BRANSON

	The old Branson Cemetery was located on the west bank of the Mississinewa
River near the home where this pioneer family lived.  By the time the county was
organized there were four Branson men living in it - David and his two sons, Thomas and
Nathan, and Jacob who settled on what was later known as the Joel Overman farm. 
Nathan built a cabin in the fall of 1827 on the present site of the Spencer House.  David's
home was up the river and just beyond the McFeely Bridge.  His daughter, Charity, is said
to have been the first person in the county to die.  This was in the fall of 1826.  Where she
was buried we do not know but it may be a safe guess to say it was in what has been
called for so many years the Branson Graveyard.
	"The Branson Family burial ground was along the river bank near their home and
because the spot was unmarked and had become a commons, Nathan Coggshall, Lewis
Foster and David Overman asked the County Commissioners to protect the spot from the
encroachments of the public by erecting a marker and enclosing the same with an iron
fence.  The sum of $200. was expended in that way.  The river channel has changed and
some believe the Branson graves are washed away but the marker is near the site."
								Whitson's History
	The above was written by the DAR in the 1940's.
	I visited the site in June 1994.  This cemetery is located in the incorporated city
limits of Marion, Indiana.  The graves of the Branson family are located in Center Twp.24
N R. 8 E. in Section 8 along the banks of the Mississinewa River.  The street that runs
parallel with the river in this area is Lincoln Blvd., in about the 900 block.  No one knows
exactly where the graves are located in this area, except one which is only inches from the
street.  This is a concrete covered grave of John A. Collins  1887 - 1930.  He is a
descendent of David Branson.
	Years ago there was a wrought iron fence surrounding this little plot.  But it is
long gone now.   On one side is an abandoned fire station, the city is now using for a bus
barn, and the other side is a private residence.  Someone has recently put up a small
wooden fence to keep city workers from parking on the site.


	There is a rusty sign next to the street, with this inscription on it.

			"David Branson.  Built home on this site 1826.  
			His donation of one half the land for original 
			town plat made possible the founding of Marion 
			as county seat in 1832."