McNITT PRIVATE CEMETERY

An updated report of the original report submitted

 December 4, 1941 report by Robert B. Whitsett, Jr. –secretary of the

L’ANGUILLE VALLEY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION

500 FRONT STREET

LOGANSPORT , INDIANA

This long-abandoned & almost entirely vacated pioneer-day cemetery is about 60 rods or 3 city-blocks N.E. of the farm home of Carl Elliott, Royal Center , IN. The cemetery is located in the N.E. corner of a woods which is in the uncultivated S.E. corner of a cultivated field which lies directly N. of the woods. Cemetery is about 79-80 rods N. of the East –to-West road that forms Section 9’s midline & is about 190-200 rods [5/8 mile] W-N.W. of the Center Presbyterian Church, near the N.E. edge of the S.W. 1/4 of the N.W. 1/4 of Section 9; T 27 N.; R.1 W.; 2^nd Ind. P.M. & in N.W. JEFFERSON Township of N.W. CASS County, N-Central INDIANA.

Cemetery is about 2 & 1/2 miles N. of the West end of Lake Cicott & 5 miles S.S.W. of Rayal Center, IN. & nine plus miles W.N.W. of Logansport. Cemetery is on high ground east of the hollow of a northern tributary of the western tributary of Crooked Creek which is a northern tributary of the Wabash River . The nearest small stream to the cemetery called [Harness Ditch] & on the west of S.W. corner of that stream is a locust grove & the site of the old pioneer-day Monitt homestead. The cemetery lies just S.E. of a long-abandoned road where the old McNitt homestead was on the N.W. side of the road. The present [1941] proprietor of the farm has refrained from cultivating the S.E. corner of the cemetery’s northern edge in reverence of the cemetery which may still contain a few graves. In the N.W. corner [Dec. 1941] there was a “jack-oak tree with a 15’ diameter trunk standing as a lonely sentry to mark the cemetery location. The cemetery lies on level ground with the ground gradually descending on the W. & S.W., toward the N.E. terrace-rim of the Harness Ditch.

Although Mrs. Jane McNitt [widow of James McNitt], an early settler of this region is understood to have offered to give one acre of land in the vicinity of the cemetery for the building a Presbyterian Church, her offer was evidently not accepted because in 1858 a Church later known as “Center Presbyterian” was built on land donated by John Watts just 3/4 mile S.E. of this location.  Skinner’s 1862 map of Cass County , IN shows a cemetery in the church –yard of that church but R.B.Whitsett, Jr. failed in his efforts to find confirmation of any such church-yard cemetery & there is no evidence of any marked or unmarked graves at the church BUT church records show that a few “Charter Members of the church were buried in the McNitt Family Farm Cemetery.

McNitt family members interred in the old McNitt Cemetery are said to have all been disinterred & moved some 3 1/2 miles S.E. to the Pisgah Cemetery & the L’Anguille Valley Memorial Association has already prepared & submitted a detailed report for it to the Indiana Historical Society which may be examined in the Indiana State Library, Indianapolis , IN. The late local historian, Dr. Jehu Z. Powell in an article of the “Logansport Journal in March 1910” stated “a least a few of the old McNitt Cemetery ’s other graves were left undisturbed, and their occupants still sleep there the sleep that knows no awakening.” Regarding that statement by Powell, no markers were found in the McNitt cemetery in 1941. In an effort to submit an accurate record of this cemetery they turned to the standard local history of Cass Co., & such manuscripts & other materials in particular the Cass County Historical Society’s little museum in the City Building at Logansport. They also made a visit to the Pisgah Cemetery & searched out & copied data from several markers which seemed to confirm the writings of Dr. Powell

As having been moved from McNitt to Pisgah cemetery.  Here follows are the monuments found for those McNitt’s buried in PISGAH Cemetery who are believed to have been moved from the Old McNitt Private Farm burial ground.  Transcriber Note: For ease of interpretation, a chart is included for all those mentioned in this report & will found on the last page in addition to the notes taken in 1941 by The L’A.V.M.A.

James McNitt:  Presume this to be James G. McNitt, who Powell says came to Crooked Creek vicinity of western Cass Co., in 1845 from Juniata Co., PA [JZP: Hist, Cass Co., IN., V.2 p.916] & was originally buried in [1847 or 1845?] in the Concord (Presb. Cem.) near Lucrene, IN. but moved in [1855 ]by family members to McNitt & still later to Pisgah Presb. Cem.  In Jefferson Twp., Cass Co., IN, an old slab was found about 140 ft. N. of the Pisgah church’s N.W. corner & 80 ft. west of the steel picket-fence along the county-highway which forms the cemetery’s E. edge which gave his age at time of death.

Jane [Mrs.] McNitt d: May 6, 1856   aged 43-9-2

  She is said to have died from over exertion in fighting a prairie fire near the old McNitt home [W. of McNitt cemetery].  Old slab at Pisgah is set in the same base as that of her husband [James G.] & so is presumed to have been moved to Pisgah at the same time.

Dates for children [who died young ] of James & Jane’s children are from old spire just north of James McNitt slab in Pisgah cemetery.

Mrs. Sarah Benson: Kingman Bros. Atlas of Cass Co., IN [1878] “R. G. Benson, a Pennsylvanian who settled in Section 15, about 2 miles S.E. of McNitt Cemetery, where Powell says “This Mrs. Sarah Benson was buried.” Possible that this Mrs. Sarah M., for whom was found a large old slab at Pisgah is not the same lady as the Mrs. Sarah whom Dr. Powell says was buried at McNitt. The 3 children’s little slabs [also found near Sarah] are listed along with Sarah [nee McNitt?] Benson.  Per Powell “was buried with their mother at McNitt originally.” These 4 slabs are just south of James & Jane’s & close to other McNitt markers at Pisgah. 

Mary Harriet Fry: An old slab, now at Pisgah. Another newer & more modern mon. found just north of it mentions a MARY FRYE as the dau. of S.& S. FRYE & as b. 1852 & d;1854. It is not certain that the “Mary Harriet Fry” is the one & same as “MARY FRYE” or that she is the same person as the “child of Mr. & Mrs. “SAMUEL FRY,”   whom historian [J.Z.P.] says was originally laid to rest in the McNitt Cemetery, and whom he believed to be [in 1910] still lying buried in the old McNitt Cemetery.” [The child to whom Powell refers, however, might be some other & perhaps earlier child of theirs.]

Included in the chart are the 1854 Charter Members of the Center Presbyterian Church which is only 3/4 mile from the McNitt cemetery where they were originally buried.

Helping to compile the 1941 report were Mr. George W. Calloway & his wife Mrs. Emma Josephine [Hughes] Calloway of R.R.3, Royal Center , IN , octogenarians of the immediate vicinity who remembered well the little monuments in the old McNitt cemetery of decades ago. They knew the McNitt’s, Benson’s & Fry/Frye’s who lived in their vicinity. Although now living 1/2 mile S. of the McNitt Cemetery , Mrs. Calloway as a girl lived on the farm [before 1870] where the cemetery is located.  

  Mr. Carl Elliott also a native of this region, a gentleman who now lives on the farm containing this cemetery or its site, pointed out the exact location to the L’A.V.M.A. members, as it had been pointed out to him many years ago by the late Mr. James D. McNitt of Logansport . Other residents in this area, including Mr. Robert W. Barr [another member of the L’A.V.M.A.] were also consulted.   

James David McNitt mentions 2 sisters who died

Note: Please see the Reminiscences of James David McNitt for further information on this family.

PISGAH PRESBYTERIAN BURIALS MOVED FROM McNITT FARM CEMETERY & The names of those who were charter members of the “Center Presbyterian Church” who were known to have been buried in McNitt’s Cemetery (some names are the same)

This report was input by Pat Fiscel March 9, 2007 for the Cass County INGenWeb Project.

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