WEIR CEMETERY BURIALS
(also known as "Wilson Cemetery" and as "White & Black Cemetery"
and also "Black & White Cemetery")
Union Township, Clark County, Indiana


IN APRIL 1998

View of Weir Cemetery from Memphis Road; taken 04/05/98.  The cemetery had not been cut or mowed for some time.
 
IN AUGUST 1998

Bill Smith, Union Township Trustee, has taken an important first step in getting the weeds cut back at Weir Cemetery; taken 08/02/98.


This cemetery is located on Memphis Road, 1-1/4 miles southeast of Memphis, Indiana, on top of Deuser Hill, on the west side of the road. It is adjacent to property addressed as 11512 Memphis-Charlestown Road.  Latitude N 38º 28.307', longitude W 085º 44.67'.  Click here for a topographical map showing the location of Weir Cemetery in the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 186, on the west side of the road.  (Note the cemetery notation under below the "EM" in the name "Memphis Road" on the topographical map.)
 
 

Union Township Trustee Bill Stewart, CCCPC Union Township Captain Nancy Monroe, Kathie Danner, Paul and Pat Coffman flank the concrete tree stump stone of Richard Meloy (1831-1895) in the recently cleared Weir Cemetery.

The change at Weir Cemetery is most dramatic and we are encouraged at the possibility of eventually restoring this site in cooperation with Mr. Stewart.


Previously unindexed stone, found after August 1998 clearing of site; first name "Cyrus"

One unique aspect of Weir Cemetery is that it is not only bi-racial but is believed to be tri-racial.  There is a White section in the front of the cemetery, with the Black section behind that and, many believe, there is a Native American section in the back end of the cemetery.  Of course, since Native American graves are usually unmarked in what we consider the "usual" sense, it would be difficult to prove or disprove this claim.
 
 

Concrete "Tree Trunk" marker of Richard Meloy (1831-1895) 

Weir Cemetery on 8/2/98 after initial cleaning under the auspicies of Bill Stewart, Union Township Trustee

Weir Cemetery in 1997; since restored
The index below was done on 10/08/1979 by Kenneth G. Wilcox and was found at the Jeffersonville Library. Mr. Wilcox estimates there are about 50 graves total and that it was at that time "very over grown with trees and weeds".

In the Spring of 1998, the condition of the site had not improved at all, though several groups of volunteers have cleaned it from time to time over the years. (See photo at left of Ruth Dawson's overrun grave before the Summer 1998 cleanup was started.)

We first visited Weir Cemetery on Memorial Day 1997 and found that it had not been mowed at all during 1997. It remained "very over grown" in the Spring and early Summer of 1998. But in July 1998, the Township Trustee took an important first step by getting a crew of inmates from the Clark Co. Jail in there to cut back the weeds.  Much, much more remains to be done, but one can at least get inside the cemetery now.  Most of the standing stones are now visible. Thank you, Mr. Stewart and thank you, Sheriff Mike Becher.

We visited Weir Cemetery on November 4, 2000 and found it to be in remarkably good condition, especially considering its terrible condition just a few years earlier.

BIBBS           Adaline                 No dates        No dates
BIBBS           Emma                    No dates        No dates
BUCHANAN        Martha, wife of James
                Buchanan, aged 61 yr.,
                8 days; "Gone home"     b. ????        d. 12/27/1862
BUTNER          Arthur (son of J. D.
                and H. BUTNER)          b. 1882        d. 1882

COTTER          Elizabeth (wife of
                John; broken stone)     b. 10/12/1796   d. 10/15/1859
NOTE: On 11/04/2000, this stone was badly broken and largely undecipherable.
DAWSON          Ruth                    No dates        No dates
                [hand-etched footstone
                with initials "R. D."]
EBEN            Alf'd (Co. A, 119th [or 113th]
                "U.S. Colored Troops",
                Civil War Veteran)      No dates        No dates
HEAD            Capitolia Lucile        b. 06/11/1905   d. 09/06/1919
HEAD            William Hobart          b. 07/08/1896   d. 05/06/1897
MELOY           Harriet F. (wife of
                Richard)                b. 05/08/1830   d. 03/30/1913
MELOY           Babies' stone; badly worn; appears to read:
Martha -- born and died 02/21/1857

Dezihia or Delihia (?sp?) -- died July 29, 1858, 1 yr., __ mo., 2 days

MELOY           I. O. Leona (daughter
                of R. & H. F. Meloy;
                age 4 yrs, 13 days)     b. 12/17/1876   d. 12/30/1880
Inscription:  "A light is from our household gone.  A voice we loved is stilled.  A place is vacant at our hearth.  Which never can be filled."
MELOY           Richard                 b. 01/23/1831   d. 06/02/1895
MELOY           Ida, daughter of R. &   b. 09/__/1871   d. 10/23/1871
                H. F. Meloy, age 30 days
RAILL           Matilda (wife of John)  b. 09/26/1834   d. 12/07/1896
                (shared stone with husband)
RAILL           John (same stone as
                Matilda)                b. 02/18/1819   d. ????
SCHOLL          Katharine Schumacher, wife of
                Fred Scholl; age 84)    b. ????         d. 09/1859
Stone not found
11/04/2000
WEIR            Barbara George (1st
                wife of T. T.; daughter
                of Adam George and
                Nancy _________)        b. 1845         d. circa 1870s
????            Cyrus ______? (perhaps
                Weir); "son of J. & E."
                (perhaps John & Eliza Weir);
                rest of stone is missing
????            ___________ (perhaps 
                Weir; top of stone is
                missing); could be the
                remainder of Cyrus'
                stone                     Only date:  10/15 or 13/1856
WEIR            Eliza J. McCormick (wife
                of John Y. Weir)        b. 01/20/1814   d. 06/14/1879

                  Similar inscription as on John Y. Weir's grave:
                  "Sleep on dear mother...."

WEIR            John Y. (son of 
                Robert; husband of
                Eliza McCormick)        b. 06/21/1814   d. ????

                Inscription from John Y. Weir's stone:

"Sleep on dear father, sleep. Your family mourns your loss. Around the silent grave to weep, All covered over with grass."
 [NOTE FROM LOIS:  I can't determine if the last line is part of the inscription or a description of the condition of this marker.  I didn't get this inscription transcribed on 11/4/2000.]
WEIR            Mary M. (wife of 
                Melvin)                 b. 1839         d. 1917
WEIR            Melvin (son of John,
                husband of Mary M.)     b. 1838         d. 1908
WEIR            Mollie (near the stones
                of Mary and Melvin)     No dates        No dates
Inscription from index: "Little Mollie Weir lieth here."
Top of stone not found 11/04/2000

WEIR            Robert (husband of
                Sarah; age 74)          b. 06/02/1769   d. 09/22/1843
Inscription from monument:  "They lived together a happy life for over 50 years and died within a few hours of each other and now rest here waiting the Resurrection."
Note from index:  "Robert Weir and Sarah McCampbell were married in Rockbridge Co., Virginia on May 9, 1792." 

Beside Robert and Sarah's monument sits what appears to be the mid-section of their obelisk.  It bears the following inscription:

"Happy souls thy days are ended.  All thy mourning days below.  Go by angel guards attended.  To the sight of Jesus go."

 

WEIR            Sarah (wife of Robert;
                age 73)                 b. 03/21/1770   d. 09/21/1843
Inscription from backside of their monument:  "In memory of Grand Father and Mother by Merrill A. Weir"
WEIR            Sarah M. (2nd wife of
                Travanian T. Weir;
                daughter of Joseph
                Carr and Mary Woodson)  b. 1845         d. 05/19/1911
WEIR            Travanian T. (son of    b. 1840         d. 01/14/1916
                John)
WILSON          B. D. or R. D. (roughly
                etched on small stone)  No dates        No dates
WILSON          Gracie B. (daughter of
                A. D. and L.)           b. 11/06/1886   d. 10/31/1895
Inscription:  "Beautiful, loved, she was but given a fair bud to earth to blossom in heaven."
WILSON          Samuel (consort of J. A.
                Wilson; 76 years)       b. circa 1808   d. 10/23/1874
WOODYARD        John (son of L. T. &
                T. A.)                  b. 07/18/1872   d. 07/07/1873
Inscription:  "We loved the tender little one.  And would have wished his stay.  But let our Father's will be done.  He shines in endless day."
Unknown burial, unexplained large flat stone, buried just below the surface; could have been a base for a large monument, but no sign of one found nearby.



Below is a row-by-row index of marked graves at Weir Cemetery, starting with the row running parallel to Memphis Road, reading from left to right, facing the road:

Row 1, Grave 1    Robert WEIR and Sarah McCAMPBELL WEIR, with footstones
Row 1, Grave 2    Footstone for J. Y. M.
Row 1, Grave 3    Unknown, unexplained large flat stone, buried just below the surface
Row 1, Grave 4    Catherine SCHUMACHER SCHOLL
Row 1, Grave 5    Footstone for R. J. W., F. J. W. or E. J. W.

Row 2, Grave 1    Field stone
Row 2, Grave 2    Field stone
Row 2, Grave 3    Broken stone; Cyrus ________ (perhaps WEIR)
Row 2, Grave 4    Field stone
Row 2, Grave 5    Eliza J. WEIR
Row 2, Grave 6    Broken stone; unknown; death date of 10/15 or 13/1856
Row 2, Grave 7    Field stone
Row 2, Grave 8    Mary M. WEIR
Row 2, Grave 9    Melvin WEIR
Row 2, Grave 10   Broken stone; all that remains is "Lieth Here"; probably Molly WEIR
Row 2             Gap
Row 2             Sunken grave (double)

Row 3, Grave 1    Ida MELOY
Row 3, Grave 2    Martha and Dezihia MELOY (babies)
Row 3, Grave 3    Field stone
Row 3             Gap
Row 3, Grave 4    Depression
Row 3, Grave 5    Field stone

Row 4, Grave 1    I. O. Leona MELOY
Row 4, Grave 2    Richard MELOY and Harriet F. MELOY
Row 4, Grave 3    Field stone
Row 4             Gap
Row 4, Grave 4    Arthur BUTNER
Row 4, Grave 5    John WOODYARD

Row 5, Grave 1    Martha BUCHANAN
Row 5, Grave 2    Elizabeth COTTER
Row 5             Gap
Row 5, Grave 3    Matilda RIALL
Row 5, Grave 4    John RIALL
Row 5             Gap
Row 5, Grave 5    Field stone

Row 6             Gap
Row 6, Grave 1    Gracie B. WILSON

Row 7, Grave 1    Depression
Row 7, Grave 2    Depression
Row 7, Grave 3    Depression
Row 7, Grave 4    Field stone
Row 7             Gap
Row 7, Grave 5    Samuel Wilson
Row 7, Grave 6    Possible depression

Row 8             Big gap
Row 8, Grave 1    Depression
Row 8, Grave 2    Illegible marker
Row 8, Grave 3    Illegible marker
Row 8, Grave 4    Illegible marker

Row 9             Gap
Row 9, Grave 1    Field stone
Row 9, Grave 2    Field stone and depression
Row 9, Grave 3    Field stone and depression
Row 9             More depressions

Row 10, Grave 1   Depression
Row 10, Grave 2   Field stone
Row 10, Grave 3   Field stone
Row 10, Grave 4   Alfred EBEN (U.S. Colored Troops, Civil War)
Row 10, Grave 5   Depression
Row 10, Grave 6   Field stone
Row 10, Grave 7   Field stone and depression
Row 10, Grave 8   Field stone and depression
Row 10            Gap
Row 10, Grave 9   Field stone

Row 11, Grave 1   Adaline BIBBS
Row 11, Grave 2   Emma BIBBS
Row 11, Grave 3   Unmarked stone; most of stone buried; it was excavated and is blank
Row 11            Gap
Row 11, Grave 4   Field stone
Row 11, Grave 5   Depression
Row 11            Gap
Row 11, Grave 6   Capitolia Lucile HEAD
Row 11, Grave 7   William Hobart HEAD
Row 11            Gap
Row 11, Grave 8   Ruth DAWSON
Row 11, Grave 9   Depression

Row 12            Gap
Row 12, Grave 1   Field stone
Row 12            Gap
Row 12, Grave 2   Depression


The following are taken from the Clark County, Indiana Marriage Index (1790-1850) and may explain the relationship of some of the above-named individuals to the WEIR family:
WEIR, Ann Gilmore       TEEL, Benjamin V. M.    14-Oct-1819

WEIR, Caesar            PATTON, Mary            11-Jul-1838

WEIR, David             TOWNSEND, Ann Eliza     31-Dec-1826

WEIR, Eleanor           MILLER, Jesse R.        24-Nov-1836

WEIR, Elizabeth         CHAPMAN, William        08-Apr-1825

WEIR, Hannah E.         TEEPLE, John P.         19-Jan-1833

WEIR, James             OWEN, Lucy              24-Feb-1831

WEIR, Jane              CARR, Absalom           28-Oct-1812

WEIR, John Young        McCORMICK, Eliza Jane   02-Jan-1833

WEIR, Mary              HARROD, Samuel          19-Dec-1814

WEIR, Milton            EPLER, Sarah            31-Jan-1829

WEIR, Nancy             HESTER, William A.      17-Feb-1831

WEIR, Sarah             MOORE, Samuel           20-Oct-1817
The following is from the 1820 Clark County, Indiana Census and may be useful to those researching the Weir/Wier line:
Wier, James             CHARLESTOWN TWP         Page 018                    

Wier, James             CHARLESTOWN TWP         Page 038                    

Wier, James, Jr.        CHARLESTOWN TWP         Page 018                    

Wier, Robert            CHARLESTOWN TWP         Page 018
And in the 1860 Clark County, Indiana Census, we find:
Page 618     WEIR, James A. 40 - Sarah E. 26 - Sarah C. 7 - Rebecca J. 4 - James H. 1 - 

               Winnie 70 (born in VA)

Page 698     WEIR, George C. 27 - Elizabeth 22 - Alonzo G. 5 - Viola 3

Page 584     WEIR, John Y. 46 - Eliza 46 (born in VA) - Trevanion 19 (male) - David 14 - 

               James 12 - William 7 - Andrew 5

Page 585     WEIR, Melvin 22 - Mary 22 - Mary 1

Page 930     WEIR, Sarah 12; in the household of HILL, Elliott 57 (born in PA) -

                    Mary 52 (born in VA) - PATTERSON, Mary 83 (born in VA)
I have no further information on this cemetery. This index was obtained from the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, 211 East Court Avenue, Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130, telephone: (812) 285-5635.

E-mail: Dee Pavey

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© Nov 2004