The Berkshire Cemetery is rich in history and heritage. Veterans and their families who are laid to rest in Berkshire Cemetery date all the way back to the Revolutionary War. It is located on State Route 36-37 just east of Galena Road, across from the Bent Tree Golf Course. The cemetery is open daily from sunrise to sunset. It serves all persons and faiths with equal respect. For service or questions please contact the administrative office at 740.965.2992.
Berkshire Township Cemetery General Rules All visitors are requested to observe the solemnity and sanctity of the cemetery and strictly observe the Rules and Regulations which have been established to preserve order and quiet at all times within the grounds. The cemetery is maintained for the use and benefit of the public. Please abide by these rules for the safety and benefit of all concerned.
On the same September 11th of 1862, James Courter and James Burna officially put their names on the muster rolls, trading their civilian lives for the blue uniforms of the 121st OVI. This Regiment was organized in Delaware County and had Major General William S. Rosecrans as their leader – also from Delaware County.
Shortly after deployment, Courter’s regiment was sent to Indiana. In the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions typical of wartime camps, illness spread like wildfire. Soldiers fell by the thousands to typhoid, dysentery, and pneumonia. James Courter died of disease and is currently buried at the New Albany National Cemetery, Indiana. Private Courter was buried in a common grave, until the above National Cemetery was built in 1862. His body was then exhumed and buried with the proper honors, although today his headstone is still marked as “Unknown”.
James Courter had a headstone at Berkshire Township Cemetery, next to his wife Harriet, and mother Charlotte (picture 1). The cenotaph was destroyed over the years, however, the Delaware County Veterans Services is in the process of requesting a new one.
Once, the Eagle & Shield carved on his stone read (picture 2):
Couter, James M.
Dec. 28, 1862, aged 33y 9m 13d (*)
Meanwhile, Private Burna was sent to Georgia to fight during the Battle of Chickamauga (picture 3). Maj. Gen Rosecrans – or “Old Rosy” as he was known – underestimated the Confederate Army led by Braxton Bragg. After only two days of battle, there were more than 16,000 Union casualties and more than 4,000 prisoners of war – Private Burna being one of them.
Private Burna was transferred to Camp Sumter, better known as Andersonville prison, where he remained a POW for another two years until his death in 1864 of disease. He is currently buried at Andersonville National Cemetery (picture 4) and has a cenotaph at Berkshire Cemetery (pictures 5 and 6 - taken one year apart after cleaning). Private Burna was the grandson of Nathaniel and Phebe (Rosencrans) Roloson - early settlers and landholders of Delaware County .
The lives of our two township residents should not be remembered how Privates Courter and Burna died, but the sacrifice they made and their legacies to our Country.
Please visit our cemetery, located on State Route 36-37, just east of Galena Road, across from the Bent Tree Golf Course.
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