For a century, an early Black resident of Clermont County went without a name as he laid buried in Goshen Cemetery. But Saturday, he'll get it back.
The headstone for the man known only as Dennis, buried next to early Goshen Township resident Tubal Early, was chisled blank by a vandal more than a century ago.
Cindy Johnson with the Clermont County Historical Society says restoring his name is a matter of dignity. The historical society raised funds to place a new memorial for Dennis at the Goshen Cemetery and will unveil it this Saturday at 1 p.m.
"Dennis was wronged so many times in his life," she says. "We can't fix it. We can do this one small thing and bring his identity back."
It's presumed Dennis was enslaved before he traveled with Early from the slave state of Virginia to Ohio in 1835.
Some historical documents suggest Early was an abolitionist, and that he may have freed as many as 20 people who had been enslaved. Ironically, there's also evidence he was a cousin to Jubal Early, who would later become a Confederate general.
Dennis appears in the 1830 U.S. Census as a Black laborer. But there is no date of birth or last name given for him.
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Goshen historian Jim Poe says even after his death around 1840, Dennis faced discrimination.
"The township would not allow him to be buried in the cemetery," he says. "So a gentleman by the name of Lewis Chaney said, 'use my place.' "
The cemetery later expanded to encompass that land.
It's not exactly clear when Dennis was freed. Chaney's religious beliefs meant he was staunchly abolitionist. Early was buried right next to Dennis in 1841 on Chaney's land. Poe says it's highly unlikely Chaney would have allowed that unless Early shared his views against slavery and had freed Dennis.
The Clermont County Historical Society recently uncovered another interesting clue in a will Early wrote. Dennis is named in that document, with Early leaving him $50, a large sum in those days.
There's a lot left unknown about Dennis, Johnson says. But at least he can be remembered now.
"He's no longer erased from the face of the earth," she says. "He exists. He has a name."