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Forest Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio

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Forest Cemetery, Toledo, Ohio

Toledo's oldest cemetery, founded in 1840, holds the remains of some of the original pioneers and builders of the city.
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The cemetery remains open to the public for visitation and is an active burial ground.

07/12/2026

Thanks to all who attended our walking Tree and Tombstone Tour on Friday. We love sharing the history of Forest Cemetery and all the wonderful trees within the grounds. We also raised an additional $100 toward our goal of a new marker for Dr. Manley Bostwick!

Save the date for our next tour which is Friday, August 14th at 11:00 AM which will feature funerary art and tombstone symbols. Amy Stone will once again join us so make sure to mark your calendar.

If you would like to make a contribution for a new stone for Dr. Bostwick, checks can be made out to Woodlawn Cemetery and mailed/dropped off at 1502 W Central Avenue, Toledo, OH 43606-4045. Please add case number #001202500697 to ensure it is placed in the correct account. Or send us a message if you prefer a different way to contribute.

07/11/2026

Raymond Frybarger, Sr. and Raymond Frybarger, Jr. lie side by side in Section X1, Lot 235. Their story is one of service to our county, with one paying the ultimate sacrifice.

Raymond Sr. was a World War I army veteran who participated in the infamous American battles of Belleau Woods and Chateau Thierry. After the war, he married Leona Goller and they started a family. Sadly, Leona, passed away at age 27. Son Raymond Jr., left Scott High School at age 16 in 1939 to enlist in the Marines after lying about his age to join.

Private First Class Raymond Frybarger, Jr. served with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, 1st Marine Division in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. On the night of September 13-14, 1942, he heroically drove the enemy back during a Japanese attack on Henderson Field by continuing to advance forward until he was killed. Frybarger was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest award for Marines and sailors, for his actions.

The Frybarger (DE-705) was launched 25 January 1944 in Bay City, Michigan in his honor. The Frybarger made a tour of duty with the 7th Fleet in the Far East, serving on barrier patrol off Okinawa in 1952 and served during the Korean War. She was decommissioned in December 1954.

Sister, Clara Frybarger, was only 15 at the time of his death. Accounts describe her honoring him by having his Marine dress slacks tailored to fit her and while working at the Toledo Blade, she was the only woman to wear pants. She passed away in 2024 and can be seen in the photo with her brother and father’s headstone at Forest. We noticed that the circle medallion is missing on the marker and will investigate getting it replaced.

07/09/2026

Our dive last week into the John Charles Meissner family, led us to investigate George Meissner, who is also buried in Forest Cemetery. George M. Meissner was born October 3, 1833 in Germany and married Elizabeth Santschi. The couple had 12 children.

George was a merchant who specialized in beer ingredients. His retail was located in the Toledo Board of Trade located on Water Street along with many other businesses. The Meissners lived on Huron Street near Lafayette and their home can be seen in this photo. The horse-drawn carriage is that of the Lewis Weigand and Company, who was a grocery and provisions provider. Today of course, this area of downtown Toledo looks much different!

George died at age 51 on April 1, 1887 and Elizabeth survived until 1902. They are buried in Section J, Lot 14. Many of their children are also buried in Forest.

07/06/2026

On February 23, 1912, Toledo experienced a heinous murder when Helena Madge, a Notions and Fancy Goods shop owner, was killed in her own store at 809 Summit Street. Known as Mother Madge she was found dead, tied to a chair, and apparently robbed of the money she kept in her store. The murder of Helena “Mother” Madge was never solved and remains one of Toledo’s oldest cold cases.

For 112 years, Mother Madge was buried without a headstone, but that oversight has been corrected. A new marker honoring her life and legacy will be dedicated at our America250 Tree and Tombstone tour this Friday at 11:00 AM. Come learn more about her story along with many of the original movers and shakers of our city.

07/04/2026

On this historic 250th anniversary of the United States, we thought it appropriate to share the founders of the Vistula neighborhood who are both buried in Forest Cemetery.

Edward Bissel, Sr., along with Benjamin F. Stickney, helped to establish Vistula in 1833. Vistula merged with Port Lawrence and both of the villages were incorporated as Toledo in 1837. Vistula is the oldest neighborhood in Toledo and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Bissel was born in Connecticut in 1797 and died in 1861. He was laid to rest in Forest Cemetery, Section 23, Lot 1 next to his wife, Jane who passed away in 1864. Of their seven children, five are buried in Forest, including Henry who died in service during the Civil War.

Benjamin Stickney, an important Indian agent; a spy; and a negotiator during the Toledo War; Stickney is remembered today for his bravado and his legend. Unfortunately, following Benjamin's death and burial in Forest Cemetery in 1852, the exact location and his headstone, if there ever was one, has been lost through time. A new headstone was dedicated in June 2022 near son, Two Stickney’s resting place honoring his legacy. Yes, his name was Two. His brother was named One, and sister named Indiana.

Today we honor these original Toledo pioneers.

06/30/2026

Save the date! Please join us for a very special America 250 tour at Forest Cemetery on Friday, July 10th at 11:00 AM. Join docents Robyn Hage and Amy Stone as they take you on a one hour walk through Toledo's oldest municipal cemetery notating Toledo's original pioneers who helped forge the early years of our city. A special stop will include the dedication of a new headstone for one of Toledo's longest unsolved crimes dating back to 1912. Hage will also have a new book, 250 Toledoans Remembered, for sale in honor of America's birthday.

06/27/2026

Sometimes genealogy research is a mixture of limited facts, speculation, and downright detective work when multiple spellings and errors are intertwined in historical documents.

John Charles Meissner, J. Charles Meissner, Charles J, Meissner, J.C. Meissner Sr., J. Charles Misenear, and John Charles Meißner (German double S known as Eszett) was born in 1831 in Germany. Although his birth name was John Charles Meißner, he most often went by Charles and Anglicized his last name to Meissner.

Meissner served as a sergeant with the 130th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Civil War and worked as a saloon keeper, a sawmiller, and a tallyman, which was essentially a clerk. He married Elise and the couple had eight children. They lived on Indiana Avenue for most of their lives.

Sons Charles and Theo operated the Meissner Brothers plumbing business at 130 Superior Street, which began in 1893.

John Charles Meissner died on August 7, 1896 and was buried in Section I, Lot 69. Elise passed away in 1928. Several of their children, including son Adolph, and daughter Lucy, are buried with their parents.

06/23/2026

In this historic America 250 year, we are fundraising for a new headstone for Dr. Manley Bostwick and we need your help. Last fall on a very wet morning, we went out literally to uncover his stone and found it completely destroyed due to time and elements. Perhaps you know someone who might be wiling to assist us financially to secure a new marker for him? Perhaps you would be willing to share this post to help?

If you would like to make a contribution for a new stone for Dr. Bostwick, checks can be made out to Woodlawn Cemetery and mailed/dropped off at 1502 W Central Avenue, Toledo, OH 43606-4045. Please add case number #001202500697 to ensure it is placed in the correct account. Or send us a message if you prefer a different way to contribute. We are about half way to our goal of $900 and would love to complete this task this year.

Dr. Manley Bostwick was born in 1810 in New York. Records indicate he was in Toledo as early as 1838 and perhaps was the first doctor in the area. His son, Winfield Bostwick died in 1843 and only 11 months old and was buried in Old Grounds Section 3, Lot 3. Tragically, Dr. Bostwick died in 1849 at age 39 when he fell from his horse.

06/21/2026

Julius Edward Otto was born August 23, 1844 in Germany and immigrated to Toledo in 1853 when he was nine years old. He served during the Civil War from 1861-1864 with the 72nd Regiment, Company E, Ohio Volunteer Infantry and married Wihelmina Hasselbauch in 1869. The couple had five children. Julius held various jobs throughout his life including working as a street inspector, delivering mail for the postal service, and finally running his own grocery store.

Julius Otto, age 92, died on January 20, 1937 and Wihelmina passed away in 1939. They are buried in Section R1, Lot 12. Several of their children are also laid to rest in the Otto family lot.

Thanks to Susan Hall-Prince for sharing some of the information and photos.

06/20/2026

Wow! What a great turn out for our first Tree and Tombstone Tour of the year. The weather was absolutely beautiful. As we mentioned yesterday, a huge shout out goes to the Forest grounds crew who always make sure the headstones for the tour are cleaned and reset if needed.

Save July 10th at 11:00 AM for our next event which will be extra special to coincide with America 250.

Address

1704 Mulberry Street
Toledo, OH
43608

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