David’s Cemetery – Est. 1826

In the late 1700’s the Greenville Treaty between the U.S. government and the local Ohio Indians was signed allowing the territory to be surveyed and later sold. The local area known as Dayton, Ohio was Chartered in 1803 the same year Ohio became a state. Dayton was at that time a day’s ride from Lebanon and Lebanon was a day’s ride from Cincinnati—the nearest town to the Ohio River.  An earlier settler in what is now Kettering, where David’s Cemetery is located south of Dayton was John Patterson, a farmer who built the Kettering Van Buren Twp.’s first log cabin in 1798. By the early 1800’s the area was a thriving farming community. In 1826 Christian Creager, a local gentleman, donated the first section of the cemetery specifying the land to be used for a place of worship and burial. The first burial was registered in August 1831, a 6-year-old boy, Noah Darner.  In 1841, an expanding population forced the creation of Van Buren Township, later known as Kettering. Van Buren Township’s name would remain for more than 100 years.  During the early years both the cemetery and the church were owned by David’s Reformed Church. The name David was selected to honor the Rev. David Winters who was the first minister in the area. Rev. Winters was a circuit rider preacher who served this church and other area churches for more than 50 years.  As the population of the area continued to grow, the church and cemetery needed additional space. In 1867 David’s Reformed Church and Cemetery purchased additional land (about ½ acre) from Henry Creager, the son of the original donor. A major change occurred in 1890, the cemetery and church separated, and the Secretary of the State of Ohio granted David’s Cemetery Association Articles of Incorporation in the State of Ohio.  With the passage of the Revenue Act of 1913 forming the IRS, the cemetery applied for and became a non-profit corporation.  The Van Buren Township area continued to prosper and by 1891 the cemetery purchased additional acreage, another 1.56 acres.   1917 – The Cemetery purchased 2.2 plus acres from Martin H. Young at $500 per acre. In 1945 the cemetery again added additional acreage by purchasing another 32 acres at the cost of $750 per acre from Bessie Kress.  In November, 1952, the voters of Van Buren Township approved the incorporation of the Village of Kettering, named for its most outstanding citizen, the famous philanthropist and inventor of the automobile self-starter, Charles F Kettering. A special census in 1955 recorded the village population of 38,118 qualifying it for city status. Kettering, located in Montgomery County, is five miles south of Dayton. Again as the population of the area increased David’s Cemetery did so as well and in 1987 another 15.775 acres were purchased from Georgetown Apartments’ owner Richard Jacobs.  In 2019 the former Carousel Nursery School/Miami Valley Pre-School property consisting of .9 acres were purchased. Today David’s Cemetery encompasses approximately 55+ acres.  David’s Cemetery will continue to grow with many acres yet to be developed for use of in-ground burials; above ground burials (mausoleums); in-ground cremations; above ground cremations (niches and columbariums); and the scattering of cremations.

1983 – David’s Mausoleum opened.
1987 – 15.775 acres were purchased from Georgetown Apartments’ owner Richard Jacobs. This newly purchased area was the former Pyper Gravel Pit.
1990 – Cremation Scattering Garden – The Remembrance Circle opened.
1991 – Memorial Mausoleum opened.
2008 – Community Mausoleum opened.
2011 – David’s Columbarium opened.
2015 – Old Glory Plaza opened.