Restoring Watterson Cemetery in 2024.
Thursday, June 6, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
Today, members of the Eel River Township Board, Mary Kate Dohl & Roger Jones, and Township Trustee, Karen Petersen, met with the leaders from the Friends of Concord and Jeffries Cemetery team to survey the Watterson Cemetery. The cemetery is located at the northwest corner of Taylor and Aetna Roads in Churubusco. The group discussed ways to improve the site and honor this important history in Eel River Township.
We are beginning to gather information on the history of Watterson and we are looking for people who may have a connection to anyone buried here.
In the coming weeks and months, we will be looking for people to support us and join our effort by contributing their time, effort, and resources to this endeavor.
We will be sharing the names engraved on the plaque of those buried at the site from 1835-1895 very soon. Dennis Gloyd, who joined us today, commissioned and placed the plaque at the site in 1995.
If you have any information to share or if you would like to help, please message us here or email eelrivertrustee@gmail.com
Friday, June 21, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
We are seeking information that anyone may have about the people buried in our Watterson Cemetery in Eel River Township. As we begin to map out our site improvement project, it would be wonderful to meet people connected to this special and historic place.
Family or surnames of those buried here include: Bennett, Chase, Gump, Johnston, Jonston, Valentine and Waterson
Monday, July 8, 2024 video post by Friends of Concord and Jeffries Cemetery on Facebook:
Monday, July 8, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
Today, the Friends of Concord and Jeffries Cemetery met with Eel River Township leaders and several community volunteers at Watterson Cemetery to assess how best to proceed with our cemetery improvement project.
We were able to clean and inventory 20 headstones, create a grid of 100 sq foot sections in the clearing, and do some metal detecting.
Weather permitting, the team will return Monday, July 29th at 9am to complete some more work. Additional volunteers are welcome, please feel free to join us!
Thank you Pam, Janel, Dennis, Jeff, Vince, Alan, Owen and Roger for all of your help and encouragement today!
July 30, 2024 post by Friends of Concord and Jeffries Cemetery on Facebook:
Our side project this summer. Watterson Cemetery in Allen County.
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
We had another successful workday on Monday with the help of our Eel River township leaders Mary Kate Dohl, Roger Jones, Karen Petersen and the crew from the Friends of Concord and Jeffries Cemetery. We believe we located pieces of 3 of headstones that we had not been able to previously find. 2 headstones have been identified for repair and have been taken off site for that work to begin. Thank you Dennis Glynn!
We intend to gather again later in August for another work day and hope that the mosquitos DON'T get the invite this time!
If you are interested in helping, this is a fun crew and the work is very satisfying. We usually put in a couple of hours in the early morning. You may even feel a little bit like Nancy Drew as we investigate and solve of mysteries that surround this historic place and those that are buried here.
Friday, August 16, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
We took a big step in our Watterson Cemetery restoration project today. We officially submitted to the Veteran's Administration a claim form 40-1330 on behalf of Eel River Township resident and Civil War Veteran, Peter Jefferson Waterson. Peter enlisted in 1862 and served the Union Army in Company E of the 88th Infantry of Indiana. His original headstone was damaged and we are hopeful that the VA will approve the claim and provide a granite replacement.
Saturday, September 21, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
Your Eel River Township board member, Mary Kate Dohl, led a discussion yesterday to review the initial findings of her genealogy research on behalf of those buried in Watterson, our township cemetery. We compared her findings to Denny's research and sources from 1995.
Mary Kate's research revealed inconsistencies in the number of people believed to be buried there along as well as census data indicating some of the dates of death may be incorrect. It is not unexpected when dealing with hand written records and transcriptions that are over 150 years old.
Mary Kate has spent many hours of her personal time on this research project so far and we all left the meeting with a plan and to-dos. We are thankful for her passion and commitment to solving these mysteries and helping with this restoration project.
Special thanks to Benita Steyer with the Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter, NSDAR who helped locate and share a photograph of the 1932 survey completed by the Daughters of the American Revolution for us.
Friday, November 1, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
Exciting Watterson Cemetery Update Our Friends of Concord and Jeffries Cemetery partner Janel made contact with a landowner in Whitely County who has had a old headstone for "Lucy Ann Gump" on their property for a very long time. The dates match an entry on the Daughter's of the American Revolution survey that was completed in 1932 for our Watterson Cemetery, (also known as Wesley Chapel or Jonston Cemetery)!
Plans are being made to build a new headstone base, clean and restore the stone and reinstall Lucy Ann's headstone, back where it belongs, at Watterson Cemetery in the near future.
Monday, November 18, 2024 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
Lucy Ann Gump's stone came home to Watterson Cemetery last week! Chris told me that she discovered the stone back in the early 1990s when she purchased property up near Wolf Lake. She has kept the stone safe all these years and returned it wonderful condition.
This serendipitous connection and result is completely attributable to word of mouth. Making connections and talking about this important work and the mysteries therein, makes all the difference. You never know where a conversation may lead.
Dennie has already made a new base and once we determine the most appropriate placement, Lucy Ann Gump's headstone will be officially reinstalled where she was laid to rest back in 1849.
Thursday, February 27, 2025 post by Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana on Facebook:
Good News: our application for a replacement headstone for Peter Jefferson Waterson, who served in the Civil War, was approved by the VA and the stone was delivered to me yesterday! Peter Jefferson Waterson's headstone was one of many at our Watterson Cemetery that were vandalized over the years. We will install this replacement stone in the spring.
Peter Jefferson Waterson was born around 1843 in Perry, Pennsylvania, to William Waterson and Frances Shively Waterson. By 1860, the family had relocated to Eel River Township, Allen County, Indiana. On August 5, 1862, Peter enlisted in the military, serving in Company E, 88th Infantry of Indiana. He was discharged due to disability in Nashville, TN, on February 3, 1863. Peter passed away on April 1, 1863, at the age of 19.
We are so thankful to the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs This program is available to help descendants and townships like ours uphold the mission to honor Veterans and their eligible family members with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service and sacrifice to our nation.
This process is not easy to navigate but persistence does pay off! For more information about this program: Requesting a replacement government headstone or marker
