Pioneer Cemeteries and Their Stories,

Madison County, Indiana

Busby Cemetery

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Fall Creek Township

Location: west side of CR 50W, south of SR 38

    The Busby Cemetery is one of the earliest family burial grounds in Fall Creek Township.  As such, it holds many of the county's very first settlers: Moses Bunker, who died in 1853 at fifty-six years; William George, who died in 1857 at fifty-nine years; Jacob Hardman, who died in 1858 at sixty-six years; William Jarrett, who died on Good Friday 1842 at eighty-two years; Joseph Poindexter, who died in 1858 at eighty years; and Jacob VanMeter, who died in 1872 at seventy-three years.  Some of these men were born around American's Revolution, and all of them were living during the War of 1812.

   The large Busby family came from Virginia to the county around 1825.  Originally there were three brothers John, Thomas, and Isaac who, with their relatives of several generations, homesteaded land in Fall Creek and Stony Creek townships.  According to cemetery records, there are two Isaac Busbys at this family cemetery.  The first Isaac Busby died in 1843 at eighty-three years old, and the second, his son probably, died in 1874 at seventy-eight years old.  Of the second Isaac Busby,1796-1874, Samuel Harden says:

"Isaac located three and a half miles east of Pendleton on what is now the Pendleton and New Castle Pike, where he lived for a period of thirty-five years, and where to a great extent he developed the native forest into one of the finest farms in Fall Creek Township.  I first became acquainted with Mr. B. in 1855.  He was one of those men the more you know of whom the better you like them.  He was an excellent fireside companion, and well posted on the Scriptures and political matters.  In faith he was a Universalist, believing in the salvation of all mankind.  Indeed, this seemed to be his theme.  It is said that every man has his hobby, and I may say of this man, that salvation was his.  Mr. B. was a Whig till the party ceased to exist, after which he acted with the Republican Party.  He took a lively interest in the late war [Civil War], and his best wishes were with the boys in blue.  He, like his brother Thomas, lived to see the war close, and peace once more smile before he laid down to his last slumber... Isaac died in April 1874, aged seventy-four.  His funeral was one of the largest ever witnessed in the southern part of the county  He is buried on the farm originally owned by him, in the Busby Cemetery.  Mr. B. was a large man, full six feet high, bent with age, thin visage, small, piercing gray eyes, high forehead and florid complexion."

This Isaac was also present at the very first "old settlers' meeting" held between Pendleton and Huntsville around 1856.

    Another family to point out from the list below is the one headed by John Surber, 1802-1875.  John came from West Virginia with his brothers Moses, Henry, Joseph, and James and settled the family on Lick Creek in 1828.  According to author Harden, John was said to be the strongest man in the county.  He could cut and split five hundred wood rails in a day and walk two miles to work and back.  He supposedly had the strength of two men.

The drawing, at left, is of the John Surber cabin built in 1840 in Adams Township.  This would be considered a double log cabin since there is an open walkway that divides the two parts and each part has its own door, fireplace and chimney.  The fence in front is of the split-rail type.  The trunk and heavy limbs of a tree were split into rails with an ax and wedge. When stacked for a fence, the rails were placed at right angles to each other, as in the picture, for stability.  No nails were then necessary.  Splitting rails for this type of fence was the kind of work at which John Surber was highly proficient.

 

  While the Busby has been maintained by the township trustee and fortunately has not been vandalized, time, weather, and circumstances have still taken their toll: fences deteriorating, stones fallen over, and undergrowth encroaching. 

The pictures on this page were taken by descendant Virginia Johnson in 2006.  In the fall of 2007 Fall Creek Township Trustee Mike Hart and the Madison County Cemetery Commission began planning for a general cleanup and face-lift in 2008 of this pioneer cemetery.   Additionally, strategies will be discussed on how to save and incorporate into the new fencing the beautiful mid Victorian wrought-iron gate shown above.

 

The Busby, as can been seen in the views above, sits on a high hill surrounded by Hoosier pastures and fields.  Therefore, access to the burial ground is a little more complicated.  One should obtain permission from the resident farmer who may have to help visitors negotiate across the land and through the herds.

Names
ID Names Birth Date Death Date Cemetery
4256 BENNETT, NANCY ELLA DEC. 25, 1861 MAR. 10, 1888 BUSBY
8116 BUNKER, ELIZA ROE 62Y. 7M. 29D. JUN. 28, 1866 BUSBY
8121 BUNKER, MOSES 56Y. 2M. 4D. JUL. 21, 1853 BUSBY
8429 BUSBY, ARABELLA A. 11Y. 11D. NOV. 13, 1845 BUSBY
8444 BUSBY, ENOCH 19Y. 3M. 6D. JAN. 25, 1840 BUSBY
8450 BUSBY, FOSTER   DEC. 19, 1836 BUSBY
8456 BUSBY, ISAAC 83Y. 9M. 20D. AUG. 30, 1843 BUSBY
8457 BUSBY, ISAAC 78Y. 1M. 11D. AUG. 21, 1874 BUSBY
8464 BUSBY, JESSE F. 16Y. 4M. 19D. FEB. 22, 1848 BUSBY
8468 BUSBY, JOHN W. 13Y. 3M. 22D. FEB. 21, 1843 BUSBY
8474 BUSBY, LEWIS H. 12Y. 10M. 7D. OCT. 30, 1845 BUSBY
8496 BUSBY, RACHEL 19Y. 5M. 23D. FEB. 18, 1848 BUSBY
8506 BUSBY, SARAH 67Y. 9M. 10D. DEC. 13, 1865 BUSBY
8510 BUSBY, SARAH M. 5Y. 8M. 2D. OCT. 15, 185_ BUSBY
8512 BUSBY, SUSAN A. 2M. 16D. OCT. 16, 1850 BUSBY
11888 COMBS, J. W 5 IND CAL CO A   BUSBY
15751 DELPH, MARGARET 1796 FEB. 10, 1875 BUSBY
15752 DELPH, MARGARET 36Y. 9M. 21D. FEB. 20, 1875 BUSBY
18324 ELMORE, SARAH G. 5Y. 2M. 20D. NOV. 20, 1862 BUSBY
22511 GEORGE, JOHN 17Y. JAN. 22, 1848 BUSBY
22542 GEORGE, SARAH 75Y. 6M. 10D. DEC. 29, 1868 BUSBY
22551 GEORGE, WILLIAM 59Y. 2M. 8D. JUL. 13, 1857 BUSBY
25941 HARDMAN, ANN 67Y. 2M. 21D. APR. 23, 1858 BUSBY
25943 HARDMAN, JACOB 66Y. 6M. 24D. APR. 18, 1858 BUSBY
25984 HARDY, MIRANDA 1859 SEP. 2, 1860 BUSBY
32187 JARRETT, BARBARY 1800 FEB. 18, 1870 BUSBY
32222 JARRETT, JOHN 1837 1854 BUSBY
32261 JARRETT, WILLIAM 62Y. APR. 1842-7 /GOOD FRI. BUSBY
32262 JARRETT, WILLIAM 1835 APR. 1847 BUSBY
32649 JOHNSON, EDWARD 1843 JAN. 23, 1868 BUSBY
33123 JONES, ELIZA B. 45Y. 7M. 13D. DEC. 3, 1872 BUSBY
33137 JONES, EMMA Z. 19Y. 9M. 22D. MAR. 1, 1883 BUSBY
34460 KEMERLY, INDIA A. 21Y. 2M. 10D. MAY 1, 1884 BUSBY
37472 LEGG, MARY E. 1852 MAR. 2, 1865 BUSBY
41654 MCGARTNY, ELIZA 45Y. 7M. 13D. DEC. 21, 1877 BUSBY
42254 MCNEER, ESTHER 33Y. 9M. 21D. MAY 24, 1847 BUSBY
42825 MICHAEL, MAGDALENE 1821 1902 BUSBY
45947 NEWBERRY, A. J. 41Y. 8M. 9D. AUG. 25, 1866 BUSBY
49336 POINDEXTER, JAMES C. 41Y. 9M. 14D. JAN. 25, 1878 BUSBY
49338 POINDEXTER, JOSEPH 80Y. 3M. 11D. MAY 31, 1858 BUSBY
49339 POINDEXTER, LEWIS T. 22Y. 2M. 27D. AUG. 29, 1851 BUSBY
49342 POINDEXTER, NANCY E. 8Y. 6M. NOV. 15, 1851 BUSBY
49343 POINDEXTER, NICHOLAS M. 1Y. 11M. 8D. NOV. 3, 1851 BUSBY
49344 POINDEXTER, THEODORE 1Y. 1M. 17D. SEP. 25, 1862 BUSBY
49972 PRITCHARD, HESTER 11M. 18D. JUN. 2, 1866 BUSBY
51167 REGER, ANNA SUSANNAH 74Y. 10D. MAR. 20, 1835 BUSBY
51169 REGER, ANTHONY   1862 BUSBY
51174 REGER, ELIZABETH JANE 16Y. 4M. 6D. SEP. 7, 1857 BUSBY
51178 REGER, FREDERICK 1852 1862 BUSBY
51191 REGER, MARIAH 41Y. 9M. 5D. MAR. 2, 1844 BUSBY
51193 REGER, SAUL   1862 BUSBY
51194 REGER, SIDNEY   JUL. 17, 1889 BUSBY
51196 REGER, SYDNEY ANN 37Y. 2M. 11D. JUN. 16, 1883 BUSBY
55981 SHELTON, JESSE D.   1855 BUSBY
55983 SHELTON, JOEL P. 2Y. 11M. MAR. 7, 1865 BUSBY
56000 SHELTON, SILAS P.   1855 BUSBY
57396 SLAUGHTER, JOHN 70Y. JAN. 4, 1865 BUSBY
57402 SLAUGHTER, SARAH 61Y. MAR. 18, 1851 BUSBY
60631 STICKLER, JOHN 46Y. 3M. JAN. 21, 1873 BUSBY
60033 STICKLER, LEWIS 1831 1912 BUSBY
60034 STICKLER, LUCINDA 1841 MAY 30, 1900 BUSBY
60036 STICKLER, MARY A. 10Y. 4M. 15D. SEP. 6, 1867 BUSBY
60042 STICKLER, WILLIAM 72Y. 5M. 25D. FEB. 15, 1873 BUSBY
60041 STICKLER, WILLIAM 64Y. 9M. 17D. MAR. 3, 1898 BUSBY
60995 SURBER, ELIZABETH 38Y. 9M. 6D. OCT. 7, 1841 BUSBY
61001 SURBER, JOHN 73Y. 8M. 4D. NOV. 7, 1875 BUSBY
61008 SURBER, MINERVA 1859 1871 BUSBY
61012 SURBER, PERRY 1827 1842 BUSBY
61015 SURBER, ROBERT ALLEN 1836 1838 BUSBY
63486 TROXELL, AARON 5Y. 5M. APR. 1, 1854 BUSBY
63488 TROXELL, DAVID L. 1Y. 5M. 3D. APR. 3, 1854 BUSBY
64280 VAN METER, JACOB 73Y. 9M. 8D. FEB. 20, 1872 BUSBY
64285 VAN METER, NANCY E. 21Y. JAN. 26, 1853 BUSBY
64286 VAN METER, RUTH 56Y. 10M. 25D. JAN. 12, 1854 BUSBY
65497 WALTZ, ELIZABETH 57Y. 2M. 15D. OCT. 4, 1850 BUSBY
65874 WATSON, ANNA FRANCES 1872 1876 BUSBY
68158 WILLIAMS, LUCY 19Y. 6M. 16D. AUG. 16, 1854 BUSBY
68239 WILLIAMS, OTTIE L. 4Y. 11D. SEP. 9, 1838 BUSBY
68468 WILSON, ANNA M. 72Y. 7M. 6D. JAN. 24, 1885 BUSBY
68469 WILSON, ANNA M. 5Y. 25D. APR. 8, 1845 BUSBY
68623 WILSON, MICHAEL H. R. 42Y. 4M. DEC. 2, 1855 BUSBY
68722 WINDELL, ELIZABETH 78Y. 10M. 14D. OCT. 6, 1875 BUSBY
68723 WINDELL, FREDERICK 66Y. DEC. 19, 1850 BUSBY
68726 WINDELL, SAMUEL F. 4Y. 14D. JAN. 6, 1855 BUSBY