"Martin Boots, the first white man to enter land in Grant County - October 19, 1825 - gave two acres of land on this side of the town for burial purposes. He deeded one more acre to the county and by common consent another acre was added to it. No record was ever made of this transaction. The Marion School Board came into possession of it by bidding it in at a Sheriff's sale for one dollar. The bones of Martin Boots and others were removed to the Friend's or what is now called the I.O.O.F. Cemetery." -Whitson's History page 9 The Martin Boots Junior High School and the Horace Mann Grade School have been erected on the site of this old burial ground. The tombstones were removed to the I.O.O.F. Cemetery and stand in the eastern part of the old Friend's burial plot. The location of this Boots Cemetery was on the Third Street hill in White's Addition of the City of Marion. Copied from Marion Chronicle April 21, 1869: "The old graveyard on the hill west of town is suffering desecrations that are not very creditable to those having relatives and friends buried in it. The fence is open and stock ranges over the graves at will----browsing the shrubbery and breaking down the gravestones. We trust steps will be taken to properly enclose this 'silent city of the dead' and prevent its further desecration." Copied from Marion Chronicle September 8, 1869: "A substantial fence has been placed around the old cemetery west of town. A commendable improvement considering the desecration heretofore caused by stock ranging through the hallowed place at will." The files of the Marion Chronicle for the year of 1883 contain some data concerning the Boots Cemetery which is of more than passing interest. We are not certain how this list of names was obtained but it could be that the town clerk took the names only from the stones and all other items are lost except as they may appear on the stones in the Odd Fellow. Marion Chronicle April 5, 1883: "At a recent meeting of the town council it was resolved to complete the vacation of the graveyard on the hill west of town. It is now necessary to obtain the names of all who are buried there and after that is done a notice of four weeks will have to be given to the relatives of the dead to remove them and in case they do not, the town will have to buy some ground in the new cemetery and remove the bodies, and after that is done make a record showing the name and number of the grave so that the relatives can find them in case they so desire. It is my duty as town clerk to obtain the names of the dead. I have been diligent and have so far succeeded in getting the following: (The following list is as it appeared in the DAR books. At the end of this article I will include all the people listed in alphabetical order. This first list may be what was obtained by reading the stones. We shall never really know for sure.) John Gilbert Mark Hodge Lewis H. Hummel Mary Ann Sullivan Nellie Dodd Chas. Hummel Anna Sullivan W.S. Hall Elias Hummel Mrs. Mary Goldthait Mrs. Mary Doyle W.H. Hummel William Wallace Sarah Meek G.W. Hummel Mrs. Catharine Wallace Hannah Murray Josephene Hummel Leona Wonderly Abraham Murray David Cubberly Mrs. Miranda Secrist Rosannah Elliott Manerva Dunn L.H. Doty Medora Wallace _____ Cubberly Evaline Hummell Clark Cubberly Margaret Dunn John M Flinn Avline Ladd Rev. Alfred Haws David B. Gray Diana Barrington Clarence Haws Amedia J. Gray Mrs. Eleanor Sherwood Francis E. Haws Jno. W. Gray John Bruss Thomas Watson Mrs. Jacob Streib Lorina R. Sherwood Martin Jones Jacob Streib Zimri Winchell Anna Hall Mrs Lorina Thompson John McMahon James Love Martin Gingery Mrs. Mary Brownlee Charles Broderick Edwin Pilcher William Brownlee C.S. Broderick _____ Pilcher John M. Brownlee _____ Pilcher Viola Brownlee L.B. Rogers Charles A. Westfall Eleanor Turner _____ Westfall Nathaniel West Andrew Gregg Mary Welsh William Gregg _____ Welsh _____ Gregg Edward Crouch Mrs. Amanda Maul Madison L. Ink Hiram Knott Hendricks Mrs. Madison L. Ink Alice Hendricks _____ Ink David E. Hendricks Charles Ink Mrs. Hetty A. Hendricks N.A. Hodge Rebecca A. Jones Geo. W. Hendricks Anetta Rea Hetty A. Hendricks John Hendricks C.C. Hendricks Curtis H. Butler Elizabeth Broderick Julia Ann Boots w/o Martin Boots Martin Boots Mrs. Amanda Boots Henry Hecathorn George R. Simpson Jas. L. Simpson Henry T. Horton Rosetta Horton _____ Horton Henrietta Swayzee Elizabeth Hummel We invite all who know the names of persons buried in the old yard not named above to come forward and leave the names at the Chronicle office. We intend to leave the list about two weeks and will each time present the corrected list. Please, help us. Marion Chronicle Apr. 13, 1883: "Mr. Chas. Ink of Jonesboro handed us the name of Ezra C. Ink left out of our list of names on the inhabitants of our old cemetery. Ezra C. Ink was one of the old citizens of Marion and in about 1848 or '49 published a paper called the 'Whig Thermometer.' It was of course a red hot Whig paper and the mercury stood at 112 about all the time winter or summer." "Mr. Lewis Foster handed us the following list of names to be added to the list: Mrs. Phebe Hess wife of Rolla Hess, Mrs. Jane Berry wife of Jonathan Berry, Mrs. Mary Jarrett wife of James Jarrett, E.S. Trask and son, Enoch Hendricks, Mrs.Enoch Hendricks mother of Enoch, Mrs. Emily Woods Horton, Mrs. Wm. Winninger." Marion Chronicle Apr. 20, 1883: "Mr. Hobaugh adds to list of cemetery, James Murray and Benjamin Morgan who died in 1845." (NOTE: From Peggy A. Dick 4/26/98 see Bocock/Hobaugh Cem. reading. Boots Cemetery: In regard to notice in Chronicle Apr. 20, 1883--Mr. Hobaugh adds to list-James Murray and Benjamin Morgan who died in 1845. James Murray was married in 1843 to Lydia Hobaugh, dau of George and Elizabeth Hobaugh; Benjamin Morgan was married in 1841 to Rachael Hobaugh, also a dau of George and Elizabeth Hobaugh.) This ends all references on the subject in the Marion Chronicle for the year 1883. We presume that the list of names was copied from stones in the cemetery and that not all could be deciphered. This would account for some of the blank spaces found in the first list. A relative would surely have known the given name of the deceased. Many graves were in all probability without a marker, hence much of this was done by memory. Some of the stones were taken to the Marion I.O.O.F. Cemetery and placed in rows regardless of their place in the original plot. Others were removed by relatives and occupy a space in a family lot. Mrs. Ezra Modlin supplies the names of two Pilcher children. These come from an old sampler in her possession. The children having died soon after coming to Marion from their home in Ohio. Robert G. Pilcher born Oct. 12, 1832, Aramintia S. Pilcher born Nov. 3, 1834 and Cecellia I. born Dec. 27, 1843. No one knows which names should be placed in the blanks before the two Pilcher blanks. This is what the DAR wrote in the 1940's. Many stories have arisen from the move of this cemetery. Claim was made that they had no right to move the cemetery. It was on land donated by Martin Boots, to the town of Marion for the purpose of a cemetery. The school burned down twice that I know of, not counting other things that have happened on this sacred ground. Voices have been heard throughout the many years after this was done. I have also heard that not all the bodies were moved. The long trench that was dug, in the I.O.O.F. cemetery was an atrocious idea. The city evidently dug up the remains of all that were buried in Boots Cemetery and placed them in a long trench at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery. What stones that were found were just placed along that trench, with no regard to who the person was or where he might have been buried in the trench. The curse of White's Hill believers say was put on by Mr. Boots when he and his family were tossed out to make room for the school. Barrington, Gray, Diana Amedia J. Berry, David B. Mrs. Jane w/o Jonathan Jno. W. Boots, Gregg, Julia w/o Martin Andrew Martin born 1777 died 13 Sep. 1842 William Mrs. Amanda __?__ Broderick, Hall, Charles Anna C.S. W.S. Elizabeth Haws, Brownlee, Clarence John M. Francis E. Mrs. Mary Rev. Alfred Viola Hecathorn, William Henry Butler, Hendricks, Curtis H. Alice Crouch, C.C. Edward David E. Cubberly, Enoch Clark Geo. W. David Hetty A. __?__ Hiram Knott Dodd, John Nellie Mrs. Enoch mother of Enoch Doty, Mrs. Hetty A. L.H. Hess, Doyle, Mrs. Phebe w/o Rolla Mrs. Mary Hodge, Dunn, Mark Manerva N.A. Margaret Horton, Elliott, Henry T. Rosannah Mrs. Emily Woods Flinn, Rosetta John M. __?__ Gilbert, Hummel, John Chas. Gingery, Elias Martin Elizabeth Goldthait, G.W. Mrs. Mary Josephene Hummel, Secrist, Lewis H. Mrs. Miranda W.H. Sherwood, Hummell, Lorina R. Evaline Simpson, Jarrett, George R. Mrs. Mary w/o James Jas. L. Jones, Streib, Martin Jacob Rebecca A. Sullivan, Ink, Anna Charles Mary Ann Ezra C. Swayzee, Madison L. Henrietta Mrs. Madison L. Thompson, __?__ Mrs. Lorina Ladd, Trask, Avline E.S. Love, son of E.S. James Turner, Maul, Eleanor Mrs. Amanda Wallace, McMahon, Medora John Mrs. Catherine Meek, William Sarah Watson, Morgan, Thomas Benjamin died in 1845 Welsh, Murray, Mary Abraham __?__ Hannah West, James Nathaniel Pilcher, Westfall, Aramintia S. born Nov. 3, 1834 Charles A. Cecellia I. born Dec. 27, 1843 __?__ Edwin Winchell, Robert G. born Oct. 12, 1832 Zimri __?___ (these two blanks may be Winninger, __?___ listed above) Mrs. Wm. Rea, Wonderly, Anetta Leona Rogers, L.B.
I visited the Boots Cemetery in June of 1994. This is over 100 years since the bodies were reinterred at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery. One thing I found, that should be noted here, is they are in Section 18 of the 2nd Addition of the I.O.O.F. cemetery. This is not the Friend's section, as has been said previously. There are 29 gravemarkers there in three separate rows. Either many bodies were moved elsewhere or there weren't very many stones left at the time of the move. Families were grouped together, at least the stones were lined up as such. I read that the records of the I.O.O.F. cemetery were burned in 1895. This would account for the loss of records for the Boots Cemetery, since it was moved in 1883. Incidentally I also read where this cemetery was changed to the I.O.O.F. in 1865. This means the Friends Cemetery existed, as such, from about 1832 until 1865. The additions would almost have to have been made as part of the I.O.O.F. Why it was said that the Boots Cemetery was moved to the Friends Section of the I.O.O.F., is beyond me. It is very clear this cemetery is a part of the 2nd Addition of the I.O.O.F. I believe many of the bodies were evidently moved by the living relatives to other parts of the cemetery or even to other cemeteries. I have seen a few of the other people listed in the original lists, elsewhere. This would account for so few being in this tiny little section. I grew up about a block from where the Boots Cemetery used to be. I attended the Martin Boots Junior High School. Many stories were told of the ghosts from this cemetery. Anything strange that happened would be blamed on the old cemetery. Now the schools are gone, and in there place is a retirement home for the elderly, named in honor of Martin Boots, but I'm sure the stories still abound. BOOTS CEMETERY
Barrington, Dianna died May 14, 1859 aged 46y.2m.3d. Boots, Amanda J. wife of Caleb S. Boots died Oct. 6, 1851 aged 19y.8m.23d. James D. son of C.S. & Amanda J. Boots died Dec. 13, 1851 aged 2m.8d. Martin died Sept. 13, 1842 aged 65 years. Broderick, Caleb S. son of George & Asnath Broderick died June 23, 1847 aged 5y.10m.21d. Charles A. son of George & Asnath Broderick died June 28, 1847 aged 2y.6m.23d. Elizabeth dau of George & Asnath Broderick died Oct. 31, 1852 aged 16y.4m.16d. Darby, Leonidus H. son of W.S. & R.Y. Darby died Apr. 13, 1853 aged 11m.27d. Elliott, Rosannah wife of Rees or Ross Elliott died Oct. 6, 1849 aged 39 years. Finkle, William Berry son of J.P. & Rachel Finkle born Mar. 13, 1845 in Centrev. Pa. died Mar. 18, 1848. "In memory of" Gray, Arminda J. dau of Wm. & J. Gray died Sep. 12, 1854 aged 1y.7m.10d. John W. son of Wm. & J. Gray died Nov. 13, 1855 aged 11y.5m.13d. Gregg, Andrew J. son of Wm. & Lydia Gregg died Aug. 18, 1849 aged 10m.8d. William son of Wm. & Lydia Gregg died Jan. 18, 1848 aged 3y.27d. Hall, William S. son of Stephen & Betsey Hall died Nov. 19, 1844 aged 23y.25d. Hodge, William A. son of John & Susannah F. Hodge born Dec 27, 1844 died Jan. 15, 1853 aged 8y.19d. Ink, Ezra C. died Oct. 9, 1854 in the 26 year of his age Onely son of Aaron B. & Sally A. Ink Madison died Aug. 14, 1856 aged 35y.4m. Nancy Ann wife of Madison L. Ink died __?__ (Stone broken and part of it is missing.) Maul, Amanda wife of Charles Maul died Jun. 2, 1850 aged 28y.5m.8d. McMahon, John died Sept. 25, 1844 aged 69y.6m.9d. Murray, Abraham died June 30, 1855 aged 75 years Hannah died Oct. 12, 1847 aged 58 years Rea, Annetta dau of Lewis & Martha Rea died Feb 3, 1848 aged 1y.9m.27d. Sherwood, Eleanor wife of James Sherwood died Mar. 3, 1858 in the 66 year of her age Lovina R. dau of J. & E. Sherwood died Mar. 10, 1857 aged 11m.13d. Wallace, Medora A. died Oct. 23, 1846 aged 3 mo. "Tis a fearful thing to love What death may touch and time may change" Wonderley, Leona E. dau of J. & M.A. Wonderley died Apr. 5, 1853 aged 1m.23d. ________, One stone totally obliterated of any information.
...Original page by Sheila D. Watson
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