This cemetery is located in the front yard of a beautiful home on Bethany Road, about 1-1/2 miles north of Highway 62.
This property was many years ago timberland on a farm
owned by John T. Bottorff; later owned by Frank McCullough and later still
by Lyman Applegate. [Perhaps there is a connection between that Lyman Applegate
and the APPELGATEs buried on the other side of Highway 62 at Montgomery
Cemetery.] It is presently owned by Earl Lile, who lives here.
Bottom of Charles McCormick's stone (Taken 4/26/98) |
Top of Charles McCormick's stone (Taken 4/26/98) |
The lawn inside the dry-stack stone fence of the cemetery is as meticulously groomed as the grass outside the graveyard. Only a few stones have survived the passage of time; however, Mr. Lile expressed an interest in learning more about the population of the "silent city of the dead" in his front yard.
If you have additional information about this site, please contact me and I will pass on that information to Mr. Lile.
Charles F. McCORMICK b. 03/25/184_ d. 12/17/1862 Company B, 81st Reg., Indiana Volunteers, Civil War Veteran; born in Clark County, IN; died in Nashville, TN, 12/17/1862 L. McCORMICK b. ???? d. 1868 S. McCORMICK b. ???? d. 1839 Jas. McCORMICK b. ???? d. 1830 M. A. McCORMICK b. ???? d. 1895 William R. CONGLETON b. 12/24/1808 d. 03/24/1878
Baird's History of Clark County (published 1909), indicates on page 552 that Charles McCormick, "one of the prominent members of the family and an early settler, was grandfather of Theodore S." Long, "undoubtedly one of the best known restaurant proprietors in Clark County." Theodore S. Long was the son of Benjamin F. Long and his wife, Jemima McCormick, daughter of Charles McCormick.
Baird goes on to say that "Charles McCormick, the grandfather referred to, was also born in the neighborhood. That family originally came from West Virginia some time in the earliest part of the last century [the 1800s] and became important factors in the winning and progress of Indiana."
A relationship between the McCormick and Congleton families may be partially explained by Baird's biography on Moses E. Bottorff (pp. 672-673):
This would, in very vague terms, help to explain the connection between the McCormicks and Congleton buried here and the Bottorff family, which long ago owned this property.
There are a number of McCORMICKs buried at nearby Silver Creek Cemetery, including Dr. Joseph McCormick, Catharine McCormick, Frittie McCormick, George McCormick, Leander McCormick, Lewis H. McCormick, Lydia McCormick and Thomas McCormick.
In early December 2000, Wynn Bartholomew <wynn6eagles@hotmail.com> contacted us hoping to determine the location of the "Bartholomew Family burying ground". It appears that what we refer to as "McCormick Cemetery" may actually be the site he seeks. This is what he has confirmed regarding this site:
(1) Gen. Joseph Bartholomew purchased (4) 100-acre parcels in Section 94 of Clark's Grant on April 15,1789 while he still resided on the Bear Grass Creek, across the Ohio River, near what is now downtown Louisville, Kentucky. This fact should be reflected in land records and is also mentioned in Wesley Garber's "General Jos. Bartholomew - Forgotten Warrior"(2) Garber states that he developed the tract into a fine farm where he resided for almost 35 years.
(3) He also states that in 1801, a portion of Bartholomew's farm was included in the plat of the town of Springville which he helped
plat and survey and which served as the county seat for Clark County for between 1-10 years, depending on the source.(4) George Pence's article on the General in the Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. XIV, No. 4, December 1918, states that Gen. Bartholomew erected the first brick farm house in Clark County on this property (p. 296).
(5) When Dr. Andrew Hay defalcated in his appointment as government land agent, the land of Joseph was sold on January 24,1831 by the United States Marshal. Gen. Joseph was one of five men who had pledged their assets as security for Dr. Hays' bond. The farms of Joseph and William Crawford were sold to discharge the District Court judgment. John Bottorff, a neighbor of the General's, was apparently the successful bidder for all or most of the General's farm, and the farm remained in the Bottorff family for at least two generations.
(6) Finally, in a letter from John A. H. Owens of Charlestown written in March 1905, makes reference to visiting the old Bartholomew Family Cemetery. He said it was located on the General's property within a small grove of trees. There Joseph's second wife, Elizabeth McNaught, was buried next to his first wife, Christiana Pickenpaugh. Christiana died about 1810, probably from complications relating to childbirth, and Elizabeth, from complications following a broken leg sustained in a fall from a horse while riding between Springville and Charlestown in 1824. According to the letter, "there is a woodland of primitive growth near the center of which is an ancient burying ground enclosed by a stone wall and iron gate, now falling to decay. The old Bartholomew homestead is now the home of John F. McCulloch." There is also reason to believe that three of the General's sons and two of his daughters are also buried there.
Several sources refer to Bartholomew's homestead as being located on the Pleasant Run tributary of Silver Creek.
The following McCormack/McCormick marriage records were found in an index of Clark County marriage for the period of 1790-1850:
McCORMACK, David BOLTON, Mary Ann 10 May 1835 McCORMACK, John McCOY, Thurza 23 Jul 1828 McCORMACK, Sarah GILSON, William 29 Nov 1821 McCORMACK, Thomas COOMBES, Lydia 08 May 1828 McCORMACK, Thomas J. BOTTORFF, Sophia N. 21 Nov 1844 McCORMICK, Charles McCORMICK, Isabel 26 Jul 1823 McCORMICK, Eliza Jane WEIR, John Young 02 Jan 1833 McCORMICK, Isabel McCORMICK, Charles 26 Jul 1823 McCORMICK, Jemima LONG, Benjamin 05 Sep 1843 McCORMICK, John M. WOODRUFF, Nancy 22 Jan 1849 McCORMICK, Martha F. PERDUE, Joseph S. 07 May 1843 McCORMICK, Samuel BOTTORFF, Ann 23 Oct 1834 McCORMICK, Sarah BUCHANNAN, John 04 Nov 1830
The following McCormack/McCormick entries were found in 1820 and 1830 Clark County census indexes:
McCormack, Walter 1820 CHARLESTOWN TWP p. 048 McCormick, Josiah 1820 CHARLESTOWN TWP p. 043
Mc Cormac, Charles 1830 p. 017 Mc Cormack, John 1830 p. 057 Mc Cormack, Joshua 1830 p. 017 Mc Cormick, Samuel 1830 p. 068
I have no further information on this cemetery. This index was obtained from the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, 211 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130, telephone: (812) 285-5635.
E-mail: Dee Pavey
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