ABOUT THE WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Incorporated July 30, 2014

Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization licensed to conduct business and fundraising in the state of West Virginia. The Committee's primary purpose is to to assist with the preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery, and to provide a public service to the community and to family and friends who have loved ones interred at Ward Cemetery. Ward Cemetery is still an active burial ground and the final resting place of former Kelley's Creek Collieries/Valley Camp Coal Company employees, their families, and their descendants. Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee members are volunteers. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee's preservation and beautification efforts are financially supported by families and friends of those interred in Ward​ Cemetery and by donations from the area's local residents and businesses. Without this support the Advisory Committee could not function and Ward Cemetery would become completely overgrown as there is no other organization, no owner, and no government agency charged with the care of the cemetery.

Thank you for your support!

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is exempt from charitable solicitation registration in West Virginia. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee does not employ a professional solicitor or fundraiser, and does not raise or receive contributions from the public in excess of $25,000.00 during a calendar year.

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, Inc., is NOT connected in any way to the former Ward Funeral Fund and Accident Association, Inc., which terminated September 18, 2000. 

WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

CHARTER MEMBERS

WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

2021 ACTIVE MEMBERS

Sherry Smith

John Inghram

Wanda Bass

Pat Allen

Jan Richardson

BURIAL RECORDS INFO

Jan Richardson

[email protected]

or use the

CONTACT FORM

MAILING ADDRESS

Ward Cemetery

c/o Sherry Smith

3012 Dorsey Drive

Belle WV 25015

[email protected]

or use the

CONTACT FORM

WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WV CERTIFICATE OF EXISTENCE - CLICK HERE

Ward Cemetery has been cared for by volunteers for many years and depends on their efforts with the help of donations from the local community and the families who have loved ones buried in Ward Cemetery. Ward Cemetery is the final resting place of former Kelley's Creek Collieries/Valley Camp Coal Company employees, their families, and their descendants. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is a federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by cemetery volunteers to assist in their mission of preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery. Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee also has Public Charity Status under section 509(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue code. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee was also incorporated on July 30, 2014, in the State of West Virginia as a nonprofit organization and is operated for charitable, educational, and preservation purposes. The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is NOT connected in any way to the former Ward Funeral Fund and Accident Association, Inc., which terminated September 18, 2000.

Ward Cemetery is a community cemetery whose community is now gone. In West Virginia, there is no state cemetery board or similar government agency responsible for the care and maintenance of community cemeteries. Some incorporated town/city governments maintain town/city cemeteries within their corporate limits, but Ward Cemetery is located in an unincorporated area of Kanawha County, West Virginia. Kanawha County records have been searched by several caretakers, courthouse staff, and an attorney, and no private owner of Ward Cemetery has ever been identified. Since there is no government agency or private owner responsible for the care of Ward Cemetery, Ward Cemetery would become totally overgrown if not for the work of the volunteers who are aided by donations. The cemetery volunteers perform a much needed public service. The cemetery consists of approximately twelve acres and it is expensive to maintain. The majority of committee funds are donated by the families and friends of those buried in Ward Cemetery with some funds and/or services donated by local area businesses. As the younger generations move away, and the older generations pass away, the pool of contributors is sadly becoming smaller and smaller.

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee does not employ a professional solicitor or fundraiser and does not receive donations or grants over $25,000 during a calendar year, which makes the committee exempt from charitable solicitation registration in West Virginia. In fact, the committee receives way less than this amount and often struggles to accomplish the grass mowing and other beautification and preservation projects. TheWard Cemetery Advisory Committee satisfies the annual IRS reporting requirement by electronically submitting the IRS Form 990-N e-postcard. The committee's financial records are open for public review upon request.

WARD CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE IRS INFORMATION - CLICK HERE

You can search using our Employer Identification Number (EIN) 47-1363922

MISSION STATEMENT

Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee shall exist to assist with the preservation and beautification of Ward Cemetery located on Kelly’s Creek near Cedar Grove in Kanawha County, West Virginia.

PURPOSE AND GOALS

• To assist the Ward Cemetery in continuing to serve the surrounding communities as an active burial ground, and to aid in the preservation of the fencing, buildings, and infrastructure of the cemetery for the primary purpose of providing a volunteer public service to family and friends who have loved ones interred at Ward Cemetery, and to provide a volunteer public service to the community as a whole.
• To assist with the beautification of the Ward Cemetery including mowing, planting, seeding, fertilizing, raking, pruning, and other activities related to caring for the grounds, in an attempt to provide a more accessible community resource.

Please Note: Terraces, curbs, and similar structures, headstones, statues, and other grave monuments, are the personal property of the family who purchased them or built them. The family of the deceased is responsible for the installation, care and maintenance of these items. If you are the owner of a headstone, repairs and replacements may sometimes be covered by your homeowner's policy. The government will sometimes replace worn or damaged military headstones upon request of the family.

Ward Cemetery has no paid staff and no office. The smaller cemetery gates are always unlocked for visitors. However, due to past problems with theft, vandalism, and damage caused by off-road vehicles, the larger double gates will remain locked for the protection of the cemetery. If you need access through the locked double gates, please contact us IN ADVANCE OF YOUR VISIT to make arrangements for one of our volunteers to meet you to unlock the gates. You may email us at [email protected] or

[email protected] or use our CONTACT FORM

​The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee members are volunteers who donate their time to serve on the committee. Ward Cemetery is an old community cemetery. It is NOT a perpetual care cemetery and there are no deeded plots. The cemetery is very old and depends on donations and volunteers to assist in its care and preservation. There is no private owner on record for Ward Cemetery and there is no one to care for the cemetery except for the volunteers. The volunteers do the best they can as time and funds allow.

Only so much can be accomplished with limited funds and limited volunteers. If the current volunteers abandon their work due to lack of funds, lack of support, or unwarranted criticism, the cemetery will become completely overgrown, as there is no one else to care for it. The care of the cemetery will revert back to each family being responsible for taking care of their own family graves as it was in times past.

If you are unhappy about the condition of the cemetery or think the length of the grass is unacceptable, you are invited and encouraged to attend the Advisory Committee Meetings, become a volunteer, and donate your time to help improve conditions. If you cannot attend the meetings or physically help with the work, donations are always appreciated, as the cemetery grounds cannot be maintained without sufficient funds.

The next meeting of the Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee is currently on hold due to the current coronavirus pandemic. We will post the information here once meetings resume. Meetings are usually held at Shrewsbury Baptist Church, 1096 Ferry Street, Shrewsbury, WV. Everyone is invited to attend and all will be welcomed.

If you have questions or need information about the Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, please contact us by email at [email protected] or use our CONTACT FORM. Caretaker Sherry Smith may be contacted at [email protected]. Members of the committee are unpaid volunteers.

The Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit organization with public charity status.

This page was provided as a courtesy to the Ward Cemetery Advisory Committee.