[A family or neighborhood cemetery]
On
the Krieider farm, near the W., edge
of the S.E. 1/4, N.E. 1/4 Section 14; T.27N. R.2E. 2nd
In
Southeastern
Mr. W.A. Kingery of Adamsboro, whose farm home is across the road [nearly
midway] between the former site & Adamsboro crossroads. He well remembers
having seen tombstones or old slabs in this little old cemetery many years ago,
pointed out the location to R.B. Whitsett, Jr.
Between Adamsboro’s main crossroads & the viaduct on the Eel River
[or Butler] branch of the Pennsylvania (“Vandalia”) Railroad where it
crosses the Adamsboro-to-Hoovers Road [MEXICO
ROAD] & about 1/4 mile N. N. E. of Adamsboro’s main crossroads, and on
the E. or (E.S.E.) side of Mexico road (between the Road & Eel River). Some
20 yards N. N. E. of a farmer’s wide gate, in a cultivated field & across
the wire-fence from the road, is a small hummock, which today shows no evidence
of the fact that it was an early 19th century family or neighborhood
cemetery known to history as the
[Surveyed
area still identifiable but never built] en route to the
Unfortunately, a complete report on this little pioneer cemetery can’t
be submitted at this late day because the cemetery was said to have been
abandoned for burial purposes about 1860. The last one of its few little slabs
or tombstones crumbled to dust, or was removed “to parts unknown,” more than
a third of a century ago. Only the “old-timers” can now recall ever having
seen any of the stones at all. The cemetery’s dimensions are reported to have
been about 40x40, or perhaps 50x50, feet; but the wire-fence which once enclosed
it rusted & its posts rotted away & fell.
The land owner or his tenant removed them & grubbed (or burned) out
the tangle of underbrush that the fence had enclosed. Despite some frowning on
the part of one or more of his neighbors, he plowed-up the top-soil &
converted this little hummock into an entirely prosaic & utilitarian portion
of a cultivated field.
That ubiquitous local historian, the late, Dr. Jehu. Z. Powell, of
Logansport who interviewed many old-timers who now have themselves been long
been in their own graves, is authority for the statement that “four or more
pioneer families of the Adamsboro, Hooverville
or Union Mills vicinity during the 1830-1840’s used this little hummock as a
final resting place for their loved ones. He gives their surnames as Martin,
Morgan, Fisher, Pfouts & says, “There were probably others.” First
interment is thought to have been made circum 1830; and the final interment was Mr. Fisher in about 1860. At least one old slab is rumored to be in
existence somewhere in the neighborhood, being used as a cellar-step or in some
other such utilitarian and entirely practical manner; but the present copyist
has failed in various efforts to locate it or to obtain any reading of its
inscription [if any be still legible]. We
therefore conclude this admittedly unsatisfactory report with a few more or less
random remarks regarding the surnames we have listed.
A
Mr. Jacob Fisher is known to have
operated a well patronized pioneer furniture factory in this immediate
neighborhood at a very early day [1830-1840], and to have manufactured chairs,
tables, cupboards, stands, grain-cradles, hand-rakes, coffins & it is
rumored, even a little “red-eye,” for his neighbors. At what is today
Adamsboro, Messrs. Joshua & Reece [or
Reese] MORGAN contemporaneously operated a rather busy woolen mill, &
likewise are reputed to have run a distillery.
Conrad Martin built a saw-mill circum 1834 or 1837 (authorities differ as to
the exact date) near the (nearby) mouth of Spring Creek where he too is reported
to have run a small distillery & died here circum. 1844-6. (JZP: I-522.] Henry,
Jacob & John Martin lived just across
This
report repeatedly mentions distilleries of pioneer days. Though the present
writer has no evidence that there were either, many or even any heavy drinkers
in this scantily populated and danger-filled wilderness at this very early day.
He regards it as probably true that few of the adult males were tee-totalers.
Reported by
Robert B. Whitsett, Jr. -14 March 1941
L’ANGUILLE
VALLEY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION
Input by Pat Fiscel from the L'Anguille Valley Memorial Association Report for the Cass County INGenWeb Project.