[PLEASE NOTE: This graveyard no longer exists. It was turned into a ball field/playground in 1948. Still existing stones were laid flat and buried in place. Please do not ask for photographs for this cemetery as there are no tombstones.]

VILLAGE CEMETERY
aka SAINT PAUL CHURCH GRAVEYARD

Location: North Herman St. between West First St. and West Second St., on the west side of the street and across the street from St. Paul Church.

This was the first and only cemetery for "Bremen" for about 12 years, having been set aside for that purpose when the settlers began arriving in 1833. (The town didn't become "New Bremen" until 1845, when the name was changed so as not to be confused with another town in the state by the name of "Bremen".)

In 1845, St. Peter's Church was organized and another smaller cemetery was established along the west side of Herman St. across from their church (1 block north of the St. Paul Church cemetery).

In 1849, New Bremen suffered a cholera epidemic and 122 people from St. Paul Church were said to be buried in a mass grave in the St. Paul "churchyard". Research of St. Paul Church records shows, however, just 109 cholera deaths from 7/11/1849-9/9/1849.

Another 1-acre cemetery was established on the west edge of town along the road that later became a "Plank Road" – today's St. Rt. 274 west. The first burial took place there in 1860 and the last one took place in 1938.

In 1865-1866, the German Protestant (Lock Two) Cemetery and Willow Grove (Lock Three) Cemetery were both established north of town near Lock Two after the village council became concerned about sanitation and public welfare and prohibited further burials in the church cemeteries. The first known burials in German Protestant Cemetery took place in December 1865 and the first in Willow Grove Cemetery took place in August 1866.

In 1948, the St. Paul cemetery was turned into a ball field/playground. Still existing stones were laid flat and buried in place.

[Biography/History by Lucille Francis]




The cemetery is located in German Township, Auglaize County, Ohio, and is # 769 (Memorial Park Cemetery) in "Ohio Cemeteries 1803-2003", compiled by the Ohio Genealogical Society.