Stories of Ohio Body Snatchers

by Madison Thomas

Research can often turn up the strangest of stories. For example, how cemeteries can be frightful and that being laid to rest might not be the end of your mortal body's journey. According to Medina County’s ‘Timeline of Medina County History’ created by Stephen Hambley, back in 1870 Ohio was plagued with “organized gangs of grave robbers”. The gangs of grave robbers tended to be made up of either medical students or individuals looking to make a profit from selling bodies to medical colleges. 

To investigate the cemeteries and reports of missing bodies here in Medina County and broader Ohio, you can start with Digital Archives of Medina County District Library. When using this database search using keywords such as “body snatchers” “grave robbers” and a single name “Jonathan Barker.”  

The trail begins in 1877 on January 12th, when the Medina County Gazette published the obituary of 79-year-old Jonathan Barker, laid to rest in Windfall Cemetery.  

Jonathan Barker 

MCG 11/21/1877, p5

Jonathan Barker fathered twenty-two children, two of which were living at the time of his death. Less than a week after his funeral it was reported in the Medina County Gazette that his body had been stolen from his grave. The evidence compiled consisted of the broken casket, a trail from the grave to the street littered with his characteristic white hair, and a broken piece of red sleigh by the side of the road.  

One of his children made a plea that if her father’s body was returned without harm all charges would be dropped. The next day a note was left on her doorstep that her father could be found at the cemetery. Mr. Barker’s body was returned to the grave site in a new suit and coffin.  

MCG 02/21/1877, p2

On February 2nd, 1877, the full account was published in the Medina County Gazette with an interesting ‘anonymous’ letter from the self-proclaimed thief. The paper, however, took it upon themselves to identify the author as Elwin Damon, a medical student and future doctor. Since the daughter dropped the charges there are no court records on the subject. 

While searching for Damon and medical students involved in grave robberies, an article was found with the name John Scott Harrison. 

John Scott Harrison 

John Scott Harrison was the father of President Benjamin Harrison. The small article in the Gazette said that J. Harrison was found by his son in a medical college hanging from a rope. Unable to find further insight into the incident in the Medina County Gazette, it was time to turn to another source for information. Using the archives and resources available through the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, you can search ‘J. S. Harrison’ and find an article dedicated to the events of his grave robbery. 

MCG 06/07/1878, p2

In 1878 J. Harrison’s three sons arrived for their father’s funeral only to notice the grave of a nephew, Augustus Devin, had been ransacked. After taking precautions with their father's grave, John Harrison II, along with a cousin went on the hunt for poor Augustus. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site expands on the Medina County Gazette article mentioned earlier. This article reported that a veiled body was hanging inside a shute used to lower cadavers to different exam rooms. When unveiled, it was a shock to find John Scott Harrison who had been buried, and whose grave was heavily reinforced with stone and cement not long before, hanging from the end.  

There are no reports of how or who took J. Harrison’s body from his grave to the medical college. The only thing that is known is that in the late 1800’s medical colleges and their students were the leading suspects due to the lack of bodies being donated to science. The body of Augustus Devin was later found among many others at Anne Arbor Medical College.  

MCG 09/06/1878, p4

However, medical colleges are not the only place thieves tried to get money out of stealing bodies. Six years after J. Harrison a body was stolen in Medina and an attempt to ransom it back to the family was made. 

Linus Smith 

Linus Smith was the son of Medina pioneer Fairfax Smith. He lived on his father’s farmland, where a family vault was on site. The vault was built in 1880 and was only home to Fairfax, his wife, and a boy, Linus’ brother.

Photo by Madison Thomas 10/25/2022

Between 1880 and 1883, when Spring Grove Cemetery was developed, someone broke in during the night and stole the body of the boy. In a reflective article from 1984 from the Medina County Gazette, found in the Family History & Learning Center hanging files, a ransom note was left for Linus wanting money in exchange for the return of his brother’s body. Unfortunately for the thief, Linus was able to recognize the handwriting as a neighboring boy. A confession was received, the body found in a corn field, and no charges were filed. The family was all moved to Spring Grove Cemetery where Linus would later be buried as well. 

For anyone curious, the families plot is easy to find in Spring Grove Cemetery today. It is clearly marked with one of the cemetery’s more notable grave markers, a marble statue ordered by Linus straight from Italy to honor his father Fairfax and the early pioneer way of life.  

Conclusion 

Today we have systems and ways of donating our bodies to science and few need worry about the possibility of grave robbery. Using our newspaper resources like Digital Archives of Medina County District Library, Family History & Learning Center hanging files, and follow-up resources like the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Library can give insight into life in the 1800’s. So much of life then is different from how it is today. Due to two out of three of these grave robberies dropping charges the few remaining records we have of the events are newspaper articles. With those few tools we can follow the unfolding of a fascinating tale and struggle within Ohio to keep its dead...buried. 

 

Sources: 

Hambley, Stephen D. (2018). Timeline of Medina County History, Slide 33. Medina County Ohio. https://www.medinaco.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2018-Remastered-Timeline.pdf. Accessed 1 October. 

Medina County Gazette. The Digital Archives of Medina County District Library. http://mcdl.advantage-preservation.com/ . Accessed 5 October 2022. 

• 01/26/1877, p5 

• 01/12/1877, p5 

• 11/30/1883, p5 

• 02/12/1877, p5 

• 02/20/1877, p2 

• 06/27/1878, p2 

• 06/07/1878, p 2 

• 09/27/1878, p4 

• 09/06/1878, p4 

• 
  

Medina Highschool Class of 1966. (1966). Historical Highlights of Medina. Medina High School. (E. I. Schapiro, Ed.). A. Meyers Lithographers. 

Price, A. (2019). The Grave Robbing of Benjamin Harrison’s Father. Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. https://bhpsite.org/the-grave-robbing-of-benjamin-harrisons-father/ . Accessed 4 October 2022. 

Virginia Wheeler Martin Family History and Learning Center (n.d.). Hanging Files: Cemetery Smith Monument. Medina County District Library.