Cass County, Indiana - Chapter 40: Cemeteries of Logansport and Eel Township, 1913

In all ages and in all climes the tenderest memories of mankipd have centered around the Silent Cities of the Dead. There are at least one hundred and twenty-five of these sacred places within the bounds of Cass county, ten of which are located in Eel township and will be noticed in this chapter, the others will be mentioned in the respective township where situated. Prior to 1860 nearly all cemeteries were laid out and occupied, years before any deeds of conveyance were made and when deeds were executed they were never placed on record for many years. In one case a deed was made in 1849 and not recorded until 1900, over fifty years after its execution. In early days Cass county was a wilderness, sparsely settled, with no roads, no churches, no churchyards, no undertakers, the pioneer cabins separated by miles of intervening forests; when death entered one of these cabins, which it frequently did from the effects of the deadly malaria, the only means of disposing of their dead was to make a rough box and tenderly lay their loved ones away on a knoll near the cabin under the spreading branches of a giant forest tree.

In early days it was next to impossible to purchase a grave stone or marker and today many a pioneer lies peacefully sleeping in an unmarked grave and in many cases unknown to this generation.

** Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid. Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire. Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed. Or wake to ecstacy the living lyre,

The natural conditions and surroundings made individual and family burial grounds a necessity. As the country became settled, roads improved, churches erected with adjoining churchyards, the individual and family burial grounds were abandoned and the dead were buried in the larger cemetery or churchyard. In many instances the dead were removed from the private to the public burial grounds, but in other cases they were left to sleep in their original last resting place, often unmarked, unknown and forgotten.

They, however, as peacefully slumber in those unmarked and forgotten pioneer graves as though they were lying in yonder churchyard, to be daily trodden over by idle and thoughtless crowds, in hearing distance of the chimes of the great church bells of today. When we see so many unmarked graves, so many neglected and unkept burial grounds, and especially the crowded condition of cemeteries in the large cities of this country and the old world, we are more firmly convinced that the best way to dispose of the dead is by cremation, not only from a sanitary point of view but also from sentiment. The tendency of this age is towards centralization in nearly everything and cemeteries are no exception to the rule. Man is gregarious and congregates in great cities while living and when he dies prefers to be interred in the great cities of the dead, rather than in the individual or family burial, ground as formerly. There is no system of registering the interments in any of our cemeteries with few exceptions and there is no means of ascertaining the names, dates or number of burials. This should be corrected by legislative action and a uniform system adopted, requiring the names, dates and place of burial to be registered.

This spot, once sacred to the pioneer dead, is located about onehalf mile west of the present city limits and sixty rods south of the Dunkirk schoolhouse, on the Barron farm. This burial ground is situated on a high sandy knoll in the midst of a field where at this time may be found the broken remnants of five marble slabs, upon which may be deciphered with diflSculty, the following inscriptions: Sarah Ann, wife of Peter Barron, died September 30, 1845, and other members of the Barron family from 1838 to 1846.

Joseph Barron, Sr., whose remains lie here in an unmarked grave was a French Canadian, bom in Detroit, January, 1773, and died in Cass county, December 12, 1843. He settled in Vincennes in 1790, moved to Logansport in 1827. He was an old Indian interpretor for (leneral Harrison in the War of 1812, and was at the battle of Tippecanoe. He had four sons, Joseph, Peter, Anthony land Napoleon B., and two daughters, Mrs. Mary Ann Heath, later the wife of Anthony F. Smith, and Mrs. Hugh B. McKeen, who built the second log house in Logansport.

This burial ground is located about two miles west of Logansport on the north bank of the Wabash river on a farm formerly belonging to Dr. J. M. Jeroleman. About seventy years ago Dr. Jeroleman built a substantial stone vault here in which rested the remains of his first wife, and the wife of Henry Helms, but both were removed to Mt. Hope. John Kistler, 1870, and a Davis child, 1855, and others, were buried here, but the ground belongs to the adjoining farm as no deeds are of record.

In the 'forties, Henry Thomas owned a tract of land on the north side, on a knoll about ten rods south of Pleasant Hill street and twenty rods east of Sycamore street. Near the edge of a gravel pit, that now exists, were buried Henry Thomas in 1845, his son, 1850, Isaac Booth, 1849, and a few others. Marble slabs marked some of these graves which were removed to Mt. Hope cemetery after it was laid out, but

In the early 'thirties, General Tipton started a burial ground on what was known as Spencer Square, bounded by Ninth, Tenth, Spear and Market streets, where the Lutheran church now stands. James Bell, a son of Daniel Bell, a cadet at West Point was buried here and Gen. John Tipton, himself, in 1839, and a number of others. Monuments marked their graves. When Spear and Ninth streets were laid out and improved they were removed south into the old cemetery but the unmarked graves were never disturbed and lie at rest under the Lutheran church.

When the last of the Pottowattomie Indians were removed west in 1838, by General Tipton, they were encamped on Horney creek, just east of the Michigan road, where the old fair grounds were located in the early 'sixties. Three Indians died while encamped here and were buried oo the north side of Homey creek on what is now the right-ofway of the Vandalia Railroad Company on the east side of the track just south of Smith street. There were possibly other Indian burials here prior to this. The graves of these poor unfortunate Indians can be seen, only by the Infinite eye and their locations are known only to James Homey, whose father owned the land at that time, and who gave this information to the writer.

This is the oldest cemetery in Cass county and is situated between Ninth, Tenth,^Erie avenue and Spear streets. General Tipton donated the ground in 1828 when it was covered and surrounded by forest treesl He, however, never executed a dee^i and his administrator represented by Chauncey Carter as commissioner appointed by the court, conveys three and fifty-two one hundredths acres of land to the city of Logansport as a grave yard and burial ground. The ground was appraised at $45.00 and the city paid that amount February 16, 1846. (B^. F, page 252.) On September 29, 1846, Chauncey Carter, as surveyor, plats the ground by direction of the city council.

The first interment is said to be a child of William Smith that died in 1828, in the cabin of Daniel Bell, that stood just south of the cemetery.

James Foster died at Alexander Chamberlain's tavern on the south bank of the Wabash river, December 23, 1828, and was buried here on Christmas day, 1828, by the Masons, this being the first Masonic funeral held in Cass county. These two graves are unmarked and their exact location are unknown as the ground was then covered with a thick forest and unplatted. The oldest grave, as shown by marker is Elizabeth, wife of N. D. Grover, October 29, 1830. Some old inscriptions, Thomas S. Hartgrave, Febmary 15, 1815, Samuel Fisher, November 17, 1816, were probably removed here, as Cass county was not then settled.

Pioneer ministers who sleep here are. Rev. William Corbin, died November 8, 1841; Rev. James Buchanan, died 1843; Rev. Burrows Westlake, died 1845 ; Rev. M. M. Post, died 1876.

An old millstone or burr, taken from the Forest mill marks the grave of H. H. DeWolf, he being a miller by trade, and died in 1905, aged 79. Gen. Richard Crooks, who served under General Harrison, in the War of 1812, and died in 1842, lies buried near the center of this cemetery with only a large sugar tree to mark the grave, which has grown up since his interment.

William Cooley, a colored man, who was a servant of General Jackson at New Orleans, in 1815, is interred here, as is also Enion Kendall, Logansport's pioneer poet, who died in 1856

On May 7, 1884, Charles A. Brownlee, for the sum of $500, deeds one acre of ground lying west of and adjoining Mt. Hope cemetery, to the Hebrew Cemetery Association of Logansport, Indiana.

On July 11, 1884, Soloman Wise, Elias Greenfelder and Morris Michaels, trustees, plat forty-eight lots of said ground. This is a small but beautiful cemetery well shaded with ornamental trees, kept neatly, and has some handsome monuments. The first interment was Gustave Lang, February 18, 1884. The second was Max Kraus, May 16, 1884. Twenty-four persons rest in these grounds in the past twentyfour years or at the rate of one a year.

W. D. Owen on August 5, 1892, laid out a plat of five and thirtysix hundredths acres of ground adjoining Mt. Hope cemetery on the west. This is a beautiful cemetery, artistically laid out, the curved driveways well improved, ornamental trees are abundant and it is maintained as a lawn cemetery. The first interment was John L. Lyman, May 1, 1893; Florence, wife of Jesse E. Enyart, May 15, 1893. There are many fine monuments to be found here and four stone receiving vaults. The Elks have a large lot on which is erected a symbolic figure of a life size elk in bronze standing on a pedestal of native stone. The Knights of Pythias also have a characteristic monument on their lot representing a Sir Knight in a kneelipg position.

February 23, 1906, Seth M. Velsey by permission of the city council and paying the city $500, makes a plat of a tract of land three hundred and nineteen by three hundred and seventy-eight feet, lying north of the Owen and west of the Hebrew cemetery. This new cemetery is admirably and artistically laid out with curved drives, improved with cement gutters and broken stone sewerage, etc. Samuel Fisher and Mrs. Isaac Hunnelberger have each erected handsome and costly granite receiving vaults, and a company is just completing a large mausoleum containing two hundred sarcophagi.

On March 24, 1866, George W. Ewing of Cook county, Illinois, conveyed by deed to the Rt. Rev. John H. Luers, bishop of Fort Wayne, ten and fifty-seven hundredths acres of land in section 25, lying south of Mt. Hope cemetery. On September 16, 1866, this ground was platted by. Rev. Bernard Joseph Force, pastor of St. Vincent's church.

First interments : Timothy Cahill, bom in Cork, Ireland, died July 12, 1866. He is said to have been struck and killed in a quarrel over war and political matters. Priests buried here are : Rev. Father Campion, died 1898; Rev. Father Koehne, died 1906; Rev. Father Bernard Kroeger, died 1909 ; Rev. J. G. Mark, died 1904.

tions 24 and 25, in Noble township, now within the city limits. September 16, 1891, the city purchased of William Douglass, twenty-eight acres adjoining the above tract on the north, paying therefor $5,500. This ground has been platted at diflPerent times: November 21, 1856; June 20, 1875; August 26, 1887; February 23, 1889, and October 27, 1894.

The first lot. No. 220, sold in Mt. Hope cemetery was bought in the; fall of 1856, by Benjamin Peters, a lawyer, who wrote the deed and transacted the business in the purchase of the grounds by the city. Mr. Peters died May 22, 1857 and was buried on this lot and on his monument, a square marble shaft, about eight feet high, is carved these words: **The first monument erected in Mt. Hope.'*

This monument is situated on the south side of the central drive due west from the Clifton avenue gate and just south of Allen Richardson's lot, which latter is enclosed by a granite coping. In recent years many removals have been made from other burial grounds to Mt. Hope and we find many old-fashioned slabs and stories with dates inscribed thereon as far back as 1830. Mt. Hope is the largest cemetery in the county. It 19 artistically laid out with circular walks and curved driveways. It is beautifully situated on the north hill overlooking the city and the river valleys. It is well shaded by native forest trees, as well as evergreen and ornamental trees. The first addition to Mt. Hope laid out in 1894, is maintained as a lawn cemetery and makes a much neater appearance and is much more desirable than the old part where each lot owner banks up his lot or graves to please his own fancy with no two alike.

The city deeded to the county a large lot near the entrance to Mt. Hope in 1888, on which Cass county erected the ** Soldiers' Monument," the largest and most expensive monument in the county, costing $10,000. It is made of Indiana limestone, has a rectangular base with steps leading up to the sixteen tablets, upon which is carved the name of every soldier dying and buried within the county. Above these tablets arises a round column to the height of ninety feet surmounted by a figure representing a color bearer. The four l^ranches of the military service are represented by a life size statue standing on each corner of the base, all in full dress, representing the different branches of the service.

On this lot is buried all soldiers who have no private lot or who request to be interred here. There are now about seventy old soldiers resting here and a grateful government places a marble marker at the head of each grave.

It would be of interest to copy the names of all the soldiers, business and professional men and old pioneers who rest in these cemeteries but space will not permit and will have to refer to the more extended history of the cemeteries to be found in the Historical Society.

The monuments in Mt. Hope are as various and different as the occupants of the graves whose last resting place they mark. There are many beautifully designed monuments. The largest monument is that of James Cheny, a square shaft like an Egyptian obelisk, about thirty to forty feet high, made of grey granite.

The Manly manument is an octagonal column of grey granite. The Haney monument, nearby, is a handsome square column of red granite. The Kerns is a tall octagonal column with skull and crossbones cut in the base. Senator Pratt's monument is a massive octagonal column of grey granite while Rufus Magee has a beautiful column of black imported granite. Fashions in monuments, like everything else, charige and the tendency now is to drop the tall columns of olden days and adopt the low massive forms of different designs and all recent monuments are of this character, such as the Murdoch, Elliott, Uhl, Howe, Wright, Richardson, Myres, and others.

Special designs : Horace P. Biddle, 1811-1900, is carved on a block of marble, thirty inches square and one foot thick, resting on a base of native stone two feet high. This little plain marker- stands in the center of the Biddle lot with no other evidence to show what rests be-

Capt. Palmer Dunn, who was killed at Chickamauga has a monument erected by his company (Co. E, 29th Ind.) of Parian marble, with his sword and belt chiseled out of the solid marble, and in its day it was the finest monument in the cemetery.

To mark General Tipton's grave, stands an octagon marble column, ten feet high. He died in 1839, was buried on Spencer Square, later moved to the old cemetery and finally to Mt. Hope.

Cyrus Taber, one of the most influential pioneer merchants, has a tall column of Carrara marble. * He died in 1855, was buried in Taber cemetery in Washington township, and recently moved to Mt. Hope.

William Richter has a life size statue which is a good representation of Mr. Richter with his long rain coat and hat as he used to wear them on the farm.

One object in compiling this history is to secure the biographies of the pioneers and those who have been instrumental in developing Cass county and making its history. Where these biographical sketches have already been written and preserved it is superfluous to repeat them here, and as a rule they will only be referred to. * The biographies of the following persons may be found in Helm's History, published in 1886, filed in the public library and Cass County Historical Society :