Doty Settlement Cemetery
A small community cemetery in Butler County, Ohio. The cemetery was established in the early 1840s for residents of the Doty Settlement including members of the Doty, Smith, and Morris families. Not all plots are marked, but visitors can see stone markers for Joseph Morris who originally owned the farmland, Samuel Doty who started the settlement, and Job Smith who donated the land for the cemetery. According to the Oxford Museum Association burials date from 1843-1934 with approximately 100 total interments. Those buried include both Civil War and WWI veterans. Gravestone rubbings are not allowed.
Backstory and Context
The Doty family of Ohio could trace their family tree back to Edward Doty who arrived in America on the Mayflower in 1620. Edward married Faith Clark and their descendants spread across the colonies with branches into Virginia, New Jersey, and eventually Ohio.1
Jesse M. Doty settled his family in Ohio where his son Samuel (1810-1859) purchased a farm at a collector’s sale in 1842. The farm had been owned by his wife’s brother, but had been foreclosed to cover debts.2 The farm and surrounding area became known as the Doty Settlement. Today it is part of the Hueston Woods State Park. In 1844, community member Job Smith gave one acre of land to the First Congregation of Christian Disciples (Cambellites) of Oxford Township for a church and small cemetery. A frame meeting house was begun, but never finished. The cemetery was used for nearly 100 years before it was abandoned in the mid-20th century.3
The Cambellites (as the followers of Thomas and Alexander Cambell came to be called) believed in a simple gospel devoid of dogma, creeds, and denominations.4 Alexander Campbell claimed "I have no idea of adding to the catalogue of new sects. I labor to see sectarianism abolished and all Christians of every name united upon the one foundation upon which the apostolic church was founded.”5 Campbell and his followers felt the term Cambellites was derogatory and preferred to be called Disciples or Christians.
Doty Cemetery burial markers provide an insight into the gender dynamics of their time. Markers for men listed their full name (Job Smith), while wives and daughters were listed by their first name only with a reference to their husband or father (Sarah, wife of Job Smith).
Doty Family Tree:
Samuel Doty – 1765-1829, married Mary Ann Brown in 1781 Children: John J., Mary, Jacob, Hannah, Jesse M., William, Samuel B., Prudence, Elizabeth, Joseph, Daniel, David, Rachel, Stephen, Elijah6
Jesse M. Doty – 1784-1849, married Jane Kitley in 1809, Children: Samuel, Margaret, John, Jesse J., Jane, Aaron, Francis, David.7
Samuel Doty - 1810-1859 founder of the Doty Settlement, married Sarah Morris in 1833. Children: Morris, Isaac, Jane. Sarah died of cholera in 1849. Married Mary Kincaid in1847. Children: Berthenia, Clara, Samuel.8
1 Dennis, Johnson. Genealogy.com. Edward Doty. 2009. 12/26/2018. https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/doty/2951/.
2 Fischer, Jr., William. 2016. The Historical Marker Database. Accessed December 27, 2018. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=24015.
3 Oxford Museum Association. n.d. Doty Settlement Cemetery. Accessed December 26, 2018. https://www.oxfordmuseumassociation.com/doty-homestead-oxford-ohio-museum
4 Alexander Campbell. Christianity Today International. 2018. 12/26/2018. https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/denominationalfounders/alexander-campbell.html.
5 History of the Restoration Movement. 2016. Alexander Campbell. http://www.therestorationmovement.com/_states/wv/acampbell.htm.
6 Hinshaw, Jan. 2011. Descendents of James Doty & Eliza Ann Dalton. Accessed December 26, 2018. http://www.rawbw.com/~hinshaw/doty/
7 McGee, Sam. n.d. Doty Settlement Cemetery. Accessed December 26, 2018. https://dotysettlementcemetery.wordpress.com/2017/10/09/samuel-doty-1810-1859/