Wesleyan Cemetery
Wesleyan Cemetery of Cincinnati, an Ohio nonprofit corporation affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, was incorporated by an act of the General Assembly in 1843. The United Methodist Church founded Wesleyan Cemetery in the Northside section of Cincinnati in the mid-1800s. The church ran the cemetery for many years, but by 1989 it no longer wanted to contribute its time and money to its operation. Wesleyan was a charitable trust whose corporate officers also acted as its trustees. In 1989, Wesleyan’s board of directors amended the existing articles of incorporation and formed a new corporation that was no longer affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1995, a new president and new board members were appointed to the corporation and under their management the cemetery grounds fell into disarray, graves were desecrated and criminal activity was rampant. In April of 2000, the Cincinnati Police Department began receiving calls from people with family members buried at Wesleyan Cemetery. They complained about the high grass and the terrible condition of the cemetery grounds. Upon investigation, the cemetery president was charged and convicted of failing to maintain the endowment as required by law and theft. Then upon entering into a settlement agreement, the cemetery corporation was dissolved.
Upon its dissolution and the subsequent abandonment of the cemetery by the owner, Ohio Revised Code 759.08 vested responsibility for maintenance and upkeep of the Wesleyan Cemetery was the responsibility of the City of Cincinnati. The City assumed this responsibility in 2007.
Management:
As the management agent for the City of Cincinnati, the Department of Public Services is responsible for mowing, landscaping and general maintenance of the cemetery. Keep Cincinnati Beautiful also assists the City in scheduling regular clean-ups of the cemetery to supplement the City’s work.
Records:
All available records on burials at the Wesleyan Cemetery can be found in the Cincinnati Museum Center’s archives: CMC Search Our Collections: Search Our Collections (Search “Wesleyan Cemetery Records”). The Wesleyan Cemetery Records through 1971 are available through the Cincinnati Library: Hamilton County, Ohio, Burial Records | Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library | BiblioCommons (Volume 1).
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