Where are our ancestors buried?

In 1813 New Albany was founed by the Scribners and they set aside a plot of land to be used as a burial ground.

The first burial ground was located on lower First Street between Elm and Oak. Yearly flooding affected this location.

July 30,1841, 5-1/2 acres were purchased for $500.00 from D.W. and Margaret Wilson to form the Northern Burial Ground.

The first burial occurred the next day when a child was buried there. During the early years, about 70% of th burial were children. There is a section of the cemetery called Babyland that was created in the early 1970s. Babies are the only ones buried there.

Joel and Nathaniel Scriber were relocated from the first burial ground to this new burial ground. The oldest known burial is Joshua Fowler, a Revolutionary War soldier, who died in March of 1820.

In the Northern Burial Ground there was an area reserved as the "Pauper's Field," where unknown people found dead along the river or alongside the roads and trails were buried. There are 400-500 people buried there and they are buried three deep.

The steamboat Lucy Walker exploded in 1844 just below New Albany due to engine troubles. 75 people were killed in that explosion. Sixteen of them were "fetched up the river" and buried in the Northern Burial Ground. All of the graves are unmarked but one, A. E. Edwards.

Thomas Sinex built the Sinex vault in 1850 to accommodate 42 caskets. This valut was used during the winder months, before the city vault was built in 1877, to store bodies until spring, when the ground was softer for burial.

In 1875 a beautification project began, planting 300 shade trees and reconditiioning the walkways.

In 1877, a lake with a fountain was placed near the center of the cementery and cost $2,675.00 to construct. In 1884, it was reported there were 100,000 goldfish in the lake. The lake was hard to maintain and eas drained in 1920 to make room for more graves.

The extensive beautification project was to create a science place for people to come visit and spend the afternoon

50 years after founding, in 1891, the name was changed to Fairview Cemetery.

In 1886, the beautiful iron scroll arches were erected at the 6th Street entrance Fairview Cemtery was placed in bronze. The work was completed by the Acme Fence Company of New Albany for $500.00.

The City Council controlled the cemetery prior to 1891 and a politically appointed sexton managed the cemetery affairs. The Council turned over the control to thte cemetery lot owners in 1891. A board of Regents was selected by the lot owners to oversee the cemetery and to appoint a superintendent to manage it.

In 1974, the ownership and governance of the cemetery was returned to the City of New Albany.

More land was purchased over the years from the original 5-1/2 acres grew to the current 32 acres. As of June 2022, 31,217 burials have taken place in the cemetery.

Most of the markers are made of granite, marble, sandstone, limestone, or even soapstone, but few are made of zinc.

The cemetery has come to be the final resting place for war veterans, volunteer firemen, "who's Who' of early New Albany, children and many unknown who were found along a trail or washed ashore in the Ohio River.

There are a lot of noteables are in Fairview Cemetery; Founders of New Albany, State and U.S. Politicians, former New Albany Mayors, Prominent Businessmen, Notable War Veterans, as well as Other Notables.

(Information from New Albany Fairview Org., Friends of Fairview)