Swift cemetery revisited
John Swift has been researching his roots for 45 years and since he retired,
he has been making 2-3 trips a year to Indianapolis from his home in
Arizona. In September 2006, he went looking for a lost cemetery of his 3rd
great grandfather Thomas Swift to gather more information.
The little Swift cemetery is in Washington Township, Marion County, Indiana
in a little park owned by the town of Wynnedale at 42nd Street and
Wynnedale Drive just west of the Michigan Road.
Mr. Swift talked to neighbors and discovered a man who was an eyewitness to
the demise of the cemetery. It seems a neighbor lady who owned the land
wanted to put it up for sale. She was seen removing 3 tombstones and when
asked what she was doing the lady said she wanted to "preserve them" maybe
putting them in her garage, but her neighbor thought maybe she felt she
would have a hard time selling her land if prospective buyers knew a
cemetery was on the property. Another neighbor had an abstract of title for
the area showing the many Swift family members who owned the land.
John Swift had an old Obituary which said that Thomas Swift had belonged to
Crooked Creek Baptist Church.
John paid the church a visit and in his conversation with a church member,
an historian there, mentioned that the cemetery reading was recorded in 1940
by a Murphy. The Historian said "Thelma" and John knew he was on the right
track and very surprised that Miss Thelma Murphy belonged to that same
church.
John called Miss Murphy to discuss his findings and then Miss Murphy called
Bob Alloway. Then Bob made arrangements to meet with John Swift to have him
show our inquiring minds where the cemetery was located. We met the next
day at the park and John escorted Miss Murphy to the site. No stones
remained but Mr. Swift wanted to get permission from the Town of Wynnedale
to put an iron fence around the area and maybe get an historical marker from
the Historical Bureau at the Indiana State Library. If all goes well with
the directors of the town, John may be able to order a military marker to be
placed there for George Washington Swift, a Civil War Vet.
Here is the reading as it appears on the Genealogy Society of Marion County
web site.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ingsmc/Pages/Cemeteries_of_Marion_County.htm
Swift Cemetery (WA089) Wynnedale, Washington Township, Marion County, IN
The following reading was data entered by Cheryl Dixon; The original record
was copied from longhand on February 16, 1940, by Miss Thelma M. Murphy of
Indianapolis. Miss Murphy made the following remarks on the 1940 original:
This tiny family burying plot is on a ridge between two gravel pits; it is
located on land once owned by Thomas Swift, early pioneer, and his
descendants. Its location is about 2400 West 42nd Street in Wynnedale (NW of
Indianapolis city limits) Marion County, IN. There are evidences of
another marker and several unmarked graves. Thomas Swift and his wife may be
buried here; I found that Lizzie Murphy, Elias Swift's grandniece, was
buried here.
SWIFT, ALICE ANN d. Aug. 22, 1862 daughter of E.B. & M.A. Swift 4y.
19m. 4d.
SWIFT, INFANT son of W. & M.J. Swift
SWIFT, T.W. d. Aug. 9, 1864 Co. K. 3rd Indiana Cavalry 46y. 11m. 7d.
This tiny family burying plot is on a ridge between two gravel pits; it is
located on land once owned by Thomas Swift, early pioneer, and his
descendants. Its location is about 2400 West 42nd Street in Wynnedale (NW of
Indianapolis city limits) Marion County, IN.
There are evidences of another marker and several unmarked graves. Thomas
Swift and his wife may be buried here; I found that Lizzie Murphy, Elias
Swift's grandniece, was buried here. End of reading
It is great to find so much information through an ancestors' research and
investigative work where nothing formerly existed. John Swift's wife is
Rita Hardin whose father wrote a manuscript, History of the Hardin Family by
Paul F. Hardin-1965, and Miss Murphy is related to the Hardin family.
While we were at the park, many neighbors stopped and we gave them some
information we had and they seemed very interested in the history and it may
instill in them the addictive habit of genealogy. Once you are bitten, it
just keeps getting better. You get one mystery solved, and two more pop up.
No tombstones remain here today. Below is from the Abstract of Title.
Nov. 10, 1840 William Hannaman to Thomas Swift and
Thomas and Amy Swift to William Bridgeford {Thomas Swift died intestate
Aug. 25, 1864}
Dec. 1864 James and Louise Bridgeford to Elias Swift
Jan. 1865 Abraham Swift and Sarah Swift to Wilbourn Swift
Nov. 5, 1924 to Wynnedale subdivision
Another Swift Cemetery is reportedly on Old Ralston Road West of Michigan
Road and South of Kessler Boulevard. Miss Murphy and I will be searching
for it in the Spring, Summer of 2008.
End note: The smallest cemetery in Marion County was reported in the 1930's
as being the Hessong cemetery, A.K.A. Rowney Farm, which had 2 burials and a
small iron fence around it, off Spring Mill Road and 65th St. This Swift
cemetery has to be the second smallest, with originally 4-5 total burials.
Bob