John Hood and the Birkheads

Look for the white marker for John Hood just after Beech to locate the row where the Birkheads are buried.

James Birkhead and his wife, Lettie, lived on property once owned by Worthington’s founder, James Kilbourn. In the early 1800s, Kilbourn had built his Worthington Manufacturing Company along the Olentangy River at the bottom of W. South St. on this land. He also had constructed, in 1814, a “boarding house” which is still there today. Birkhead, who was born in 1851, purchased the property in 1892 for $950.

Much as James Kilbourn had helped his neighbors by developing his businesses, James Birkhead and his family planted orchards, and raised fruits and vegetables that they sold to Worthington and neighboring areas. James Birkhead and his family lived in the boarding house, the same one where the officers stayed during the training camp at the beginning of the Civil War for the 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry led by Col. Thomas Worthington. In addition to feeding his family and supplying food to his neighbors, James became one of the founders of the St. John A.M.E. (African Methodist Episcopal) Church on Plymouth Street in Worthington.

A daughter, Catharine Birkhead Trimble was a 1924 graduate of Worthington High School. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan with a B.S. in Education, and became the first African-American teacher in the Delaware City Schools. In the same row, a son-in-law, John Hood, is buried. He was Civil War veteran, a member of a black artillery unit.

From Stop 5 to Stop 6, continue to Elm, turn left, and then turn left on Walnut. The Gardner markers will be on your right at the intersection.