Pioneer Cemeteries and Their Stories,

Madison County, Indiana

Hamilton Cemetery

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aka Epperly/Moore

Jackson Township

Location: south side of 8th Street, between CR 500W and 600W

    According to one history, the village of Hamilton west of Anderson on 8th Street was laid out in 1836 by Henry Devlin and John Stephenson who were businessmen establishing stores, stations, and small settlements along the Indiana Central Canal which was under construction at that time.  According to another history, it was Robert Boyd who laid out the village. What is not disputed is for whom Hamilton was named: Robert Hamilton, a local teacher.  The little town was somewhat successful for around forty years, having a post office off and on, several businesses, the first tavern in the entire township--John Ashby's, started around 1842--private homes, as well as Methodist and Christian churches.  However, by the time of Madison County's first history, 1880, Hamilton's enterprises had "all disappeared."  The Hamilton Cemetery, which was east of the village on land owned by J.E. Epperly, remains as testimony to the pioneers that worked the land and those that ventured into commerce.

 

 

 

    Possibly the first burial at the Hamilton was one of the earliest white men to migrate into central Indiana's "New Purchase" of 1818.  According to an early history of Fayette County, southeast of Madison, Joel White came to the Connorsville area around 1813.  Joel was originally from North Carolina and had traveled through Tennessee and Kentucky.  He had spent some time at the fort at Cincinnati before coming to Madison County and settling along the White River.  Joel White is also listed by Madison County historian Samuel Harden in his book The Pioneer as one of the earliest settlers to Jackson Township.  Joel died March 21, 1845, at seventy-one years of age, making his birth date around 1776, the beginning of America's Revolutionary War.  Joel's wife Susannah Sears was older than he.  She died October 9, 1855, at eighty-six years of age, which would make her date of birth around 1769.  Her gravestone is pictured at right.  Other White family members buried here are Frances, who married Joseph Males mentioned below; Maleena; James, who fought in the Civil War in Co. D. 23rd Infantry; William, who was also born in the 18th century, i.e. 1798, and whose grave marker is on the left; and William's wife Eliza.

   

   

    Born several decades later but still recorded as early settlers to Jackson Township are Joseph Males, 1814-1898, at left, and his wife Frances White, listed above, who died February 6, 1887, at "73y 10m 17d."  Their daughter Margaret, wife of H.T. Anderson, was also buried here in 1875.  Joseph and Frances lost another adult child, who died "Oct. 20, 18?9."  This individual, whose gravestone is pictured right, is not recorded or perhaps is recorded incorrectly in the list below.

    Also with birth dates in the early 1800s are members of the Harless pioneer family with James, who died in 1881 at sixty-seven years, his wife Elizabeth, who was sixty-one years old when she died in 1873, and relative Charles, who died in 1875 at sixty-eight years old.    Another settler from this generation is Joseph Morris, who died in 1851 at "47y 1m 4d."

 

 

Joseph Morris's stone, left, shows discoloration but the lettering is still discernible--although some chalking would help.  Joseph was born August 11, 1801, and died Sept. 15, 1851.  Thomas Cunningham, middle, died January 20, 1865, at "26 y 7 m 15 d." Charles Harless's substantial stone, right, is very well preserved and quite legible.  Charles died "April 12, 1875 aged 68 years."

   

    Of the forty-some recorded graves in this cemetery, fifteen of them, roughly a third, are children.  This percentage supports the statistic that the death rate among children in the 19th century reached as high as one out of three.

    The 1876 plat map for Jackson Township shows Hamilton still existing, the cemetery a mile or so east of it, and second generation owners of the surrounding land, whose names--White, Harless, Males, Epperly, and Wise--are associated with "Hamilton, farm graveyard #45."

Elizabeth Williams has a pretty stone appropriately surrounded by violets in this spring picture.  An excellent example of mid-Victorian style, the gravestone has a hand pointing up, which symbolized her ascent heavenward, a steep gabled cornice, and a plaque for her information.  At the bottom was also, once, a Bible verse.  Elizabeth was "34Y 8M 22D" when she died in 1871.

 

 

Names

ID Names Birth Date Death Date Cemetery
1170 ANDERSON, MARGARET (MALES) 23Y. 9M. 27D. JUN. 16, 1875 HAMILTON
1616 ASHBY, (INFANT) 6M. SEP. 3, 1899 HAMILTON
1619 ASHBY, ARLEY 7M. AUG. 27, 1912 HAMILTON
1627 ASHBY, CLAUD 8Y. AUG. 5, 1900 HAMILTON
2216 BAKER, ANN JUN. 22, 1833 AUG. 29, 1905 HAMILTON
2439 BAKER, WILLIAM APR. 14, 1836 AUG. 31, 1875 HAMILTON
3501 BEASON, NANCY 1Y. 3M. MAY 10, 1848 HAMILTON
3759 BEEMAN, DEWEY 53Y. NOV. 1, 1913 HAMILTON
3814 BEEMAN, SARAH JANE 37Y. MAR. 22, 1905 HAMILTON
4098 BENEFIEL, CHARLES REX 3Y. FEB. 6, 1920 HAMILTON
4103 BENEFIEL, DONALD EUGENE 6M. JUL. 28, 1920 HAMILTON
5067 BLANTON, PAUL R. 3D. JUL. 11, 1908 HAMILTON
6473 BRENDEL, REMULOUS A. 72Y. OCT. 17, 1918 HAMILTON
6494 BREWER, (MRS. WILLIAM) 44Y. MAR. 12, 1903 HAMILTON
6545 BRICKER, (MRS.) 55Y. JAN. 15, 1896 HAMILTON
6561 BRICKER, LAWRENCE 41Y. JUN. 6, 1914 HAMILTON
6681 BRINKNER, (INFANT)   OCT. 17, 1905 HAMILTON
7217 BROWN, CARL W. 12Y. SEP. 28, 1917 HAMILTON
7340 BROWN, GEORGE L. 1Y. AUG. 28, 1914 HAMILTON
7480 BROWN, MAGGIE E. JAN. 7, 1872 NOV. 28, 1900 HAMILTON
9088 CANNON, (INFANT DAU.)   JAN. 8, 1881 HAMILTON
9089 CANNON, (INFANT DAU.) 14D. JAN. 22, 1881 HAMILTON
9090 CANNON, (MRS. GEORGE W.) 55Y. MAY 31, 1899 HAMILTON
9098 CANNON, GEORGE M. 1845 NOV. 12, 1901 HAMILTON
9106 CANNON, MARGARET MAR. 3, 1847 JUN. 1, 1899 HAMILTON
9111 CANNON, PETER 5Y. 2M. 20D. JUL. 20, 1879 HAMILTON
11176 CLONER, (INFANT) 2W. JUL. 19, 1900 HAMILTON
14091 CUNNINGHAM, CHARLES L. 17Y. DEC. 29, 1906 HAMILTON
14110 CUNNINGHAM, FRANK 30Y. APR. 11, 1906 HAMILTON
14125 CUNNINGHAM, JAMES 47Y. JAN. 26, 1914 HAMILTON
14124 CUNNINGHAM, JAMES 59Y. MAR. 26, 1906 HAMILTON
14688 DAVIS, ALBERT 33Y. FEB. 17, 1908 HAMILTON
14840 DAVIS, FIRMAN 83Y. AUG. 27, 1915 HAMILTON
14989 DAVIS, LAWRENCE E. 11M. JAN. 7, 1905 HAMILTON
15211 DAVIS, WILLIAM C. 23Y. OCT. 8, 1905 HAMILTON
15727 DELPH, (INFANT) 2D. MAR. 4, 1896 HAMILTON
16561 DOGGETT, JAMES     HAMILTON
16562 DOGGETT, LOUISA 26Y. OCT. 25, 1865 HAMILTON
20303 FLOWERS, CHARLEY D. 2Y. 2M. 2D. SEP. 20, 1881 HAMILTON
22017 GARD, J. F. 14 IND BATT   HAMILTON
22171 GARRETSON, ELIZA 2Y. 6M. 15D. SEP. 9, 1860 HAMILTON
22189 GARRETSON, ORSOM O. 4Y. 18D. JAN. 24, 1859 HAMILTON
22956 GIRTON, MARGARET JUN. 5, 1878 JUL. 11, 1898 HAMILTON
22957 GIRTON, PERRY     HAMILTON
25673 HANDY, (INFANT)   DEC. 2, 1900 HAMILTON
26067 HARLESS, (INFANT)   JUN. 5, 1906 HAMILTON
26072 HARLESS, BARBARY 32Y. 12D. JUN. 2, 1874 HAMILTON
26074 HARLESS, CHARLES 1807 APR. 12, 1875 HAMILTON
26088 HARLESS, ELIZABETH 61Y. 6M. 5D. NOV. 17, 1873 HAMILTON
26086 HARLESS, ELIZABETH 64Y. JAN. 28, 1908 HAMILTON
26090 HARLESS, GEORGE 2Y. 3M. 15D. APR. 7, 1878 HAMILTON
26097 HARLESS, JAMES 67Y. 10D. MAR. 29, 1881 HAMILTON
26111 HARLESS, NANCY E. (MALES) 24Y. 3M. 16D. FEB. 16, 1866 HAMILTON
26119 HARLESS, VORA A. 1Y. 3M. 15D. APR. 17, 1873 HAMILTON
31897 JACKSON, JAMES J. 66Y. SEP. 12, 1918 HAMILTON
34056 KEESLING, HESTER A. 23Y. 6M. 9D. SEP. 4, 1899 HAMILTON
36637 LASLEY, (INFANT)   FEB. 22, 1906 HAMILTON
39052 LYNEBERRY, (SON) 5Y. FEB. 13, 1902 HAMILTON
39460 MALES, FRANCES 73Y. 10M. 17D. FEB. 6, 1887 HAMILTON
39464 MALES, JOSEPH MAR. 29, 1814 APR. 13, 1898 HAMILTON
39975 MARTIN, (CHILD) 5Y. SEP. 6, 1900 HAMILTON
44649 MORRIS, ISAAC JUN. 2, 1824 OCT. 9, 1898 HAMILTON
44660 MORRIS, JOHN L. SEP. 25, 1846 FEB. 4, 1850 HAMILTON
44662 MORRIS, JOSEPH AUG. 11, 1801 SEP. 15, 1851 HAMILTON
44726 MORRIS, SARAH E. OCT. 11, 1848 FEB. 3, 1850 HAMILTON
45225 MURPHY, (INFANT) 3M. FEB. 10, 1896 HAMILTON
47807 PARRY, (INFANT) 4W. AUG. 5, 1897 HAMILTON
48618 PERY, WILLIAM H. 67Y. MAY 19, 1920 HAMILTON
52733 ROBINETT, GEORGE 30Y. MAR. 3, 1896 HAMILTON
57185 SIPPLE, HERSCHEL (INFANT) DEC. 13, 1909 HAMILTON
57450 SMALL, (INFANT)   NOV. 30, 1904 HAMILTON
59016 ST. JOHN, ROBERT 1844 AUG. 27, 1901 HAMILTON
60128 STINER, MAUD C. (INFANT) MAY 18, 1909 HAMILTON
60473 STOTTLEMYER, HEARSHEL 4M. SEP. 17, 1904 HAMILTON
61594 TANNER, (INFANT) 1W. DEC. 6, 1897 HAMILTON
61593 TANNER, (INFANT) 2W. AUG. 2, 1895 HAMILTON
64867 VINTEDGE, (MRS.) 62Y. OCT. 28, 1899 HAMILTON
65567 WANTLAND, WILLIAM 1848 OCT. 2, 1900 HAMILTON
66997 WHETSEL, CHESTER AUG. 8, 1898 JUL. 27, 1907 HAMILTON
67201 WHITE, ELIZA 82Y. 9M. 25D. AUG. 25, 1885 HAMILTON
67215 WHITE, FRANCES R. JUN. 18, 1871 MAR. 12, 1891 HAMILTON
67244 WHITE, JAMES M. JUN. 4, 1824 JAN. 11, 1899 HAMILTON
67246 WHITE, JOEL 71Y. MAR. 21, 1845 HAMILTON
67271 WHITE, MALCENA A. JUL. 17, 1837 APR. 1, 1901 HAMILTON
67323 WHITE, SUSANNAH 86Y. 5D. OCT. 9, 1855 HAMILTON
67338 WHITE, WILLIAM 73Y. 2M. 1D. JAN. 20, 1871 HAMILTON
67941 WILLIAMS, CAROLINE 5Y. SEP. 16, 1865 HAMILTON
67993 WILLIAMS, ELIZABETH 34Y. 8M. 22D. JAN. 26, 1871 HAMILTON
68084 WILLIAMS, JAMES 1Y. 3M. 9D. DEC. 13, 1858 HAMILTON
68912 WISE, JOHN W. 136 IND INF CO B   HAMILTON
70408 ZINN, (MRS. JOHN) 28Y. MAR. 25, 1898 HAMILTON