Pioneer Cemeteries and Their Stories,

Madison County, Indiana

Robinette Cemetery

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Jackson Township

Location: west side of CR 550W, east of CR 600W, between CR 200N and White River

    As the directions explain, this old family graveyard is one of those on the hilly, wooded banks of White River.  The Robinette/Robinett Cemetery is still somewhat secluded.  It used to be hidden away in the middle of dense, original growth oaks and maples.  Now, however, the woods that once contained only the cemetery has a number of up-scale houses.  County Road 550W is a narrow road that looks more like a paved driveway.  A quarter of a mile down this lane is a gravel drive leading to the cleared, serene meadow of stones.  While this cemetery is under the care of the township trustee, it is still being used by the extended Robinette family. 

 

    Two pre-Civil War veterans, possibly a third, rest in this beautiful spot:

    Elemuel Robinette, Jr., was born in 1788 and, according to a Robinette historian and American Legion's Record of Deceased Veterans, served in the War of 1812.  He brought his family to Jackson Township north of White River in the 1830s and was one of the first burials in this private cemetery.  (His stone is pictured below.)

    According to Madison County historian Raymond Davis and American Legion records, Clemuel Robinette, Sr., veteran of the Revolutionary War, is buried in unmarked grave 4, row 3, lot 2.  While Clemuel's military record is attested by the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Robinette family does not verify that he is buried in this cemetery.

    Reuben Miller, another Revolutionary War veteran, is, however, buried here in a marked grave.  Reuben was born in 1765, and his military service is recorded in the DAR Patriot Index.  He was one of the pioneers to Jackson Township with his wife Jane and son Reuben, Jr.  Members of Reuben Miller's family are recorded on Jackson Township transfer records. Reuben died in 1836 at seventy years of age.  His broken stone is in the southwest corner of the Robinette Cemetery.  In the picture at right,  Reuben Miller's stone is in the foreground; old Robinette stones and markers are in the background.

 

 

 

     

    George Robinette, 1839-1901, listed below, son of Lemuel, Sr., lived all of his life in Jackson Township on or near land settled by his family, specifically the north bank of White River.  His land overlooked the beautiful valley between Madison County and Hamilton County, the valley being on the opposite side of the river.  George married Cynthia Miller, 1849-1898, and they had five children: John, Lillie, George, Lydia, and Georgie.  According to historian Samuel Harden, "Mr. and Mrs. Robinette belong to the M.E. [Methodist Episcopal] Church, and are highly respected wherever known.  Mr. R. is a good farmer, having lived on a farm all his life."  George, his wife, and some of his children are buried with their ancestors, relatives, and neighboring friends here at the Robinette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stone, above left, marking the grave for Elemuel Robinette, Jr., discussed above, while needing to be reset, still bears the death date of 1849.  Elemuel is one of the many veterans of the War of 1812 buried in Madison County.  The stone for second generation Robinette family members Cornelius and Milton is center.  Above right, by visually connecting the two halves of the stone, one can read, "Anna wife of Lemuel Robinette, died Dec. 20, 1863 aged 63 yrs..."

Rebecca Robinette's stone, center below, is flanked by the stones of two Robinette children, an infant, left, and Mary Emily, right.  Rebecca died in 1866 at forty-three years of age.

As witnessed by the burial list below, the Robinette Cemetery is still primarily a private family burial ground with over thirty of that surname recorded.  There are, however, burials with other surnames, and one of those well represented is the Conner family: William, his wife Nancy, and their three children.

 

Names
ID Names Birth Date Death Date Cemetery
236 ADAMS, DORIS NADINE 10M. DEC. 31, 1918 ROBINETT
289 ADAMS, LAURA A. 6M. OCT. 1, 1915 ROBINETT
12019 CONNER, (FATHER)     ROBINETT
12022 CONNER, (MOTHER)     ROBINETT
12030 CONNER, DAVID     ROBINETT
12044 CONNER, L. G.     ROBINETT
12047 CONNER, LETHA     ROBINETT
12058 CONNER, NANCY OCT. 29, 1829 SEP. 1, 1900 ROBINETT
12075 CONNER, WILLIAM K. or J. MAR. 2, 1825 MAR. 20, 1880 ROBINETT
14752 DAVIS, CHLOE 1887 1965 ROBINETT
14853 DAVIS, G. CHLOE 1887 1965 ROBINETT
14925 DAVIS, JAMES W. 1855 1931 ROBINETT
14955 DAVIS, JOHN N. MAY 26, 1887 JUL. 31, 1946 ROBINETT
15025 DAVIS, MARILLA 1859 1933 ROBINETT
20687 FORRER, BERTHA H. AUG. 14, 1898 JUL. 15, 1975 ROBINETT
20690 FORRER, EDNA MAE DEC. 29, 1920   ROBINETT
20695 FORRER, KEITH K. SEP. 3, 1919 MAR. 1, 1986 ROBINETT
20701 FORRER, SAMUEL P. NOV. 19, 1897   ROBINETT
26775 HARTZELL, BERTHA 55Y. DEC. 1, 1911 ROBINETT
26784 HARTZELL, ETHEL MAE 1890 SEP. 19, 1907 ROBINETT
26794 HARTZELL, JOHN 71Y. DEC. 9, 1918 ROBINETT
37386 LEEVER, D. W.     ROBINETT
39203 MACPHERSON, CLARENCE T. SEP. 9, 1885 FEB. 25, 1937 ROBINETT
39205 MACPHERSON, RACHEL A. 1863 1939 ROBINETT
43283 MILLER, REUBEN 1765 1836 ROBINETT
52719 ROBINETT, (CHILDREN OF GEORGE   OCT. 6, 1879 ROBINETT
52720 ROBINETT, (INFANT DAU.) NOV. 24, 1868 DEC. 9, 1868 ROBINETT
52721 ROBINETT, (INFANT SON) 9D. OCT. 15, 1869 ROBINETT
52722 ROBINETT, ALBERT E. 11M. 19D. DEC. 6, 1874 ROBINETT
52723 ROBINETT, ANNA 63Y. DEC. 20, 1863 ROBINETT
52726 ROBINETT, CHARLES 1867 1935 or 1936 ROBINETT
52728 ROBINETT, CORNELIUS 1835 1875 ROBINETT
52729 ROBINETT, CYNTHIA   OCT. 6, 1879 ROBINETT
52730 ROBINETT, CYNTHIA / CYTHIA ANN 49Y. 5M. 5D. JUN. 5, 1898 ROBINETT
52731 ROBINETT, ELEMUEL, JR. 1788 FEB. 2, 1849 ROBINETT
52732 ROBINETT, FRANCES A. APR. 18, 1921   ROBINETT
52734 ROBINETT, GEORGE   OCT. 6, 1879 ROBINETT
52735 ROBINETT, GEORGE O. 1M. 16D. NOV. 4, 1874 ROBINETT
52736 ROBINETT, GEORGE W. NOV. 14, 1839 MAY 16, 1901 ROBINETT
52738 ROBINETT, HERBERT OCT. 25, 1916 DEC. 28, 1982 ROBINETT
52741 ROBINETT, JOHN W. NOV. 16, 1867 MAY 25, 1888 ROBINETT
52742 ROBINETT, LEANDER "BUD" 1894 1967 ROBINETT
52743 ROBINETT, LEMUEL S. 1872 1935 ROBINETT
52744 ROBINETT, LUELLA 1869 1935 ROBINETT
52745 ROBINETT, MARY EMILY 20Y. 1M. 19D. JUN. 7, 1878 ROBINETT
52746 ROBINETT, MARY EMILY 29Y. 2M. 19D. JAN. 7, 1873 ROBINETT
52747 ROBINETT, MILTON O. 1861 FEB. 25, 1921 ROBINETT
52748 ROBINETT, REBECCA 43Y. 10M. 14D. JAN. 19, 1866 ROBINETT
52750 ROBINETT, SARAH F. 1Y. 1M. 16D. SEP. 17, 1872 ROBINETT
52751 ROBINETT, SUSANNAH 54Y. 5M. 16D. or 18D MAR. 14, 1888 ROBINETT
52753 ROBINETTE, AMANDA 1861 1947 ROBINETT
52756 ROBINETTE, CLEMUEL     ROBINETT
52757 ROBINETTE, ELZIE E. 1882 1935 ROBINETT
52759 ROBINETTE, FRANK 1869 1944 ROBINETT
52760 ROBINETTE, GEORGE 1856 1944 ROBINETT
52762 ROBINETTE, OLIVER 1857 1940 ROBINETT
52763 ROBINETTE, ORVIE 1891 1944 ROBINETT
52764 ROBINETTE, RACHEL A. 1863 1939 ROBINETT