On May 3, 1851, Joseph Edwards and Clarissa Edwards, his wife, deeded to what would become The Ripley Congregational Church one acre of land “as a site for a meeting house and burying ground.” The Rev. Mr. Joseph Edwards served the church as its first minister. Mrs. Clarissa Edwards was one of the nine original members who organized the church.
A house of worship was built upon the land given by the Edwards Family. On February 11, 1854, the new Meeting House was dedicated. The burying ground continues to be known as Edwards Grove Cemetery. The cemetery is located in back of and partly around the church in Huron County, Ripley Township, Ohio.
On March 25, 1871, The Edwards Grove Cemetery Association was incorporated as a separate entity. According to the Constitution of the Association, as amended on June 5, 1886, the Association was to be under the control and management of a Board of five Trustees, duly elected at an annual meeting. A Treasurer and a Secretary were also elected to advise the Board of Trustees. The first recorded list of Trustees, dated May 1, 1893, included O. S. Squires, Sidney Ellis, W. A. Hossler, W.R. Bell and D.O. Frayer. Chairman of the Board was D.O. Frayer, serving as Secretary was J.H. Donaldson and S.P. Dickey was the Treasurer.
Over the years, land adjacent to the grounds was acquired and added to the cemetery. Today, Edwards Grove Cemetery consists of seven sections available for public burial and one section reserved for future internments, as well as a maintenance building.
Recent additions to the grounds include a gazebo, a cistern and a U.S. flagpole.