JOSEPH ELLIOTT BURIAL PLACE

Located on the Owen Fitch Farm [of 52.65] acres in the N.E.1/4 of  N.W. 1/4 Sec.1, T.28 N., R.1E, 2^nd Ind. P.M. near the extreme N.E. corner of  HARRISON Twp., Northern CASS County, INDIANA. A little over a mile S.W. of Fletcher’s Lake, (the lake is across the Cass County line in Fulton County ). Cemetery about 10 miles due north of LOGANSPORT ; 3 miles N.E. of LUCERNE & 4 miles N.W. of Metea.

This burial place is about 125 rods east of State Highway 17 [Logansport-to-Culver Road, formerly known as Pleasant Grove Pike]; and about 57 rods south of the County- line Road which separates  Cass County on the south from Fulton County on the north. 

Cemetery was formerly fenced & then contained one unusually large and fine old marble monument set in a sturdy stone base, but on June 16, 1941 was found to be a part of a cultivated corn field.  This burial spot was at a point where the land fell away quite markedly to both the SOUTH and WEST. Perhaps 20 rods or more south across the field is the mid-point of the north edge is a small but rather beautiful woods where the original Joseph home was almost due north of the burial-place but it also is now a part of the cultivated corn field.       

The cemetery is S.W. of the present two-story framed Owen Fitch farm home which was erected in 1879 by the Elliot’s and lies on the south side of the County-line Road. 

West of the west-side yard of this farmhouse is a small orchard and grassy plot enclosed by a wire fence. Just west of this orchard, [in the N.W. corner], there is a wide gate (on the south side of the County-Line Road), and a lane, (which leads southward along the east edge of the field); to a second & similar looking gate situated about 1/7 mile south of said County-Line Road. Entering thru the second gate & walking about 150 ft. S.S.W. to the now unmarked & unidentifiable grave of this prominent Harrison township Pioneer, JOSEPH ELLIOTT.

Searching through the main portion of this large farm we were able to find the displaced footstone for this grave, which simply reads “E.J.”  The present owner of the farm says that some years ago there was plowed out of the ground a sizeable and heavy base in which the original monument had stood. This strange looking but rectangular-shaped stone with its deep rectangular groove puzzled the farm-hands, until an “old-timer”, living nearby explained to them that there was a grave and a noteworthy old marble monument and foot-stone here. The present writer located the base of this monument on a huge rock-pile on the farm but the monument itself could not be found. The present occupants, owners of the farm and a grandson of the deceased pioneer have no idea as to the location of the monument even though only 50 years ago this location was carefully marked and fenced and cared for by his descendants.

 JOSEPH ELLIOTT: was born December 18, 1802, near Hamilton, Ohio and on February 18, 1832 married Miss Martha Lincoln b: [2-/[-]/1814 – d: 08/25/1890] was said to have been a close relative of ABRAHAM LINCOLN; Joseph died here on his own farm in the extreme Northern edge of Cass County, IN on November 19, 1953. He was lovingly laid to rest at this charming spot [south of his pioneer-day home] as the result of a request which he had expressly laid upon his family. The story is that one day while helping to dig a grave in a certain cemetery not far from Fletcher’s Lake , he had been greatly depressed at having found water standing in that grave where the casket would necessarily have to be set. Following this experience, Mr. Elliott told his family and friends, “When I die, do not bury me in this cemetery or in any other such grave as this one! Either tie a large stone about my body, and sink it in the lake itself; or else bury me at some point that is so high and dry that my remains will be well above the water level. I wish to be either “all wet” or “all dry”; I desire no halfway measures.”

  Accordingly when he died in 1852, he was reverently laid to rest in highest and most attractive and suitable spot that could be found upon his very large farm. It’s said that no other members of his family were ever buried there but he was laid to rest with a fine Marble monument and footstone enclosed in an attractive fenced in area & his grave cared for many decades by family members until the farm was no longer in the possession of the Elliott’s.

This Report was made on June 16, 1841 by

Mr. Willard Elliott (Grandson of Joseph Elliott) of Logansport , IN. &

R.B. Whitsett Jr., Secretary

L’Anguille Valley Memorial Association

500 Front Street

Logansport , Indiana

This report was input by Pat Fiscel February 19, 2007 for the Cass County INGenWeb Project.