Today's Walk Through The Tombstones is at Clear Creek Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana. It is located just off of W. Church Road, behind the older Clear Creek Christian Church. We visited this cemetery on January 4, 2015.
GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 39.10630, Longitude: -86.53810
Clear Creek Cemetery was founded in the mid-19th century by the church, but is now maintained by an independent organization. It is listed as having 4,751 interments, though there may be as many as 7,000. The oldest section of the cemetery is next to the church and holds graves of most of the original founders of the church. At least one of the oldest graves is for William T. Mathers who died in 1838 but the church had not yet been founded, so this was private land owned by the Mathers Family.
This cemetery has several Civil War veterans, as well as at least one Mexican War veteran and one from the American Revolutionary War. Several of the markers in the cemetery are of local stone cutters who carved their own graves. The most notable, and interesting, is for Harold Elgar whose gravestone has a carving of La Pieta on top.
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Our first stop is at the grave of Solomon Butcher.
Born: July 22, 1797 in Claiborne County, Tennessee
Died: July 14, 1869
He was the son of Barnabas Butcher (1760-1843) and Mary Magdalene Moser Butcher (1773-1839). They are both buried in Bold Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana.
Solomon was married to Katherine Stephens Butcher (1798-?) on December 12, 1815 in Johnson County, Tennessee. She is also buried in Clear Creek Cemetery but her death date is unknown, probably sometime after 1870. Their first child, Hiram, was born in September 1816 while Solomon earned a living doing farm work and as a carpenter.
Two years later, they packed up all of their possessions in their wagon and set off for Indiana on rough, dirt roads, bringing with them their son, Hiram and their daughter, Mary Katherine, born in 1818. This move came about at the same time that Katherine's father, Lewis Stephens, decided to make his move to Indiana. When the Butchers arrived in Indiana, they found very few white people living in the Monroe County (which was founded in 1818). Hiram, who was two years at the time, became friends with the Indian children living there.
Solomon established the family home in the same place as Katherine's father, Lewis, and eventually became the owner of 160 acres of land, where his remaining ten children were born.
Solomon and Katherine lived in Indiana for more than 50 years. Solomon passed away just 8 days before his 72nd birthday in 1869, just 5 months after the sudden death of his son, Adam. After his Solomon's death, Katherine moved in with her son, Lewis, until her death sometime after 1870.
He is shown as having several children, 12 in total, though only 10 are listed as having burial records:
He was the son of Valentine Boruff (1775-1855) and Margaret "Molly" Mallicote Boruff (1775-1842). They are both buried in Eliza Creek Cemetery in Mercer County, Illinois.
He was married twice. His first wife, Elizabeth Butcher Boruff (1799-1859) is the sister of Solomon Butcher, listed above. His second wife, Eleanor Jones O'Dell Boruff (1823-1897) died of paralysis. Both are buried in Clear Creek Cemetery.
These are two of the graves that we found that we have no information on. I can't read them from the pictures. I believe that the one on the left is a child's grave as usually they were marked with sheep or lambs. The one on the right has a dove which may signify the grave of a young woman or young girl.
These are two more that we were unable to determine who they belonged to. The one on the left is far too damaged to really be able to tell what it says. The grave on the right is a blacksmith's grave, but I am not sure who it belongs to.
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We have plans to make it back to Clear Creek Cemetery at some point as we weren't really in the mode of paying attention to the graves that we were photographing. There are many more graves in this cemetery that are of interest to us, so we definitely plan to go back.
If anyone has any information on any of these graves or have a photo request, please email me or leave a comment.
We hope that you have enjoyed your walk through Clear Creek Cemetery.
Please visit this listing at Find-A-Grave.
This cemetery has several Civil War veterans, as well as at least one Mexican War veteran and one from the American Revolutionary War. Several of the markers in the cemetery are of local stone cutters who carved their own graves. The most notable, and interesting, is for Harold Elgar whose gravestone has a carving of La Pieta on top.
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Born: July 22, 1797 in Claiborne County, Tennessee
Died: July 14, 1869
He was the son of Barnabas Butcher (1760-1843) and Mary Magdalene Moser Butcher (1773-1839). They are both buried in Bold Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana.
Solomon was married to Katherine Stephens Butcher (1798-?) on December 12, 1815 in Johnson County, Tennessee. She is also buried in Clear Creek Cemetery but her death date is unknown, probably sometime after 1870. Their first child, Hiram, was born in September 1816 while Solomon earned a living doing farm work and as a carpenter.
Two years later, they packed up all of their possessions in their wagon and set off for Indiana on rough, dirt roads, bringing with them their son, Hiram and their daughter, Mary Katherine, born in 1818. This move came about at the same time that Katherine's father, Lewis Stephens, decided to make his move to Indiana. When the Butchers arrived in Indiana, they found very few white people living in the Monroe County (which was founded in 1818). Hiram, who was two years at the time, became friends with the Indian children living there.
Solomon established the family home in the same place as Katherine's father, Lewis, and eventually became the owner of 160 acres of land, where his remaining ten children were born.
Solomon and Katherine lived in Indiana for more than 50 years. Solomon passed away just 8 days before his 72nd birthday in 1869, just 5 months after the sudden death of his son, Adam. After his Solomon's death, Katherine moved in with her son, Lewis, until her death sometime after 1870.
He is shown as having several children, 12 in total, though only 10 are listed as having burial records:
Hiram Butcher (1816 - 1902) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Mary Katherine Butcher Robertson (1818 -
1880) - Robertson Cemetery, Jackson County, Indiana.
George Butcher (1820 - 1896) - buried in Wheatland Cemetery, Dallas County, Texas
Barnabas Butcher (1822-1826) - unknown
Adam Butcher (1825 - 1869) - buried Mount Gilead Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Sarah J. "Sally" Butcher Kelley (1827-1863) - unknown
Lewis Harrison Butcher (1829 - 1902) - buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Harvey County, Kansas
Nancy Jane Butcher Robertson (1831 - 1906) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Rebecca Eleanor Butcher Brummett (1832 -
1928) - buried in Little Union Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Jacob David Butcher (1835 - 1890) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Elizabeth Ann Butcher Hensley (1837 - 1911) - buried in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana
James Henry Butcher (1839 - 1903) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Solomon also had 4 siblings:
Elizabeth Butcher Boruff (1799 - 1859) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana.
Jacob A. Butcher (1806 - 1861) - buried in Big Barren Cemetery, Union County,
David Butcher (1814 - 1857) - buried in Allen's Creek Cemetery, Monroe County, Indiana
John B. Butcher (1821 - 1887) - buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Monroe County, Iowa
Solomon's obituary was posted in the Bloomington Progress on July 21, 1869:
"On Wednesday last Solomon Butcher, aged 70 years, died at his residence six miles south of town."
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Now we move on to the grave of James L. Campbell.
Born: December 22, 1825
Died: February 19, 1888
There is no listing for any family beyond his first and second wives. Eliza I. Campbell (1835-1902) and Amanda Isabel Campbell (1828-1858). Both of whom are buried at Clear Creek Cemetery. It would appear that Eliza is noted on the opposite side of James' gravestone while Amanda has a separate headstone.
Eliza's information states that she had four children, 3 of whom were still alive when she passed away - J.O., Edward, and May.
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Here we have the grave of Samuel Boruff.
Born: March 25, 1798 in Claiborne County, Tennessee
Died: December 20, 1882 in Bloomington, Indiana
He was the son of Valentine Boruff (1775-1855) and Margaret "Molly" Mallicote Boruff (1775-1842). They are both buried in Eliza Creek Cemetery in Mercer County, Illinois. 
He was married twice. His first wife, Elizabeth Butcher Boruff (1799-1859) is the sister of Solomon Butcher, listed above. His second wife, Eleanor Jones O'Dell Boruff (1823-1897) died of paralysis. Both are buried in Clear Creek Cemetery.
It is listed that with his first wife, Elizabeth, he had sixteen children. His first two daughters, Anna and Mary Ann, were twins. With his second wife, Eleanor, he had one son. I can not find birth and death dates on several of his children, so the list that I have may be out of order. It will be updated as I find more information.
Anna Boruff (1819 - 1923) - buried in Hays #1 West Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana
Mary Ann Boruff Sciscoe (1819 - 1890) - buried in Hays #1 West Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana
Sarah Ann Boruff Carter (?-?) - unknown
Henry Valentine Boruff (?-?) - unknown
Connie Boruff Siscoe (?-?) - unknown
William Henry Boruff (?-?) - unknown
Solomon Butcher Boruff (1829 - 1871) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana
Eli James K. Polk Boruff (?-?) - unknown
Green Lewis Boruff (?-?) - unknown
Elizabeth E. Boruff Anderson (?-?) - unknown
Margaret Jane Boruff Campbell (?-?) - unknown
John Perry Boruff (1835 - 1864) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana
Thomas Jefferson Boruff (1840 - 1877) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana
David Marion (?-?) - unknown
Daniel Washington Boruff (1845 - 1924) - buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles County, California
Dougan Boruff (1862 - 1932) - buried in Clear Creek Cemetery in Monroe County, Indiana
He had 10 siblings:
Anna Boruff Jackson
(1798-1878) - unknown
Margaret
Boruff (1802-?) - unknown
Charity
Boruff (1804-?) - unknown
Christopher
Boruff (1806-?) - unknown
William
Boruff (1808-1870) - unknown
Daniel
Boruff (1810-1870) - unknown
Katherine
Boruff Ellison (1811-?) - unknown
Sarah Ann "Sally" Boruff Cope Dewitt (1812 - 1906) - buried in Willis Chapel Cemetery, Grundy County, Missouri
Valentine “Felty”
Boruff, Jr. (1816-1888) - unknown
John Boruff
(1818-1904) - unknown
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We now come to the grave of William Greenwood.
Born: November 1, 1817
Died: January 8, 1886
He was married to Mary A. Greenwood (1819-1878) who is listed on the opposite side of the gravestone.
His obituary listed in the Bloomington Telephone, January 15, 1886.
"Wm. Greenwood, living in Perry Township, died Sunday morning of pneumonia."
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Here is the tombstone of Emmet Mitchell.
Born: November 23, 1842
Died: February 4, 1863 in Nashville, Tennessee
He was a Union solder in the Civil War, serving with the 82nd Indiana Volunteers, Company F. He died in Davidson County, Tennessee while serving.
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Born: November 1, 1817
Died: January 8, 1886
He was married to Mary A. Greenwood (1819-1878) who is listed on the opposite side of the gravestone.
His obituary listed in the Bloomington Telephone, January 15, 1886.
"Wm. Greenwood, living in Perry Township, died Sunday morning of pneumonia."
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Born: November 23, 1842
Died: February 4, 1863 in Nashville, Tennessee
He was a Union solder in the Civil War, serving with the 82nd Indiana Volunteers, Company F. He died in Davidson County, Tennessee while serving.
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These are two of the graves that we found that we have no information on. I can't read them from the pictures. I believe that the one on the left is a child's grave as usually they were marked with sheep or lambs. The one on the right has a dove which may signify the grave of a young woman or young girl.
These are two more that we were unable to determine who they belonged to. The one on the left is far too damaged to really be able to tell what it says. The grave on the right is a blacksmith's grave, but I am not sure who it belongs to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have plans to make it back to Clear Creek Cemetery at some point as we weren't really in the mode of paying attention to the graves that we were photographing. There are many more graves in this cemetery that are of interest to us, so we definitely plan to go back.
If anyone has any information on any of these graves or have a photo request, please email me or leave a comment.
We hope that you have enjoyed your walk through Clear Creek Cemetery.
Please visit this listing at Find-A-Grave.
8 comments:
Hello: my name is Tom Vint. This is a followup to an earlier email. You indicated that an Adam Butcher is buried in Mt. Gilead cemetery. I tried on numerous occasions to locate his grave but was not able to find it. Do you have a photo of his gravestone? Thanks - Tom Vint (email date: Oct. 28, 2015).
Good Morning, Mr. Vint. It is a pleasure to hear from you. I do not have a photo of Adam Butcher's grave at this time. All records that I have found indicate he was buried in Mt. Gilead cemetery. We stopped back by there recently, but his was not a grave that I photographed. I may be able to stop back by in the coming weeks and look again for his grave, but so many are becoming hard to read. Do you have any idea of the general location of his grave?
Thank you for this, as well. Solomon Butcher is my 3rd great grand uncle and the next time I'm back in Bloomington I will look for his grave.
You are most welcome, Randy! I am glad that I could help you out. Please let me know if there are any others that you will like and I will see what I can do.
I would like to visit Clear Creek Cemetery to find Lona Hepley's grave. 6 Apr 1886-27 Jan 1916. She died when my mother, Mary Katherine Hepley, was 8 years old. My cousin and I both have the middle name Lona. Also Homer Hepley 1885-1971, my grandfather. Along with many other Hepley's and Butcher's.
Hi Kay! Thanks for stopping and taking a look at my page. I have found reference to a Homer Hepley at Clear Creek cemetery. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131544318/homer-hepley
I have found a reference to a Lona May Trisler Hepley, who was his wife, but her death date does not match the date you have listed above. She is listed as 1886-Jan 27, 1916.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131544302/lona-may-hepley
There a many Hepley's and Butcher's buried in Clear Creek Cemetery. This is a lovely public cemetery which is gated. If you haven't been there before, it is open from sunrise to sunset and is located at the corner of Rogers Road and Church Lane in Bloomington, Indiana.
Have a nice day!
Hi Amber, my grandfather was Robert Leroy Fuller who is buried at clear creek cemetery, do you have any information on him or family members that are related as I do not know much of my family and would like to find out who they are. Thank you.
Good Afternoon. Please accept my apologies as I didn't find this message until today, buried deep within my spam messages. I don't have any information on him as he is a newer burial and I generally stay away from the ones that have living relatives within a generation. Here is his memorial on Find-A-Grave, which may list some information that you did not have before: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69970357/robert-l_-fuller
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