Category Archives: Cemeteries

The Murder of Jesse Kelsey, Jr.

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Born in 1829 to one of Centerville’s most prosperous farmers, Jesse Kelsey Sr., Jesse Kelsey Jr. was the 9th of 12 children. He married Unity Stokes on September 4th, 1856, and lived on a farm in Centerville on the southwest corner of what is now Spring Valley Pike and Dayton-Lebanon Pike, near the Kroger Marketplace. In September of 1862, Jesse Jr. and Unity were expecting their first child.

On the night of September 7th, 1862, just 3 days after celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary, Unity woke up to see a man standing over her and Jesse Jr. while they slept. She woke Jesse Jr. up, and he shouted at the man, who then fired a pistol at him. Jesse Jr. rushed Unity out of the room to safety and was struck by another pistol shot, and fell to the ground, dead.

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Windows of Woodland

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Have you ever visited the mausoleum at Woodland Cemetery and seen the beautiful stained glass windows all throughout the building? We highly recommend going in person! Also make sure to pick up the brochure with more information about these gorgeous works of art!

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Let’s get Spooky!

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Dayton Unknown will be joining Spooky Spectacular on October 4th for a spooky-themed photo scavenger hunt at a spooky-themed craft show!

What is a photo scavenger hunt?

A photo scavenger hunt is essentially a scavenger hunt that involves taking photos instead of finding objects. Every group or contestant will receive a list of prompts to encourage creativity and exploration of the area.

Dayton Unknown will be at the entrance to the event to pass out information and goodies. Make sure you come see us!

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Mark Dennis

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Although the Dennis family accepted the coffin with the flag draped over the top, they were not convinced it carried the remains of Mark.

Mark V. Dennis was the youngest son of Charles and Vera Dennis. His father Charles had a sense of humor and decided to give Mark the Roman numeral V as a middle initial since he was the fifth child. Shortly after graduating high school in 1964, Mark enlisted in the Navy, training to be a medic. Mark hoped the medic training would help him in his aspirations to become a missionary after his military service. Although he was initially stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, he asked to be transferred so he could help with the effort in Vietnam. He was assigned as a medic and acting chaplain to a Marine unit fighting during Operation Hastings. On July 16, 1966, thirteen men boarded a C-47 Chinook helicopter before it lifted in the air. As it was flying over the Quang Tri Province, the helicopter was shot down by enemies.

Mark DennisSource

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Lower Miami Cemetery

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The Lower Miami Cemetery is located in Jefferson Township on Germantown Street. Land for this cemetery was first sold to the Baptist Church of the Brethren by Eli and Samuel Noffsinger on January 28, 1846. Although formerly owned and operated by the Lower Miami Church, they are now only connected through name.

Originally called Holler Cemetery due to the first families buried there, it became Lower Miami Cemetery in the early 1900s. Many of the people buried there were connected through marriage and church.

Sara’s own personal connection to the cemetery is countless family members buried there. Her genealogy tree can match up with many of the tombstones in that cemetery.

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Lee Lynam

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Note: In honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15th, we decided to share a story about one of Dayton’s own Peace Officers.

January 17, 1880 was a normal day on the beat for Patrolman Lee Lynam. That morning, he arrested a man named John Francis on suspicion of having a gun. Francis was later released and told to “behave.”

But behave, he did not.

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More Interesting Dayton Facts

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  • Susan Koerner Wright, mother of Wilbur and Orville, enjoyed making things for and with her children. Reportedly, her husband Milton could not hammer a nail straight, and she was the handy person in the family. She often made toys for the children, and even put together some small appliances to make her household chores easier.
  • In 1900, Dayton listed more inventions than any other city in the United States.
  • John Patterson could not stand Charles Kettering, and would often fire him from his company, NCR. Edward Deeds would always hire him back.
  • During rainy seasons, carriages would get stuck in the mud. To remedy this, huge logs were buried under the mud, lining Dayton streets in a “corduroy” fashion, preventing wagons and animals from sinking.

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Winter in Dayton

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With all the snow we’ve been getting lately, we wanted to share some of our favorite pictures from this winter, and winters past!

Also, if you have any great winter pics to share, please send them to us at daytonunknown@hotmail.com and if we may just share your pictures too! Please make sure to provide your full name for photo credit!

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