Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery Foundation

Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery Foundation Founded in March 2017, the FOGCF is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of Greenlawn Cemetery.

Historical Re-enactments, Easter Sunrise Services, Serenity Garden, Christmas Memorial Services, Tree Mapping, Beautification and much more. Immediate Goals:
*Digitizing records with mapping and genealogical information on website and smartphones
*Chapel restoration and proposed memory garden
*Fence and perimeter enhancement
*Security

08/12/2026

Window Wednesday. Episode Lima

The Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery will present The Story of Us VIII on September 13th, beginning promptly at 5:30pm. Thi...
08/12/2026

The Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery will present The Story of Us VIII on September 13th, beginning promptly at 5:30pm. This years show, “Patriots & Pioneers”, will take us back to the American Revolution as we meet our Scioto County Patriots and their families.

100% of the funds raised from this years event will go to our Mausoleum Stained Glass Window Campaign.

Tickets are available at Berndt & Murfin Insurance Agency, 1031 Gallia Street, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Harris Floor Covering, 610 9th Street, Portsmouth, Ohio.

We can’t wait for you to see this one!

Our friends from the Portsmouth Garden Club held their monthly meeting today in Greenlawn. We have met together for many...
08/11/2026

Our friends from the Portsmouth Garden Club held their monthly meeting today in Greenlawn. We have met together for many years, but this one was extra special as we were able to watch the last window in the south mausoleum be removed and packed away for restoration. They also made a very generous donation to our Mausoleum Stained Glass Window Restoration Campaign. Thank you Portsmouth Garden Club, we are so grateful for you and your support! 🌻🌹♥️🪻🌺

Monument Monday 🪦Joseph RiggsBorn - July 2, 1796Died - July 28, 1877Joseph Riggs was born on July 2, 1796, to Stephen an...
08/10/2026

Monument Monday 🪦

Joseph Riggs
Born - July 2, 1796
Died - July 28, 1877

Joseph Riggs was born on July 2, 1796, to Stephen and Anne Baird Riggs. As a child, he lived in Amity, Pennsylvania, with his parents and ten siblings. The family moved to Steubenville, Ohio, and later to Sardinia, Ohio, where both parents are buried.

In August, 1817, Joseph went to visit his uncles, James and Moses Baird, in Adams County. While there he was offered a position as the clerk of the West Union Bank, which he accepted. He traveled by flat boat to Manchester and started work at the bank.

While living in West Union, he frequently borrowed the fine horse of his friend, George Fitzgerald, to travel to North Liberty to court Miss Rebecca Baldridge. They were married on December 8, 1819, the same year he was elected cashier of the West Union Bank.He served as the cashier for four years.

He was appointed auditor of Adams County in 1824. Mr. Riggs was an accomplished surveyor, but it is not known how he acquired this skill. While in office, he made a connected survey of all the lands in Adams County, and the map was used until it fell apart.

He resigned his auditor position in 1831, to become the State Senator from Adams and Brown Counties. He moved to Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1837, and resided there for the remainder of his life.

He opened a general store in the city, and operated it for many years. He was said to have been an excellent businessman.

He was elected to City Council in 1838. He was elected Recorder and served as Scioto County Surveyor. He was on the committee to secure an Armory in Portsmouth, and he was on the first Infirmary Board.

In 1860, he engineered the construction of the “tow path” from the city of Portsmouth to Union Mills, and charged $70.00 for his services. In 1867, he was the president of City Council and was responsible for most of the city ordinances and general legislation during his time there.

These words were written about Joseph Riggs after his death, “He was a public spirited citizen, and was so recognized. He was a just man, a consistent Christian, and a most valuable citizen.”

Rebecca Baldridge Riggs died on April 3, 1862, and Joseph Riggs died on July 28, 1877, at the age of 81. They were the parents of twelve children.

They are buried in the Evergreen 4 section near Grant Street.

Monument Monday 🪦The Ludgate FamilyCharles Ludgate, Sr.1816 - 1884Ann Ludgate1819 - 1887Charles Ludgate was born in Engl...
08/03/2026

Monument Monday 🪦

The Ludgate Family

Charles Ludgate, Sr.
1816 - 1884

Ann Ludgate
1819 - 1887

Charles Ludgate was born in England in 1816, to Samuel Ludgate and Martha Campbell. His wife, Ann Reynolds, was born in England in 1819.

They were married in Canada, when Ann was sixteen and Charles was nineteen. At the time, Charles was enlisted in the British Army. Charles and Ann went on to have at least twelve children in their lifetimes. They lived most of their lives on Fifth Street in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Mr. Ludgate was first employed as a barber in a rented space in the basement of the Biggs House Hotel and later the Taylor House Hotel. He eventually owned his own barbershop and bathhouse business on Market Street and had several employees.

Nineteenth century barbershops frequently doubled as public bathhouses because private indoor plumbing was rare. A typical haircut was 25 cents, a bath or shave would be from 10 cents to 25 cents. Some shops offered “back washer” services for an additional fee. Railway and transient workers also used these facilities for their weekly cleanup before heading into town.

The barbershop was the birthplace of traditional barbershop quartet harmony, with waiting customers singing together. They functioned as informal gathering places for local news, political debate, and gossip. The barbers also served as doctors and dentists as many communities did not have traditional doctors. Bloodletting, cupping, amputations, and teeth extractions were a few of the services that would have been provided.

Mrs. Ludgate was known to be very kind to the sick and afflicted. In the hour of sickness and death her soothing hand and Christian heart were always present. Her obituary said this about her:

“At the time of her husband’s death, they had been married over half a century,
with never a ripple to mar the placid waters over which she was sailing. She was a true, loving wife, and a dutiful, affectionate mother, and the continuity in which she so long resided can testify to her many Christian virtues.”

Her children memorialized her with this poem.
Mother, rest; thy pain is o’er;
God has called thee home;
‘Tis hard to give thee up, we know,
But in thy words, “God’s will be done.”

Thy words to us shall ever serve
A beacon light to guide-
To lead us safely through this world
And bring us by thy side.

At least seven members of this family are buried in Greenlawn

Mrs. Ann Ludgate died in Cincinnati, in 1887, and is buried in the Ludcate family plot in section five.

Mr. Charles Ludgate died in 1884, and is buried in Soldiers Circle. He also has a marker in the Ludgate family plot in section five.

Charles Ludgate, Sr. is listed as a member of CO. I, 39th Regiment, Ohio Infantry.

His son, Charles Ludgate, Jr. was enlisted in CO. H, 56 Regiment, Ohio Infantry. They are both buried in the same section of Soldiers Circle.

Thank you, Joe TePas Landscaping, for doing a fantastic job on our Serenity Garden and entryways. Everything looks beaut...
08/02/2026

Thank you, Joe TePas Landscaping, for doing a fantastic job on our Serenity Garden and entryways. Everything looks beautiful!🌷🌿🌳

We have really enjoyed talking with everyone about our upcoming window restoration project. We are so proud of these bea...
07/29/2026

We have really enjoyed talking with everyone about our upcoming window restoration project. We are so proud of these beautiful, historic buildings in our cemetery. Thank you all for attending!

Stop by this evening for a last look at our beautiful stained glass windows before they are removed for a major restorat...
07/28/2026

Stop by this evening for a last look at our beautiful stained glass windows before they are removed for a major restoration. We will be at the mausoleums from 5pm-7pm. Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Monument Monday 🪦Thomas Geldred LloydBirth - October 11, 1810Death - September 1, 1883Thomas Geldred Lloyd was born in M...
07/27/2026

Monument Monday 🪦

Thomas Geldred Lloyd
Birth - October 11, 1810
Death - September 1, 1883

Thomas Geldred Lloyd was born in Marietta, Ohio, on October 12, 1810. His parents moved from Marietta to Cincinnati in 1811, and, in 1817, moved to Portsmouth where Thomas remained until his death. He was educated in the pioneer schools of the early 1800s.

It was said he was blessed with large common sense, business foresight, and executive ability.

His first business venture, as an adult, was the manufacturing of shoes, which he was very successful at, and he managed many employees. He learned the trade of shoemaker from his brother-in-law, Benjamin Melcher.

Thomas became quite successful and wealthy in his shoemaking business, and believed Portsmouth was becoming a city of progress. He began buying real estate focusing on vacant lots and properties needing improvements. He constructed over fifty houses in the city and all were sold soon after completion. Upon his death he was one of the largest land owners in the city of Portsmouth.

He and two associates, seeing the need of a cemetery that would be creditable to an up and coming city, laid out what was known as Evergreen Cemetery, now the southwest part of Greenlawn. He gave this project his upmost priority. Most, if not all the trees planted in Evergreen Cemetery were planted by him or his employees.

During the Civil War, Mr. Lloyd joined the Home Guards known as the “Silver Greys”. No one under the age of forty-five was permitted to be a member. He was loyal in his support of the policies advocated by President Lincoln.

Mr. Lloyd spent sixty-seven years of his life in the city of Portsmouth, and witnessed its slow growth from a small village to a city of 15,000. Few pioneers took a more serious interest in the prosperity and growth of the city of Portsmouth than he did.

Thomas Lloyd and Lola Adams were married on May 8, 1833, and they had eight children. They were married for almost fifty years which was a rarity in the 1800’s when lifespans were much shorter. They were members of First Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Lloyd and his neighbor, George Johnson, paid off the debt of the First Presbyterian Church after the construction of the church building.

Mr. Lloyd died on September 1, 1883, after suffering from kidney disease for several years. His wife, Lola, died in 1880.

They are buried in the Robinson section of Greenlawn.

Address

PO Box 333
Portsmouth, OH
45662

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