The early cemeteries of Vigo County are the last resting places of many
whose graves are unmarked and unknown to this generation.
Mary Ellen McKee, Terre Haute, Ind.
The Wabash Valley Remembers 1787-1938
The early settlers of Terre Haute had to provide resting places for their dead as well as take care of their living. Because of the great difficulty of providing a living for the settlers themselves, adequate records were not kept so as to make it possible to find the final resting place of people who are noteworthy of praise and honor today.
The remains of Father Pierre Gibault, who is a well-known figure in the history of the Wabash Valley because of his early assistance to George Rogers Clark, are lost. All that records reveal is that he is buried somewhere in Illinois.
Clarence M. Burton, Historian, writes, "In the downtown districts of today we walk over the remains of the past generations. How many human beings still lie buried, unknown and forgotten, in our city's streets!"
According to earliest records that some of the first to die in Vigo County, among them the wife of Curtis Gilbert, were buried in a lot at the north east corner of Sixth and Ohio streets. Today the Beach block stands on a part of this lot. Others were buried in an old Indian graveyard not far from the Wabash River bank on land now occupied by the American Can Company.
One of the early sextons of Woodlawn cemetery was hired by descendants of the early pioneers to move bodies of early settlers from this old graveyard to the new cemetery when the Wabash Erie canal was built in 1848.
Woodlawn cemetery was bought in January, 1839, for the sum of $620. John F. Cruft, C. Gilbert, and Robert Wallace were named on the cemetery committee. Their duty was to have the lots cleared and trees that remained pruned. Later a fence of posts and boards was built around lot 47 of the cemetery and lots inside it were offered for sale.
At the same time John F. Cruft was given an order to buy a hearse and harness for the use of the town, and in 1839 the superintendent was ordered to attend funerals whenever requested with the public hearse and be allowed $1.50 for each funeral to be paid by those employing him.
This cemetery made up of lots 37, 38, 47, 48 contained twelve and four-tenths acres. It comprises the south part of the present Woodlawn cemetery.
William Anderson was the first superintendent or sexton of the graveyard. His reports show five year old Mary Herrington who died of scarlet fever was the first to be buried there on July 28, 1839. Between this time and Nov. 8 there was a total of fifteen burials in the cemetery.
In 1884 the necessity for a new cemetery became apparent since nearly all the lots in Woodlawn had been purchased. Accordingly a board was organized and Highland Lawn was built east of the city.
In the county are located one hundred thirteen known cemeteries that were started in pioneer days up to over a half century ago. It is in these that many of the well known early settlers were buried without records being kept of the burial. The private burying grounds, some of them later turned into group burial places, and the graveyards where groups of families were buried are the historic places.
Other than in the scanty records which were kept as to the families buried in such places, it is impossible to locate various graves.
Many historical societies and even descendants of some of the early settlers would give almost anything to locate certain graves.
But the march of civilization has moved so rapidly that, in many of the old cemeteries no stones remain standing. Some graveyards were not totally obliterated, but the stones have crumbled and the bones have been carried away.
East on Maple avenue there were cemeteries which have entirely disappeared. Many pioneers were buried in these places but the exact location of their graves is no longer known and identification of the individuals who were buried there would be an impossible task.
One of the old historic cemeteries located out in the county is the old Bethesda, a mile and a half west of Terre Haute on the old Paris road. Here many pioneer families, among them the Church, Smith, Hoopes, Bell, Evinger, Malcom, May, and French had plots.
Still other early families had plots in the old Pisgah cemetery, three miles north of Bethesda, a combined cemetery and church. In this cemetery is buried Samuel Belleville, who fought in the War of 1812 and who died in 1866. Here also is buried Marquis D. Lafayette Hepner.
At the West end of the village of St. Mary is the Parish cemetery. It is the successor to one described in a deed made by Joseph Thralls in 1838 and to one which occupied a part of St. Mary of the Woods college campus.
One of the most historic in the county is the cemetery adjoining Rose Hill church. The old cemetery was across the road from the church but as time went on residents in that part of the county were buried in lots around the church.
Famous for the remarkable monument erected by the late Martin W. Sheets in memory of his father is the New Hope cemetery. It is located four miles nearer Terre Haute than where the Darwin road enters Illinois. Deborah Malcom, the earliest born of all who died in Vigo County after the coming of the whites, is also buried here.
A typical hillside cemetery of early days in the Mewhinney cemetery in the north east corner of Riley township and one mile south of the Bloomington road. It was a family cemetery when started but later became the burying group for the neighborhood. Thomas Mewhinney, who died in the 1850's is buried here.
A descendent despairing of any improvement in its condition because it was falling into disorder for lack of care and supervision laid out on the opposite side of the road what he hoped would be a worthy successor to the Mewhinney cemetery. Few other stones were erected there besides his.
Buried in Mt. Pleasant cemetery on the Riley road just outside the city are many of the families whose part it was to build for the future and among whose descendants are many of the old families of Terre Haute. Among the oldest is John Jackson born in England who died in 1845.
A little west of the intersection of the old Farmersburg and Bono roads a mile and a half north of Pimento, is the Johns cemetery. Buried here is Samuel Pittman, who died in 1858.
Far back in the woods one-half mile east of state road 46 are the graves of some Baptist missionaries. Among them are John Smith, who died in 1867 and Jorden Burnhamm, who died in 1837.
Among other historical cemeteries in the country are the Black cemetery, the New Hope graveyard, the Caldwell plot; the Barnhart, located east beside the river road and one mile north of the Big Four railroad; and the Scott, one-half mile north of the point half way between Shepardsville and Trinity church to the west on the Fayette township line.
The "Brick Church" cemetery is located one mile west of Trinity and one-half mile south. In it are buried Orren Dowdy and his wife.
One of the family burying grounds in the county was the Keith graveyard near Tecumseh now holding only a single stone in memory of a Civil War soldier.
Probably one of the most interesting of the early cemeteries was the Lone Hill on the site of the present Grandview cemetery. Buried here is Joseph Dickson, a soldier of the Revolutionary war. Rhoda Monger, who died in 1825 and who was the mother of Samuel Barnes Gookins, is also buried here.
The one thing about so many of the old cemeteries is the fact that their care was left to the next generation. As generations have passed the interest has lagged so that most of them are now neglected.
From time to time historic organizations have undertaken the care of the old graves in the cemeteries. It has been an almost impossible task to undertake for there are so many graves and so few to help. The Sons of Veterans and the DAR have found it necessary to be satisfied with the decorating of the known old veterans' graves on Memorial Days.
And so alone or in the midst of many like molding ruins lay the remains of some hero who helped to build this part of the country or gave his life in the attempt to help build it. No record can reveal where the final resting places of these individuals are.
One City has become so much incensed over the fact that they have sent circulars to remind the citizens that perhaps they could be of some assistance in locating some of the graves of the well known historic figures. Also in this circular is the reminder that the same thing may happen to their families after death if proper provisions are not secured for permanent records and future care of present day burial grounds.
Cemeteries of the past were turned into huge stoneyards. It served its purpose as a repository for the dead. It made no effort to do anything for the living, simply being a depressing ugly thing. One cemetery was patterned after the other, none of them trying to do anything to improve on the efforts made by the generations before. The average cemetery of the past did not compare in beauty to the parks and gardens. It has been asked why people did not look to guidance for the planning of cemeteries to parks, old gardens, art galleries and architectural triumphs.
Missing many of its opportunities the cemetery of the recent past planned just for tomorrow. It did not plan ahead for the many tomorrows and will leave future generations just as much in the dark as we are at present about the final resting places of our predecessors.
The modern cemetery, exemplified in Vigo County by Roselawn Memorial Park, is built on the lines which have been suggested in later years. It does away with the unsightly graves and mounds, quite in contrast to those of old.
This plan provides two functions. It provides a sacred, permanent, protected resting place for the beloved dead. It also serves the living. It has provided a beautiful and artistic spot to soothe, calm, and strengthen the bereaved.
Here trees, shrubs, plants and flowers constantly adorn the park. The park, lawn, garden plan establishes beauty, uniformity, and equality. Only granite tablets, sod-flush, are used to mark the graves.
In truth the park really looks like just that. It is beautiful in itself, a greater and more enduring memorial than any one family could hope to create. Its beauty is not marred by the nonuniformity of decorations on each family plot.
The "Tower of Memories" from which chimes are played on summer evenings and concerts given on special days makes a fitting tribute for the dead as well as something the living can enjoy.
Throughout the park beautiful and permanent architecture is erected in special gardens common to all. These are tributes to those resting here and make the appearance of the park much more attractive to the eye and the mind of those left behind than the old type of cemetery in which each family erected its own memorial as in the older cemeteries.
Roselawn is a burial estate developing to serve a trade area population of 250,000 people. Definite perpetual care provisions are an assurance for the future upkeep and maintenance of each grave and lot. A fixed percentage of all lot sales is set aside in irrevocable trust and the income from this investment is ample to insure perpetual care and maintenance of the entire property.
This modern cemetery is quite in contrast to those of the early pioneer days. It will have no worry as to whether cities are now built over the spot where a cemetery once was. The cemeteries of today and tomorrows are located far enough away from the cities around them that they will never be reached by the growing populace nor will they depend on city, county or charity for future upkeep.
Since the days of our early pioneers, through the march of time and progress, civilization has made great strides. We have advanced from the ox-team to horses to motors and from the tallow candle to kerosene lamps to electric lights. Through the same evolution of burial grounds the names, records and graves of those who are making Terre Haute's and Wabash Valley history today and the 'morrows will be safeguarded for future generations through modern cemetery development and provisions, which make possible a perpetual memorial of natural beauty throughout the ages.
The Above Article published through the courtesy of Paul R.
and Carl J. Haas of
The Haas Home Nurseries, in memory of their father, the late Harry Haas.