Jurisdiction:  Bainbridge Township Section 4

 

Established:   December 7, 1871

 

Status:  BCGS Cemetery Records updated  October 24, 2011.

 

Status:   Restored in 2000-2001

 

Location:  North side of Hill Road approximately ¼ mile west of Bainbridge Center Road, 1 ¼ mile from M-140

 

Cemetery Governing Body:  Bainbridge Township

 

Location of Cemetery Records:  No records exist other than B.C.G.S. 1973, 1983 & 2003 books

Size: Approximately 3/4 acre

 

On December 7, 1871, Henry and Charlotte Dukesherer sold a portion of their land to the First German Baptist Church of Bainbridge for $25.00, to be used for the German Baptist Church Burying Ground.  Trustees of the church were Frederick Weaver, Henry Dukesherer, and Henry Seel.  The first pastor was W. A. Grimm.  

The German Baptist Church organized in 1871, with 14 members; a house of worship was soon built.  St. Joseph supplied preachers once every three weeks.  By 1880, the Church had a membership of eight.  Only nine known graves remain, undoubtedly there were more, perhaps unmarked or moved. The church building has been gone for many years.  The oldest headstone is that of Catharine Weaver who died on September 12, 1870 and was the wife of Frederick; the last burial in 1904 is John Weber.  Weber is actually a derivative of the German name WEAVER. 

Richard J. McCoy, a descendant of Bainbridge pioneers buried here, donated an engraved boulder with the cemetery name about 1999.  It has been moved to the edge of the cemetery overlooking Hill Road.   Merton and Donna Dell along with Darren Schaer restored broken headstones in 2000 and cleared under growth so the site is now visible from both roads.  They still keep it well groomed.