Uncovering Hanover Township’s Historic Presbyterian Cemetery

Hanover Township/Reilly, Ohio

The Historic Presbyterian Cemetery in Hanover Township is known by many different names, including Bethel Cemetery and Bethel Chapel Cemetery. Both of those fit, as the cemetery used to be next to a church. Now, it sits in a rural area on Reilly-Millville Road, surrounded by a few houses. The quiet scene belies the significance of this piece of land.

A Short History of Bethel Chapel

Built in 1815, Bethel Chapel served as a Presbyterian church in an area populated by Protestant settlers. The chapel was on land that belonged to Andrew Lewis. He died in 1891 and is buried in the cemetery, along with a number of his family members. A newspaper announcement on his estate mentions a “family cemetery” that won’t be part of the land divided up by his heirs.

Bethel Chapel was in existence until 1873 when the church congregation moved on. Eventually, the building was torn down, leaving only the cemetery and a historic marker about William Holmes McGuffy.

Who Was William Holmes McGuffey?

If you went to school in the early to mid-20th century, you’re probably familiar with McGuffey Readers. Even if you’re younger than that, you may still have encountered them in libraries and museums. These books, officially called Eclectic Readers, taught students about how important it was to live a moral and virtuous life (also known as 19th-century conservative values), as well as the alphabet and other subjects.

The books were the work of William Holmes McGuffey and Alexander Hamilton McGuffey, brothers who worked for Truman and Smith, a Cincinnati-based publisher. The readers were the first textbook series in the United States that were designed to get more difficult as you worked your way through them. Henry Ford was said to be inspired by McGuffey Readers after reading the books as a child. The popularity of the readers made McGuffey a well-known speaker who promoted spiritual education alongside standard subjects like English and math.

William Holmes McGuffey was born in Pennsylvania in 1800. He spent the early years of his adulthood teaching at small schools along the Ohio River while earning a Bachelor’s degree from Washington College in Pennsylvania.

He eventually became a professor at Miami University of Ohio. Around the same time, McGuffey was ordained as a Presbyterian minister at Bethel Chapel, then described as a “log meeting house” in 1829. A historic marker stands near the cemetery entrance.

Although Bethel Church no longer exists, the cemetery still stands and holds part of its history.

Historic Presbyterian Cemetery

According to official sources, Bethel Cemetery opened in 1815. However, the first person buried there was James Decamp, a former Revolutionary War Soldier who died in nearby Reilly, Ohio. The second was Reverand John Boyd, a preacher who was struck down by “bilious fever” in 1816.

The cemetery is now closed to new burials, but its history remains