From Oakland City Journal

3 Dec 1940

        

    --------

MRS. WHEATLEY

    GIVES RECORD

       OF GRAVE YARD

             -------

 

Record of  Hargrove Cemetery From

   Earliest Beginning Enumerated By

   Mrs. Ella C Wheatly, Member OF

   Historical Society

            -------

 

First Cemetery Of This Part Of Gib-

  Son County And Members Of Our

  Oldest Settler Were Buried Here;

   Old Deed Recorded

            -------

 

     The Indiana Historical Society

last year appointed Mrs. Ella C.

Wheatley of this city as the Gibson

county member of the Committee on

Pioneer Cemeteries and Churches.

This group was organized for the

purpose of collecting and preserve-

ing cemetery records and church

membership records of the pioneer

of the state.  When completed the

records will be available to the pub-

lic in the State Library Building in

Indianapolis and will be of great

value to the genealogical department.

     The following article which has

been submitted by Mrs. Wheatley,

concerning one of the first cemet-

eries in this part of Gibson county

will be of interest to our readers.

     East of Oakland City is an old

Grave Yard which was one of the

first cemeteries in this part of Gib-

son county.  Among the papers of

Col. W. M. Cockrum is a statement

of obtaining a quit claim deed made

by the Citizens State Bank of Peters-

burg, Indiana to Gibson county, In-

diana which reads as follows:  “The

following real estate in Gibson coun-

ty commencing at a point two rods

east and twenty seven feet north of

the center of the northeast quarter

of section 17, town 2 south range

8 west, running thence 7 rods to a

stone, thence north 4 rods to a stone,

thence east seven rods to a stone,

thence south 4 rods to a stone and

the place of beginning.  Said descrip-

tion contains 28 rods and is the

ground on which is located the

pioneer cemetery known as the Har-

grove Grave Yard.”  The Deed is

signed by James Shawhan, president

and Byron Brenton, cashier, on April

11, 1902.

     The old papers of Col Cockrum

further state that he had an arrange-

ment with Mr. R. C. Burba to put

boundary stones at each corner and a

large lime stone block in the ceme-

tery with the names on it of all who

are buried there.

     The first person buried in this

cemetery was Lafayette Cockrum

born in 1832.  This was the son of

Col. James W. Cockrum.  In the fath-

er’s old family Bible he has writ-

ten:  “This little boy died on the

South Fork of Patoka in November

1832, and is buried on a ledge east of

the house three hundred yards.”

Other children of Col. James W.

Cockrum buried there are Sallie A.

Cockrum, born 1834, died 1837; Col-

umbus Cockrum, born 1820, died

1843; John B. Cockrum, born 1840,

died 1846; Samuel Cockrum, born

1855, died 1855.  Jonathan Cockrum,

brother of Col. James W Cockrum

was buried there in 1854.

    Those of the Hargrove family

buried there are:  Captain William

Hargrove, born 1775, died 1846;

Sarah Hargrove, born 1776, died

1846; Nancy Hargrove, died 1847;

Willis Hargrove, died in late forties.

Two children of Wesley and Har-

riett Richey are buried there—Step-

hen E. Richey, born and died in

1850 and Susan C. Richey, born and

died in 1851.  Ardra O’Neal was buried

there about 1844 and Juleous Gib-

bons (name not clear) was buried

there about 1848.

     The names reveal that three of the

first pioneer families in this part of

Gibson county buried their dead in

this cemetery, Captain William Har-

grove and his wife, Sarah (Jasper)

Hargrove came to Indiana in 1803

and settled near Princeton.  At two

different time he was in the rang-

ing service in Indiana.  He raised a

company of rangers and was made

their captain, and with them fought

bravely in the Battle of Tippecanoe.

Captain Hargrove moved to this part

of Gibson county in 1836.

     Col. James Washington Cockrum

came with his parent to Indiana

in 1809.  In 1818 he married Sarah

Barrett and settled on a farm where

Francisco is now located.  Governor

James B. Ray commissioned him

lieutenant colonel of the 4th re-

giment of Indiana Militia  in April

1830.  Some time between 1830 and

18?? he moved to the South Fork

farm.  In 1836 he built a double log

house on the ground where the resi-

dences of U. G. Butcher and Cleve

Willis stand in Oakland City.

     The Wesley Richey family lived on

a large farm near what is now Mont-

gomery cemetery.

    The three families mentioned were

good friends and became relatives by

intermarriage.  James Marion Cock-

rum, the son of Col. James W. Cock-

rum married Mary Richey.  Captain

Hargrove’s sister.  Cynthia married

William Cockrum, the brother of Col.

James W. Cockrum.  Tow of Cap-

tain Hargrove’s sons married two of

Col. J. W. Cockrum’s daughters.

Clark Hargrove married Caroline

Cockrum and Warrick Hargrove mar-

ried America Cockrum.

    There are numerouc descendants

of the Hargrove, Richey and Cock-

rum families still in Oakland City.