Ohio

Salmon P. Chase

(1808-1873)

Chief Justice, Politician

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'05.3"N, 84°31'37.3"W

Salmon P. Chase had an eventful life in politics. He spent time as a senator and Governor of Ohio before moving to national politics as Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury in 1861. Though sometimes at odds with Lincoln, Lincoln valued Chase's opinions on matter related to the Civil War. Chase was publicly shamed when a plot of make himself the Republican candidate of 1864 came to light--pitting him squarely against Lincoln. However after Chase resigned, embarrassed, Lincoln still nominated him to the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He presided over the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson.

Levi Coffin

(1798-1877)

Abolitionist, Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'33.6"N, 84°31'28.0"W

Known as the "Father of the Underground Railroad", Levi Coffin has been estimated to have helped over 3,000 slaves find their way into the Free States before the Civil War. He was located in Indiana, but later moved to Ohio near the border with Kentucky. This location allowed him to take in runaway slaves from Kentucky and nearby Virginia. A devote Quaker, Coffin remained steadfast in his mission to help people, eventually traveling around the world in his later years attempting to improve people's lives wherever it was needed. A true hero.

*Though I've taken thousands of photos at graves, I apparently forgot to take a selfie at Mr. Coffin's!

James Gamble

(1803-1891)

Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'01.8"N, 84°31'47.7"W

James Gamble was an Irish immigrant who arrived in Cincinnati as a young boy. He eventually opened a business with his brother-in-law, William Procter. As early as 1847 Procter and Gamble was having its first $1 million sales year. In the decades that followed Procter and Gamble became synonymous with personal care and health care products.

President William Henry Harrison

(1773-1841)

President, General, Politician

Fame-O-Meter-7/10

Resting Place-William Henry Harrison Tomb State Memorial, North Bend

GPS Coordinates-

39°09'02.9"N, 84°45'02.0"W

Mostly a trivia note when it comes to our line of presidents, he was president for all of 32 days. He legendarily gave an extremely long inauguration speech in the rain and wore nothing to protect himself from the elements. He caught pneumonia and died shortly there after. 

Still, previous to his death, Harrison was an able military commander who won victories against both the Native Americans and the British in the Indian Wars and later the Battle of 1812. Unlike most people, his time as president was the least notable. However, despite being President of the United States for such a short time, he ended up with a huge monument for his grave!

Henry Heimlich

(1920-2016)

Doctor, Medical Researcher

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'48.7"N, 84°31'55.2"W

If you asked a random adult if they knew who Henry Heimlich is, they would probably respond with something like, "Heimlich? Is that related to the Heimlich maneuver?" They would be right. The Heimlich Maneuver has become the standard process to help someone when they are choking on an object. Beyond his namesake technique, Henry Heimlich also constantly sought medical improvements. He made breakthroughs in research and invented cures for blindness,  portable oxygen containers, and draining air and blood from the chest (which saved many soldiers in World War II). It is impossible to guess how many people have been saved due to Dr. Henry Heimlich's efforts.

Joseph Hooker

(1814-1879)

General

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'04.3"N, 84°31'38.9"W

"Fighting Joe" Hooker was a military complexity. He often fought with leadership, commanding generals, and, at times, Abraham Lincoln himself. However, he was also capable of brilliance on the battlefield. He served under many of the Union leaders in battles of the Civil War. But Hooker himself made his name in the Seminole Wars in Florida and the Mexican-American War. During the CIvil War he was engaged at the Second Battle of Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Chattanooga, and Lookout Mountain.

Waite Hoyt

(1899-1984)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'27.8"N, 84°31'25.2"W

Waite Hoyt was a Hall of Fame baseball player playing in seven World Series, of which he won three with the Yankees. He won 237 games as a player and later became a play by play broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds.

George Huffman

(1862-1897)

Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum, Dayton

GPS Coordinates-

39°44'31.8"N, 84°10'17.8"W

George Huffman was the son of a businessman and a businessman he became as well. He founded the Davis Sewing Machine Company and the Huffy Bicycle Corporation. Huffy reamins a popular bike brand today.

*To my knowledge, there is no known picture/portrait of George Huffman.  I also, unusually, did not take a photo of the headstone by itself.

Miller Huggins

(1878-1929)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'18.5"N, 84°31'31.9"W

Miller Huggins played for 13 years as a major leaguer, but it was his time later as manager of the New York Yankees that eventually got him into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the manager of the "Murderer's Row" Yankees that included Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They won three World Series under this leadership.

Barney Kroger

(1860-1938)

Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'34.8"N, 84°31'25.3"W

Kroger grocery stores were founded by Bernard "Barney" Kroger.  An $85 billion dollar business today, Kroger had humble beginnings. He opened a store with a friend, but soon took over by buying his friend out. Kroger revolutionized grocery shopping by putting all of the staples we now associate with stores--meat, dairy, produce, and more--under one roof. Customers were blown away by grocery shopping for everything in one place. The idea caught on and grocery stores today still operate in the same manner. Kroger eventually sold the store the Lehman Brothers.

Alexander McDowell McCook

(1801-1884)

General

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°09'55.0"N, 84°31'39.1"W

The Fighting McCook family was a very prolific force within the Union Army during the Civil War. At least ten members of his family were ranked officer or higher. Alexander himself fought at Bull Run and Chickamauga.

Dave Parker

(1951-2025)

Baseball Player

Fame-O-Meter-3/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'46.5"N, 84°31'54.8"W

Dave Parker was a Hall of Fame baseball player. Playing for nineteen seasons, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angles, and Toronto Blue Jays. Parker was known for high averages and runs batted in. He was a National League MVP and World Series champion.

*At the time of my visiting, Dave Parker's actual gravestone was not yet installed due to his passing in 2025.

William Procter

(1801-1884)

Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati

GPS Coordinates-

39°10'16.4"N, 84°31'19.6"W

William Procter was one half of the duo Procter and Gamble which became famous in the business world for its large portfolio of personal products. Originally producing soap and candles, Procter and partner James Gamble eventually hit upon Ivory soap, which became a hit. The company grew exponentially in later years. 

Stephen Wilkins Thompson

(1894-1977)

Aviator

Fame-O-Meter-1/10

Resting Place-Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum,  Dayton

GPS Coordinates-

39°44'35.3"N, 84°10'32.5"W

Stephen Thompson. Who you ask? Thompson holds a distinction that can never be taken away from him. On February 5th, 1918, while acting as a gunner/observer in a French plane, Thompson shot down a German plane making him the first ever U.S. pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft. He spent the remaining yeas of his life as a teacher and engineer.

Orville Wright

(1871-1948)

Aviator, Inventor

Fame-O-Meter-9/10

Resting Place-Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum,  Dayton

GPS Coordinates-

39°44'39.3"N, 84°10'21.9"W

Orville Wright and his brother, Wilbur were engineering young lads. They operated two newspaper businesses, as well as a bicycle shop. However, it was their passion for attempting to create a manned vehicle that could take off from and return to the ground that became their passion. The "Wright Flyer" achieved this goal on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,  when their plane left the ground and returned a whopping 12 seconds later. Orville was the pilot of the first plane flight in human history. 

Wilbur Wright

(18-19)

Aviator, Inventor

Fame-O-Meter-9/10

Resting Place-Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum,  Dayton

GPS Coordinates-

39°44'39.3"N, 84°10'21.9"W

Wilbur shares credit for the first flight in history as he and his brother, Orville, built a plane that was able to sustain itself for 12 seconds in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. While this might not seem like very long by today's standards, it showed that it was possible. And that led to a future where planes would be the eventual future.