They also did not use a name of the month like May, but rather the number, 5 for May.
As you conduct research on this cemetery, you should not look for Martinsville Cemetery: But Newberry Monthly Meeting or Newberry FBG. It wasn't until 1962 that Newberry became Martinsville, a change in name only.

The early settlement of Martinsville, Ohio, is practically co-incident with Newberry Monthly Meeting since almost all the early settlers were Friends. The first of whom we have any authentic account was John Wright who settled within the present limits of the town in 1806. He assisted in establishing the first meeting which was held in his home in 1810, under the direction of Clear Creek Monthly Meeting.

Soon after John Wright, came many other settlers. The Moons and Garners settled just east of Martinsville in 1808 and John Beals, northeast, Christopher Hiatt, west, and Jacob Jackson, south, in 1810. Among the other earliest Friends to settle here were Owen West, who came in 1808, Daniel Puckett in 1810, William West in 1811, Joseph Mills in 1814, Jacob Hunt in 1816, Thomas Hunt in 1817, and Aaron Betts in 1819. To these may be added the name of James Hadley, who was not only prominent in the church, but also in township affairs.

Time Line
• 1810, 10, 27 ~ First indulged meeting in the home of John Wright.
• 1812, 11, 14 ~ Worship & Preparative begun.
• 1814, 3, 16 ~ Seven acres, Lot 27, donated by Gen. William Lytle.
• 1816, 12, 2 ~ First meeting as Newberry Monthly Meeting.
• 1818, 2, 2 ~ First recorded burial in the Newberry FBG.
• 1829, 9, 14 ~ The present meetinghouse and cemetery are on land obtained from Aaron Betts in exchange for some of the donated Lytle land.
• 1844 ~ A large frame meetinghouse was built.
• 1846 ~ First Day School (Sunday School) is established.
• 1883 ~ The present meetinghouse was built.
• 1937 ~ An annex was added to the meetinghouse.
• 1955 ~ A parsonage was built.
• 1962, 8 ~ The name was changed to Martinsville Monthly Meeting
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