Shields Cemetery

Today Walk Through the Tombstones is a the Shields Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana.  It is located within the Sherwood Green housing development and is very small.  It is possible that this cemetery is also listed in some histories as the Siscoe Cemetery as it was owned by the Siscoe family at one point.

GPS Coordinates: 39.13433,-86.52437

This cemetery is not listed on Find-A-Grave and I am working to figure out how to do so. I first read about this cemetery while compiling a comprehensive list of all of the cemeteries in Monroe County.  I know that there is a Shields Cemetery already listed as being DEFUNCT and that is true.  It was one of the several that were moved with the construction  of Monroe Lake in the 1960s.  Those burials are now located at Allen's Creek Cemetery in Polk Township, Monroe County.  But this cemetery, also with the same name, popped up at least three times in my research.   One of the places that I found it listed was on a township map for Perry Township.  It showed it located in a small housing addition just off of Henderson Road.  So, Sunday the 22nd, we drove into the addition and took a look around.  We found the little greenspace where the township map showed it to be located, only to find that there was nothing there.  But the space definitely looked like it could have had a cemetery in it at one time, especially if there were not many burials.  After we got home, I continued working on my list, finding the name mentioned again in another document.  This time it stated that the cemetery was located in the Sherwood Green addition.  So, on my way to work this morning, I took a side trip into the addition to look around.  Knowing where some of my husband's family lived, I took different streets since I would have seen this cemetery already otherwise.  And lo and behold, I turned a corner and found it!  There is not much there anymore besides some old iron fences that are falling into disrepair and some broken headstones.  Someone has been there recently, though, as there are new flags on a couple of graves.  As I have not found much mentioned before about this cemetery, the information will be sparse, but I have done some research into the families listed here.

UPDATE!  I have added GPS Coordinates for this cemetery.  Please see above, under the picture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our first stop is at the grave of Nancy J. Hazel.

Born: 1859
Died: 1895

I believe that she was the daughter of James Madison Shields (1823-1897) and Martha J. Siscoe Shields (1826-1872).  Her mother is buried is buried in Shields Cemetery near her and family history states that her father is buried there but has no headstone.

She was the wife of William Paris Hazel (1848-1924).  He is buried in South Union Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana.

They had the following children:
Issac Porter Hazel (1883-1944) - buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Golda J. Hazel Ferguson(1884-1967) - buried in South Union Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Wyatt Woodburn Hazel (1891-1934) - buried in South Union Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the grave of Martha J. Siscoe Shields.

Born: 1826
Died:  May 2, 1872

She was the daughter of William Shake (1794-1858) and Elizabeth Sullens Shake (1800-1880).  I have not yet figured out where they are buried.

She had several siblings:
Parilda Siscoe (1820-1897) - unknown
Nancy Shake (1821-1885) - unknown
James Shake (1821-?) - unknown
Milton Shake (1821-?) - unknown
Wilmouth Shake (1821-?) - unknown
Louise Shake (1821-?) - unknown
William Shake (1821-?) - unknown
Lewis Washington Siscoe (1822-?) - unknown 
Mary Shake (1822-1897) - unknown
Mary E. Siscoe (1836-?) - unknown

She was the wife of James Madison Shields (1823-1897).  According to some family information that I found, when Martha died she was buried in the Siscoe family cemetery, which this may have been as well.  Her husband, James was to be buried in the Shields Cemetery that is now considered DEFUNCT but instead he was buried here.  However, there was never a headstone erected for him.

They had several children:
George Washington Shields (1847-1941) - buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Montgomery County, Indiana
William C. Shields (1847-1902) - buried in Shields Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana (this is in reference to the DEFUNCT Shields Cemetery. The grave may not be at Allens Creek Cemetery).
John Thomas Shields (1850-?) - unknown
Sarah Elizabeth Shields McVey (1854-1909) - buried in Shields Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Nancy Jane Shields Hazel (1857-1895) - buried in Shields Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
James K. Shields (1859-?) - unknown
Isaac Shields (1859-?) - unknown
Mary Alice Shields Barrett (1861-?) - unknown
Delitha Belle Shields (1862-?) - unknown
David Jefferson Shields (1865-1928) - buried in Mount Ebal Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the grave for members of the Snoddy family.

First is Margaret L. Payne Snoddy.

Born: April 13, 1847, Monroe County, Indiana
Died: 1880, Monroe County, Indiana

She is listed as having died of consumption.  She was the first wife of James Madison Snoddy (1843-1922), who is buried with her in Shields Cemetery.  They were married on November 5, 1865 in Monroe County, Indiana.

Next is James Madison Snoddy.

Born: August 8, 1843, Monroe County, Indiana
Died: April 3, 1922, Coles County, Illinois

The death date is not inscribed on his headstone, but it was found in a family history listing.   He was the son of Samuel Snoddy (?-?) and Jane Shields Snoddy (?-?).  I am unsure as to where either of them are buried, though it is believed that they are buried in the same iron fenced area as their son.  The Snoddy's were listed as being the founding members of the Clear Creek Christian Church.

He was married twice.  His first wife, Margaret L. Payne Snoddy (1847-1880) is buried next to him.  His second wife was Catherine Bower (?-?).  They were married in 1881 in Monroe County, Indiana.  I am unsure as to where she is buried.  I do know that Catherine sued him for divorce in 1894 but it was never finalized.  James filed for a military pension claiming service in the Civil War but his claim could never be verified, so his request was denied.  He ended up moving to Illinois to live with his sons and that was where he passed away.  His body was brought back to Bloomington to be buried next to his wife and three of his sons.  

James and Margaret has several children:
Samuel Snoddy (1866-1890) - buried in Shields Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana (listed below)
John Francis "Frank" Snoddy (1868-1955) - unknown
James Madison Snoddy (1870-1949) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana 
Daniel W. Snoddy (1871-1955) - buried in Fairview Cemetery, Edgar County, Illinois 
Charles Robert Snoddy (1873-1957) - unknown
Sarah A. Snoddy (1876-1877) - buried in Shields Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana (listed below)
Cora I. Snoddy (1878-1880) - buried in Shields Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana (listed below)

Next is Samuel Snoddy.
Born: 1866, Monroe County, Indiana
Died: 1890

Next we have Sarah A. Snoddy.
Born: 1875, Monroe County, Indiana
Died: 1877, Monroe County, Indiana

And lastly, is Cora I. Snoddy.
Born: 1879, Monroe County, Indiana
Died: 1880, Monroe County, Indiana

There were several smaller stones within the iron fence enclosure, which is in a terrible state of disrepair.  I am not sure of these are headstones for the young children of if they are footstones.  They were badly worn and I could not make out any writing on them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the grave of Wilbert R. Hastey.  

Born: 1910
Died: 1928

This grave is somewhat confusing as I have found this man also listed as being buried in Fernwood Cemetery in Henderson County, Kentucky.  The dates are the same and he is listed as being a slave.  Either this is a crazy coincidence or he was buried in one place and marked in another.  Strange.  Honestly, I doubt it is the same person, but it was too unusual not to mention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here we have the grave of Levi N. McVey.

Born: June 22, 1830
Died: July 19, 1900, Monroe County, Indiana

He was married to Sarah Elizabeth Shields (1854-1909).

They had two children:
Grover McVey (1883-1954) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Hulda I. McVey Eads (1887-1971) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana

It looks like his wife's name is listed below his on the headstone.  

He served in the Civil War in the 97th Indiana Regiment, Company D.  He mustered out of service on June 9, 1863.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is the grave for Lewis W. Shields.

Born: June 17, ??
Died: March 14, 1864, Indianapolis, Indiana

He mustered into service on February 16, 1864 in the 31st Indiana Infantry, Company G.  He died a month later.  












~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are several other graves, but these are all illegible or are nothing but broken stones.  I believe in total there are 20 graves here.  

I hope that you have enjoyed your Walk Through Shields Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana.

Check back later for a link to the cemetery on Find-A-Grave.