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There are 2 cemeteries in the incorporated boundaries of Whitestown, IN
McCord cemetery in Worth Township
and Lincoln Memory Gardens in Eagle Township.
McCord cemetery - (Whitestown/Worth) external link (more photos & info below)
Lincoln Memory gardens (Whitestown/Eagle twp) exernal link
Other cemeteries nearby include:
Jones Cemetery on Main street (Zionsville/Eagle twp)
Schooler children roadside graves (Zionsville/Eagle twp) 3 markers at Main street & 500 south
The Lutheran cemetery (Union Twp) Resting place of many early Whitestown residents
Mounts Run baptist cemetery (Union twp)
Zionsville cemetery (Zionsville/Eagle twp
Mount Tabor cemetery at Fayette-burial list-PDF
Smith/Thornley cemetery
A list of Boone County cemeteries can be found here
PRESERVING AND PROTECTING A CEMETERY
By Mike Hancock (March 2019)
On December 16, 2016 the town of Whitestown passed Ordinance 2016-47 establishing a planned urban development (PUD) for the private property which included the only cemetery in Worth Township.
I immediately contacted the planning department to ensure they knew of the existence of the cemetery but I was left unconvinced of its level of importance or preservation status.
It was at this time that I took a strong interest in protecting and preserving this nearly forgotten little pioneer cemetery, tucked away in a small woods just outside the heart of the orginal part of Whitestown.
My wife Cheryl and I had visited the cemetery several times over the preceeding years but we never really knew much about it until we started the process of ensuring its preservation.
We found information which suggested that John McCord and Richard Hull had each donated a small piece of their adjoining properties to become a cemetery for some of the earliest settlers of this area, which would later become established as Whitestown in 1851.
The cemetery was established in the early 1840's and would have been recorded at that time, but there was a huge fire in Lebanon in 1856 that resulted in the loss of all county records and some were likely never replaced despite best efforts at the time.
Cheryl and I spent several hours at the courthouse, the library, and exchanging emails with the cemetery division of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources trying to track back through records and land transfers looking for mentions of the cemetery but we could not find the legal document where it had been recorded. If the deeding of the cemetery had been properly recorded, that record was likely lost in the fire of 1856 and never refiled. The cemetery subsequently just melded back into the surrounding property and rejoined the tax rolls as a piece of the larger surrounding private property. Over time, it was mostly forgotten and generally considered abandoned by all but a few who knew of its existence and those who had attempted to perform enough maintenance to keep it from being completely lost.
It was about at this time that I realized this cemetery was unknown in the county records and would very likely not show up in a property search made by a developer, and the last thing I wanted was for this cemetery to end up under a parking lot. I made inquiry of the current owners of the property, thru their attorney, and asked if they would be willing to honor the original wishes of Mr. McCord and Mr. Hull and deed the cemetery over to Worth Township for purposes of preservation and possibly restoration. The response was positive and the process was begun.
The Worth Township Trustee and advisory board gave their approval and support as I endeavored to acquire ownership of the cemetery on behalf of the township.
The first step was to identify the boundaries of the cemetery and have a survey performed to create a legal description for the cemetery. The next step was to identify, legally define, and agree to an easement agreement which would provide us a means of access (which initially will be very limited). Once these pieces were in place, it was time to sign some papers and transfer the deed.
I am now happy to report that the deed transfer occurred on February 22, 2019 and the Worth Township Trustees office now officially holds the deed to McCord Cemetery, an act about 176 years in the making.
The earliest burial appears to be that of Thomas J. McCord who died on September 23, 1841
at the age 3 years, 6 months, 18 days.
The last burial appears to be that of Elizabeth Nease who died on February 27, 1888
at the age of 79 years, 5 months, 27 days.
There does appear to be some discrepancy as to the actual number of souls buried in McCord cemetery,
which appears to be between 44 and 54.
This entire process took nearly two years but I believe it was well worth every minute. I want to thank my wife Cheryl Hancock for all of her assistance and support. I want to say a huge thank you to the Spaulding family for making this donation and honoring that agreement from so many years ago. Thank you to the attorneys Melissa Garrard and Steve Unger for your legal expertise. Thank you to the Worth Township Trustee Jim Baldwin and the advisory board members for acknowledging the importance of our history and allowing me to pursue this action. Thank you Janice West for providing most of the historical information I learned about the cemetery and its burials. Thank you Nikki Baldwin in the Boone County Recorders office for your assistance and guidance digging thru all those old records. Thank you Indiana DNR for your assistance, guidance, and review of your historic files. Thank you Hause Surveying & Engineering in Lebanon for coming out and slopping around in the mud to perform the survey.
By Mike Hancock (March 2019)
On December 16, 2016 the town of Whitestown passed Ordinance 2016-47 establishing a planned urban development (PUD) for the private property which included the only cemetery in Worth Township.
I immediately contacted the planning department to ensure they knew of the existence of the cemetery but I was left unconvinced of its level of importance or preservation status.
It was at this time that I took a strong interest in protecting and preserving this nearly forgotten little pioneer cemetery, tucked away in a small woods just outside the heart of the orginal part of Whitestown.
My wife Cheryl and I had visited the cemetery several times over the preceeding years but we never really knew much about it until we started the process of ensuring its preservation.
We found information which suggested that John McCord and Richard Hull had each donated a small piece of their adjoining properties to become a cemetery for some of the earliest settlers of this area, which would later become established as Whitestown in 1851.
The cemetery was established in the early 1840's and would have been recorded at that time, but there was a huge fire in Lebanon in 1856 that resulted in the loss of all county records and some were likely never replaced despite best efforts at the time.
Cheryl and I spent several hours at the courthouse, the library, and exchanging emails with the cemetery division of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources trying to track back through records and land transfers looking for mentions of the cemetery but we could not find the legal document where it had been recorded. If the deeding of the cemetery had been properly recorded, that record was likely lost in the fire of 1856 and never refiled. The cemetery subsequently just melded back into the surrounding property and rejoined the tax rolls as a piece of the larger surrounding private property. Over time, it was mostly forgotten and generally considered abandoned by all but a few who knew of its existence and those who had attempted to perform enough maintenance to keep it from being completely lost.
It was about at this time that I realized this cemetery was unknown in the county records and would very likely not show up in a property search made by a developer, and the last thing I wanted was for this cemetery to end up under a parking lot. I made inquiry of the current owners of the property, thru their attorney, and asked if they would be willing to honor the original wishes of Mr. McCord and Mr. Hull and deed the cemetery over to Worth Township for purposes of preservation and possibly restoration. The response was positive and the process was begun.
The Worth Township Trustee and advisory board gave their approval and support as I endeavored to acquire ownership of the cemetery on behalf of the township.
The first step was to identify the boundaries of the cemetery and have a survey performed to create a legal description for the cemetery. The next step was to identify, legally define, and agree to an easement agreement which would provide us a means of access (which initially will be very limited). Once these pieces were in place, it was time to sign some papers and transfer the deed.
I am now happy to report that the deed transfer occurred on February 22, 2019 and the Worth Township Trustees office now officially holds the deed to McCord Cemetery, an act about 176 years in the making.
The earliest burial appears to be that of Thomas J. McCord who died on September 23, 1841
at the age 3 years, 6 months, 18 days.
The last burial appears to be that of Elizabeth Nease who died on February 27, 1888
at the age of 79 years, 5 months, 27 days.
There does appear to be some discrepancy as to the actual number of souls buried in McCord cemetery,
which appears to be between 44 and 54.
This entire process took nearly two years but I believe it was well worth every minute. I want to thank my wife Cheryl Hancock for all of her assistance and support. I want to say a huge thank you to the Spaulding family for making this donation and honoring that agreement from so many years ago. Thank you to the attorneys Melissa Garrard and Steve Unger for your legal expertise. Thank you to the Worth Township Trustee Jim Baldwin and the advisory board members for acknowledging the importance of our history and allowing me to pursue this action. Thank you Janice West for providing most of the historical information I learned about the cemetery and its burials. Thank you Nikki Baldwin in the Boone County Recorders office for your assistance and guidance digging thru all those old records. Thank you Indiana DNR for your assistance, guidance, and review of your historic files. Thank you Hause Surveying & Engineering in Lebanon for coming out and slopping around in the mud to perform the survey.
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Information from the history of Whitestown booklet compiled in 1971 by Janice West.
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McCord Burial list with details and marker pictures - PDF - Info compiled from findagrave.com
List of McCord burials from findagrave.com
List of McCord bruials from a Boone County cemeteries book-PDF
Compilation of info from Boone Cemeteries book & Findagrave
List of McCord bruials from a Boone County cemeteries book-PDF
Compilation of info from Boone Cemeteries book & Findagrave
UPDATE October 2022- Interment data compiled by Historic Archaeological Research during the McCord restoration project and believed to be the most accurate list compiled to date - CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF
Information on file at the Lebanon Library and compiled by Janice West
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Information on file at the Lebanon Library and compiled by Janice West
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Information on file at the Lebanon Library and compiled by Janice West
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Photos below taken of McCord Cemetery by Mike Hancock on 10/29/2016
after cleaning up after a small tornado passed thru
after cleaning up after a small tornado passed thru
