Some people just accept what they see or hear and leave it at that but i'm not one of those people. A cemetery is full of unknowns and mysteries mostly do to time that has passed. When I am in a cemetery I always seem to come across a headstone that make me question when, how, where, etc. Last week I stopped by Samaria Cemetery in Morgan Co and was surprised that the older part of the cemetery was allowed to fall into very poor condition. I guess I expect an active congregation to maintain beyond just mowing but sadly that isn't always the case. Anyway back to my original thought, I went to Asher Cemetery north of Gosport today. I had been there before and it left me with a lot of questions so I made a return trip to try to figure it out. There are 40 graves listed there and only 10 stones standing. Now 27 of the 40 graves listed are Asher descendants but not one of the 10 stones standing belong to a Asher. Now its very possible that some of the graves were left unmarked or the stone that marked it has deteriorated away but ALL 27?? So I figured that there has to be some stones there and they just need found. Well after giving it a good hard look today I have a sinking feeling that they have been taken. There is a couple rocks that may have been placed there for markers. Tracy Wilson suggested that maybe they was moved due to the road or other reasons. This led me to Samaria Cemetery which is a couple miles away and there is 40 Ashers there. I cross referenced the names and I didn't find any duplicates, same for Little Mount South Cemetery. Most the Ashers in both those cemeteries have nice stones so I don't think that all 27 Ashers buried in Asher Cemetery were too poor to afford a headstone. So where did they go? There is a sink hole to the north of the cemetery and I looked it over good and didn't see any. So the question remains and I know the mystery will keep me chasing the unknown. Any suggestions?
1 Comment
Casey
5/11/2013 05:00:12 pm
I have been to Asher many times. There are now 26 requests for headstone pics and only, as you say, a handful of stones. I wondered if they were further back in the woods. About 30 years ago the DAR chapter did an extensive search of most cems in Owen county. At that time they listed 11 headstones. The names are for the most part the same as the headstone pics on FAG. An interesting note at the bottom of the page states that "most of the stones had been obliterated." That would explain the absence of Ashers. For they would have all been together in one part of the cem and if that was where the road is now, it would explain why they are gone.
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AuthorMy name is John Maxwell and I am a Co-Founder of Headstone Healers of Indiana and a Find-A-Grave Volunteer who enjoys working with old headstones. Many tell a story of days past and the people who lived then. Archives
May 2014
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