On the Search for Madison County’s Revolutionary War Veterans A Case Study: Baskerville Farm Cemetery and Three Patriots
Posted October 8, 2025

Logo for America 250-Ohio with blue background, the number 250, the words America and Ohio and a red ribbon with the numbers 1776 and 2026

America 250-Ohio Presents the Revolutionary War Graves Identification Project

As we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026, America 250-Ohio and the Ohio History Connection invite you to take part in an inspiring statewide initiative: The Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Project.

In collaboration with the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office, Terracon Consultants, Inc., and local chapters of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, this project seeks to identify, document, and map the final resting places of an estimated 7,000 Revolutionary War patriots buried in Ohio.

This is a unique opportunity to connect with Ohio's rich history and ensure that the sacrifices of these patriots are remembered for generations to come. Learn more about the project here or view our progress on the Live Results Dashboard.

 

By Krista Horrocks, RWVG Project Manager and Historian for the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office

 

 

On July 3, 2025, my husband Brian and I set out on a mission: to uncover the final resting places of Revolutionary War veterans in Madison County, Ohio.

What we encountered during this exploration led us to an intriguing mystery involving three patriots and a nearly forgotten burial ground — the Baskerville Farm Cemetery.

Brian documenting the gravesite of Rev. Jeremiah Converse in Darby Township Cemetery, Madison County, Ohio (Find A Grave Memorial ID#10638959)

The Curious Case of the “Gone” Cemetery

Baskerville Farm Cemetery, documented by the Ohio Genealogical Society as Cemetery ID#7137, is officially listed as "gone." It was once located on what was historically known as the Baskerville Farm. According to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Cemetery Plot Map - documented in the late 1930’s, early 1940’s - the cemetery lies east of SR-38, about a mile north of Newport and 0.7 miles north of CR-12.

This location aligns with the cemetery’s placement on the 2024 Madison County Engineer Map.

A portion of the Madison County Engineer Map showing the location of Baskerville Farm Cemetery

Interestingly, while the WPA recorded the cemetery as being in Paint Township, by today’s township boundaries, the cemetery falls within Union Township. It is unclear if this was a mistake in the records, not uncommon in the WPA documentation, which might be due to the Baskerville family owning large amounts of land in the southern part of Paint Township in the late 1800’s.

Land Ownership and Lost Landscapes

 

Historic plat maps from 1862 and 1875 list the land containing the cemetery as owned by Robert Neil and later William A. Neil. The cemetery isn’t marked on these maps — but that’s not uncommon for small or private family plots of the era. What’s significant is that the land had already changed hands by then, just a few decades after Samuel Baskerville’s death in 1830.

By the 1860s, no members of the Baskerville family are recorded as owning the property. This gap in ownership raises the possibility that the cemetery's care and visibility declined soon after the original burials.

Portion of the Madison County, Ohio Plat Map by H.F. Walling (1862), Robert's parcel outlined in purple.

 

Portion of the Union Township, Madison County Plat Map by J.A. Caldwell (1875), William's parcel outlined in purple.

The Three Patriots

 

Three Revolutionary War veterans are recorded by the WPA as buried in Baskerville Farm Cemetery:

John Troxell (1748–1835)

 

Samuel Baskerville (1754–1830)

Elias Langham (1759–1830)

Today, however, their names are now linked to other cemeteries:

John Troxell

has a gravestone in
Kirkwood Cemetery
Find A Grave Memorial

Samuel Baskerville

is listed in
Paint Township Cemetery
Find A Grave Memorial

 

Elias Langham

also appears in
Paint Township Cemetery
Find A Grave Memorial

 

 

 

A note on Samuel’s Find A Grave memorial, from an uncredited source, mentions that he was buried “on the farm which he received by a Virginia military land grant… beside his friend, Col. Elias Langham.” If this is accurate, their burials did take place at what we now call Baskerville Farm Cemetery. So why do modern cemetery records place these men elsewhere?

Gravestones vs. Gravesites: Cenotaphs and the Question of Reburial

 

One possibility is that the gravestones now in Kirkwood and Paint Township cemeteries are cenotaphs — memorial stones honoring the deceased, but not marking their actual remains. This was a common practice, especially as older or private cemeteries fell into neglect or were repurposed.

It's unclear whether their remains were ever moved — or if these markers were placed later as honorary memorials.

John Troxell’s

gravestone is located in the northwest section of Kirkwood Cemetery, as documented by Cassady Wallace for the Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Project on June 22, 2025.

Samuel Baskerville’s

marker cannot be clearly identified in Paint Township Cemetery today.

Elias Langham’s

military gravestone is now in a designated veteran's circle in the same cemetery

John Troxell’s military-issued gravestone, located in Kirkwood Cemetery
(photo credit: Cassady Wallace).

Elias Langham’s military-issued gravestone, located in Paint Township Cemetery
(photo credit: Krista Horrocks).

Why It Matters

 

This conundrum — cenotaph or reburial? — is a critical question in our work with the AMER250-OH Revolutionary War Veterans Graves Project. It highlights the challenges in documenting Ohio’s Revolutionary War veterans. When a gravestone exists, it’s easy to assume it marks a burial. But that’s not always the case.

 

If the Baskerville Farm Cemetery still contains the original remains of these Patriots, then it represents a fragile, endangered piece of Ohio’s Revolutionary history. Unfortunately, the cemetery is on private property and is not publicly accessible. The Madison County Auditor’s website does not list any cemetery on the parcel, and there’s no indication whether the current owners are aware of its historical significance. The cemetery was still identifiable enough in the late 1930s, early 1940s for the WPA to document it — but today, it may be completely obscured or even lost from farming development or natural overgrowth.

Preserving the Forgotten

 

As researchers, historians, and citizens, we must treat these burial sites with respect and care — whether they remain physically intact or survive only through documentation. Cemeteries like the Baskerville Farm Cemetery are part of Ohio’s legacy. They remind us of the people who helped shape our nation — and whose final resting places are still worth honoring and protecting.

 

Even when a gravesite no longer visibly exists, the history it represents remains vital. That’s why we document every known site, including cenotaphs, with the understanding that the true burial location may be elsewhere. Each stone, each name, is a piece of the story. And stories like that of Baskerville Farm Cemetery — even if clouded by time and change — are still worth telling.

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