CONNER


This small burial plot is on the hillside to the west of where David Conner built a grist mill on the Mississinewa River. He is said to have been the first white man to have come into Grant County except the soldiers or French explorers and traders. A thick native stone wall about four feet high surrounds this plot. The slab erected first at the Conner grave is eroding and has been replaced by one of modern design.

The above was written by the DAR in the 1940's.

Recently there was an article written in the paper about the Conner Cemetery. I am including information from this article as well as what I found when I visited the site in June of 1994. This cemetery is now located in a subdivision called Avondale. Located in the S.W. 1/4 of the N.E. 1/4 of Section 24 in Pleasant Twp. 25 R.7 E. The street address is 1515 N. Michael Drive. The cemetery is located in the rear of this residence. The stone wall is gone now, as well as the original stones that marked the graves. One could only guess now exactly where they were. One stone marks the graves of four people who are buried here. The newspaper article says there are six people, all members of the Connor family, but only four names are on the stone.

"David Connor was the first white man in Grant County. He built a small house in this area and had Conner's Trading Post along the river, where he traded with the Indians. He'd take the furs to Fort Wayne. The big legend is that he never gave any of his money away. He's said to have taken it and buried it somewhere."

"People would come out and dig for the money, but it apparently was never found. In addition to his trading post, Conner also built a grain mill along the Mississinewa River about three miles northwest of where he is buried. He took a heavily forested area and built a dam out of stone and earth." This second mill would have been the one close to the area of the Mississinewa Battlefield. This also has been changed so much as to hardly be able to recognize it as a mill site. There was a bridge here that went across the river into Jalapa. These pioneers were remarkable people. Not many people today could stand the hardships, toil, and disease these people went through.


Conner,
	David  Aug. 9, 1771 - Aug. 9, 1844
	David son of J. & M. Conner  Nov. 18, 1848 - Nov. 19, 1848
		NOTE:  These two are on the east face of the stone.
	Jeptha  Sep. 20, 1826 - Aug. 6, 1900
	Margaret E. wife of J. Conner  Mar. 18, 1829 - June 15, 1899
		NOTE:  These two are on the west face of the stone.

Notice the difference in the dates on Jeptha. This could probably be checked out with Census and Death Records. But I leave that to the genealogist of the Conner family.
Note: On the 1860 Census Index there is recorded a Jeptha Conner aged 40, born in Indiana and living in Pleasant Twp.

...Original page by Sheila D. Watson

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