Overly Chapel Cemetery
Courtesy of Ann Davis
Overly Chapel at 20 Rocky Road, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio was built by the family of Frederick and Mary Ann (Hines) Overly. The cemetery sits on a hill behind the church.
The grave of Frederick and Mary Ann's daughter, Elizabeth (Overly) Tharp, has the oldest marked headstone in the cemetery. She died in 1843 at the age of 41 leaving five children - Mary Ann, Joseph, Newton, John, and George.
Her husband, John S. Tharp, remarried and moved to Indiana after her death. He died in Marshall County, Indiana and is buried in St. Paul's Cemetery.
Four unmarked fieldstones sit next to Elizabeth's grave. They likely belong to her son and two daughters who died in childhood. The fourth headstone is probably that of her son, Newton Tharp, who died in 1863 at the age of 24.
Behind Elizabeth's graves are those of her parents, Frederick and Mary Ann Overly, who died in 1848 and 1850.
The graves of Frederick's parents, Martin and Eva Overly, are on a high knoll at the site of the original church which sat about a half mile away. This large cemetery, sometimes known as the Cryder cemetery, has disappeared with time.
Family legend holds that the first church was destroyed after a small pox epidemic hit the community. The families put their contaminated clothing and household items in the church and burned it down to halt the spread of the disease.
Frederick Overly |
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Mary Ann Hines Overly |
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Elizabeth Overly Tharp |
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Newton Tharp |
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