This database includes data from every known cemetery in Gallia County. We have been told by the Ohio Genealogical Society that Gallia County has reported more cemeteries than any other county in the state. This is because there are a large number of very small family cemeteries and because this county dates all the way back to 1803 when Ohio first became a state and is therefore one of the very oldest counties in Ohio. Information in the database was collected from a large variety of sources including old notes from visits to the cemeteries, and also from death records, funeral home records, obituaries, and some contributions from many individuals who sent us new and/or corrected information. It was typed by many individuals to whom we owe a huge thank you.

The database has over 46,000 entries. It is alphabetical which allows for easier use and so also serves as its own index. Although alphabetizing somewhat impairs the chance of one’s finding out who was buried next to whom it will vastly improve one's ability to find additional family in other ways. You may also want to check on the list of hints at the bottom of this page. To begin searching the database, click on "Alphabetical Index" in the column on the left.

***About fifty percent of the names in this database are linked either to an actual photograph of the tombstone or to an outside database (mostly to ohiogravestones.org and findagrave.com) which have photos and sometimes additional genealogical material. These can be recognized because the surname appears as a link. After viewing the image you will be returned to the original page when you click it off. We wish to thank Connie Cotterill-Schumaker, the administrator of ohiogravestones.org, for graciously giving her permission to link names in our list to the photos on the site. Also thanks to the many people who sent us their individual photographs. If you have a tombstone photo you would like to submit, please click on the Submit Tombstone Photos link in the left hand column and submit the photo by email. Photos may also be sent by snail mail to:

There is a large obituary collection elsewhere on this website. Cemetery entries with matching obituaries in that collection are linked to the corresponding obituary and the obituary can be accessed by clicking on the "obituary" link in the miscellaneous column.

Some of the individuals included may not have a tombstone and the information may have come from obituaries, death records or funeral home records. Others may not be named because a tombstone has become unreadable or has been removed. It’s even possible that a stone was overlooked and missed. So, if a name is not found it does not absolutely mean that a person is not buried there. There were often unmarked graves perhaps marked with a footstone or a stone with no inscription. It is hoped that most of the tombstones through about 1975 are included. We have included many after that date as well. Entries have also been made for some known burials that were made without an accomanying stone or marker. In many of those cases the source of the informatoin is provided in the Inscriptions and Miscellaneous column.

The two letter initials in the fourth column in the database are the townships in which the cemetery is located and the abbreviations for them are listed below:

Some hints for using the database

• In the given name column the maiden name of the wife is sometimes listed like a middle name. You may be able to find other extended family by searching that middle name as a surname.
• In the case of very common surnames like Jones or Davis, you may wish to concentrate on others with that surname who are buried in the same cemetery or in the same township.
• Sometimes there was only one date on the stone, and in that case it was presumed to be a death date. However, we have sometimes found that it did indeed represent the birth date (usually when a stone is placed before the person has died), so in those cases we have attempted to check on it, but in some cases the data was not available.
• You may wish to check the maps section (County Map) to locate just where the township in question lies.
• Remember also that when the stones were read, many were already very old and that some letters like L, l, d and b and numbers like 1, 6 and 8 could easily have been misread.
• In the process of alphabetizing the list, some titles, such as Dr., Capt., Col. or Rev., may have preceded the given name in the second column and the name may then sometimes be found under D, C or R.

Top of page

   Alphabetical Index