Early Black resident of Clermont County will get a new memorial

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.