The story of Jacob Foster

We received an Email the other day asking if there was a Jacob Foster in Butternut Ridge Cemetery.  They had a death record showing that he died in 1897 and was buried in Lot 34 Section 3 but no Grave #.  They also had a copy of the Coroner’s report.  They had contacted City hall and the person there could not find him in the records so they gave them my email address. 

 There was a notation in the Manuscript that we are proof reading, for Helen Shaw CG, that in Lot 34 there was thought to be a Jacob Foster buried in that lot. And his Civil War Military record was listed in the back of the old book and he was in lot 34.  I have been working with the old record book (We believe it was started in about 1910 by Asher M Coe Jr who was the Sexton of both North Olmsted township cemeteries for about 20 years ) Grave 3 is empty so Jacob Foster could be possibly in the lot.

The probability of Jacob being buried in grave 3 is very high. The interesting part of this story is the Coroner’s Report.   Jacob died at the age of 64 in the house of Henry Harrison Briggs.  (A former owner of the Briggs House in Frostville) 

Henry’s Deposition transcript follows:

” What is your Name? “        Henry H. Briggs

“May you state your Age?”   My Age is 52 Years.

“Were you acquainted with Jacob Foster?”  Yes sir

“How long has he been in your employ?  Nearly two months, but there was no contract.

“When and how did you first discover anything wrong with said Foster? “ About 6 A.M.  April 2^nd 1897. He was called to breakfast and gave no answer, and I went up to see what was the matter, and found him lying on floor dead, he was lying on his back beside of the bed cold and stiff just as he was when viewed by the Justice of the Peace.

“Has he any personal effect now in your possession?”  He has four shirts two pair of boots and a few work cloths not to exceed in value two dollars in value, and four dollars that I owe him for services.

Signed by Henry H. Briggs

His total Inventory Follows:

Four shirts, two pair of boots and a few work clothes         $2.00

Cash in Wallet                                                                                   .43

Due from Henry Briggs for labor                                               $4.00

One trunk containing a number of articles of clothing

badly worn, worth not to exceed                                              $2.50

                                                                                    Total            $8.93

Jacob was born in Switzerland, and was a Soldier in the Civil war.  He was married and divorced after the war and became an iterant farm laborer. Pay was about .50 per 12 hour day with room and board