Epworth Cemetery

Submitted by PATRICIA A. ROBINSON COLE. For additional list of people buried in this cemetery, click here, for Tamara's page. Make sure you scroll down to the middle of her page.

Dear Marsha, and Tamara:
I have so much information on the Epworth United Methodist Church Cemetery. Also known as the Epworth Cemetery. It goes back about 20 years, give or take. I have decided to organize my facts, by year. Beginning with my first contacts with the church and coming forward to the present time. I have copies of court records. I went to Indianapolis to the Health Department and researched their records. I have some copies of the required permits to move the bodies and reinter them.

When the Cemetery was originally dismantled the church was required to get permission from Indianapolis and through the courts. I have most, if not all, of that. I do understand what you have published on your sites is probably the best information that was available to you. It has caused me to realize the people who were buried there, and their families, deserve to have the details of what happened to this cemetery, their remains, and markers told. Their final resting place was paid for to help fund the church, and for them to be buried on what should have been believed to be sacred ground. In my heart I feel that the spirits of the deceased cry out for justice. The only "justice" there may be is in the telling of their story. I see my putting their circumstances in writing as speaking for them.

The headstones from the Epworth United Methodist Church Cemetery, were moved twice prior to their final move and destruction by the church. I know, for fact, the bodies of Isaac N. Shelton and his wife: Mary Hellen Hall Williams Shelton, and the deceased names listed on the monument I saved, were never removed from the ground. The son of Isaac and Mary: Homer Shelton went to the cemetery the day bodies were to be moved and he would not allow those graves to be disturbed. His daughter (my cousin), Laura Shelton Fetscher and I had conversations about this event. She remembered her dad, Homer, doing just what I said. Laura, another cousin, and I are the ones who paid to have Rose Hill Cemetery. pour the cement pad that our monument was put on, by the church. The only reason the church did this for us, is because I raised so much fuss about what was done. Like disrespectfully dumping all those beautiful markers at the bottom of the hill in Rose Hill. They were treated like they were unwanted garbage. As I said before, Rose Hill did not agree for the Epworth Church Deacons to do that. Rose Hill did cause the church to immediately remove them from their cemetery property. Which Rose Hill is to be commended for.

The church ran articles in the Warrick Co. newspapers for families, whose people the markers were from, to come to the new church (Lincoln Ave and Epworth Rd.) and get them. Some family members, I understand did. Others came and got them, then returned them because they didn't know what to do with them after they saved them from the wrecking ball. My monument was retrieved from the bottom of the Rose Hill hill, before the church moved the rest of them to the Epworth United Methodist Church new property. Any stones left, which I understand there was many, were brutalized and buried in a hole in a, so called, memorial space in the front of the church. A flower garden was built on top of the space. If you were to go there, you would have to look for the flat marker the church placed there.

The church negotiated with Rose Hill to place the memorial monument that now stands along side the drive way. Again, I stress...there are no remains placed there. The church took pictures of the markers they removed from the old church property, Hwy. 66 and Epworth Roads. The pictures were organized in an album and placed in the Newburgh Public Library.

The Circle "S" gas station and party store now stands where the original Epworth Church Cemetery was located. By the way it is my belief, until I see something different, that the owners of the Circle "S" Corporation were not fully aware of the circumstances of the cemetery when they purchased the Epworth property. I base this on my contacts with the Circle "S" Corporation.

I am telling you this much of what I know because of your cemetery posting on Marsha's Warrick Co. Web., and that of Tamara's Cemetery Lists, with regard to the Epworth Cemetery and Rose Hill Cemetery. It is mis-information that: "The remains of what was found in the graves were moved to a common grave near the entrance of Rose Hill north of Newburgh. There is a marker with the names found in the Epworth cemetery at the grave site in Rose Hill. There may not have been much if anything left after a hundred years or so. I don't think there were any bodies that were moved. Just what bones and remains that could be found in the gravesites."

"Gilbert Schmitt's Note:
Epworth Cemetery only had about 80 people buried there." I believe this statement to be incorrect also. However, I am in the process of gathering the names of those persons who were actually buried in the Epworth Church Cemetery. It is my intention to document each name, as much as is possible. I have a list of names that was provided to me from a minister of the church. I was told the list was made by church persons walking the cemetery and writing off the inscriptions. As genealogists we surly agree the potential is here that not every grave had a marker. Early church records were poorly maintained.

I will appreciate your reply about this E mail to you. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have, while I am in the process of writing the story of the Epworth United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Sincerely, PATRICIA A. ROBINSON COLE

THERE ARE NO LONGER ANY GRAVES AT EPWORTH CEMETERY. THE NAMES BELOW ARE PEOPLE THAT WERE ORIGINALLY INTERRED.

Great Granddaughter of: ISAAC NEWTON SHELTON

Hurley, Frances   Mar 12, 1907 - Nov 17, 1907, 8 mo, child of Ulysses Hurley & Rosa Hall

Hurley, Frank  May 28, 1905 - Jun 22, 1905, 25 days, son of Hyess Hurley -Ulysses & Rosa Hall

Hurley, Infant   Mar 14, 1902 - Mar 20, 1902, 5 days, infant of George Hurley & Lulu Armstrong

Hurley, Lusenda   Nov 18, 1902 - Jan 1, 1903, 1 mo, child of Ulysses Hurley & Rosa Hall

Additional Websites:

Epworth United Methodist Church Cemetery Website

The following images were contributed by Virginia Aldridge. Marsha transcribed as much as possible from these images.

*Names that do not have tombstones attached were taken from the notes of Thomas J. Dillingham, assisted by Barrett Dillingham on 29 Sep 1940, "A List of the Dead".

Bottoms, Elizabeth R. 15 Nov 1832 - 16 Nov 1853, wife of W. E. Bottoms #3

Bottoms, H. d. 21 Feb 1876, son of W.E & C. #15

Bottoms, Helen O. 1 Oct 1835 - 13 Dec 1869, wife of W. E. Bottoms #48

Bottoms, M. L. d. 12 Dec 1872, aged 9m 6d, son of W.E. & G. #18

Bottoms, Mariah  23 Aug 1820 - unk, wife of N. B.

Botttoms, Martha Jane  24 Aug 1825 - 8 Apr 1870, wife of N.B. Bottoms

Bottoms, S. d. 11 Mar 1873, son of W.E. & G, aged 4mo 7d #42

Bottoms, W.E. d. 10 Mar 1876, aged 53y 1m 18d, husband of G. Bottoms #53

Briscoe, C.W. Corporal   Co H. 12th KY Cav

Bristow, Aaron Co. H. 25th Ind Inf #27

Bunch, Jackson  no dates, Co. B. 60 IND Inf.

Cabassos, Mosseliena  Dec 1828 - 8 May 1872, born in Mexico

Carney, Ellia M. 21 Nov 1870 - 14 Apr 1904 #30

Carney, J. M. d. 8 Apr 1867, aged 31yr #16

Carney, John H. 1876? 1918, "Brother" #10

Carney, John R. 1839-1919, "Father" #11, also military marker #18

Carney, Norah H.  1 May 1862 - 19 Aug 1863, Dau of J.M. & M.E.

Carney, Pearl A. 1879-1913, son of J. R. & R. J. Carney #14

Carney, Rebecca J. 1839-1894 "Mother" #13

Carney, William R. no dates, son of J. R. & R. J. Carney #12

Collins, Louisa  22 Jan 1842 - 22 Jan 1861, wife of E. Collins

Collins, Shelby no dates, Co. F., 10th Ind Cav. #6

Collins, Sybel Kinyen  26 Jan 1818 - 1878, wife of W. Collins

Collins, W. W. d. 10 Oct 1870, aged 57y 8m 6d #51

Dukes, J. W.  No dates, Co. F, 65th Ind Inf. #43

Farr, Frank no dates, Co. A., 10th Ind Cav. #7

Fitzjerls, Celie 3 Jun 1811- 14 Nov 1874 #1

Frame, Francis A. d. 15 Apr 1864, aged 19y 9mo 23d, wife of D. M. Frame #24

Frame, Francis A. d 23 Sep 1861, aged 5mo 10d, dau of D. M. & F. A. Frame #19

Gilliland, L. C.  Co. B, 1st IN Cav.

Grayton, Ella Levina  6 Sep 1860 - 25 Aug 1867 [died same day as Solomon]

Grayton, Perry F. 13 Nov 1846 - 20 Jan 1901 #41

Grayton, Solomon  24 Sep 1823 - 25 Aug 1867

Grimm, John C.  d. 1 Sep 1851, 41y

Hall, Mary M. 23 Jul 1824 - 30 Nov 1909, no number listed

Hurley, Elizia  20 Sep 1818 - 1 Oct 1854 #25

Hurley, Green B. 15 Aug 1817 - 12 Oct 1869 #26

Jorden, A.H.  Co E., 65th IN Inf.

Jorden, Anna H. d. 16 Jan 1852, aged 17y 2mo 27d, dau of Samuel & Amy Jorden #47

Jorden, Frances  14 Jun 1821 - 13 Jun 1883 #40C

Jorden, J. C. b. 19 Jun 1816 - not carved 40B

Jorden, Mary A. 1 Mar 1822 - 9 Jul 1853 #40A

Kearney, Catherine 8 Jun 1820 - 5 Apr 1907 #45

Kearney, W. E.  Co. F 12 KY Cav.

Lane, Jesse 21 Sep 1779- 8 Sep 1851, Minister of the General Baptist Church, No number

Lenn, America  1832 - 1871, wife of T.J.

Lenn, T. J.  13 Sep 1832 - 29 Jul 1890

Louisa, wife of E. broken marker, bottom half missing #29

Lucas, Charles, Lt. no dates, Co. H. 25th IN Inf.

Lucas, Sarah J.  11 Oct 1839 - 12 Mar 1915, wife of Charles #44

Miller, Carlie J. 16 Aug 1897 - 16 Mar 1899 #37

Miller, Eva M. 18 Feb 1896 - 8 Aug 1896 #38

Miller, Thomas   Co C. 60 IN Inf.

Mosselien cabasso? Dec 1828 - 8 May 1872 #28

Nix, Wilford W.  d. 19 Sep 1878, son of Jas W. & M.E., 18ys 11m 2d

Phillips, Janie 1868 - 1901 #4

Pico, Mary  13 May 1842 - 22 Jan 1876, wife of Charles

Priest, Melittia  23 Mar 1848 - 16 Jul 1853

Ringer, Eardean   No dates, dau of J.R. & R. J. Carney

Shelton, I. S. 27 Sep 1842 - 16 Mar 1910, no number, shares stone with Isaac N.

Shelton, Isaac Newton 27 Sep  1842 - 16 May 1910, shares stone with I.S., no number as it is in a cemetery

Shelton, Mary H. 23 Jun 1851 - 24 Mar 1936, no number

Skaggs, Charles A. 21 Mar 1869 - 4 Jan 1887 #39, [son of F.M., died 3 days before F.M.]

Skaggs, F. M.  18 Jul 1837 - 7 Jan 1887, Co K, 4th IN Cav.

Sutton, Martha J. d. 23 Dec 1886, aged 52y, wife of Michael J. Sutton #46

VanBibber, John died 1859, aged about 35y #52

VanBiber, William H. 2 Oct 1835 - 17 Nov 1856 #50

Vann, Infant of Wm.  d. Mar 12, 1900, age 14d, see Shafer Funeral Home Records

Walker, Ora  25 Dec 1883 - 16 Feb 1893, son of M.E.

Williams, Ada B. 18 Jul 1870 - 26 Mar 1877 shares marker with Jas. E. & Laura G., no number, closer view, located in cemetery

Williams, Daniel  no dates 24yrs

Williams, E. W. shares stone with Jas E.

Williams, Eva  20 Aug 1875 - 27 Mar 1892, no number, located in cemetery

Williams, Francese  d. 16 Feb 1867, dau of J.M. & H. Williams

Williams, H. J.  Co H, 25th IN Inf.

Williams, Harriett 12 Dec 1812 - 23 Dec 1875, shares stone with Sherman

Williams, Henry A. 1 Oct 1844 - 26 Mar 1850, 5y 5m 16d, son of J. M. & H. Williams, no number

Williams, Hial  no dates, 33yrs

Williams, James E. 14 Mar 1845 - 16 Oct 1879, shares stone with Ada B. & Laura G., closer view

Williams, Jas E, shares stone with E.W.

Williams, John 27 May 1860 - 21 Mar 1864, no number, son of J.M & H.

Williams, Laura G. 31 Jan 1879 - 26 Mar 1886, shares stone with Jas E., Ada B., no number, located in cemetery

Williams, Loran no dates, 17yrs

Williams, Mary C. 15 Oct 1832 - 6 Feb 1876, wife of E. L. Williams, no number

Williams, Milton B. d. 1 Oct 1852, aged 5yr 1mo 10d, son of J. M. & H. Williams, no number

Williams, Sarah D.  27 May 1808 - 3 Feb 1847

Williams, Sherman 8 Nov 1804 - 3 Aug 1853, shares stone with Harriett, has black fabric behind it for the picture, appears to be in a cemetery