Welcome to this month's Grave Spotlight of the Month.  For this year, I am going to highlight some of the builders of historic properties in Monroe County, Indiana.  We are starting 2026, with Daniel Godfrey Stout, builder of the Daniel Stout House located on Maple Grove Road near Ellettsville, Indiana.

Daniel Stout was born in October of 1776 to parents John/Johannes Stout (1754-1794) and Maria Cath Ensminger Stout (1750-1794).  His father was a native of Virginia, though probably with German extraction, and died in Tennessee, while his mother was born in Pennsylvania, also passing in Tennessee.  Their timeframe is very close in their deaths, but I can't find any definitive dates or reasons. 

There is very little information about his family that I have found.  I know that he was born in Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley area and passed away in Bloomington, Indiana, though his death date is listed as being January 10 in one place and December 25 in another.  I did find what I believe is his headstone in Stout-Houston Cemetery near Ellettsville with the January 10, 1863 date, near a headstone for his wife, Sarah Jennings Davis Stout.

The application for historic status for the house that he built in 1828 from native limestone and trees hewn from his own property, states that he served with General William Henry Harrison in 1800 as Superintendent of Works and may have been responsible for designing and building Grouseland, the house that Harrison lived in while in Vincennes, Indiana.

He also owned and operated a grist mill and a saw mill on the nearby creek, known as Stout Creek.  The mill is mostly gone, but it is said that there is still a limestone wall visible.  Daniel operated this mill with the purpose of grinding corn which was used to make corn liquor.

Daniel was married to Sarah Jennings Davis Stout (1781-1868).  She was originally from Tennessee and passed away in Monroe County, Indiana.  I have not been able to find any marriage records for them for the area, so it is possible that they were not married here.  Or they were married before my records start.  Early marriage records are hard to come by in some cases.

They had several children: William H. Stout (1811-1869), buried in Stout Cemetery, Martinsville, Morgan County, Indiana; John Daniel Stout (1813-1880), buried in Stout Cemetery, Martinsville, Morgan County, Indiana; Amos Stout (1815-1886), buried in New Park South Cemetery, Martinsville, Morgan County, Indiana; Mary "Polly" Ann Stout Puett (1819-1907), buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio; Daniel J. Stout (1827-1896), burial is unknown; Alexander O. Stout (1830-1924), buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana; Mary "Mollie" Stout Griffith (1853-1879), buried in Griffith Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana.

The last entry is a little confusing as it lists Mary Stout Griffith as being Sarah's daughter.....as well as Alexander's....her son.  I have to think that this is a major mix up somewhere, but I can't find anything to confirm or deny it.  I'm leaving it as is until I can find something to clear it up.  

And unfortunately, this is where Daniel's story ends.  There is so little information about him, which is very sad as he was clearly an interesting character.  Serving with Harrison in the war and under his command, building a beautiful home by hand out of whatever was nearby, possibly designing and building a fabulous home for a president, a running two mills on a creek named after him.  And then nothing.  I feel that there has to be something else out there about him, but finding that seems to be very hard.  Oddly enough, there is no information about Daniel Stout Counties of Monroe, Morgan and Brown.  It was published in 1884, many years after he passed away, but there is nothing about his sons that I could find except for one mention of Amos Stout in Martinsville.  

Rest in Peace Daniel Stout.

RESOURCES

Geni.com - Daniel Stout

SHAARD database - Daniel Stout House application for historic status

Bloomington Restorations - Daisy Garton History 

Indiana Landmarks Digital Collections - Daniel Stout House

National Register of Historic Places - Full Application for Maple Grove District

 In our December Grave Spotlight of the Month, we take a quick look at Benjamin Franklin Rogers.

Born on November 27, 1817 in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana, and, according to the Monroe County History Center's Timeline of events, and his own obituary, he was the first white child born in Bloomington.

We will talk about why that seems to not be possible a little later on, but for now, let's take a look at his life.

He was the son of Johnathon Rogers (?-?) and Mary "Polly" Rand Rogers (1788-1869). She was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky to Thomas Rand (1746-1825) and Elizabeth Carder Rand (1767-1821).  Thomas was born in County Antrim, Ireland and was a veteran, I assume of the Revolutionary war.  They are both buried in Rand Cemetery, Dearborn County, Indiana.   Johnathon Rogers is buried in Beck Cemetery, Washington County, Indiana.  There is no information for his family.  I found the names of three other children, siblings of Benjamin: James Rogers (1810-1871), buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana (he died of consumption); Sergeant Henry Rogers (1814-1876), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana; and Aquilla Wayne Rogers (1819-1890), buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana.  Unfortunately, I can find no further information about either his parents or his siblings. Even his obituary, published in the Bloomington Courier on February 24, 1876, talks next to nothing of his parents or siblings, besides the line, "He passed his boyhood peaceably and quietly under the roof of his devoted parents, rendering to them the pride and admiration which only a dutiful son can bestow to his parents."

His childhood seems to have been uneventful, with no more than the small mention in his obituary above.  Next we see him, is 1839, where he is married to Sophia Rogers (1817-1886).  She is buried near him in Mount Gilead Cemetery on State Road 45 in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana.  She is stated to be "highly esteemed on account of her feminine purity and good Christian qualities."

They had, as far as I have been able to find, 5 children:

Rebecca Rogers (1840-1858) - buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana

Rachael R. Rogers (1850-1882) - buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana

Charles P. Rogers (1857-1935) - buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana

Margaret E. Rogers (1858-1864) - buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana

Sarah E. Rogers (?-1857) - buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana

He was a member of the Christian Church for about 35 years, though which church is not known.  There are many in Bloomington and in Monroe County as well, but which one is not known.  The obituary notes that "he was highly regarded as a kind, liberal and sociable neighbor, most tenderly and dearly loved by his relatives.  As a highly respectable, law-abiding citizen he ranked among the first.  He was amiable honorable, and peaceable which always won for him friends wherever he went."  Benjamin Franklin Rogers sounds like he must have been a wonderful man.

His obituary goes on to say that "his last hours were ones of much agony and suffering."  There is nothing stating what he passed from.  I have not been able to find his name in records church or otherwise.  

So, all in all, it would seem that the only claim to fame that Benjamin Franklin Rogers has is that he is recorded as being the first white children born in Monroe County.  But could that possibly be true?  I think, and this is only my opinion from past research, that he was the first recorded white child born Monroe County.  People started filtering into the area in 1815.  It seems odd that there would not have been at least one child born during the time, between 1815 and 1817.  Because there was nothing here bur wilderness, any child that was born, would probably never have been recorded in anything other than a family bible.  

Even if others were born before him, he has the fame of being labeled as the first white child born in Monroe County.  I do think that's pretty interesting.  

Rest in Peace, Benjamin Franklin Rogers.