Photo courtesy of Susan Mays (2003)	Photo courtesy of Susan Mays (2003)
Robertson Cemetery is located about 3 miles outside of Charlestown. Former Charlestown Township Trustee Jimmy Keith believed that "Robertson" and "Robinson" Cemeteries reported in Charlestown Township were one and the same. Local historian Bob Gallman disagrees and says they are two different cemeteries and I tend to believe Bob's position.
Photo courtesy of Susan Mays (2003)	Photo courtesy of Susan Mays (2003)

Susan suspects Robertson Cemetery and Robinson Cemetery are two distinct sites.  She has been the former and advises it is not in the same vicinity as the latter.  However, we are still trying to discern the fact of this matter.

Susan reports that this site was previously known as "Bethel Cemetery" as this is the former location of Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church.  It was also known as "Sugar Grove Cemetery".

Excerpted from the ARCHIVES OF DEPAUW UNIVERSITY at http://www.depauw.edu/library/archives/methinventories/robertson_meeting_house.htm:

Robertson Meeting House (Old Bethel Church) was erected in 1807 on the farm of Nathan Robertson in Clark's Grant, Indiana, three miles north of Charlestown. The Robertson Meeting House, also known as " Old Bethel" was the first Methodist church in Indiana and Moses Ashworth, the first circuit rider in Indiana, was the pastor. In 1837, the church was moved a quarter mile south and later moved to Lexington highway. By 1857, Old Bethel had been abandoned and was being used as a sheepfold.

Around 1903 or 1904, the church was restored and moved back to its original site on the Robertson farm, but was moved again in 1925 when it was rebuilt in Charlestown and put under cover. Finally, Old Bethel Church was restored again in 1953-54 on the grounds of Gobin Memorial Methodist Church on the DePauw University campus in Greencastle. It was dedicated as part of the ceremonies marking DePauw's 118th anniversary. The restoration was sponsored by the Indiana Conference, DePauw University and Charles M. Robertson, Sr., a descendant of Nathan Robertson, as a shrine to Indiana Methodism.

In 1998 the South Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church voted $100,000 in funds to move and restore the Robertson Meeting House. The moving of the Meeting House from Greencastle to the Rivervale Campground near Mitchell, Indiana, commenced in October. The re-construction was completed on March 5, 1999.

For more information on the Robertson line (particularly Nathan Robertson) and the history of Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church, see Bob Francis's Bourbon County Kentucky genealogy website at http://www.shawhan.com/Notes/robertson.html

Below is an alphabetic list of the stones noted in Morincie Wells' 1906 index (Susan Mays' supplements to this index are shown below in italics):

.               .                       .               .

CAMPBELL        Mary (wife of Joseph B.

                Campbell)               b. 12/19/1791?  d. 09/22/1864?

                   "Our mother"

CARR or GARR    Rebecca O. (wife of

                J. M. Carr or Garr)     b. 01/21/1847   d. 01/15/1879?

GANN            Mrs. Mary (daughter of

                Zephenia Robertson, Sr.)                d. 06/13/1847 (age 27)

GARNER          Shiveral, Jr.                           d. 07/--/1831 (age 9)

GATES           Justus                  b. 08/16/1827   d. 09/08/1903

HUGHES          Barbary                 b. 1792         d. 1872

HUGHES          Barbara (wife of

                Eleven Hughes)          b. ????         d. ????

HUGHES          Eleven (consort of

                Barbara Hughes)         b. 09/10/1794   d. ????

HUGHES          W.                                      d. 1838

O'HARRA         Bennie                  b. 03/05/1883   d. 02/26/1910

O'HARRA         Charlotte Robertson

                (wife of S. O. O'Harra) b. 03/20/1812   d. 03/22/1886?

OVERMAN         Mary (daughter of Eli,

                Robertson, Sr.; wife

                of Samuel)              b. 06/14/1816   d. 06/04/1847

ROBERTSON       Eli [Sr.] (son of

                Nathan), native of

                Maryland                b. 01/28/1776   d. 1844

ROBERTSON       Eli [Jr.] (son of Eli

                and Elizabeth Shawhan

                Robertson; known as

                "Doc")                  b. 04/08/1810   d. 07/22/1882

ROBERTSON       Eli W.                                  d. 07/02/1830 (age 1)

ROBERTSON       Elizabeth (wife of

                Nathan, Sr.)                            d. 12/21/1821 (age 67)

ROBERTSON       Elizabeth Shawhan

                (consort of Eli, Sr.)   b. 06/13/1779   d. 05/20/1853

ROBERTSON       Emily (daughter of

                Zephenia Robertson, Sr.)                d. 08/31/1823 (age 9)

ROBERTSON       James (son of Nathan,

                Sr.)                                    d. 07/19/1843 (age 50)

ROBERTSON       James (son of Hezekiah,

                Sr.)                                    d. 10/17/1846 (age 30)

ROBERTSON       Joseph (son of

                Eli, Jr.)               b. 08/--/1802   d. 01/28/1830

ROBERTSON       M. R.                             No dates given

ROBERTSON       Milton (son of Zephenia

                Robertson, Sr.)                         d. 07/15/1827 (age 11)

ROBERTSON       N.                                No dates given

ROBERTSON       Nancy (wife of James,

                Sr.)                    b. 01/17/1796   d. 1845       (age 49)

ROBERTSON       Nathan, Sr.                             d. 03/19/1827 (age 75)

ROBERTSON       O. Stanley (son of

                J. M. and N. A.?)       b. 07/03/1890   d. 03/07/1896

                   "Weep not Father 

                   and Mother for me

                   For I am waiting

                   in glory for Thee"

ROBERTSON       Zepheniah, Sr.                          d. 06/22/1835 (age 56)

                "The affectionate

                husband"

TOWNSEND        Sarah (wife of

                Joshua Townsend)        b. 1767         d. 1837

WELDY           James                   b. 10/27/1828   d. ?? 1859

Jeffersonville Twp. Library     or      Charlestown Library

211 East Court Avenue                   51 Clark Road

Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130           Charlestown, Indiana  47111

Telephone:  (812) 285-5635              Telephone:  (812) 256-3337