Peter Yoho Cemetery

Picture Provided by Royce Yoho
Picture From Yoho Newsletter

The Yoho Cemetery located in Marshall County West Virginia is thought to be the burial place of Peter Yoho, son of Johannes, one of the original immigrants to the U.S. Margaret Baker, wife of Peter is also thought to be buried here. There is also the possibility that Johannes and his wife Susanna are also buried here. In recent years, a tombstone for Peter and one for Margaret have been erected.

The Yoho cemetery evidenly had been neglected for many years until it was cleaned up by Sullivan Yoho of Proctor WV. An article about his efforts appeared in the April 1996 Volume 5 Edition of "THE YOHO NEWSLETTER". The article is reprinted here with the permission of the editor Robert Coffield.

This year's "Yoho of the Year" award goes to Sullivan Yoho, who took it upon himself the past few years to locate and clean up what Sullivan said he believes is the oldest burying place of the Yoho family in Marshall County, West Virginia.

According to Sullivan, he has lived near this cemetery for seventy years. He stated, "I can remember Mr. Floyd Berisford kept a fence around this plot to keep livestock out and that Boyd Shank and his boys always kept the graves cleaned off. During the last several years, these two men passed away. The fence had fallen down and vines and brush had hidden the graveyard except for the white cedar tree located in the center of the cemetery."

Sullivan said, "When I went by this place, I kept telling myself that I should clean the graveyard up since I had three Granddads and other relatives buried there." During the spring of 1993, Sullivan began what turned out to be a three year project. In the spring of 1993, he began by cutting a path up from the road and into the graveyard with a corn cutter and grub hoe. According to Sullivan, "the multiflora rose bushes were so thick that he came away from that bloodied." But he told me that he wasn't going to quit until he cleared all the brush out of the old cemetery.

During the spring of 1994, Sullivan and John E. Kelley, who also has relatives buried in the cemetery, got permission from Mrs. Floyd Berisford to continue the work of cleaning up the cemetery. They were able to clean up apporximately one-third of the cemetery. In 1995, the "cemetery clean up project" came to a head when Sullivan decided to take drastic measures to clean out the multiflora rose that continued to grow in the cemetery. As he proudly told me one day, he headed into the cemetery with his skid loader and bucket, lifted those thorns and weeds out by the roots, and placed them in a big pile. He continued by saying, "No one even knows the satisfaction I got from penetrating those thorns with my machine." Since that time, Sullivan has sowed winter wheat in the cemetery and built a new fence around the cemetery. In addition, Sullivan has had a marker made for Peter Yoho (1745-1823) who he believes is buried in the cemetery. Sullivan also had the assistance of Lyle W. Yoho, who made a sign for the entrance to the cemetery.

To get to the cemetery, leave State Route 2, either on Route 74 or Route 27. Travel east through Graysville, West Virginia to the first pasture field on Fish Creek Road (Rt. 74). The cemetery is located on the left.