Gardner Cemetery
The cemetery is located on Moore Street at the foot of Steve Tanner Avenue (formally Harris Street). The exact date of establishment is lost to history. The cemetery began as a private burial ground for the Moore and later Harris and Collins families. The earliest known grave is that of Nancy Gardner, born in 1830 and died in 1835.
The earliest mention of the cemetery in the local newspapers in 1874. At that time the cemetery is listed as being on the farm of David Harris. The Ludlow Reporter indicated that it had been a local custom for a number of years for local residents to bury their dead in the cemetery without asking formal permission. Mr. Harris did not object to the practice. However, by the 1870s, a number of Cincinnati residents also began to use the cemetery. At this time, Harris refused to allow any more burials on his property without his permission.
The cemetery has not been properly maintained for decades. It would appear that no written records of burials were ever kept. Today, many headstones are either buried under debris or damaged. Modest efforts have been made to control the weeds and thick underbrush that cover most of the cemetery site.
List of Burials at Gardner Cemetery
This list was compiled by the Christopher Gist Historical Society in 1958. The list represents all the tombstones that were legible at the time.
Collins, Sarah, born 1 Apr 1835; died (Unreadable). (Mother).
Downey, Taylor, born 1850; died 8 Dec 1851. (Age 1).
Dust, Permelia, born 4 Nov 1804; died 23 Jul 1853. (Wife of J. Dust).
Foley, Josiah, born 1846; died 5 Jun 1847. (Age 1).
Foley, Nancy, born 22 Sep 1806; died 5 Dec 1847. (Age 41).
Gardner, Andrew, born 1 Mar 1812; died 18 Dec 1892.
Gardner, James L., born 10 Aug 1850; died 16 May 1853.
Gardner, James, born 1835; died 1898. (Father).
Gardner, John, born 7 Aug 1841; died 13 Feb 1866. (Son of Andrew and Mary Gardner).
Gardner, Mary, born 4 Feb 1813; died 25 Jul 1870. (Wife of Andrew Gardner)
Gardner, Nancy, born 29 Aug 1830; died 10 May 1835. (Daughter of Andrew and Mary).
Gardner, Rebecca, born 1819; died 1869.
Gardner, Samuel, born 1867; died 1873. (Brother).
Gardner, Sarah Ann, (Daughter of Wm & Rebecca, age 2).
Gardner, Sophia, born 1840; died 1877. (Mother).
Gardner, William, born 1815; died 1867.
Gardner, Willie, born 1864; died 1865.
Harris, Zachary, born 11 May 1851; died 23 Apr 1912.
McArthur, Sarah Abrams , born 1785; died 3 Jul 1849. (Wife of John McArthur – age 64).
Searp, John A., born 24 Feb 1851, died 10 Sep 1853. (Son of Henry Searp).
Ludlow Reporter, October 10, 1874, p. 1;
Small Kenton County Cemeteries (published by the Kenton County Historical Society) pp. 33-34.
