Or Old Cotner Farm

as read by R.B. Whitsett, Jr. with assistance of C.H. Billman,
both of the L'Anguille Valley Memorial Association on June 19, 1942
Named in honor of a pioneer, John Fry or Frye, who at least verbally set aside this land for burial purposes, and who may have been a grandson of Andrew Frye of Virginia.
A long-abandoned and now [June 19, 1942] wholly neglected pioneerday cemetery on what is today "George A. Berry's southeast 40 acres [purchased from Chris Meyer Feb. 1, 1936], and at the S.W. corner of N.E. Quarter of N.E. Quarter of Section 12, T. 27 N., R. 1 W., 2 Indiana P.M. northeastern Jefferson Township of northwestern Cass County, in northcentral Indiana.

Cemetery is about 5 miles south-southeast of Royal Center, Ind., approximately seven miles northwest of Logansport 1/4 mile west of the Noble Township Line, 1 1/4 miles south of the Boone Township Line, 1/4 mile north of the "White-Post Road," which road here forms the west to east midline of said section 12. Cemetery is about twenty rods S.W. of [here northwestwardly flowing] Crooked Creek, and important [but amazingly winding] northern tributary of Wabash River. Cemetery is on the east portion of a rather wild wooded knoll, and is near the southeast corner of a woods, and at the extreme south edge of the woods. Cemetery measures - fieldworker roughly estimates - about, 160 ft. from north to south and about 110 ft. from east to west, and is inclosed with a wire fence, part of which is now down. A woods itself, this cemetery is bounded on west, north, and east by woods, but on the south by a cultivatable field, now [June, 1942] in use as a pasture for a herd of cattle, across which pasture, one can - from cemetery - plainly see occasionally passing automobiles on the White Post Road only 1/4 mile south of the cemetery. The most recent interment in this cemetery is said to have been in 1888, more than half a century ago. Cemetery is grown up in weeds, bushes, and poisoness and other vines, and is in a deplorable condition, with almost all the monuments fallen and a number of them not only displaced from their graves, but also broken and in several instances almost overlooked because buried with not only vegetation but also earth. Cemetery contains damaged, untrimmed, and even fallen trees. There are approximately 55 marked graves, and perhaps still more unmarked ones. Perhaps the cemetery's most noteworthy tree is a gigantic oak, having a trunk - diameter of perhaps 40 inches. This tree stands at cemetery's north edge, and only about 40 ft. east of cemetery's N.W. corner, 100 ft. N.E. of cemetery's N.E. corner, one emerges from woods, descends a rather steep grassy slope into the treeless hollow, or valley, of Crooked Creek.

Beginning fieldwork in cemetery's N.W. corner, and working southward in two rows along cemetery's west fence.
Name born died remarks image
Timothy L Walter ------ Dec. 6 1854 Aged 6y 11m 22d son of J. & M. Walter, T. L. W. [Presumably footstone for foregoing boy.]  
Sarah E. Walter ------ Aug. 4 1850 1y 8m, dau. of J. & M.  
John W. Wolford ------ Oct. 6 1862 2y 10m son of J. & M. Wolford
Jacob Wolford ------ Feb. 27 1861 24y 3m
Mary [Mrs. J.] Binney ------ Jul. 1 1846 74 [or 71?]y 3m 21d  
Joshua Binney ------ Mar 27 1857 86y 8m 3d  
Dora H. Walter Dec. 31 1879 Aug. 6 1880  
Lucinda [Mrs. Jesse] Walter ------ Dec. 31 1879 33y 6m [3 on same stone]
[infant] Walter ------ ------  
Samuel Smith ------ Feb. 24 1876 34y 2m 26d [a sturdy monument]
Willie T. Smith ------ Mar. 10 1873 8m 10d son of Sam and Lucinda Smith  
Philip Smith ------ Oct. 25 1863 55y 3m 14d
Charlotte [Mrs. Philip] Smith ------ Apr. 7 1870 60y 1m 3d
William H. Benney ------ Sep. 12 1847 2y 3m 15d, son of M.L. & L. Benney  
Mary E. Benney ------ Oct. 12 1844 10m 15d, dau. of H.L & L.  
Samuel P Binney ------ Feb. 24 1864 Son of M.L. & L. 11y 3m 8d  
Margaret Chilcott Feb. 2 1804 Jun. 1 1853  
John R. Chilcott Jun. 20 1788 Jan. 21 1875 J. Powell says vet. PA. reg. War of 1812
Columbus Chilcott Jul. 19 1828 Oct. 1884  
Jacob Smith ------ Nov. 26 1851 1y 9m 7d son of P.F. & C. Smith  
M. E. B. ------ ------ May be misplaced footstone  
[infant] Wolford ------ Dec. 13 1835 son of A. & R.  
Mary E. Wolford ------ Jul. 8 1853 dau. of A.P. & R. 1m 8d  
Presley A. Johnson ------ Aug. 8 1846 5y 3m 9d son of J.W & R.?  
Francis Johnson ------ Nov. 27 1840 son of J.W & R.?  
Comment: We are now near cemetery's west gate.
Ruth [Mrs. J.W.] Johnson ---- Mar. 10 1876 69 years
Margaret Ann [Mrs. John] Robinson ------ Jul. 22 1856 24y 7m 25d
John Robinson ------ Aug. 5 1856 22 days, son of J. & M.A. Robinson
John Robinson [Sr.?] ------ Jan. 21 1866 37y 3m 24d
Alexander Smith ------ Aug. 12 1849 2y 11m 15d son of P.P. & C.  
Rebecca Smith ------ Aug. 14 1837 3y 1m 23d dau. of P.P. & C.  
Mahala [Mrs. D.] Burkit ----- Nov. 18 1877 43y 9m 29d; near south edge
walking to east and then northward.
Taylor Sturgeon ------ Sep. 30 1855 54y 6m 8d; Note: Taylor Sturgeon had a woolen mill and carding machine on Crooked Creek.
Eunice [Mrs. Taylor] Sturgeon ------ Mar. 7 1862 aged 56y
John W. Johnson ------ Mar. 21 1864 61y 17d
William Sturgeon Nov. 15 1803 Jan. 2 1888 Granite  
Susanah Overleese Sturgeon Apr 14 1809 Nov 20 1846 wife of Wm. Sturgeon
[Infant] Johnson Dec 18 1880 not stated dau. of J. & N. Johnson  
"M. N." ------ ------    
William E. Nethercutt ------ Sep. 5 1852 7m 7d; son of E. Nethercutt  
Margaret [Mrs. E.] Nethercutt ------ Feb. 19 1852 22y 9m 16d  
Levi Sturgeon ------ ------ No dates given  
Pheba Sturgeon ------ ------ No dates given  
Comment: We are now at Cemetery's north edge (and near its N.E. corner) as we list:
Martin McGown [sic - Martin N. Cown] ------ May 1[or4] 1876 75 years
"J.W." ------ ------    
Comment: Now working southward again, but in eastern portion of cemetery.
George R. Sturgeon ------ Aug. 14 1858 20y 5m [10d?]  
J.F. Robinson Oct. 8 1843 Mar. 12 1867
Henry B. Robinson Feb. 13 1841 May 2 1870 29y 2m 19d
James Robinson ------ May 21 1856 57y 2m 26d
Comment: We are now near the center of the cemetery as we list:
Nancy [Mrs. Jas.] Helton [?] ------ Aug 13 1852 [38y 10m?] may be Heaton  
Julia Robinson ------ Oct 29 1850 dau. of J. & M. Robinson and in the
16[or possibly 46]th year of her age.
[Infant] Robinson ------ ------ {no dates are carved, but age is given as "20 days", dau. of J. & M. Robinson}  
Adora M. Robinson ------ Feb. 9 1869 6y 3m 23d; dau. of J. & M.  
EDITORIAL COMMENT:

No stones were found for any person surnamed FRY or FRYE, but R.J. Skinner's 1862 map of Cass County shows this cemetery on the "John Fry 80-acre Farm", and Helm's [1886] "History of Cass Co." lists a John A. FRYE as a brother of Sam FRYE, and a son of Sam
FRYE, Sr., and mentions this Jefferson Township, as well as adjoining township of Boone. [see Helm's]

FURTHER COMMENT: The late Dr. J.Z. Powell, well known Cass County, Indiana, Historian is authority for the statement that the following persons lie buried in this cemetery, but though we found some shattered fragments, and may have missed some fallen, broken, or now missing monuments, we found no monuments for any such persons:
Jane Robinson ------ 1856 [Did Powell misread "James" as "Jane"?]  
[---] Smith ------ 1837 Three children of Mrs. Philip Smith  
[---] Smith ------ "after 1837" (Charlotte Smith) C.F.  
[---] Smith ------ "after 1837"    
Sarah Wolford ------ 1848    
Joshua Binney ------ 1840 son of M. & L.  
Nancy Heaton ------ 1852    
Mother Amanda Fox May 2 1836 Apr. 16 1877 Added by Deb Rush, see: photo

END OF REPORT

Fry / Frye / Old Cotner Farm Cemetery Index
Compiled by the L'Anguille Valley Memorial Association, June 19, 1942
transcribed by Debby Beheler, December 1997
 Updated 4 July 2010, Photos added courtesy of Deb Rush

Cemeteries of Cass County Indiana

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