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FOLLIS Families | ||
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| by descendant Stanley J. Follis | ||||
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FALLIS Cemetery Wildflowers are here. Isaac FALLIS' epitaph is the first four lines of the 1707 hymn 'Why We Mourn the Departed'. Click the square to stop playing the song from Cyber Hymnal    I label my images in case someone takes my photos like Find-A-Grave submitters have been known to do. If you want to use my images, it would be nice if you make a courtesy request first, but at the very least, link to my web page to credit me as the source, so all the world knows where you took the image as the Find-A-Grave submitter did. The old cemetery sign was erected around 1980 by Steve BERRYHILL and his local Greene County, Ohio cub scout troop when they cleaned up the cemetery. The sign was replaced by a new sign and fence in 2004 shown in the banner photo at the top of the page. Steve is a local historian working on a new Sugarcreek Township, Greene County, Ohio history. The FALLIS descendants moved away to other areas of Ohio and Indiana. BERRYHILL descendants still live in the area. Located on a hill in a small woods, on the southwest corner of my fourth great-grandparent's Mercy VAUGHAN and Isaac FALLIS's pioneer farm along Little Sugar Creek. 1.6 miles northwest of Bellbrook, Greene County, Ohio on Little Sugarcreek Road south of Feedwire Road. About a mile east of Exit 7 on Interstate 675 at the Wilmington Dayton Pike Exit on the east side of Dayton, Ohio. Latitude: 39.65528 N Longitude: -84.08833 W, see map or here or USGS GNIS. Surrounded by large modern homes in a hilly subdivision, including a large pond in a former stone quarry with a fountain. In 2005 a neighbor said there are enough local ghost stories that a book was written about Ohio ghosts. Now 5 volumes, the Ohio ghost books state that the Bellbrook area was the "sleepy hollow" of Greene County. The neighbor said as a child she woke one night while in bed and saw a ghost that bears a strong resemblance to me! When at my uncle Ralph FOLLIS' funeral in January 2006, a cousin mentioned he heard a ghost story about the FALLIS Cemetery near Dayton, Ohio. Around Halloween 2005 on the local Fort Wayne, Indiana WMEE 97.3 radio station guest Richard Crowe, who does ghost tours of Chicago, had a caller who mentioned the FALLIS Cemetery ghost, about someone who met a tragic end. I have to wonder if this could be my 3rd great-grandfather Jacob FALLIS who is listed in the 1820 census with his family of 3 sons, but is never found in documents after that. His wife Hannah KINGERY remarried in 1832. Jacob's father Isaac was a tanner, plus the stone quarry of the 20th century which is now the pond could have existed at this time and either could be involved in some tragedy. Another coincidence is Jacob FALLIS, assumed to be a cousin of my Jacob, the son of Isaac's brother Jacob whose whereabouts also end with the 1820 census. Did he meet a tragic end? Cousin Jacob met a tragic end in 1850's Peru, Indiana when he fell off a roof and was tragically injured falling on construction material. Another Jacob FOLLIS, grandson of 1824 Jacob, died young in Union County, Indiana so the name Jacob FALLIS seems to carry a family "curse of early death".  
Little Sugar Creek is to the right of the trees and probably why Isaac FALLIS located here. The FALLIS Cemetery is located in the woods behind this house on Isaac's farm. In January 2006 this house was listed for sale at over $350,000 with Coldwell Banker's Real Estate.
Cemetery is in the woods to the right of these houses in Eagle Rise subdivision on Little Sugarcreek Road. 3 United States flags on veteran medallions are in the back corner of the FALLIS Cemetery with no tombstones. These flags have been placed there every Memorial Day for 40 years according to Bill Green the Committee Chairman for Boy Scout Troop 75. More family veterans are on this web page. Isaac FALLIS and Austin WEBB were in the War of 1812. A Jacob FALLIS was a paid substitute so perhaps the third flag is for Isaac's brother Jacob. Isaac's son, my third-great-grandfather, Jacob was too young, only around 15 years old at the start of the war.
Looking towards the flags from Jacob FALLIS' tombstone in front with Austin WEBB's tombstone back left. The cemetery is roughly 60 by 80 feet or less than 5,000 square feet. An open area surrounded by trees with only eleven names on tombstones and at least thirteen field stones. This indicates many more people are buried here, perhaps Isaac's brother Jacob and wife Elizabeth YOUNG. The tall stone in the center above is Austin WEBB's family, his wife Elizabeth and three son's William, James and Theodore. In 2005 a neighbor described the cemetery as vandalized, as does the county's FALLIS Cemetery History web site. A 1960 cemetery reading described the cemetery as over grown with all tombstones lying flat on the ground, so if it was vandalized it was decades ago. Empty bottles around some trees outside the fence indicate under age drinking has occurred in the past few years, although the boy scouts do try to clean it up at least every memorial day. Isaac FALLIS' tombstone is on the south side by his two wives Rebecca Brewster and Mercy Vaughn to his left. Fourth great-grandmother Mercy VAUGHN died August 4, 1834 age 66 years, they had 8 children. Second wife Rebecca BREWSTER died August 2, 1863 age 62 years 5 months 18 days, they had 3 daughters. My fourth great-grandfather Isaac FALLIS died March 9, 1858 age 78 years 10 months 2 days, his tombstone is broken into at least 4 pieces. Isaac's epitaph is the first four lines of the old Hymn Why Do We Mourn Departing Friends? Why do we mourn departing friends, Or shake at death’s alarms? ’Tis but the voice that Jesus sends, To call them to His arms. The epitaph indicates they were religious. Various histories of Greene County indicate Presbyterian and Methodist were the main religions. At least one FALLIS researcher refers to Isaac as Reverand Isaac FALLIS. This appears to come from LEWIS family research. Rachel LEWIS married William FALLIS, son of Isaac and brother to my Jacob. They moved to the Peru, Indiana area and some of their descendants moved west becoming Mormon's and apparently returned to Indiana and Ohio preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From their writings it is not clear if Elder FALLIS is Issac or son William FALLIS. Rebecca's father Samuel BREWSTER was a Methodist minister of Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio so perhaps he was the inspiration?
 Jacob FALLIS' tombstone has his death date as August 10, 1824 on the north side of the cemetery as only seventeen years 9 months 28 days. Either the age is wrong or he was a nephew to Isaac. Isaac's son Jacob was born before 1800 and had three sons under four years of age in 1824 with a 23 year old wife Hannah KINGERY. It seems unlikely Hannah could wait 8 years to 1832 to marry a second husband unless Isaac and Mercy helped raise their grandchildren. Jacob could be a son of Isaac's brother Jacob FALLIS who had 9 children in the 1820 census, but whose whereabouts after 1820 are unknown. It seems most likely brother Jacob had a son Jacob who died in 1850's Peru, Indiana as mentioned in the ghost story above. Jacob FALLIS' son Thomas Jefferson FOLLIS, my second great-grandfather, is mostly found in Indiana records as FOLLIS. Son Isaac K. FOLLIS' wife and children's tombstones are FOLLIS in Bainbridge Cemetery Ross County, Ohio. Isaac K.'s descendant Joe Sims has his Civil War letters. Jacob's son William Martin's children use FOLLAS in the Delphos, Van Wert County, Ohio area, although William's son John a Church of the Brethren minister in California used FOLLIS. Some of the earliest 1700 Virginia records are found as FOLLIS, although a lot of the records up to this time period use FALLIS. Robinson's History of Greene County, Ohio lists them as FALLACE, which is also how it is spelled in the 1810 Jefferson County, Kentucky census records before they came to Greene County, Ohio in 1813. The only upright obelisk type tombstone is Austin WEBB died May 12, 1859 married to his third cousin Elizabeth WEBB died August 5, 1848, aunt and uncle of Hannah KINGERY FALLIS. Elizabeth's brother's Theodore WEBB married Rebecca FALLIS and Jacob WEBB married her sister Mary FALLIS, both daughters of Isaac and Mercy FALLIS. Austin enlisted in Washington Township, Montgomery County, Ohio. He was a Corporal April 25 to October 26, 1812 on the roll of Captain Robert Gilchrist's Company in the War of 1812. The WEBB family shares a common upright tombstone broken at the names, since at least the 1960's when the cemetery is first recorded. The dates span 22 years from 1841 to 1863. Daughter Mary WEBB died June 22, 1855. Some foot stones are still in a row towards Little Sugar Creek Road so is probably their original location when the WEBB's were buried. Several foot stones are laying on the ground or near the tombstone. Foot stones were positioned at the foot of the body, with head stones or tombstones at the head of the body. Many rural cemeteries have the bodies facing the east so when the Resurrection of the Bible occurs, the body will rise and face the rising sun in the east. Such burials support their Christian beliefs. 
Austin's name is on the top part where the tombstone is broken leaving dates below the break. Wife Elizabeth name and dates are below Austin's. Son Theodore WEBB died June 26, 1846 is on one side.
Daughter Mary is on one side of tombstone and sons William WEBB died November 27, 1841, and James WEBB died July 22, 1863 share another side. This is the only tombstone I have found for a KINGERY in the FALLIS cemetery. Until the cleanup there was a large shrub next to her tombstone. John KINGERY apparently unrelated to my KINGERY's was born in Maryland a son of a Christian KINGERY born in Hesse D Germany. Mary is the only known burial not related which seems odd for a family cemetery. Another strange observation is Mary KINGERY died in 1850 daughter of John and Eliza J. is also listed as buried in the fifth row in the Alley Chapel Cemetery according to the web site. I visited the Alley Chapel cemetery in 2005 and 2006, but could not find her tombstone. Was Mary buried there and her tombstone moved here? How could this conflict occur? The tombstone on the right of Mary is Lucy A ELLIOTT died in 1863 a granddaughter of Elizabeth and Austin WEBB. Her footstone is on the WEBB tombstone base.  Two WEBB siblings married FALLIS siblings and two third cousin WEBB siblings married two KINGERY siblings. Both FALLIS-WEBB families moved to Madison County, Indiana. Austin WEBB's sister Mary Polly WEBB is Hannah KINGERY's mother, and Austin's sister Elizabeth WEBB married Hannah's uncle Michael KINGERY. Hannah was a daughter-in-law of Isaac FALLIS married to his son Jacob buried in the front of the FALLIS Cemetery. Hannah KINGERY FALLIS married Ginnethon KELLEY September 28, 1832 in Greene County, Ohio. Hannah is buried with Ginnethon in the Mississinewa Memorial Cemetery with some of her FOLLIS grandchildren in Wabash County, Indiana. Hannah and Jacob's son Thomas Jefferson FOLLIS was married in Union County, Indiana in 1841. Hannah's grandfather Jacob KINGERY was an early pioneer in Union County, Indiana by 1809 having passed through Ohio. Hannah's father Martin KINGERY left Greene County around 1818 for Union County, Indiana after his wife Mary WEBB died and perhaps is buried here or with her parents James and Lucy WEBB in unmarked graves on their farm a few miles away? 
There is a new FALLIS Cemetery sign on the east side in back by the wooden stairs which is the new entrance. I have noticed southern Ohio often spells cemetery as "cemetary", modern dictionaries do not spell cemetery with an "a".
This set of stairs on the East side is now the entrance. The entrance had been off of Sugar Creek Road on the West by the curve which was dangerous due to increasing traffic. Eagle Scout Eric Petri of Bellbrook Troop 75 built the stairs in 2002.
One of two benches now in the FALLIS Cemetery, built by Eagle Scout Kevin Oswalt Troop 75 in 2004.
I don't know when a quarry was started on the 160 acre FALLIS Pioneer farm. It is now a large pond with an ornamental fountain. Unfortunately, I don't have photos, but the quarry was quite treacherous looking when I first visited in 1995.Some of my other FOLLIS pages:
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