Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks’ “Remembrances.” You can read more of Sylvia’s columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove.
Among the papers, documents and church books given to the Township Historical Society, along with the gift, in 1977, of the Big Run Baptist Church itself, is one regarding the present Big Run Cemetery.
We have learned, through Dana Crapo’s research, something of the history of the site, on the northeast corner of Franklin and Indian Creek Roads, originally a private burying ground owned by Willis Smither, a member of the Big Run church. In 1861 he asked the trustees of the church if they would like to have his burying ground for their cemetery. This they agreed to, and asked him to prepare a paper for the exchange of the property. The Society has the document that he had prepared, and signed with an X, “his mark,”) and the written signature of his second wife, Mary H. Smither, on June 1, 1861. The amount of $20 was paid by the church for the ground, slightly less than an acre.
There were two more burials in 1861, Margaret Davis, a one year old child, in August, and in October, Elizabeth Cochran, a 29 year old wife of A.J. Cochran, neither of the Cochrans, members of the church.
“There were no burials at Big Run in 1862. This was a time of transition from the Smither Ground to the Big Run Cemetery,” Dana writes. “The members needed time to prepare the land for a larger burial space. Probably to cut down some trees, to dig out and burn the stumps, plow the ground to get tree roots and rocks out of the way; fill the stump holes with dirt, and level the ground, adding dirt where needed. The grassy area was leveled nicely with a gentle slope toward Franklin Road to where the top of the road used to be. . . Beginning in 1863 there were seven burials; in 1864, three; and in 1865, nine.”
When Dana gives his talk to people visiting the cemetery, he passes out “maps” that show the various headstones The most recent, buried with special permission are Ray E. Smith 1897-1986 and his wife, Mary H. Smith, 1904-1981. (Ray was a descendent of Samuel Smith who gave the land where the Big Run Baptist Church is located.) They are both listed on one headstone. Their stone marker was not installed until about 1980.
Dana hopes to refine his research on the Big Run Cemetery, and have it available as one of the Society’s publications. Queries and e-mails indicate there is always an interest in searching for one’s ancestors. We all should be proud that Big Run Cemetery as well as the church are listed on the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures, and in the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. (With our thanks to the late former Society President Diana Stevenson and her committee.)