Who was John C Cline?

Story and illustrations courtesy of Misti Spillman, Manager, Preservation and Community Outreach Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum

Living here in Warren County, we are fortunate to be between the two larger cities of Dayton and Cincinnati. This allows us to not only share in both of these city's accomplishments, but in their residents. And, believe it or not, one way of learning about these people can often be found in historical cemeteries. Dayton, Ohio's Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, which is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the United States, is filled with history. And, this July, the WarrenCountyPost.com has been given the privilege to publish a piece from Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum about John C. Cline

DAYTON, OH -- John C. Cline was born in Switzerland, the son of John Sr. & Teresa Cline, who came to America shortly after their son was born. Shortly after the family arrived in Dayton, an outbreak of cholera swept through the city, claiming both of John’s parents within the year. 

Soon after the loss of his parents, John Cline was adopted by George Lane—the sexton (or caretaker) of Woodland cemetery. It wasn’t long before young John got involved in his new family’s business. As Woodland’s founder, John Van Cleve, surveyed the cemetery’s original forty acres, it was with John Cline (aged 9) following along & carrying Van Cleve’s tools. 

At the age of 12, Mr. Lane gave John his first official job: gate attendant. By all accounts, John Cline loved his work. According to those who knew him, the careful supervision of the cemetery became a matter of pride rather than of labor. 

When the Civil War broke out Mr. Cline, then a young man, enlisted. After the war ended, he returned to Woodland and worked for a time under George Lane Jr., who had succeeded his father. Four years later, at the age of 25, John became superintendent of Woodland Cemetery- a position he would hold for the next 50 years. 

Before his death in 1922, John Cline had attended 38, 377 burials. Many of the improvements of the cemetery were attributed entirely to the efforts of John Cline. In particular, the addition of non-native species of trees which Cline brought back to Dayton from his extensive travels around the world.

John C. Cline died at the age of 78. He and his family rest in section 46, lot 190 at Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum.

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