Loveland, Ohio– This month, a Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery display is at the Clermont County Administration Building, Recorder’s office.
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery officially has been classified as a historical site within the city.
Rob Geiger (L) receives historical marker from City Manager Dave Kennedy
At the Jan. 24, 2023, Loveland City Council meeting, Rob Geiger of the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association was presented with the plaque for a designated historical place. The plaque will be installed at the cemetery.
The cemetery is located in the White Pillars subdivision off SR 48.
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery originated in 1813 with the burial of Lt. Col. Thomas Paxton, a Revolutionary War Soldier, on land that he received for his military service.
Loveland, Ohio – This is a story we first published in May of 2019. Cassie Mattia interviewed Steve Max, representing the Loveland Legace Foundation, and Rob Geiger the President of the Ramsey Paxton Cemetery Association as they were kicking off a new fundraising campaign for the cemetery’s restoration.
Rob told Cassie some of the history of the burial site and its historic significance to Loveland, Clermont, County, and the State of Ohio.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Legacy Foundation has partnered with the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association, Inc. and will offer a dollar-for-dollar match up to $1,500 to complete the funding needed to restore the historical cemetery located in White Pillars subdivision on Ramsey Court. With your help, and this matching grant, the restoration work will be completed this summer and this historically significant site can be restored to a level of care that it deserves.
In this LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video Cassie Mattia talks with Steve Max and Rob Geiger about the history of the cemetery, who is buried there, and the announcement of the matching grant.
The first burial at the cemetery was Lt. Col. Thomas Paxton in 1813, a Revolutionary War patriot who dined with General George Washington as one of the officers of the day at Valley Forge on Christmas Day in 1777. Paxton also was chosen by General Anthony Wayne to lead the advance guard at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
Paxton was credited as being the first permanent settler in Clermont County. Paxton and his sons-in-law carved out the wilderness to make a home for their families in 1795 and brought their wives and children here to Loveland in 1796. Paxton is the founder of Clermont County, Miami Township, the city of Loveland, and he helped with the Statehood of Ohio.
Capt. John Ramsey, Paxtons’s son-in-law, also a Revolutionary War patriot, is buried in the cemetery along with other family members.
The Loveland Legacy Foundation, passionate about preserving our founding families’ place of rest, has partnered with the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association to restore the historic Loveland landmark. Other partners include American Legion Post # 256, American Legion Auxiliary Post #256, Bond Home Furnishings, City of Loveland, Clough Valley Daughters of the Revolution, Eads Fence Company, Loveland Magazine, Paxton’s Grill, Ramsey’s Trailside, Loveland Sweets, and Rainey Tree Service. They have all united together to make this project a reality which will include the removal of the dead and decaying trees, the replacement of the chain link fence with a 4’ black aluminum industrial grade fence, and a 10’ antique wrought iron gate provided by Eads Fence that will be fully restored and installed.
You now have an opportunity to help secure the final part of the funds needed with this generous match from the Loveland Legacy Foundation which doubles the value of your donations up to $3,000.
Visit these local downtown Loveland businesses to place your donation in the donation jars at: Bond Home Furnishings • Eads Fence Company • Paxton’s Grill • Ramsey’s Trailside • Loveland Sweets.
Make out a check, payable to Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association and mail it to Rob Geiger, PO Box 25 Loveland OH 45140.Both Loveland Legacy Foundation and Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Associations are 501-3C organizations so your contributions may be tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery is a hidden gem locally, statewide, and nationally. Jan Beller, Director of the Loveland Museum Center (Greater Loveland Historical Society) said: “We are fortunate to have such a historical site right in our own thriving town!”
Steve Max, Chairman of the Loveland Legacy Foundation, and Rob Geiger, President of the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association both added: Thank you for joining us to see this project through and living up to our motto “Loveland Strong.”
Read about the recent celebration on May 17, 2022:
Loveland, Ohio – On Saturday, May 7 at 12:45 PM, a parade will leave the John Ramsey Homestead in the White Pillars subdivision and end at the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetary at 206 Ramsey Court; where a formal dedication of new and restored gravestones will take place.
During the ceremony, the Clough Valley Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, in conjunction with the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association, the Cincinnati Chapter/Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), and the Loveland American Legion Post #256 will be marking graves for Thomas Paxton, John Ramsey, and c.
Bagpiper Robert Reid, will lead the parade and perform during the ceremony. The SAR will be demonstrating muzzle rifle firing and conducting the 21-gun salute.
In the last year, it has been a challenging time with serious health diagnoses, treatment, and the looming concerns regarding Covid. Plans were slowed down but our pioneer blood kept forging ahead keeping progress moving ahead.
We are winding up the capital improvements to the cemetery and it’s hard to believe the capital fundraising started in 2018 with two big line items completed in 2019 – removal of the dead and dying trees, the old rusted fence, installing the beautiful black aluminum fence, the installation of the one of a kind wrought iron gates in 2020 and two new headstones installed for Lt. Col. Thomas Paxton and Capt. John Ramsey.
This past year, 2021, Riverview Monuments came through with their commitment and supplied the cemetery with beautiful black granite remembrance markers for the unknown graves within the confines of the cemetery. Riverview Monuments also sandblasted the death date of Minerva Arbuckle Ramsey on her headstone and is currently working with the Daughters of the American Revolution, Clough Valley Chapter which commissioned bronze plaques to the matching black granite used for the remembrance markers to mark LT. Col. Thomas Paxton and his daughter Isabella Paxton Ramsey’s grave. The Cincinnati Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution is also coming up with their own marker for Captain John Ramsey to be installed in the cemetery.
We still could not find a local landscape company to even return phone calls to work on the grounds by leveling it out, planting grass seed, and providing grass management. Hopefully, we can find a company to provide this service in the early fall of 2022.
We are looking for volunteers to sand the flagpole and paint or donate a new flag pole in the month of April, 2022.
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association appreciates everyone that made this project a success! We could not even accomplish this task without some very key and instrumental partnerships. A huge “Thank You” to Loveland Magazine-our Media Sponsor, City of Loveland, Rainey Tree Service, Eads Fence Company, Loveland Legacy Foundation, Paxton’s Grill, Ramsey’s Trailside, and Riverview Monuments.
With the work coming to the end, we are pleased to announce the dedication of the cemetery in 2022. Please save the date: Saturday, May 7, 2022, at 1 PM at the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery across from 185 Ramsey Court, Loveland, Ohio. We will have more information in the next couple of weeks. Everyone is invited to attend and celebrate Loveland’s heritage along with the families of Paxton and Ramsey.
For the ones that are not familiar with the historically significant of this cemetery the biography of Paxton and Ramsey are as follows:
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery originated in 1813 with the burial of Lt. Col. Thomas Paxton, a Revolutionary War Soldier, on land that he received for his military service. Paxton’s original land grant was 1,100 acres generally speaking the Northwest section of Clermont County. In 1795 Paxton and his sons-in-law came to settle the land and a year later sent for their wives and children to join them in their new home.
Lt. Col. Paxton (1739-1813) served with George Washington at Valley Forge in 1777 and with General Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. Lt. Col. Paxton is considered the first permanent settler between the Little Miami River and the Scioto River in the Virginia Military Tract, credited with raising the first crop of corn, and was the founder of Loveland. Paxton’s involvement is quite extensive helping Lytle with surveying lands in Clermont County down to parts of today’s community of Hyde Park, having the first polling place in Clermont County, and helping with the statehood of Ohio.
Captain John Ramsey, a son-in-law, was buried in the cemetery in 1847, along with other family members until 1913. Captain John Ramsey (1764-1847) was a Revolutionary War Patriot and one of the first settlers of Clermont County with other family members. He was considered a proficient hunter even though his leg was amputated as a result of carrying out military duties.
Loveland, Ohio – On Monday LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV took our camera to the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery in the White Pillars subdivision where Rob Geiger made an important announcement regarding the on-going restoration project. Geiger is the President of the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association.
In an email to Loveland Magazine Geiger exclaimed, “Look what got installed May 1, 2020!”
Geiger has worked for the last two years to make Loveland’s most significant historical site presentable again. They removed a 20-year old rusty and broken fence, installed a new one, removed dying trees that threatened the new fence and tombstones, attempted a gentle restoration of the 208-year-old tombstones, brought a historical marker that had been in storage to the cemetery, and just this week saw the installation of a historical wrought-iron gate.
In this video, you will see Geiger explain how all the work was accomplished and hear about how the community and local businesses pitched-in to accomplish it all.
The cemetery is where Loveland’s “Founding Family” is buried and Rob is a direct ancestor.
In this video clip, Rob Geiger talks about how important the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery is to Loveland’s heritage.
He also talks about the work the Association still hopes to accomplish as more funds become available.
You can make a tax-deductible donation to help complete the project by sending a check to Geiger Made out to:
Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association
C/O Rob Geiger
PO Box 25
Loveland, Ohio 45140.
Listen as Rob Geiger talks about the cultural significance of the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery to the Greater Loveland Community…
A note From Rob Geiger to the sponsors of the restoration project:
I’d Like to thank:
David Miller – Loveland Magazine Media Sponsor
City Manager Dave Kennedy and City of Loveland Public Works
Kevin Egan – Ramsey Trailside and Paxton’s Grill
Steve Max – Loveland Legacy Foundation
Ralph Dunnigan and Sandy Russell – Paxton’s Grill
John Zielke – Ramsey’s Trailside
Gloria Wilson – Loveland Sweet Shop
Kevin Malof – Bonds Home Furnishings
Bill Re – Bush Re Shea Insurance Agency
American Legion Post 256
American Legion Auxiliary 256
Loveland Museum Center – Jan Beller
Paige Craig and Wand Langdon – Clough Valley Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution
Steve Rainey – Rainey Tree Service
Dale Eads and Becky Eads Sands – Eads Fence Company
Fundraisers and supporters of efforts to restore the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery were at the cemetery on Monday, May 19 for the announcement of the matching grant offered by the Loveland Legacy Foundation and see first-hand why the restoration of the historic cemetery is needed.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Legacy Foundation has partnered with the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association, Inc. and will offer a dollar-for-dollar match up to $1,500 to complete the funding needed to restore the historical cemetery located in White Pillars subdivision on Ramsey Court. With your help, and this matching grant, the restoration work will be completed this summer and this historically significant site can be restored to a level of care that it deserves.
In this LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video Cassie Mattia talks with Steve Max and Rob Geiger about the history of the cemetery, who is buried there, and the announcement of the matching grant.
The first burial at the cemetery was Lt. Col. Thomas Paxton in 1813, a Revolutionary War patriot who dined with General George Washington as one of the officers of the day at Valley Forge on Christmas Day in 1777. Paxton also was chosen by General Anthony Wayne to lead the advance guard at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
Paxton was credited as being the first permanent settler in Clermont County. Paxton and his sons-in-law carved out the wilderness to make a home for their families in 1795 and brought their wives and children here to Loveland in 1796. Paxton is the founder of Clermont County, Miami Township, the city of Loveland, and he helped with the Statehood of Ohio.
Capt. John Ramsey, Paxtons’s son-in-law, also a Revolutionary War patriot, is buried in the cemetery along with other family members.
The Loveland Legacy Foundation, passionate about preserving our founding families’ place of rest, has partnered the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association to restore the historic Loveland landmark. Other partners include American Legion Post # 256, American Legion Auxiliary Post #256, Bond Home Furnishings, City of Loveland, Clough Valley Daughters of the Revolution, Eads Fence Company, Loveland Magazine, Paxton’s Grill, Ramsey’s Trailside, Loveland Sweets, and Rainey Tree Service. They have all united together to make this project a reality which will include removal of the dead and decaying trees, the replacement of the chain link fence to a 4’ black aluminum industrial grade fence, and a 10’ antique wrought iron gate provided by Eads Fence that will be fully restored and installed.
You now have an opportunity to help secure the final part of the funds needed with this generous match from the Loveland Legacy Foundation which doubles the value of your donations up to $3,000.
Visit these local downtown Loveland businesses to place your donation in the donation jars at: Bond Home Furnishings • Eads Fence Company • Paxton’s Grill • Ramsey’s Trailside • Loveland Sweets.
Make out a check, payable to Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association and mail it to Rob Geiger, PO Box 25 Loveland OH 45140.Both Loveland Legacy Foundation and Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Associations are 501-3C organizations so your contributions may be tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery is a hidden gem locally, statewide and nationally. Jan Beller, Director of the Loveland Museum Center (Greater Loveland Historical Society) said: “We are fortunate to have such a historical site right in our own thriving town!”
Steve Max, Chairman of the Loveland Legacy Foundation and Rob Geiger, President of the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association both added: Thank you for joining us to see this project through and living up to our motto “Loveland Strong.”
Loveland Magazine is the proud Media Sponsor of the effort to restore this extraordinary local landmark.
For the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association, Inc. White Pillars, Loveland, Ohio
Loveland, Ohio – The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association is a non-profit organization, and in a dire need for a new fence and removal of dead and decaying trees. This preservation project also includes new headstones for Lt. Col. Paxton and Capt. John Ramsey and restoring a beautiful donated 10’ historical gate from Eads Fence Co.
A percentage of sales, split the pot (5 -8 PM), and a donation jar will take place at the event. “Please invite you family and friends and let’s live up to our motto “Loveland Strong”, said Association President, Rob Geiger.
“We are excited by supporting our community heritage which our names of our restaurants derive from”, said Ralph Dunnigan, one of the owners of Paxton’s Grill and Ramsey’s Trailside.
Ramsey’s Trailside is located in Historic Downtown Loveland, Ohio where the Loveland Bike Trail intersects with West Loveland Avenue.
What makes this cemetery unique?
Thomas Paxton
There are two American Revolutionary War patriots buried there. Lt. Col. Thomas Paxton (1739-1813) dined with General George Washington at Valley Forge in 1777 as an officer of the day. In addition, he served under General Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. Paxton is credited with many Clermont County historical firsts: building the first log cabin, hosting the earliest Presbyterian services, holding the first election, and planting the first field of corn. He was the founder of Clermont County, Miami Township and Loveland and the list goes on and on.
Captain John Ramsey
The other patriot is Captain John Ramsey, a son-in-law to Paxton and a noted hunter even though his leg was amputated as a result of carrying out military duties. He settled at what we now know as White Pillars Subdivision at the same time as Paxton.
Other ways to help
If you are a business owner, a member of an organization or an individual, please consider making a charitable contribution or sponsoring an event to help preserve a significant historical site.
For more information you can email geigercounter@hotmail.com or send a check made out to the Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association Inc. and send it to Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association Inc. C/O Rob Geiger, PO Box 25, Loveland, Ohio 45140.
The Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery Association Inc. is a non-profit 501c3 organization. All donations are a charitable contribution.
Loveland Magazine proudly sponsors and supports this project to preserve Loveland’s earliest history and heritage.
![[Video] Rob Geiger announces milestone for Ramsey-Paxton Cemetery restoration project](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/maxresdefault-2.jpg)
In an email to Loveland Magazine Geiger exclaimed, “Look what got installed May 1, 2020!”
![[Video Interview] Matching Grant announced to help restore historic Loveland cemetery](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/maxresdefault-2.jpg)
Loveland Magazine proudly sponsors and supports this project to preserve Loveland’s earliest history and heritage.