Subject: Dils Cemetery, off Hamburg Pike, Jeffersonville, Indiana

Our good friend Jack Briles (bless his heart) has been doing a good deal of research for us on the "lost cemetery" behind MKM (where the Bat Factory used to be) near Hamburg Pike and Charlestown/New Albany Pike. The property is being developed into another shopping complex. The property owners have already hired a pretty well-respected archeological firm to investigate the site; they obtained a permit from DNR to pan to cemetery to determine its size and area. The property owners are negotiating with the Township Trustee to relocate the graves.

I understand that most of us on the Commission are in agreement that, if the relocation can be done properly (not one of these "drive-thru disinterments" in under an hour), that we would have no objection to the remains being reinterred elsewhere. I suggested moving them to Walnut Ridge with an appropriate monument, etc.

Attached is a deed excerpt that Jack has back-run as far as he could. He's going to let me copy the records that he was able to find, which I will share with you when I get them.

You'll note just below the purple highlighting on the attached deed excerpt a reference to "ELIAL S. DILS AND NANCY E. DILS, HIS WIFE". Jack and I are convinced that the people mentioned in this deed as previous owners are the ones who set aside the cemetery (and its access) in this document. We also believe that Mr. & Mrs. Dils were buried there, along with other family members.

The July 30 , 1860 census for Jeffersonville Township reveals the following individuals in the household of "Safford Dils":

Household #312

DILS, Safford 35 VA - Nancy 29 PA - Jane 7 - Geo. 1 - Jane 70 PA - WHITESEL, John 28

This tells us that Safford Dils (believed to be "Elial" or "Elias" S. Dils) and his wife Nancy (he having been born in Virginia circa 1825 and she having been born in Pennsylvania circa 1831) were living here in 1860 in a household with their children (Jane Dils, born in Indiana circa 1853, and George Dils, also born in Indiana circa 1859). With them in the household was Jane Dils, born circa 1790 in Pennsylvania. Also residing as part of the house is an apparently unrelated individual (potentially a hired hand) named John Whitesel, age 28, born presumably in Indiana circa 1832.

I found a notation of an ALEX DILL (born circa 1825) being an inmate from at least 1858-1860 at the State Reformatory at Jeffersonville:

1858 DILL, Alex 35 PA Occupation: LABORER

The name is similar enough that he could be of the same family; about the same age as E. S. Dill above.

Saturday morning, July 30, 2005, I found the following on-line at http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=pmc-plummer&id=I3159 [alternatively http://tinyurl.com/9mrv9 ], submitted by Peter Chefalo pmchefalo@hotmail.com (I have sent an email to Mr. Chefalo, which did not bounce back to me, so I'm hopeful it is still a current address):

ID: I3159

· Name: Elial Saphard Dils 1

· Sex: M

· Birth: SEP 1824 in Virginia

· Census Records:

• 1850 US Census IN Clark Jeffersonville HH 123 as Safford Diltz.
• 1860 US Census IN Clark Jeffersonville HH 312 as Safford. Mother Jane may be living with him.
• 1870 US Census IN Clark Jeffersonville HH 345 as Eliel S. Jane age 80 still in residence.
• 1880 US Census

              o Household: Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace

              o E. S. DILS Self M Male W 55 VA Farmer PA PA

              o Nancy DILS Wife M Female W 49 PA House Keeper PA PA

              o Jenny DILS Dau S Female W 27 IN VA PA

              o George DILS Son S Male W 21 IN Mechanic VA PA

              o Mary DILS Dau S Female W 18 IN VA PA

              o William DILS Son S Male W 17 IN VA PA

              o Edward DILS Son S Male W 15 IN VA PA

              o Sallie DILS Dau S Female W 13 IN VA PA

              o Arthur DILS Son S Male W 12 IN VA PA

              o Annie DILS Dau S Female W 10 IN VA PA

• 1900 US Census IN Clark Jeffersonville HH 62 as Elial S. Granddaughter Mabel, July, 1886 in residence along with son William and daughter Jane.
• Source Information: Census Place Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana Family History Library Film 1254269 NA Film Number T9-0269 Page Number 64D

· Change Date: 20 NOV 2004

Father: Peter E. Dils Mother: Jane Stephenson b: ABT 1790 in Pennsylvania

Marriage 1 Nancy b: NOV 1830 in Pennsylvania

Children

1. Jane Dils b: SEP 1854 in Indiana
2. George Dils b: ABT 1859 in Indiana
3. Mary Dils b: ABT 1862 in Indiana
4. William L. Dils b: FEB 1865 in Indiana
5. Edward Dils b: ABT 1865
6. Sally Dils b: ABT 1866 in Indiana
7. Arthur Dils b: ABT 1868 in Indiana
8. Ann Dils b: ABT JUN 1870 in Indiana

Sources:

1. Type: Web Site
Author: Richard Dils
Title: Dils, Kesselring, Lodge, Lynd genealogy
URL: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gramygramps-dils&id=I2440
Date: 11/05/03

Jack and I are convinced this unmarked cemetery behind MKM is actually DILS CEMETERY. It also appears that at least two individuals from this cemetery have already been MOVED from the site over to nearby Walnut Ridge Cemetery [explained below].

WALNUT RIDGE CEMETERY PAGE: walnutridgecem.html

On the Walnut Ridge webpage, you'll find Jeanne Burke's comprehensive index of the 3,000+ stones she and her mother found visible a couple of years ago at the cemetery. There you will also find an on-line index of the 16,000+ burial records for Walnut Ridge Cemetery. Simple math indicates that there are a LOT of burials here not marked with a visible stone. There are NO individuals named DILS, DILLS, etc. in Jeanne's stone index, which leads me to believe that the people identified below are in unmarked graves.

The index from http://us.share.geocities.com/m_woehrle/wrburial.htm taken from the 16,000+ burial records at Walnut Ridge tells us of the following burials:

Section G Lot 97 Dils, E. S. December 26, 1895 Grandchild
Section C Lot 283 Dils, Elis S. December 14, 1918 Removed from Dils Cemetery
Section G Lot 97 Dils, Miss Anna July 22, 1887
Section C Lot 283 Dils, Nancy December 14, 1918 Removed from Dils Cemetery
Section K Lot 70 Dily, Nelle Mae December 10, 1954 (This could be a typo for DILS)

The above are excerpted from:

Burial Records of Walnut Ridge Cemetery, Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana

Gaius and Christa Snyder
Superintendents
Walnut Ridge Cemetery
2421 Hamburg Pike
Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130
(812) 283-3707

Lois