HARPER CEMETERY

In south NOBLE Township , in northwest-central CASS County , in north-central INDIANA .  Near the center of the N.W. 1/4 of Sec.22 of T. 27 N., R.1 W. of the 2 IN P.M. Cemetery is ca. 80 rods or 1/4 mile E. of paved U.S. Hwy. 35 (IN 29), the Logansport-to-Winamac Rd. which follows the former hill route of the PA railroad (Logansport-to-Boone, near Royal Center). Cemetery lies abt. 30 rods S. of the historic “White Post” Rd., which cuts across the N. half of Sec. 22 in an East-to-West direction.   Cemetery is on high ground in the S. & W. terrace-rim of a very small creek. From the east edge of cemetery, a lane leads north crossing the Little Creek Port Road. & a short distance east of it was the Carl Hardy farmhouse which in May-June 1941 (during the fieldwork of this cemetery) was occupied by Mr. Hardy’s assistant, Charles Smith.

 This attractive, well-kept, lonely, rural burial ground was used as a cemetery as early as the 1830’s & in 1845 was formally conveyed by its owner, JAMES HARPER to the county commissioners of Cass County, IN for use as a  public burial ground.

The oldest monument recorded in 1941 was that of Elizabeth McMillen buried here in 1835.

Many of the old stones slabs had been repaired with heavy wire & board braces on broken & fallen old stones.   Many graves are missing monuments, were undecipherable,  funeral cards missing or unreadable.

There were several footstones recorded for which no monument was found.

In the notes references are made to R.B.W.J. (Robert B. Whitsett Jr., secretary of the L’Anguille Valley Memorial Association & J.Z.P. (Dr. J.Z. Powell), local historian & C.D.I.[Cass Co. death index].

An Arial photograph of this cemetery was included in this report & the report was submitted to the Indiana Historical Society for binding & permanent preservation in the

 

INDIANA STATE LIBRARY & HISTORICAL BUILDING

by the members of the

L’ANGUILLE VALLEY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION

500 FRONT STREET

LOGANSPORT , INDIANA

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Notes

Bachman,Martha: copyist ? parents as H & S but only Bachman in Cass Co.1900 was Henry & Wilhemenia

BILLMAN, David:  copyist wrote d.o.d as 25 but said it could be 23/26. Transcriber sees handwritten 9 over rec’d 5 so must checked later & amended date.

FERGUSON , Elizabeth : an old & weathered fragment in neighboring space.

FERGUSON : bet. Joseph P. & William N., a stone with no inscription

Hardy, Geo. D. /Mary/Polly: copyist says Mary is the w/o Geo. D. but cemetery doesn’t show Mary, it shows Polly as being buried w/Geo.D. Checked USC & found Mary in census & is the same age as the person buried as Polly.

IDE, Cassius M. Clay IDE & Jane Braithwaite IDE: copyist or typist says, “The west side of this modern granite monument is the surname-IDE & the East side of the monument appears the other names, which are evidently not the surnames of these two people. [The 1910 USC gives last names as IDE & Calls him Cash M.C. & her Jane B.]

McMillen, Monument is 8 1/2 ft. high granite with Quincy A. & H.E. McMillen’s names on the north side (with a stone urn on the summit. On the East side of the same monument are Robert & Rosanna Harper McMillen with Rosanna’s data on the South side of the monument. 

 Quincy A. McMillen, Civil War Soldier died in Memphis , TN & he is buried in the National cemetery in Raleigh , TN

 R.B.W.J. comments: Robert McMillen  born in Ross Co., OH, was the son of Thomas & Jane (Irwin) McMillen of Cumberland Co., PA & Ross & Highland Co’s, OH.

McMillen, T.J. [Thomas Jefferson] s/o Robert & Rosanna Civil War-Asst. Surgeon 9th Ind. Reg.  

R.B.W.J. writes “J.Z.P. noted in Logansport news ca. 1909/10 that s/o Robert & Rosanna named Linn McMillen d. of Cholera & was bur. here in 1860. It is known that they had a son named Franklin -Could he be Frank [Linn]?

2 stones “Father”   “Mother” at or near foot of grave of Robert McMillen’s family mon.

McMILLEN: The elaborate monument for Susan has a tree weeping or falling toward the reader’s right, whereas George’s slab has a tree standing upright.

RICHARDS; Infant & Mary S. –found broken stone containing these 2 names lying across  fence to the west of cemetery. Exact grave locale unk.

RICHARDS: William F. has same d.o.b. as wife [Rebecca] per copyist records.

TRAPP:  Two persons named George & George W. Trapp. The copyist says George has footstone that says “G.W.T” but suspect stone was for G.W. Trapp as another footstone was recorded G.T. & no one else in the record fits those initials

VERNON (McMILLEN), Minnie: copyist/typist recorded this name & date Twice , once as Minnie

[Mrs. David T.] Vernon & second as Minnie McMillen Vernon indicating that she is buried with  that it is she who is buried with Lewis McMillen so I take it that her maiden name was McMillen & that Lewis is her brother.

Metal marker (d: 1922) undecipherable

Metal marker (I.O.O.F. lodge 127)

Small stones “Mother” or “Father” but not recorded to whom they belonged

INSCRIPTIONS

BAKER, Ema J.:  “The Saviour loved and lo!  Said he,  Suffer such to come to me.” Transcriber note: just as copier wrote it but suspect it was “The Savior and He”

BOOTH, George: “Come little children unto me, I’ll lay you on my breast;

                              Protection you shall find in me and forever blessed”

DALE, Daniel : “ Now turn away with noiseless tread

                          From the place where the sleepier lies

                          And look aloft where his spirit fled

                          And to its home beyond the skies.”

DEAN, Charles L.: “a bright Sabbath school scholar lifted higher.”

DEAN, Edward: “Death has paused at our threshold, yes, entered the door and taken our loved one away.

DEAN, Jane: “Mother, thou art gone to rest; Thy tolls and cares are o’er;

                       And sorrow, pain, and suffering………..(broken)

DERMIT, Elizabeth M.: “Dear friends, I bid you all adieu; my spirit to God is given;

                                   I leave the earth and so must you;

                                   I am bound for yonder Heaven.

                                 Where sorrow sickness grief and pain

                                  And parting is not known to be.

                                   Adieu, we soon shall meet again

                                  And live through all eternity.”

HARDY, John C. Merriam: Top of monument carved with a sleeping lamb &

                           “ I take this little lamb, said He, and lay it in my breast;

                            Protection it shall find in me, in me be forever blessed:”

McMILLEN, Susan (Mrs. George):

“In my Father’s House there are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you:”

McMILLEN, George: “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.”

McMILLEN, Milton & Amanda J:. 9 ft. monument inscribed on E. side

“Here laid within the silent tomb

Thy form of lifeless clay,

But upward hath they spirit flown

To realms of endless day.

Thou minglest now in that bright throng,

Around the eternal throne,

And join’st the everlasting song

Of those before thee gone.”

NORRIS, H. P.: “Suffer little children to come unto Me,

                           And forbid them not, for of such, is the

                            Kingdom of Heaven .”

NORRIS, John C.: “Sweet little bud, for earth too fair.

                               Has gone to Heaven to blossom THERE.”

SOWARD, Rachel Ann: “Sleep, loved and lost one, sleep beneath this quiet sod; with faith and hope and prayer, we give thee up to God.”

WAIT, Luther “Affection’s tribute to parental worth.” Mary L. Wait  

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

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Cemeteries of Cass County Indiana