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Austin Indiana Cemeteries - Jennings Township
Spurgeon Cemetery - North End Hill
April 23, 2011
Named after James Spurgeon who settled in Scott County (Rural Austin) prior to 1820 and before Scott County was an official county or before Austin was even named. Spurgeon’s name appears in 1820 U.S. Census in Scott County. Spurgeon came to Indiana from Kentucky and squatted on land for several years before he officially established a farm (Kyana Farm) just east of Austin about 2.5 miles in 1825. He purchased the land (80 acres) for $1.25 an acre.
Spurgeon contributed two acres of his land for a local cemetery. Oddly Spurgeon’s death is unknown and while he was buried in the cemetery his tombstone is unmarked. The earliest marked tombstone in Spurgeon Cemetery is marked with the name of James W. Trulock, fifteen year-old son of pioneers Parker and Elizabeth Trulock, who was buried in Spurgeon on February 15th, 1828.
In 1858, Kyana Farm’s minus the two acre cemetery was sold to John Jones from Decatur County Indiana. The Jones family lived on the property for 30 years. Jones was buried in Spurgeon Cemetery in 1872.
In the original northern and northwest sections of the Cemetery there are 147 names marked on the tombstones, all of these from residents who were born in the late 1700s or 1800s. In 1978 the Scott County Cemetery Association recorded that hundreds more are buried in unmarked or deteriorated markers, due to this there are no new burials permitted in the northern and northwest sections. Of the 147 marked names, 59 are children under the age of fifteen. During the 1800s Austin and Scott County were no exceptions for the diseases that ravaged America, such as Typhoid Fever, Diphtheria, Dysentery, and Pneumonia. The newer section which would be considered the southern section is located directly off State Road 256 East, and is still used for burials.
Tombstone located of man who first had idea of town on Railroad
April 29, 2011
The tombstone of Morris Sarver, the man credited for the vision of the town of Austin along the railroad in 1851 has been located at Spurgeon Cemetery in Austin. According to the late Dr. Carl R. Bogardus an Austin Historian, it is Sarver who had the idea of a railroad town.
“Morris Sarver (1818-1884) had come to Scott County from Clermont County Ohio, in 1847, and bought a farm three miles east of present day Austin. To him should go the credit for dreaming up the idea of town on the railroad at this spot, for in Deed Book M, page 108, in the Recorder’s Office at Scottsburg, we find a recorded deed date of May 3, 1881, by which Isaiah and Minerva Jones conveyed to him ten acres, or a plat of forty rods (called poles in the deed) square, in the extreme northeast corner of their quarter section. The new railroad cut diagonally through this ten-acre tract, from northwest to southeast,” (Bogardus 1953 p. 49).
Words Engraved on Morris Sarver Tombstone
Morris
Consort of Elizabeth Sawyer
Died January 2, 1884 – 65 Yrs, 1 Mos, 3 D’s
A light from our household is gone
The voice we loved is still
A place is vacant in our hearts
That never can be filled
Works Cited:
Bogardus, Carl R.. (1953) Centennial History of Austin, Scott County Indiana. (p. 49)
Earliest Tombstone in Spurgeon Cemetery Located
June 12, 2011
Pictured above is the earliest marked tombstone in Spurgeon, which is that of James W. Trulock who was born in 1813, and died at the age of 15 in 1828. James was the son of Parker and Elizabeth Trulock. In the top of the photo above James’ stone are the stones of his parents. The Trulock’s owned farm land near Spurgeon Cemetery. Tombstone is located in North West section of cemetery.
2011 Photo by: Kelsey Barrett
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Spurgeon Cemetery -
April 23, 2011
Located on State Road 256 - 2.7 miles east of Austin
Photo taken from Hwy 256 - by Mike Barrett (2011)
Surgeon Cemetery
North west corner of Spurgeon Cemetery at twilight, April 22, 2011. Photo by Mike Barrett
Some grave sites from this area are from the 1800s.
Whitson (Austin) Cemetery - Established 1839
Location: From downtown Austin (intersection US 31 and State Road 256) the cemetery is located on State Road 256 1.3 miles east of Austin.
Tombstone of Thomas Whitson: Whitson Austin Cemetery
June 25, 2011
Thomas Whitson and his wife Susannah Smallwood Whitson established Whitson Cemetery in in 1839. Thomas was born in 1781 and died in 1843. The tombstone at the time of the photo in 2011 was still in good condition. (Photo by Mike Barrett)
Whitson (Austin) Cemetery
Family plot of J.S. Morgan the Founder of the Austin Canning Company (Morgan Foods) in 1899, is located in the Whitson (Austin) Cemetery.
Whitson (Austin) Cemetery
Final resting place for members of the I.C. Morgan Family.
Cleanup at Whitson-Austin Cemetery reveals unusual tombstone
June 30, 2012
A recent trimming and cleaning of wild bushes at the Whitson-Austin cemetery has revealed an unusual tombstone. Due to the bush grown up around it and covering it from weather elements, the 112-years old tombstone has been preserved in excellent condition.
The name on the stone reads A.J. Robison and the inscriptions include Co. D 13th Ind. V.I., which means Company D of the 13th regiment of the Indiana Volunteers during the Civil War of 1861-1865. The dates on the stone are: April 11th, 1843 – April 19th, 1895.
Robison’s name is not included in the list of Austin veterans that served in the Civil War, as listed in the legal documents of the Scott County Courthouse. This means he was probably not originally from the Austin area.
Harrod Cemetery – Established 1869
Located on Harrod Road Austin Indiana
First burial was in 1869 of Samuel B Harrod
In 1926, Solon Harrod purchased iron fence from Scott County courtyard, when they were taking it down, to go around three sides. Sign for cemetery was made in machine shop of Morgan Packing Company and fence was erected by Otto Julian and Mr. Clark.
Source: Amanda Davidson http://kinb4me.tripod.com//id7.html
Final resting place of one of Austin’s (Jennings Township) earliest settlers. William Harrod (1780-1835) who was first buried at Friendship Cemetery in Austin, but in 1870 was reinterred at Harrod Cemetery with other Harrod descendants.
Final resting place of James Harrod (1744-1822). James was member of the Virginia Militia and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. His remains were reinterred at Harrod Cemetery years later.
Photo by Mike Barrett - 2011
Harrod Cemetery - Tombstone of William Harrod
Final resting place of one of Austin’s (Jennings Township) earliest settlers. William Harrod (1780-1835) who was first buried at Friendship Cemetery in Austin, but in 1870 was reinterred at Harrod Cemetery with other Harrod descendants.
William Harrod was the first baby born in Louisville Kentucky in 1780, he was the son of James N. and Elizabeth (Stewart) Harrod.
Photo by Kelsey Barrett - 2011
Harrod Cemetery - Tombstone of James Harrod
Final resting place of James Harrod (1744-1822). James was member of the Virginia Militia and a veteran of the Revolutionary War. His remains were reinterred at Harrod Cemetery years later.
New Providence Cemetery - Established 1907
New Providence Cemetery
Directions from Austin:
Travel 2.5 miles east on State RD 256. Turn right at Bogardus RD and travel .9 miles, cemetery is on right.
New Providence Cemetery was established in 1907 as part of the New Providence Church, on land sold to the church for $30.00 by Joseph and Louise McClain. The McClain’s donated the land for the church in 1889.
Wesley Chapel Cemetery - Established 1852
Wesley Chapel Cemetery
Directions from Austin:
Travel 2.5 miles east on State RD 256. Turn left at Bogardus RD and travel 2.7 miles, cemetery is on both sides of road.
In 1852, William D. Martin purchased a plot of land for $5.00, it was to be used for church and cemetery. In 1898 when the church burned, Adam Wiesman donated land for the new church and cemetery, where it is currently located today (2011).
Wesley Chapel Cemetery link below:
http://forneyclarkgenealogy.com/showmap.php?cemeteryID=2
Oak Cemetery - Established in 1948
Located 2.0 miles east of Austin on State RD 256
Oak Cemetery was established in 1948 by Harrison and America Oaks in 1948. Neither are buried there, the Oak’s are buried at Scottsburg Cemetery.
Friendship Cemetery - Abandoned in late 1800s
Located three miles east of Austin on private property owned by Nick and Carol Pastrick as of this writing. (2011)
This abandoned cemetery sits on the private property of Carol and Nick Pastrick, three miles east of Austin. There are only about ten tombstones on the site now all from the mid-1800s, but it is believed there are many more unmarked graves in the woods of the Pastrick property. The cemetery is located in the woods south of Hutto Creek. The earliest stone is from 1831, about three years before Abner and Nancy Hooker deeded two-acres to the Friendship Baptist Church trustees for a cemetery.
The Friendship church and cemetery was located on the Bethlehem-Rockford State Road which was established as a state highway in 1825. At one time there was a district school across the road known as Friendship School.
Notable grave site: Osama Mitchell (1761-1851) Served under General George Washington during Revolutionar War. (See story below)
Photo by Mike Barrett (2011)
Austin Property is Burial Site of Amercian Revolutionary War Veteran Asama Mitchell
April 22, 2011
The above photo is of the abandoned “Friendship Cemetery” in Austin Indiana., which is located three miles east of Austin city limits on the property of Carol and Nick Pastrick in 2011. The cemetery, nestled in the woods on the private property of the Pastrick’s, is the final resting place for a group of persons of lived near the area and were born in the mid to late 1700s and passed away in the 1800s.
Most notably it is the gravesite of Asama Mitchell (1761-1851) a veteran of the American Revolution who served under General George Washington’s army as a fifer.
Historic Highlights of Asama Mitchell (1761-1851)
1) Was born in Connecticut in 1761
2) All six of his brothers entered the American Army around 1776. (Asama never saw or heard of his brothers after the war.
3) Asama entered the Army at the age of 15 as fifer, and was under the immediate command of General George Washington.
4) Asama stationed at Valley Forge (Pennsylvania) during the historic winter of 1777, where he witnessed George Washington praying on his knees alone in the woods. (Other notables at Valley Forge: Martha Washington, Benedict Arnold, Nathanael Greene, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe, and Baron Von Steuben.)
5) Witnessed the execution of British Major John Andre in 1780 in Tappan, New York.
6) Was fifer for the battle of Yorktown (Virginia) in 1781, which was the last official battle of the Revolutionary War before America, won its freedom. Asama witnessed the surrender of Britain General Charles Cornwallis.
7) After the war he made his home in New York, where he married Mary Freymeyer (1770-1836), March 25, 1788.
8) Asama and Mary moved to the Austin, Indiana (Jennings Township) area in 1832, when he was 72 years old. It is not known why they moved to Indiana.
9) Mary Mitchell passed away in 1836, and is also buried on the Pastrick property.
10) Asama Mitchell passed away in 1851. His funeral included an honor ceremony presented by the State Militia under the command of Joseph Keepens of New Frankfort. The ceremony included a 500 horsemen salute to Mitchell, and a very large following of citizens on foot, in wagons
Sources:
Ancestry.Com http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=pavone&id=I03507
http://www.angelfire.com/ky/mitchellhistory/revwar.html
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume3/january05/iotm.cfm
A fifer is a non-combatant military occupation of a foot soldier who originally played the fife during combat. The practice was instituted during the period of Early Modern warfare to sound signals during changes in formation, such as the line, and were also members of the regiment's military band during marches.
These soldiers, often boys too young to fight or sons of NCO's, were used to help infantry battalions to keep marching pace from the right of the formation in coordination with the drummers positioned at the center and relayed orders in the form of sequences of musical signals. The fife was particularly useful because of its high pitched sound, which could be heard over the sounds of battle.
White Roberts Bowman Cemetery - Austin Indiana
Located on Terry Road about 1 mile north of Harrod Road.
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