Burial Map to Mooresville's Old M.E. Cemetery

Thanks to Mooresville sexton Ed Bucker, the Indiana Room at Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library has a burial map for the Old Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Cemetery on West Washington Street. A spreadsheet accompanying the map lists burial plots of many of the town's earliest pioneers and settlers.  (Click the photos below to enlarge.)

Old Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Cemetery,

also known as Old Mooresville Cemetery,

on West Washington Street 

Old M.E. Cemetery was established in 1829

Painting of the first Mooresville M.E. Church (built in 1839)

(on West Washington Street, in front of the cemetery)

Photograph of the first Mooresville M.E. Church

(from Hadley, Almira Harvey.  A Brief History of Mooresville and Vicinity [1918])

(Click here to see a digital copy of the entire book)

The photos below show where to find the cemetery burial map.  To the left of the map (in a yellow binder) is the spreadsheet listing the names of those buried there, as noted on the map.

Although these materials do not circulate, they may be examined in the library's Indiana Room.

There are several online resources available to search burial records of the Old M.E. Cemetery.  These include:

• The Morgan County History & Genealogy Association website; and
• The Find-a-Grave website.

The MCH&GA website also lists other Morgan County cemetery burial records, among other historical and genealogical information.

Besides the Bucker burial map mentioned above, the MPL Indiana Room has several print materials that list burials in Old M.E. Cemetery.  These include:

• Cemetery records compiled by the Mooresville, Indiana White Lick Chapter of the D.A.R. (Mrs. Olin D. Keith and Mr. and Mrs. Carl C. Cowen, compilers) (click here for a library catalog entry--library call number I REF 929.5 DAR).  Other Morgan County cemetery records may be found in these reference books and related materials, all under the library call number I REF 929.5;
• Local History vertical files (under specific cemetery names).  These files are kept in locked drawers in the MPL Indiana Room.  Please ask library staff for assistance.

A digitized library handout provides these details about the Old M.E. Cemetery:

• "Samuel and Eliza Moore donated the land on West Washington Street for use as a cemetery, now known as 'Old Cemetery,' and to serve as the site of the first M.E. Church (built in 1839). Martha J. Worthington, Eliza Moore’s first cousin, became the first person buried in Old Cemetery in Mooresville. She died at age 21 on May 15, 1829."

The source for the above-quoted paragraph was page 76 of A Brief History of Mooresville, Indiana, 1824-1974, by Clara S. Richardson (1974).  Read a digitized copy of the entire book here.  The relevant page is reprinted below (click image to enlarge).

Page 76 of Clara Richardson's book

Besides these materials, there are some other online discussions about the Old M.E. Cemetery, both from this blog (click here and here and here) and the library's digitized handouts (click here).

Visit the MPL Indiana Room for more local history resources, or click here to find a quick summary of online links available.  The MPL website also has a variety of web pages devoted to local history.

Furor Over Proposed Library Site (Spring 1913)

We continue sauntering along memory lane with more historical tidbits from a century ago, when the Mooresville Public Library was first established.

Between January and May, 1912, citizens of the Town of Mooresville, Indiana signed petitions to construct a new library building and authorizing tax levies by which to subsidize the project.  The Mooresville Town Board adopted a resolution in May, 1912 to levy a library construction tax.  At this time, the first Library Board of Trustees was also created.

Further financial developments swiftly followed.  In June, 1912, residents of Brown Township, Morgan County were invited to support the Mooresville Library (in exchange for use privileges).  In July, 1912, a $10,000 grant application was made to the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to fund building construction.  It was this grant that ultimately paid for the town's new library.

Before foundations could be laid, however, there was the important question of where the library should be situated.  Between February and April, 1913, there were public discussions on this issue, and the Town Board initially proposed to purchase the land on the east end of West Washington Street, upon which the former Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church had been located.  Perhaps you know the place.

Painting of the old Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church

(1839-1882)

West Washington Street, Mooresville, IN
(Click Pictures to Enlarge)

Photo of old M.E. Church

(From p. 28 of A Brief History of Mooresville and Vicinity,

by Almira Harvey Hadley [1918])

2007 photo of the former old M.E. Church site

When this location was initially proposed for the new library, a public furor promptly erupted.  This, presumably, was unanticipated by the Town Board, as they apparently felt that this was a "done deal."  Not so, said a critically vocal public.  Why all the fuss?  The site was well-wooded with trees that were nearly as old as the town itself (founded in 1824).  What was not to like?

Old Cemetery (active 1829-1889)

located behind the former old M.E. Church site

Behind the old M.E. Church was the old town cemetery, which was active between 1829 and 1889.  The town founder, Samuel Moore, was the last person buried there.  Proponents of the lot as a library site suggested that the building could sit approximately where the old church had been.  The immediate neighbors in the back yard were quiet, in any event, which would be ideal for a library atmosphere.  (I'm not joking; this was quite seriously offered as a justification.)

Few public proposals have sparked such vehement controversy in Mooresville.  The masses arose, if not with pitchforks and torches, then certainly in elevated voices of protest.  "Nobody wants a library next to a cemetery," one prominent townsperson declared at a public meeting.  "An air of gloom would descend upon the structure," another citizen stated, "which would both depress and discourage [the library's] use."  While everyone respected the deceased buried in Old Cemetery, few wanted a library immediately adjacent to their last resting places.

During March-April, 1913, the Town Board scrambled to secure a more suitable library location.  No public revenues were used to purchase land for the library.  All monies were privately donated.  Thanks to a significant donation from Arthur Newby (of Indianapolis 500 Brickyard fame) and Judge Smith MacPherson, as well as contributions from the general public, a lot was purchased at 30 West Main Street, directly across from the McCracken House, which was a popular inn and restaurant that drew customers from across central Indiana via the Interurban railway.

McCracken House (1912) on West Main Street, Mooresville, IN

Directly across from the new library site (1913)

The Library's postal address was subsequently renumbered as 32 West Main Street, when the local post office updated its delivery addresses to reflect later changes in the use of various properties in the downtown Mooresville area.

Having secured the land for the new library, there remained the question of providing citizens with temporary library services.  In March, 1913, a temporary reading room was established on the second floor of the I.O.O.F. Building, which was located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Main and Indiana Streets in downtown Mooresville.

I.O.O.F. Building, downtown Mooresville, IN (ca. 1885)

The townsfolk were quite pleased with the new library lot at 30 West Main Street.  But actual construction was yet to come.  Actually, the town needed first to hire an architect and general contractor.  But none of this could proceed without money, and, for that, the citizens of Mooresville had to await the decision of the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

11 West Main Street & Old M.E. Church

Pace Thompson’s dry goods store as it looked during the early 1900s

(Photograph by J. P. Calvert)

(click images to enlarge)

Read about Pace Thompson's businesses at 11 West Main Street, as well as the old Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church on West Washington Street, at the site of the Old M.E. Cemetery (est. 1829), in our online handout.

Pace Thompson's house at 40 East Main Street in Mooresville

(Above:  after renovation; below:  before renovation)

(Photographs by J. P. Calvert)

Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church (1914)

on the northeast corner of Indiana & Harrison Streets

in Mooresville

(Photograph by J. P. Calvert)

Rubbing Family History

Yesterday Miss Meg, MPL teen/adult programming coordinator, held a hands-on genealogy program for teens at Old Cemetery (i.e., the old Methodist Episcopal [M.E.] Church Cemetery) on West Washington Street near downtown Mooresville, Indiana, about which we've previously blogged.  Participants rubbed tombstones to preserve a record of persons buried there.  Miss Meg took some photos of the event.  Click the images to enlarge.

 Hannibal Bray's grave

(Not the movie character)

(son of John S. & Margaret Bray)

(died 8/11/1854; age 10 mo., 4 days)

Grave of Washington L. Conduitt (6/1/1825-8/27/1861)

(born in Trimble County, Kentucky)

Samuel & Eliza Moore's son-in-law
(Samuel Moore founded the Town of Mooresville, Indiana)

 Cemeteries are silent repositories of family history

 William A. Rooker's grave marker

(died 8/15/1849; age 30 yrs., 6 mo., 9 days)

(One of many that have been damaged)

 

Grave of Mary M. Conduitt
(1/15/1831-10/13/1853)
(daughter of Samuel & Eliza Moore)
(wife of Washington Conduitt)

Tombstone rubbing is one way to preserve the information chiseled on grave markers, but it can be destructive to the stones if done improperly or haphazardly.  An alternative is digital photography.  Editing a cemetery marker using Photoshop (or some other graphics software) can bring out details difficult to discern with the naked eye, particularly if the image is inverted (i.e., a negative image) or sharpened with other filtering options.

Photo Inversion (Negative)

brings out clearer details from tombstone

Everyone enjoyed investigating and learning to preserve burial information for one's genealogical researches.  Cemeteries tell many stories, if one quietly and respectfully listens.

Founders Found a New Home

Portraits of Samuel Moore and Eliza Worthington Moore, founders of Mooresville, Indiana, have found a new home at Mooresville Public Library.  They now hang proudly in the MPL Indiana Room.  Click the photos to enlarge.

Founders' portraits (circa 1850) facing one another

at the north end of the MPL Indiana Room

(overlooking the MPL Courtyard)

 Samuel Moore

 Eliza Worthington Moore

 Close-up

 Close-up

These portraits were drawn circa 1850.  We have blogged about the Founders before, so please feel free to take a look at our archived blog postings about the couple.  Also check out our feline roving reporter's blog posts about the Moores' last resting place in "old" Mooresville Cemetery, on land that the couple donated to the town.  It was the original site of the local Methodist Episcopal (M.E.) Church, which Eliza helped to establish.

To learn more about Mooresville's founders, please visit our famous Mooresvillians blog posts and our local history links page.