Cleveland Cemeteries (Ohio) [Paperback]

Vicki Blum Vigil (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ohio | Publication Date: August 1999

Take a quiet journey back through time and discover the fascinating stories of Cleveland's most notable permanent residents. These 61 nearby cemeteries are home to a wide range of characters celebrities, villains, patriarchs, innovators, and just plain folks. They're a remarkable source of local lore, from woeful tales of untimely demise to celebrations of noble achievement and almost everything in between.

Stroll among the markers and meet . . .

-"World's Strongest Man" Stanley Radwan, who once bit in half a 5/8-inch-thick piece of steel (p. 26)

-Royalty, including Lizzie Ely, True Queen of the Gypsies (p. 80) and Polka King Frankie Yankovic (p. 27)

-Gertrude Anna Harrison, the country's first women's golf pro and inventor of the golf-ball-return machine (p. 107)

-Oil titan John D. Rockefeller, on whose 400,000-pound(!) monument visitors still place shiny new dimes (p. 108)

-The giant Captain Martin Van Buren Bates, discharged from the army because they couldnÕt find a uniform large enough to fit him (p. 202)

- and hundreds more!

Each listing includes details about where and when to visit, historical facts, oldest graves, religious and ethnic affiliation, and where to find cemetery records. Also included are tidbits about gravemarker symbology, cemetery superstition, gravestone rubbing, and other useful information.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Exploring local cemeteries is made much easier." -- News-Herald

"Pick up a copy . . . and then head out on an adventure you'll remember for a lifetime." -- Twinsburg Bulletin

"The well-known cemeteries are here . . ." -- Free Times

"[Vicki Blum Vigil] gives easy instructions for finding notable graves and tells stories about the people buried there." -- News-Herald

About the Author

Vicki Blum Vigil is a Home and School Counselor for the Euclid City Schools. An amateur genealogist and historian, her research of cemeteries has developed into genuine affection for the stones and stories of Cleveland's past she even conducts local seminars to bring her findings to the public. She currently lives in Highland Heights.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Company Publishers (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886228256
• ISBN-13: 978-1886228252
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,348,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History revisited..., November 14, 2000

By 

Karen DeMatteo (Hubbard, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cleveland Cemeteries (Ohio) (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading "Cleveland Cemeteries" very much even though I am not from the Cleveland area. I have visited several of the sites with 'book in hand' and found the book easy to followed and accurate in detail. Anyone interested in the settlement of the Western Reserve would find this book appealing. Not only does the book contain facts and figures it focuses on points of special interest and mentions the famous and not so famous.

A novice genealogist will find the Ohio Resource list invaluable. Any future visits to a cemetery will have new meaning for me after reading "Cleveland Cemeteries". It has given me a curiosity for local cemeteries.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating History Lesson and Reference Book, April 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cleveland Cemeteries (Ohio) (Paperback)

A well-written and readable book, "Cleveland Cemetaries" provides a thoroughly researched chronicle of many cemetaries across the city and biographical tidbits on some of the notable individuals located at each. I learned a great many things from the book, not only about these particular locations and individuals, but also about lifestyles during different periods in the history of the city. It was an interesting book and I plan to use it for future genealogical research and expeditions into the past.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected..., April 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cleveland Cemeteries (Ohio) (Paperback)

I found the lack of interesting photographs and monotonous prose to take away from the lore and fascination of Cleveland cemeteries. There is a wealth of information that is not presented. Trivial facts about those residents whom the author finds interesting, may fail to interest others. I wasn't interested in a written, walking tour. The point of walking tours is to discover for yourself what you find interesting.