White Oak Cemetery

The White Oak Cemetery located in Section 3 of Jackson Township, Jay County was the final resting place for many of the early pioneer families that settled the Indian lands that were originally Miami, Potawatomis, Wyandottes, Senecas and Shawnees. The cemetery was being used for nearly 50 years before the church (Quaker Meeting House) was built nearby. The cemetery served the area settlers and was not specifically aligned with a particular denomination. The earliest landowner on which the cemetery lies was most likely John Engle, and that was the reason it was originally named the Engle Cemetery.

White Oak      (From Ghost Towns of Jay County p.34 Compliled by Miriam Edmundson 1978)

"In Mrs. DePoy’s report she has it located on the corner of CR 14 and CR 99. I suspect it was on the corner of CR 14 and CR 109, or where there was once a road that extended east from where CR 14 now stops.

In this hamlet there was a grocery store with a post office, a one room school house, and a church with a cemetery. The church was Orthodox Quaker. As far as I know the school house (abandoned) and the cemetery are still there."

White Oak Church

                     White Oak Church (photo circa 1910)

The White Oak Church was Orthodox Quaker (Friends) and was established in 1894 as a meeting house that split off its parent organization in Portland. The church lasted about 66 years and ended in 1963. On some references the White Oak Church is listed as being located in Adams County, however it was always in Jay County. The Adams – Jay County line is just 1750 feet north of the church building. Since 2003 I have been looking for a photo of the church. In December 2009 I received an email from Diane Payne who had visited this website. She asked around her family and found the above photo, probably the only known picture of the church. The photo back has “about 1910” written on it. Thank you to Diane for allowing all of us to step back in time - enjoy the photo!

Note: The vintage automobile in the foreground has been identified as a 1907 Northern produced by Northern Manufacturing Company in Detroit, Michigan.

Why I researched the White Oak Cemetery

My Jackson Township ancestor, Isaac Shively and family moved to Jackson Township by 1866 (from Smithfield, located in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Indiana). Isaac Shively was a common man who moved to Jay County to raise his family and farm a 40 acre plot of land located 1 mile East of the White Oak Cemetery. While studying Isaac’s family and the surrounding neighbor’s history I made an interesting discovery. Click here.

State of the Cemetery  (August 2003 visit)

When I last visited the cemetery the entrance was not marked and somewhat difficult to find. The lane was thick and overgrown (summer time) and runs about 670ft north where it opens into roughly a 150ft x 150ft clearing in the thick woods. The path was very rough and narrow and barely passable (even with my rental car)!

The cemetery had not been maintained and it was very hard to get a good idea of size, number of graves and how it was laid out. Within the waist high grass and weeds, I found a pile of tombstones and toe stones next to a brush pile.

If you plan to visit the cemetery during the summer time you absolutely have to have mosquito repellant – the “Loblolly skeeters” are nearly the size of bats!

Near the road I searched but could not find any remnants of where the church once stood.

Survey of reading the tombstones  (From Jay County Genealogical Society - Survey Undated)

Veterans shown in red
Earliest recorded burial - April 1846 (James McDowell)

B
Barlow, Henry		Co. B 1 Wis H. A.
Barnes, Michael		d. January 5, 1882 73y 5m 4d
Brown, Benney D.		Infant son of J. D. & C. b. March 7, 1873 d. March 13, 1873
Brown, Catharine Stricklen		Wife of J. Davis born in Madison County Ohio on August 5, 1835; d. March 7, 1900; 66y 7m 7d
Brown, J. Davis		Born in Burlington County, NJ on September 8, 1833 d. July 8, 1912 78y 10m
Brown, Willie A.		Infant son of J. D. & C, b. March 7, 1873 d. September 12, 1873
C
Cookerly, Catharine		Wife of George 1839-1907
Cookerly, Charlie		Son of G. W. & C. d. August 27, 1876 10m 27d
Cookerly, George W.		1839-1907
Cookerly, Willie		Son of G. W. & C. d. January 18, 1874 4y 6m 12d
D
Daily, Ellsworth		Son of A. M. & M. A. d. June 15, 1895 1m 13d
Daily, Lepha E.		Daughter of A. M. & M. A. d. June 12, 1897 7m 12d
Daily, M .A.		Wife of A. M. d. January 16, 1897 24y 10m 29d
Depew, Charles		Son of J. A. & S. J. Depew d. July 22, 1880 26d
Depew, John		PVT. Co. B. 71 Ohio Infantry Civil War March 3, 1846 - April 6, 1915
Depew, Sarah		Wife of J. A. Depew d. July 24, 1890 27y 4m 25d
Dixon, Henry		Son of J. & M. Dixon d. August 27, 1854 18d
Dixon, Lemuel		Son of J. & M. Dixon d. March 18, 1855 ly 9m 23d
Dixon, Mary		Wife of John Dixon d. August 19, 1854 22y 8m 84
Downey, Rebecca		Wife of Michel Downey d. July 7, 1864 21y 7m 12d
E
Engle, Elizabeth		Daughter of L. & E. Engle d. May 25, 1847 1m 21d
Engle, Elizabeth		Daughter of W. & E. A. d. December 17, 1866 7y 8m 4d
Engle, Elizabeth		Wife of Lemuel d. October 27, 1869 64y 9m 16d
Engle, Emeline		Daughter of Wm. & E. A. d. April 27, 1871 2y 1m 14d
Engle, Emly		1841-1904
Engle, Jackson		Son of D. & L. Engle d. August 6, 1855 ly 3m 10d
Engle, Jonas		Son of D. & L. Engle d. December 26, 1859 2y 11m 15d
Engle, Jonas		Son of L. & E. Engle a member of Co. A. 47 Reg Ind. Inf Vol. Died in the service of his country in St. Louis July 11, 1863 24y 10m 20d
Engle, Lemuel		d. March 16, 1867 26y 11m 30d
Engle, Lemuel		d. May 13, 1877 67y 2m
Engle, Lemuel V.		d. 1859- 1897 (Father)
Engle, Mary E.		Daughter of J. D. & L. Engle d. August 6, 1862 ly 7m 3d
Engle, Valentine		Son of L. & E. Engle d. October 19, 1851 ly 10m 24d
Engle, William		b. 1835 d. ??
Evans, Anna D.		1874- 1927
Evans, Floyd L.		Infant of J. & A. b. August 31, 1905 d. February 24, 1906
Evans, John W.		1873- 1914
Evans, Thurman		Son of John & Anna d. September 23, 1907 10m
Evans, Infant		Infant of J. & A. Evans September 9, 1904 1y 1m 4d
F
Farmer, Jubel H.		d. December 17, 1895 72y 6m 12d
Farmer, Mary		d. Wife of J. H. d. April 8, 1899 69y 2m 294
G
Garton, Ida B.		Daughter of J. & C. d. February 23, 1882 26y 1md
H
Haltermon, Dixon		d. December 5, 1881 2y 4m 16d
Haltermon, Dixon		d. October 5, 1851 22y 11m 8d
Haltermon, E. D.		d. March 10, 1874 2m 22d
Haltermon, Elizabeth		Wife of Jackson d. April 1, 1907 58y 3d
Haltermon, Henry		d. March 6, 1856 52y 4m 13d
Haltermon, Jackson		Co. A. 47th In. Inf. d. January 22, 1881 40y 5m
Haltermon, Lorinda		d. November 16, 1881 6y 9m 25d
Haltermon, Mary		Wife of Henry d. May 7, 1872 74y 10m 23d
Haltermon, O.H.		d. October 5, 1866 1m 26d
Haltermon, Pearl M.		Daughter of J. & L. d. January 20, 1901 2m 5d
Haltermon, Esther A.		b. July 8, 1889 d. February 20, 1905
Haltermon, Ora V.		b. January 24, 1885 d. August 24, 1904
Husher, William		Son of G. M. & M. E.
K
Karney, Alice A.		Wife of Charles d. June 26, 1894 21y 1m 24d
Karney, Garnet Fay		Daughter of David & Sallie R. d. September 24, 1905 3m 11d
Karney, Hazel B.		Daughter of Charles & Alice d. June 27, 1894 9m 24d
Karney, Infant		Infant son of Charles & Alice 4. February 7, 1892
Karney, Mary L.		b. April 11, 1903 d. April 12, 1903
Karney, Arthur J.		Son of Noah & Mary d. November 11, 1897 ly 21d
Kiser, Estella		Son of Wife of C. 1890-1908
Kiser, Leo D.		Son of Noah & Mary d. July 7, 1900 ly 6m 2d
L
Landress, Elmo		Son of G. & E. Karney b. August 31, 1904 d. September 4, 1904
Mc
McDowell, David		Son of William & Reb d. July 9, 1849
McDowell, Edward		Son of J. & J. d. October 30, 1859 1y 4m 15d
McDowell, Jacob M.D.		b. September 8, 1829 d. December 18, 1905 76y 3m 10d
McDowell, James		Son of W. & R. McDowell d. April 1, 1846 6y 5m 14d
McDowell, Judith Cecil		Wife of Jacob b. March 7, 1837 d. November 14, 1863 26y 8m 7d
McDowell, Nancey		Wife of Wm. d. November 1, 1853
McDowell, Rebecca		Wife of Wm. McDowell d. September 11, 1875 69y 10m 12d
McDowell, Samuel		Son of Wm. & Rebecca McDowell d. March 4, 1848
McDowell, Samuel		Son of Wm. & N. d. November 1, 1853 4m 1d
McDowell, Thurman E.		Son of J. B. & L. M. d. August 9, 1893 7d
McDowell, William		d. May 2, 1862 29y 8m 13d
McDowell, William		d. December 26, 1862 59y 11m 8d
McFarland, Alice E.		Daughter of E. J. & B. E. d. April 21, 1897 27y 4m 28d
McFarland, Elias		Co. G 153 Ind. Inf d. June 5, 1884 64y 1m 14d
McVoy, Edward		Son of J. & M. d. July 11, 1859 3m
McVoy, Henry		Son of J. & M. d. July 12, 1876 14y
McVoy, John		d. November 15, 1878 48y
McVoy, Martha M.		d. Wife of J. d. March 9, 1874 37y
McVoy, Randolph		Son of J. & M. d. January 10, 1872 7y 4m 3d
McVoy, William		b. June 5, 1871 d. April 14, 1898 26y 10m 9d
M
Marton, James H.		Son of H. & C. d. September 15, 1884 21y 11m 11d
Miller, Bertie Smith		Son of W. D. & M. E. Miller d. October 13, 1893 2y 3m 11d
Miller, Daniel		b. May 20, 1847 d. September 21, 1921 74y 4m 1d
Miller, Eliza		Daughter of D. & H. d. May 1, 1855 18y 4m 6d
Miller, Emma Ialene		Daughter of Jacob & Mary M. 1919-1920
Miller, Linna L.		Daughter of Daniel & Sarah Miller d. February 1, 1871 1m 23d
Miller, Sarah Jane		Wife of Daniel d. September 20, 1905 59y 19d
N
North, Catharine		b. February 5, 1829 d. April 12, 1890 61y 2m 7d
North, Earl V.		Son of H. & F. d. August 27, 1892 4m 24d
North, Infant		Infant son of H. & F. d. November 18, 1890
North, Infant		Infant son of H & F. d. August 31, 1879
North, Leroy		Son of H. & F. d. January 1, 1888 7y 5m 18d
North, Zachariah		b. February 24, 1829 d. September 29, 1905 76y 7m 5d
P
Potter, Cora		Wife of Wm. d. December 24, 1903 31y 6d
Preston, Dollie A.		Wife of Theodore M. Preston d. May 23, 1897 39y 6m 7d
R
Rice, Cora M.		Infant daughter of A. & M. A. d. May 29, 1877
Rice, Martha A.		Wife of Alfred & daughter of M. & C. Barnes May 8, 1878 26y 7m 18d
S
Simmons, Infant		Infant daughter of J. B. & L. d. September 26, 1898 5d
Sprunger, Reuben A.		b. January 9, 1917 d. February 12, 1921
Stout, Mary		Daughter of J. & E. d. May 16, 1905 1d
Swank, Charles L.		d. September 10, 1894 24y 6m 26d
Swank, John		Son of J. & L. 1882
Swank, John		1845-1918
Swank, Lucinda		1843-1931
W
Wells, Emma Viola		Wife of Jesse Wells daughter of John A. Depew d. April 7, 1908, 17y 6m 13d
Wilson, Flora B.		1875-1897
Wilson, Francis M.		Son of J. & I. d. October 5, 1851 4m 20d
Wilson, Luis		b. January 18, 1830 d. November 23, 1899
Wilson, Mary		b. May 14, 1833 d. February 5, 1872
Wilson, Mary C. (Mollie)		1868-1905
Wilson, Rachel A.		Daughter of J. & L d. September 27, 1853 7y 6m 15d
Wilson, Rebecca		Daughter of J. & 1. d. September 28, 1850 14y 6m 5d
Wilson, Thomas		Son of J. & I. d. September 1, 1850
Z
Zent, Eliza Barnes		1854-1937

References

Lewis Publishing Co. Biographical and Historical Record of Jay & Blackford Counties, Ind 1887.

Hesser, Leon F. The Taming of the Wilderness Indiana’s transition from Indian hunting grounds to Hoosier Farmland: 1800-1875 e-book, 2002.

“Plat map of Jay County Indiana” 1874.

Jay County Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.

Montgomery, M.W. History of Jay County Indiana, 1864.

Edmundson, Miriam Ghost Towns of Jay County, 1978.

Quaker Meetings in Indiana, located at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com.