Independence Day . . . don't take it for granted. (Little Flock Cemetery, Shelburn, Indiana)

(originally posted on 4 July 2016)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

On October 17, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington on the battlefield at Yorktown, effectively ending the American War of Independence. That date also ended the military career of a young Private from New York named Aldirt Henry Plough. It also marked the beginning of a 70 year journey for Aldirt that would end 800 miles to the west.

Aldirt Plough was born in Kingston, New York in the Hudson River Valley in 1762. His parent’s families were probably descendants of the early Dutch settlers who had establish settlements at that site dating back to the early 17th Century. At the age of 19, he joined the New Jersey Militia as a private in a company commanded by Captain Westbrooke, in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Rosecrance in the War of the Revolution. He was honorably discharged 5 months later, due to the end of the war.

Ten years later he was in Woodford County, Kentucky, where he was married to Fannie Crawson. They had seven children born in the vicinity of the settlement at Harrodsburg, Kentucky. In 1829, the Plough family moved to Sullivan County, Indiana where Aldirt was one of the first settlers of Jackson Township. Their home would have been about 3 miles east of present day US 41, and in line with Ebenezer Church road. This area has since been extensively strip mined. (Ref: "The History of Jackson Township Sullivan County, Indiana" – published 1915)

Aldirt died about 1852 at the age of over 90 years old. His family prospered and had become honored citizens of their new home. Some of his descendants continued to use the surname “Plough”, while others changed the spelling to “Plew”. This family produced several well-known doctors and preachers around Sullivan and Greene Counties. For whatever reason, when Aldirt died he was buried in an unmarked grave in the Hamilton Township cemetery, which served as a place for pauper burials. This burying ground is currently the southwest corner of the Little Flock Cemetery located near Shelburn, Indiana. For many years afterwards the location of the grave existed only as a legend about a Revolutionary War soldier buried in the cemetery.

Edmund Waller Thompson was a local farmer and business man. His farm was immediately to the east of the Little Flock Cemetery, where his family had lived since the 1820s. Edmund himself was a Civil War veteran, and had a deep respect for the old soldiers buried in the cemetery. As the original part of the Little Flock cemetery filled up, Edmund Thompson started selling burial lots on the east side of the old road, in what was the northwest corner of his farm property. Edmund took on stewardship of the burial grounds and kept it in good shape, especially for “Decoration Day” ceremonies during Memorial Day weekend. For many years, Edmond bought small US Flags which he and his boys placed on the graves of the Civil War veterans. (This tradition has been continued by the local American Legion, marking the graves of all military veterans.)

Edmund became interested in the story of the old Revolutionary War soldier, and thought that Aldirt should be more properly honored. With the help of an old settler, Edmund was able to locate the unmarked grave. Edmund had the gravesite marked and edged with a concrete footer so that we’ll never lose track of that old soldier again. The footer has been maintained and was capped with concrete to create a sarcophagus, and a footstone was placed which includes Aldirt’s service information.

Shown is a photo of Aldirt Plough’s grave, taken from the Find-a-Grave website. We have no close family connections to Aldirt Plough.

Edmund Waller Thompson was the grandfather of my dad Sherrill Thompson. Stewardship of the Little Flock Cemetery has included an unbroken line of having a Thompson family member on the cemetery board, now for over 150 years.

Independence Day . . . don't take it for granted. (Robert Cleghorn)

originally posted on 28 June 2016

Following up with another family story associated with the American War of Independence:
Robert Cleghorn, the son of Scots-Irish immigrants, was born and raised in colonial Maryland and Virginia during the years leading up to the war. Robert was but a young teen when the war invaded his community. Following is a favorite story passed down through many branches of the Cleghorn family. Parts of it are probably true.

During the Revolutionary war, Robert Cleghorn and three young companions had strayed away from their homes and were captured by British soldiers and accused of being spies. They were then taken to a British ship that was moored two miles away from shore for the night. Since there was no way for them to get ashore the boys were not restrained, so they wandered around the deck listening in on the plans of the British officers. They were pretty sure they would be hung the next morning, so they decided to risk swimming to shore. Later that night as the tide was coming in, they slipped overboard and began swimming for shore.

So far as Robert ever knew, he was the only one of the boys to reach shore safely. He landed in hostile country, hid during the day and travelled nights until he reached a tavern where British soldiers were holding a revelry. He took one of their horses and rode to the Continental Army, where he reported what he had heard on the ship. The story goes that the information was relayed to General George Washington who considered it important. When the war was over, General Washington sent for Robert and presented him a large silver watch, which he carried with him for the remainder of his life.

Several years after the war, Robert Cleghorn married Elizabeth Maxwell in Montgomery Co., MD where they started a large family of 11 children. In about 1800 they moved to Wythe Co., VA. Following Elizabeth’s death in Virginia, Robert moved with family members to Harlan Co., Kentucky where he died in 1822.

Robert and Elizabeth’s son Lorenzo Dow Cleghorn was listed among the early ministers of the Christian Church in Madison Twp., Putnam Co., Indiana. This country church, organized in 1840, was built on a hill near the former site of Brunerstown, located midway between Bridgeton (in Parke County) and Greencastle. Descendants of L.D. Cleghorn were among the early settlers of the Bridgeton and Rosedale area. Rev. Cleghorn followed his ministry on to the west, eventually to Primghar, O'Brien Co., Iowa where he is buried. The family story goes that L.D. Cleghorn still had his father’s silver watch while he was living in Iowa, but that the watch has since been lost.

Robert and Elizabeth Cleghorn were the 2nd great-grandparents of Margaret Eleanor “Ellen” Cleghorn, grandmother of my mom Betty Thompson.

Here is a photo of the Bridgeton Bridge near the house where Ellen (Cleghorn) Yowell raised her family after her husband died young. Ellen was the operator for the first telephone switchboard in Bridgeton, located in the living room of her home.

(Photo by Brendan Kearns)

"Hometown" - Rosedale, Parke County, Indiana

Parke County, Indiana "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World"

Rosedale is one of those special places in Indiana that my family can rightfully claim as "Hometown". It's getting close to Fall Foliage season, and Parke County will soon be getting beautiful and busy! The annual Covered Bridge Festival takes place this weekend, where thousands of visitors will flock to view over 30 of the remaining structures & to take in the Autumn scenery.

Rosedale was the first village in what is now Parke County, settled in 1817 by our ancestor John Martin Doty, who called it Dotyville. It served as the original county seat. Later on, Chauncy Rose, who had business interests in nearby Roseville, offered to pay for incorporating the town if the locals would give it a better name.

John Martin Doty was the 2nd great-grandfather of our grandpa Leroy Yowell, and great-grandfather of our great-grandmother Eleanor (Cleghorn) Yowell. These folks are buried at the Rosedale Cemetery. Other family places included the Fred Yowell Farm east of the Thorpe Ford Covered Bridge, the Forks of the Creek community south of Jessup, and Bridgeton where grandpa Leroy grew up.

John Martin Doty was born in Sussex County, New Jersey in 1789. As a young man he moved to Ross Co., OH, where he served as a private in the War of 1812 with the 2nd Battalion of the Ohio Militia. Following the war, John Martin Doty became a surveyor, contracted by the federal government after the Louis and Clark Expedition to plat out land in the Northwest Territory prior to offering it for land grants and for public sale. During the course of surveying, Doty picked out land for himself in what is now Rosedale for his own purchase. John died in 1853 in Parke County, and is buried at the Rosedale Cemetery.

The original deeds were destroyed in a courthouse fire, but it is known that he owned land at the northeast corner of Rosedale’s Main and Central Streets. This corner remained Doty property until the Mary Doty house was torn down to build an IGA grocery store in the early 1900s.