Local historians rewrite the history of Forest Cemetery
‘We all have our place in history. Let’s get it straight.’
Becky Visser Historian
Recent gravestone topplings have thrust Forest Cemetery into the headlines, generating public concern about burying family members there. But there’s more to the 178-year old cemetery.
Perrysburg historians Becky Visser and Gary Franks are writing a book about the 94-acre cemetery, bringing attention to its contribution to the city’s rich history.
“This cemetery is the background of Toledo,” Visser said. “It’s where the founders and pioneers are.”
She added that with her book, she wants to develop an “accurate record” of Toledo’s background while dispelling myths. The most common one is surrounding Toledo’s first mayor, John Berdan, who is mistaken to be buried at Historic Woodlawn Cemetery instead of Forest.
By writing a book, she hopes to put facts in order for Toledoans to better understand the cemetery steeped with Vistula and Portlawrence history.
“We all have our place in history. Let’s get it straight,” the local historian said.
Four years ago, she co-authored her first book, Toledo’s Woodlawn Cemetery. From there, she developed an interest in the history of Toledo’s cemeteries and soon began researching Forest Cemetery.
Her friend, Franks, assisted in the process and from there, the two began working on the book.
“We started to find errors ... things that weren’t adding up,” Visser said.
Franks added that they found errors in the maps the city provided them.
“Things just didn’t coincide with what we were seeing when we were walking,” Visser said. “Over the winter, he redid the maps.”
The two have continued to find inaccurate information since then, some of it regarding the size of the cemetery and the number of mayors buried there. With their book, not only do they plan to debunk these myths, but also discuss how Forest came to be, Franks said.
Prior to 1836, the place where Forest exists today was a city in Michigan, he said.
“Ohio came into being a state in 1803, so we’re talking about the cemetery starting in 1840,” Visser said.
The two are compiling information from the Way Public Library, Toledo Lucas County Public Library, National Archives near Washington, newspapers in Ohio, and the Lucas County Auditor’s Office to include in their book.
“We read quite a number of accounts conflicting a relation about who sold the land to the city to start the cemetery and two names kept popping up,” Franks said. “One was Edward Bissell and the other one was Benjamin Stickley. I eventually found out it was Stickley who sold the first eight acres.”
In their most recent discoveries, they’ve found that nine police officers, 13 firefighters, 16 Toledo mayors, Civil War veterans, founder of the University of Toledo and former Blade editor Jesup Scott, and ship captain Samuel Allen are buried at Forest, Mrs. Visser said.
Another well-known figure is the “bronze raven,” an African-American woman who started the Bronze Raven newsletter for African-Americans in the ‘50s or ‘60s, Visser said. She was a college graduate who also served in the military.
Luke Smigielski, cemeteries foreman, is helping the historians in their research by providing information on the city’s history. He has worked at Forest Cemetery for a year.
“Lucas County’s last remaining Civil War veteran is buried here,” Smigielski said.
He added that the veteran was a prison guard at Johnson’s Island Prison Camp in Sandusky. He became a doctor after the war and lived to be 101.
While the two historians still have a long way to go, they’ve written 157 pages of the book and hope to have it published in a year.
“This is like putting a pebble in water, but I would say our main focus on what we’re doing right now is getting people to change their attitude,” Visser said.
She added it’s time to rewrite the history of Toledo as the city approaches its 200th birthday.