CASS COUNTY HOME

AKA

INFIRMARY or COUNTY CEMETERY

Near the east edge of the S.E. 1/4 of the S.E. 1/4, Township 27 North, Range 2 E, of 2nd IN P.M.

In S.E. CLAY TOWNSHIP , in North-central CASS COUNTY and about 1 1/2 miles due north of Logansport ’s extreme eastern edge (1940) or Spencer Park. The cemetery is almost entirely on the S.W. terrace [overlooking the beautiful hollow] of Flory Creek, a western tributary of Tick Creek which is a tributary of the Eel River .

  The cemetery is said to have a few “suburbs”, a very old one which is said to be on the East side of Tick Creek; and another (testified to by two of the oldest 1941) in-mates as having extended almost to the (1941) new ward-building.

This cemetery began about 1846 and was intended for those inmates whose remains were unclaimed by family or others. It may be that as many as 150 persons lie buried here with the cemetery’s last burial being three decades ago with the last interment on July 1, 1924.{The  1941 report doesn’t give the name of that person]. The County than began burials 2 1/2 miles W.S.W of the County Home at Mount Hope situated in the north side of Logansport.

  The fieldworker found the graves to have been scattered over a large area lying in more or less attractive or convenient spots. A number of small boulders were noted, [that likely mark graves], but the only monument or marker noted that bears any lettering at all was a humbly inscribed smooth-topped block of stone “E.G.” (&) “L.G.” “1815” (or 1845) – 1-20-1896.” None of the current (1841) inmates seemed to know who these initials & dates belonged.

  Note: R.B.J.Whitsett Jr. commented: “ A Logansport Journal news item, dated Tuesday, January 28^th, 1896, “David Glazier, aged 80, an inmate of the poor farm, died Saturday and was buried yesterday morning.”

  In the absence of any other engraved markers, the writer has endeavored to find records from which we could determine those who were buried in this long-abandoned cemetery. Some success was made, [not in the County Home Records] but through the Cass County records vault of the Circuit Court’s County Clerk’s Office, a partial search of  the Board of Health’s Records for the city of Logansport,  The Logansport Journal Newspaper and a partial search of the records of  Kroeger Undertaking Firm & it’s predecessors.

  A search of  4 other firms records in the area were dismissed because of the damage & poor quality due to the 1912 & 1913 flooding in the area. It would have taken many long hours for volunteers to have tried to transcribe these old dusty, water & mud damaged, non-official, and incomplete private records.

  Note that Not all buried here were inmates of the County Poor Farm but may have been transients, resident employees or others who passed and needed to be interred somewhere.

   The surnames of  [O’Neil, Shenkel, West, Copeland, Riley & Watkins] are indicated by records of having died at the county home but may have not been buried here but no records indicate they were buried elsewhere & so it is assumed that they were buried here.

   The birth dates in the report were all followed by a question mark & were probably arrived at by subtracting the age of death from the date of death & I found mistakes in at least two individuals.

Transcriber note: Copyist or typist mis-spelled Copeland as Copsland in the original transcript. After checking other records I have taken the liberty of correcting the spelling. There are also questions as to the spelling of the names of Shenkel, Branam & Grewby.

   The birth dates in the report were all followed by a question mark & were probably arrived at by subtracting the age of death from the date of death & I found mistakes in at least two individuals.

  William Hofferberth 1900 USC: states his birth as Aug. 1828 & age 72 yrs which puts his death age at 73 or 74 yrs. & see notes for Mrs. Mary Lewis.

   Emeline Watkins: Transcription had her aged 65 at her death but the [USC 1880 Deer Creek, Miami Co., IN puts her Aged 75 yrs. & b. KY so her death age would be 86<1803-1889>. Her son was Isaac V. Watkins.

R.B.Whitsett Jr. compiled this report as Secretary of the

L’Anguille Valley Memorial Association

500 Front Street

Logansport , Indiana

October 27, 1940

This report was input by Pat Fiscel February 18, 2007 for the Cass County INGenWeb Project.