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THE PROGRESS EXAMINER, ORLEANS, INDIANA 47452, OCTOBER 31,
1990
By Robert Henderson II
 Today (Oct.31) is Halloween and
tonight area youngsters will once again go about their annual ritual of
dressing up in outlandish costumes, carving jack-o-lanterns, going door to door
trick-or-treating for candy and listening to scary ghost stories.
In keeping with the theme of the
holiday this P-E reporter recently had the opportunity to pay a visit to a
number of area cemeteries to photograph and study the more interesting designed
headstones.
I found the trip to several of the
cemeteries to be most interesting. Once could easily spend hours just wandering
among the beautiful peaceful grounds, reading the inscriptions on the
tombstones.
In Liberty cemetery, located just
east of Orleans one finds the well worn grace marker of Anna Todd Teagarden,
who for years has been believed to be the aunt of Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of
President Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Teagarden, the wife of Basil Teagarden, died in
1863 at the age of 84.
Earlier this year the P-E staff
received word by letter from Mr. James W. Taylor of New Albany. Taylor, who is
a direct descendant of Basil and Anna (Todd) Teagarden, writes that for the
past several years he has attempted to prove any connection of Anna Todd
Teagarden's relationship to Mary Todd Lincoln, without any success.
Anna Todd married Basil Teagarden in
Shelby County, KY on Oct. 21, 1797. The license of file is signed by her
father's mark as John Todd. Witnessed by Jacob Ruble, at the cost of 50 pounds
legal tender at that time.
Jacob Ruble was either the brother
or father of Mary Ruble who married John Todd. Since 1910 the Taylor family has
sought the relationship of John Todd, father of Anna Todd Teagarden, to Robert
Smith Todd, father of Mary Todd Lincoln, again with no success. It is possible
that some P-E reader out there might be able to shed some light on this matter
thus indeed closing out a search of many years of dead end research for the
Taylor family.
On the west side of Orleans lies the
stately preserved Greenhill cemetery. Here you will find a number of gravesites
of local historic significance including the burial spot of Gen. William T.
Spicely, a native of Orleans, born in 1823, who bravely lead a company of men
out of Orleans in 1861 to fight in the Civil War. Earlier he had served as a
volunteer in the Mexican War. He is also often remembered as being one of the
first teachers in the Orleans free schools. Spicely died in 1884 at the age of
64.
Another interesting tombstone in
this cemetery marks the grave of Frederick Fesperman, a German, who was the
first person to be buried in Orleans. He was born in 1742 and died on May 25,
1816 at the age of 74. He lived and died in a house located at the present site
of the Sugar & Spice Shoppe on the north side of the town square.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S WIFE HAD ORLEAN TIES
Indiana proudly claims Abraham
Lincoln as a former resident. He is commemorated with a state park, a memorial
and other famous sights. However, the fact that his wife also had Indiana ties
is seldom mentioned. the fact that her ties were in Orleans is a little know
fact.
Lincoln married Mary Todd, Nov. 4,
1842. She was his second choice for a wife, he was engaged to Ann Rutledge when
she was struck by a swift and fatal disease in 1835. After her death he seemed
to lose his interest n life until he met Mary Todd in 1839.
Marriage plans were made when
Lincoln backed out and decided he wasn't good enough to marry Todd. later on th
spur of the moment, he decided to continue with his plans and a second wedding
was planned and carried out within 24 hours.
Mary Todd was the daughter of Robert
S. Todd of Lexington, Kentucky, a man of wealth and culture with strong
political interests. Her mother, Eliza, died in childbirth in 1825. The Todd
household had a total of 14 children, six by Eliza and eight by his second
wife, Betsy.
As a result when the eldest daughter
Elizabeth married Ninian W. Edwards, a member of the famous Long Nine, and
became the first lady of Springfield, Ill., she invited her younger sisters to
Springfield to meet potential husbands.
Edwards did such a good job that
eventually all three of her sisters were married in Springfield.
As the history of Lincoln, his
family and the nations turmoil was lived, at least one section of Orleans was
vitally involved with each action. Mary Todd's aunt, Ann Tegarden, lived in
Orleans.
Tegarden was outstanding in her own
right, she lived to be almost 85 years old during a time in our history when
the average life span was far short of that number.
Ann Tegarden was born approximately
July 17, 1778. Just two years after this country won its freedom from England.
She was the daughter of one of our early pioneers. She died May 7, 1863 at the
age of 84 years, ten months and 20 days.
She is buried in the Tegarden family
plot at the Liberty Christian Church Cemetery northeast of Orleans. Several
other Tegardens are buried within the plot, possibly some of the children
buried there are hers. However, little knowledge remains in the local history
of Tegarden. Her husband, Basil, died in his late 60s and is buried on the
right side of her.
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