12 miles
S.S.E. of Courthouse,
1 &
3/4 mile E.S.E. of hamlet of Deacon in
A
long-ago abandoned & almost forgotten pioneer-day cemetery is at the S. edge
of the Clarence Robinson farm aka “the Old DeHaven Farm” In the S.W. corner
of the N.E. 1/4 Section 10; T.25N., R. 2 E., 2 Ind. P.M. or just N.E. of the
very center of Sec.10. On April 10, 1941 at the time this report was made, there
was a very large tree lone tree which over-shadowed the cemetery among the
cultivated fields.
R.B.Whitsett.Jr.
said “The tree may have died by now.”
He also
says that a former history book referred to this cemetery’s location as being
in the S.W. corner of the S.W. 1/4 is in error & puts the cemetery 1/2 mile
west of it’s true location & due to the fact that the history has been
used as a continuous source, felt compelled to correct this error. The N/S.
public Highway shown on maps along the mid-line of section 10 [as late as 1940]
is wrong in that this was abandoned a third of a century ago & today not
even a lane leads near or into this little abandoned cemetery.
Yet here
once stood the very earliest house of Christian worship ever erected within the
limits of [this very agriculturally rich] Deer Creek Twp., the little old
Log-church erected in 1851/2 by the Salem Methodist Congregation which organized
about 1845. This was at a time when large numbers of Miami Indians were still
living in a village 3 miles south. In about 1876 this little old historic church
was abandoned & razed. In 1840 The Salem Methodists have a fine, modern
brick [1909] brick church-edifice, with stained-glass windows just 1/2 mile N.
& 1/2 mile W. of the original church site; only the burial ground remains to
mark the original little church-yard plot.
Skinner’s
1862 map of Cass Co., indicates that the Old-Log-Church stood near the S.E.
corner of the churchyard-plot; fieldwork indicates that the cemetery stood to
the west of the supposed church-site. A N.W. flowing creek which is part of the
headwaters of the Widow [one map says “Willow”] Creek passes just E & N.
of this little churchyard plot which is defined in a deed record as follows:
From the Center of Section 10, go N. 15 rods [less than 1 city block], east 8
rods, south 15 & west 8 to place of beginning. On 10-15-1859 though selling
farm to John DeHaven, James Campbell carefully excepted this churchyard-plot,
though stipulating that it should revert to the adjoining farm if ever it ceased
to be used for church and burial-ground purposes. Though not having been used
for even burial purposes for many decades, the cemetery is still reverently
“detoured by tractor-driving plowmen.
Surveyor’s
Office maps apply the name “S[amuel?] TONEY Ditch Number Two” to the small
stream which flows past this cemetery, and which later joins Widow Creek, which
is now known as BIRD Ditch.
On April
10, 1941 R.B.Whitsett., Jr searched for this cemetery & found a dense
“jungle” of 5 ft. high briars or bramble patch which could be penetrated
only with a great deal of damage to ones flesh & clothing. This patch was at
a point where the level table-land began to slope slightly N.N.E. toward the
tiny creek. An exhaustive search did disclose at least 6 or more sunken places
which were either unmarked graves or disinterment-scars. Only one recognizable
marker, a little slab though bravely upright but in such a dense tangle of
briars that we were unable to read it. A second stone, though fallen &
covered with grass & debris was found further north of the 1st
stone.
The
L’Anguille Valley Memorial Association cemetery research committee regrets
that it seems unable to obtain names and dates for the persons who lie buried
here in unmarked graves.
BURIALS WITH COMMENTS
Babb,
Infant
d: about 1857. located about 25 ft. east of the S.W. corner of the
cemetery. A Brother of David Babb who still resides less than 1/2 mile S. of the
cemetery is now [25 Apr 1941-aged 83 yrs]
Persons interested in genealogy of the BABB Family may find of interest
“Complete Record, Probate-Common Pleas, Vol. 9 p.439 et seq. [in Cass Co.C.H.
which says “Robinson Babb died 1-8-1863, etc.
Hale,
Mrs. Ada M.: [1803?]
Early
deed records indicate that Daniel Hale owned a small farm about 3/4 mile east-S.E.
of this cemetery. [On 18-Sep-1863] he sold it to Eli D[i?]ssey, his [second?]
wife Ann joining him in making the deed. The 1862 map formerly referred to shows
a farmhouse on this land & almost due East of the cemetery. [See Deed Record
Bk. W pg.423 County Recorders Vault,
Report
made
April
10-25, 1941
by
R.B.
Whitsett Jr. assisted by David R. Babb
L’ANGUILLE VALLEY
MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION
This report was input by Pat Fiscel February 2007 for the Cass County INGenWeb Project.