According to Tim Wright, Bird Cemetery was created sometime in 1823 in Knox County, Ohio from land donated by the Bird family.¹ It lies 7 miles south and west of Mt. Vernon along U.S. Highway 36 and State Highway 3. And can be found at latitude 40. 3483956, longitude  -82.5787775. Or, here at Google Maps.

With these directions, I set off on my official cemetery field trip to locate the burial site of Abraham Jackson, who was supposedly to be found in Bird Cemetery somewhere in the township of Liberty in the county of Knox in the state of Ohio.

This is beautiful country! Even my teenage daughter enjoyed the drive through the winding, tree-lined roads of Morrow and Knox counties. Despite the seductive scenery, we were able to find Bird Cemetery without too much trouble. It doesn’t sit directly on the highway; a road, curving from Highway 36, leads to the cemetery itself, which is marked.

2005 Cemetery Trip to locate Jackson Family

The cemetery is small and we found the Abraham and Sarah Jackson marker without too much trouble. Much to my happy surprise the inscription read much differently than the transcription found at the USGenWeb site, Bird Cemetery. According to this site, the marker identifies Abraham Jackson as being born in New Burger County, Mi. If you click on the photo just below, it will open up to a larger and easier to read size.

Although the inscription on the stone marker is hard to read, when I saw it for myself, I realized the published transcription was not correct. My corrected transcription reads that he was born near Hagerstown, Md. Our family historians have identified our Abraham Jackson as being born in Maryland in the mid 1700’s. It seems likely this is our ancestor. 

Inscription

His wife, Sarah, offers a marker inscription much easier to read and so has not presented the transcription process with any problems. She was 11 years younger than Abraham, and is most probably his second wife. Just click on the  above photo and you can examine the inscription.

The Ephraim Jackson marker is most probably for a man who was neither son nor grandson of our Abraham. They would have born in about the same time period, so Ephraim could not have been a descendant of Abraham. Clicking on the photo will open it up and the dates can be noted and compared. Of course, I was hoping he was a relation, but I think not. Further research will be needed for this new puzzle.

Kate Sorofman, Ohio, 2005

There are many other families represented in this cemetery. The greatest number being those of the Bird Family. Most can be found online at FindAGrave, Bird Cemetery.

I imagine that a real time trip could be just as productive as mine, especially one
spent on a pleasant summer afternoon. Especially in the company of friends or family or, even, a teenage daughter. Thanks, Kate, you made the day very special.

FOOTNOTE

1 Tim Wright, Bird Family Cemetery; digital, USGenWeb, Knox County, Ohio, “Bird Cemetery,” http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/knox/cemeteries/bird.txt, 22 November 2013.