Reed/Gettinger Cemetery

Sandra Gilbreath brought this small, hidden cemetery to my attention in early spring 1998. My husband Ed and I visited it with her. It has been vandalized and severely neglected. It is not accessible from any road and is in a woods, making it unknown to most people. It is on the map sold presently by the Miami County Surveyor's office, but is not named on the map. So we have dubbed it as Reed/Gettinger according to some of the names found on the stones that remain. Following is a list of the inscriptions found there.

Photos by Dion Reed, Nov 25 2002

Same stone: Dora M. dau. of ____ Gettinger died May 17, 1893 aged 3y 4m 25d J. Wright son of ____ Gettinger Mar 8, 1889 aged 1y 8m 8d Same stone: John L died Sept 29 1886 aged 3y 8m 4d Della M died Sept 27 1886 6y 10m 18d P W only inscription on broken piece fragment ?y 11m 18d fragment 8m 23/28? d wife of Jesse Gettinger died Jan 18 1897 78y 6m 10d fragment - Little Frank and Flora fragment - Oct 9 1870 59y 6m 29d (Gettinger?) fragment - Bigley died 1865 Richard Miller Dec 1_? 1853 ?? ?? 15d William F son of T S & F Timmons died Nov 27 1850 aged 1y 1m 27d Kizziah M daughter of J & M Gettinger - ??? fragment - 6ms & 20ds Sampson R Reed died Aug 24 1871 aged 74y 6m 17d FATHER on top on stone Owen B son of S R & J Reed died May 28 1853 aged 9ys 1m

Sandra and I both did some research on the folks buried here.

   Land Owners Miami Co., IN 1877, list as follows:
   owner             Twp.	    acres        sec.        location
 Gittinger  C     Deer Creek         19           18        T25N     R4E
 Gittinger  E     Deer Creek         19           18        T25N     R4E
 Gittinger  JT    Deer Creek         57           18        T25N     R4E
 Gittinger  M     Deer Creek         42.90        18        T24E     R4E

 Reed     E       Perry              82            8        T29N     R5E
 Reed     E       Richland          160           15        T28N     R5E
 Reed     GW      Pipe Creek         80      Lablonda Res.  T26&27N  R4E
 Reed     H       Harrison           53.96        19        T25N     R3E
 Reed     J       Pipe Creek         40           23        T26N     R3E
 Reed     JW      Pipe Creek         40            5        T26N     R3E
 Reed     S       Erie            105.02-40       24        T27N     R3E
 Reed     SW      Pipe Creek       62.36-48.95     6        T26N     R3E
 Reed     WH      Erie             160-160       14&23      T27N     R3E
 Reed  HRS GAERTE&  Perry           58.08          3        T29N     R5E

 	Melissa Gettinger is the d/o Julia (Jaqua) Miller & Richard Miller.  
Melissa  of Lebanon, Ohio, b. July 8, 1818; wife of Jesse Gettinger, mother 
of 8 children.  Julia Juqua Miller, b.in PA., of French descent, Julia d/o 
Gamaliel Jaqua.  Richard Miller, b. in PA., of German descent.  
     Jesse Gettinger Sr., b. near Fredericktown, MD., March 10, 1811, s/o
Jacob & Elizabeth (Hooker) Gettinger. He m. Sept. 15, 1839, Melissa Miller,
they had 8 children: John T., Mary J., Sarah E., Charles C., Kiziah M.,
Jesse D., Anna A. & Ellsworth. Kiziah M. & Anna A. died prior to 1887.
Melissa was still living on the old farm home in 1887.  Jesse D., b. Deer
Creek TWP., Miami Co., IN., Sept. 5, 1852; m. Miss Olive Ellars, June 12,
1874, they had 2 children: Gertie & Ola. Jesse D. was a merchant at Miami,
IN., 7 a member of the Masonic Order.

  The above info. is from "Genealogical Record of Miami County, IN, Vol-1
1763-1887 and Brant and Fuller's "History of Miami Co., IN" (1887).

In the census of Miami Co. there is only one Gettinger/Gittinger family listed 
in 1860 and 1870.

1860 census Miami Co., IN
Jesse GITTINGER   m  49  MD   farmer  Dr. Crk.  p.46
Melissa		  f  30  OH
John              m  19  OH   farmer
Mary J.		  f  16  OH
Sarah E.	  f  15  OH
Charles  	  m  12  IN
Jesse 		  m   9  IN

1870 census Miami Co., IN
Jesse GITTINGER   m  59  MD   farmer  Dr. Crk.  
Melissa		  f  57  OH
John D.           m  29  OH   farmer
Daniel J.	  m  17  IN   works on farm
Charles  	  m  12  IN   works on farm
Ellsworth	  m   8  IN   at home

1870 census Miami Co., IN
Sampson R. REED   m  73  VA  carpenter  Dr. Crk.  p.7-8
Julia             f  65  Conn
WHEATON, Victoria f  12  IN  attending school

Miami Co. Marriage records:
Thomas Timmons to Freelove Miller  Oct 5, 1848
Charles Gettinger  to  Anna Cathcart Feb 27, 1876
Ellsworth Gettinger to Dora E. Coulter Nov 29, 1883
Jesse Gettinger to Olive Ellars June 13, 1875
Mary Gettinger to Harrison Armstrong Aug 26, 1860
Sarah Gittinger to Samuel Weaver Jan 8, 1867

None of the burials in the 1880s and 1890s are recorded in the Miami Co. 
Death records.  I guess they didn't want to make the long trip to Peru.

It appears that the Richard Miller buried in the Reed/Gettinger Cemetery 
is most likely the father of Melissa Miller Gettinger.  William F. Timmons, 
son of T S & F Timmons is probably the son of Thomas and Freelove (Miller) 
Timmons.  I would assume Freelove may be a sister of Melissa's.  
Haven't figured out a tie in with Sampson Reed yet.