Berry-Rogers

 private Burial-ground in western Cass County, Ind "The old pioneer-day cemetery on the William Barr Farm." Slightly more than half a mile (as the crow flies) northeast of Lake Cicott, in central Jefferson township. South edge of east half on NORTHWEST QUARTER of Section 22, of Township 27-1-W (T.27.,R.1W.of 2 Ind. P. M.) Cemetery is perhaps 200 yards north-northeast of (but across E-W road from) Nelson Berkshire's farm-home cemetery is just north of an east-and-west road which runs along mid-line of said section 22. Many years ago, in building or widening this east-to-west road sometimes called the "Pisgah Church road, workmen out through some high ground and created a steep bluff (between 15 and 20 feet high) immediately north of road. On so doing, they must have cut into the south edge of cemetery; for a number of bones and at least one human skull rolled down into the road. This occurred circum 1900.

This easily located bluff is about 200 feet east of the route of a now long-abandoned former N-S road which used to separate the northwest quarter (of section 22)'s east and west halves. This road was only half a mile in length, and is still shown on many uncorrected recent maps, and is still easily identified (though now closed and no longer used). A qua-si extension southward of this former road now serves as a lane leading to the previously mentioned Nelson Berkshire home, which is a couple of hundred yards south of the east-and-west county-road. About midway between said abandoned N-S road and the bluff-which-forms-cemetery's-south-edge, we note a small cement culvert (on the east-west road).

Going north on foot from the east-to-west road, we climb the steep bluff and find ourselves --- on reaching the summit --- in a beautiful grassy pasture or meadow, which contains an occasional tree and stump. About 250 feet north, this meadow begins dropping to the northward. There is an even more pronounced drop to the westward. So it may be said that this meadow (which contains this old pioneer-day cemetery) is on a westward-pointing "finger" of high land lying immediately north of (and along) the county road. We criss-crossed this high grassy meadow for about 150 feet in all directions in search of monuments approximately one hundred and ten feet north of the brink of the steep drop to the county road, we found the only two monuments we were able to find anywhere in this locality, though we noted several sunken places which may be old graves (or possibly, in some instances, disinterment-scars).

One stone is a small uprooted slab which reads simply "B. B." and is very likely merely a foot stone.

The other is a sizeable, but now badly broken and fallen old slab which we decipher as simply.

(Name)                         (Born)         (Died)                 (Remarks)

Benjamin Berry            --------     February 9, 1853

But, though there are (and perhaps never were any) slabs to mark the graves, the late historian Dr. J. Z. Powell of Logansport is authority for the statement that among other persons buried in this little pioneer-day cemetery were:

Mrs. Benjamin Berry     -------      -------                 Wife of the previously mentioned Benjamin; and a pioneer mother of this Jefferson township Berry-Rogers Cemetery. Jefferson township.

To the southward of this finger-like cemetery-meadow (or pasture) is the rather beautiful hollow on valley) of a small eastward-flowing tributary of here southwardly-flowing Crooked Crooked, a well-known tributary of Wabash River, which latter stream forms this (Jefferson) township's southern boundary.

In an effort to make this present report of greater value to anyone who ever may find it of interest, Mr Whitsett has made a search of Court House records at Logansport, and adds the following data: The entire N. W. quarter of this section 22 was entered on October 9, 1833 apparently by A. Cruse, who later seems to have assigned it to Elton Rogers, to whom it finally was patented (nearly 20 years later!) On March 1, 1853. This Elton Rogers was from the state of New Jersey, and was born 6-9-1781, and finally died on 9-1-1866.

This Elton Rogers had a son named William M. Rogers, born in N. J. on 11-29-1810, and died 3-9-1872, who had married Lydia W. Wright (likewise from New Jersey), and who came to Cass county, Indiana, in 1839.

In this same township, at any early day, were some other persons surnamed Rogers (one record says Roger), persons who may, but might not, be related. Among these was an Asa Rogers of MIAMI COUNTY, OHIO, who, in 1844, bought farms in sections 3 and 2. One deed was witnessed by William M. Rogers and by Charles P. Rogers.

END OF REPORT.

This report, dated May 2, 1941 is respectfully submitted to INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Indianapolis, Indiana, by two members of the L'Anguille Valley Memorial Association of Logansport, Indiana:  Robert B. Whitsett, Jr., 500 Front Street, Logansport, and Hank H. Wipperman, 421 1/2 East Broadway, Logansport, Indiana, following fieldwork and research and consultation with various "old-timers" and others residing near cemetery.

This L'Anguille Valley Memorial Association Report was input by Rebecca Miller, Feb. 24, 2007 for the Cass County INGenWeb Project.

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