One of the stones recently replaced was for Lucy Woodbridge Petit, the first woman to petition the Northwest Territory legislature for a divorce. (Photo by Michele Newbanks)

New stones were put in place Tuesday for more than 25 individuals buried in Mound Cemetery.

Mike Ryan, treasurer of the Washington County Historical Society, said the 26 stones replaced those that were broken or eroded to the point where they couldn’t be read.

Ohio Valley Memorials worked with the historical society and got them “phenomenal pricing,” he said.

“What we paid was $250 per marker plus the engraving fee of $3.50 per letter or number,” Ryan said.

There are still 50 more gravesites for unknown individuals. Ryan said there were ideas for how to mark the sites for these people.

Mike Ryan, Washington County Historical Society treasurer, shows Marietta Mayor Josh Schlicher how the mapping system shows how each grave is marked in the database he has created. (Photo by Michele Newbanks)

“I’d like to get a batch of stones and just have them say ‘Unknown Pioneer’ and mark it that way until we can identify the person,” he said.

One problem he has is the vast number of unmarked graves in the cemetery. Based on the names of people recorded buried at Mound Cemetery that he can’t match with a stone, there are more than 700 unmarked graves.

Ryan has been working on mapping the cemetery so each gravesite will be matched with a person. If the site is unmarked, the mapping system lists it as “unknown.” Ryan said he is 98 percent done with marking sites. The mapping system will be archived for both the historical society and the city.

Ryan has been working on the project for some time and decided about seven months ago to purchase new stones.

He said last December that the historical society has had a fund specifically for the Mound Cemetery through the sale of a book on the cemetery. He thought the stones would be a good way to use the funds.

He said he didn’t look into any of the stories for the people receiving new stones, as he would get sidetracked.

Ryan said there may be one or two people he researches, but there are others with the historical society “who tell stories about Mound Cemetery and I plan to leave that to them.”

Jann Adams, WCHS president, pointed out one stone in particular that had been replaced for Lucy Woodbridge Petit (1775-1816). Lucy’s original stone is still set in place, but it is barely readable.

“I wanted her maiden name to be put on there,” Adams said. “She was the first woman to seek a divorce from the Northwest Territory.”

Adams said Lucy’s husband, a Frenchman named Dr. Jean Georges Petit, came to Gallipolis as part of a French emigration. She said Petit was still connected to his French family and he eventually went back to France, abandoning Lucy and their child.

Adams said she wasn’t sure what caused the divorce, but they didn’t call it “divorce” at the time.

“She was granted an ‘act of relief.’ That’s how it was listed,” she said.

Lucy was 41 years old when she died in 1816. She is buried next to several from the Woodbridge family “who were instrumental in early Marietta,” Adams said.

Ryan said his next step is about 50 tombstones he will try to read “and by process of elimination, find out who they are.”

The city had also sold cremation plots around the perimeter of the cemetery and digging through records, he will try to mark down which are reserved. The city will then have a good idea of what space has been used and what hasn’t.

He also asked the Marietta City Council for funds from the American Rescue Plan Act for ground penetrating radar “like we did to the platform mound on Third Street.”

“It was totally non invasive as they walk equipment across the ground and it paints a picture of what’s under the ground,” Ryan said.

Those buried at Mound Cemetery who received new stones are:

¯ Henrietta Muncy, the 1-year-old daughter of S. and D. Muncy. It is the only remaining Muncy family stone. Hers is the earliest existing grave for an African-American in the cemetery.

¯ Lavinia Nieth (1820-1850). Died at age 30.

¯ Sally Todd (1789-1825). Died at age 36.

¯ Hannah Crawford (1813-1847). Died at age 34.

¯ Lucy Behrce (1765-1810). Died at age 45.

¯ Anna Gray (1839-1841). Died at age 2.

¯ Letitia Bryant (1797-1874). Died at age 77.

¯ Lucy Petit (1775-1816). Died at age 41.

¯ Caroline Conrath (1858-1858). Newborn.

¯ Philipine Conrath (1859-1859). Newborn.

¯ Laura Peters (1856-1856). Newborn.

¯ Letitia Peters (1855-1856). Died at age 1.

¯ Anna Abbott (1810-1861). Died at age 50.

¯ Augusta Weld (1840-1850). Died at age 10.

¯ Frances Clark (1844-1845). Died at age 1.

¯ Argalus Pixley (1775-1850). Died at age 75.

¯ Thomas Murray (1777-1813). Died at age 36.

¯ Henry Smith (1793-1852). Died at age 59.

¯ Amelia Edleston (1836-1852). Died at age 16.

¯ Catherine Elisa Schmincke (1857-1859). Died at age 2.

¯ John Dabele (1852-1852). Newborn.

¯ Edward Broadhurst (1850-1851). Died at age 1.

¯ Mary Bruce (1844-1874). Died at age 30.

¯ Maggie Orr (1855-1856). Died at age 1.

¯ Jonathan Plumer, a Mason (1747-1807). Died at age 60.

¯ Oliver Dodge, a Mason (1789-1836). Died at age 47.

Michele Newbanks can be reached at mnewbanks@mariettatimes.com.