The James Cemetery "Old Oak Tree"
The massive oak tree that you see in the background on this page stands no longer, except for the bottom trunk and one large vertical limb. In the fall of 2005, after much discussion with a local OSU forestry and tree expert, city of Jackson officials and JCOGS members, we very reluctantly and with much sadness made the decision to remove the tree. Due to it's declining health (caused primarily by a lightning strike a number of years prior according to Jackson city cemetery sexton Ed Henderson) there was an ever-increasing likelihood that dead limbs could fall from it, causing further harm to already damaged gravestones under it's 'umbrella'.
This incredible tree was the last of what were at one time, a trio of oak trees that formed a huge canopy over the cemetery grounds. This was documented to have been the case in the late 1920's by Lydia Long Brown in the book Ohio History of the Daughters of the American Revolution . Ms. Brown was the Historian at that time in the now disbanded local 'John James' chapter of the DAR. Even at that time, she stated that the trees were likely to have been at least a century old. In the article she submitted to the Ohio DAR for the book, Ms. Brown felt it important to make mention of the cemetery as being a 'historic spot' because of the ancient Hopewell Indian mound which can be seen below just to the right of the oak tree.
While doing research in Columbus, Ohio in mid 2006, I discovered that this Indian mound is listed as a 'significant archaeological site' with the Ohio Historic Preservation office as part of the 'James Cemetery Mound Group'. According to local Jackson county historian Daniel Webster Williams in his book, The History of Jackson County, published in 1900 (and available for sale from the JCOGS ), the cemetery Indian mound was one of 3 similar mounds that formed a triangular configuration along Broadway Street. The other two mounds, both on the opposite side of Broadway Street and located on farms owned in the late 1800's by William Warnecke and Joseph Watson, have long ago been leveled. Those 2 mounds were confirmed to be of the Hopewell Indian culure in an archaeological survey conducted in 1914 by William Mills of the Ohio Archaeological Society. The cemetery mound was not 'sampled' for obvious reasons, but it is a reasonable assumption that the James Cemetery mound is thus Hopewell Indian in nature as well. To my knowledge, the James Cemetery Indian mound is the only remaining Indian mound within the city of Jackson. On this mound lie the remains of Major John James, his wife, and several other immediate family members including son-in-law Daniel Hoffman, who was responsible for building the historic Gibson House hotel in 1816.
In October of 2005, I became aware of a list maintained by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources called "Ohio's Big Trees". Shortly before the James Cemetery white oak tree was removed, myself and local Jackson Historical Society member, Jim Meacham, took measurements on this tree in order to see how it compared to the 2 declared Ohio state champion white oaks. There are 3 criteria used to determine an ODNR 'Big Tree': (1) Height, (2) Circumference of the tree 4 feet above the ground and (3) Average horizontal, or 'crown' spread of the limbs. These 3 measurements are then combnined to determine the total number of "points" the tree has, which is what determines a state champion tree.
The cemetery tree had a maximium estimated height (using a small elevation surveying instrument Jim is qualified to use) of 80 feet. The 2 state champion trees have an average height of 91.5 feet. The cemetery tree had (has) a circumference at the 4' level of 196 inches. The state champs have an average circumference of 277.5 inches. The cemetery tree had an average horizontal limb spread of 111 feet. The state champion white oaks have an average spread of 123 feet. So, even though our cemetery tree did not qualify as a potential state record, it certainly came close in the height and horizontal spread categories.
Regarding the estimated age of the tree, the rings on the largest horizontal limb were counted when the tree was cut down. On the log located closest to the main truck, which was about 30 inches in diameter, there were over 125 rings counted. Since the main trunk is still standing, we obviously can't count the rings on it. But I will add that the OSU forestry expert who examined the tree limbs after they were cut estimated the age of the tree at perhaps 200 years or more, which would mean that the tree was probably standing when Major John James bought the cemetery land in 1807. If not standing then, I would surmise that John James planted this oak tree as a symbolic gesture of his steadfastness in fighting the native American Indians during the bloody Indian Wars of 1791-95, which commenced when his own brother, William James, was one of twelve white settlers who were massacred at Big Bottom in January 1791 in present-day Morgan county Ohio.
Submitted January 2007 by Anthony Coyan