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THE
PROGRESS EXAMINER, ORLEANS, INDIANA 47452, OCTOBER 31,
1990
By Robert Henderson II
 Today (Oct.31) is Halloween and
tonight area youngsters will once again go about their
annual ritual of dressing up in outlandish costumes,
carving jack-o-lanterns, going door to door
trick-or-treating for candy and listening to scary ghost
stories.
In
keeping with the theme of the holiday this P-E reporter
recently had the opportunity to pay a visit to a number
of area cemeteries to photograph and study the more
interesting designed headstones.
I
found the trip to several of the cemeteries to be most
interesting. Once could easily spend hours just wandering
among the beautiful peaceful grounds, reading the
inscriptions on the tombstones.
In
Liberty cemetery, located just east of Orleans one finds
the well worn grace marker of Anna Todd Teagarden, who
for years has been believed to be the aunt of Mary Todd
Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln. Mrs.
Teagarden, the wife of Basil Teagarden, died in 1863 at
the age of 84.
Earlier
this year the P-E staff received word by letter from Mr.
James W. Taylor of New Albany. Taylor, who is a direct
descendant of Basil and Anna (Todd) Teagarden, writes
that for the past several years he has attempted to prove
any connection of Anna Todd Teagarden's relationship to
Mary Todd Lincoln, without any success.
Anna
Todd married Basil Teagarden in Shelby County, KY on Oct.
21, 1797. The license of file is signed by her father's
mark as John Todd. Witnessed by Jacob Ruble, at the cost
of 50 pounds legal tender at that time.
Jacob
Ruble was either the brother or father of Mary Ruble who
married John Todd. Since 1910 the Taylor family has
sought the relationship of John Todd, father of Anna Todd
Teagarden, to Robert Smith Todd, father of Mary Todd
Lincoln, again with no success. It is possible that some
P-E reader out there might be able to shed some light on
this matter thus indeed closing out a search of many
years of dead end research for the Taylor family.
On
the west side of Orleans lies the stately preserved
Greenhill cemetery. Here you will find a number of
gravesites of local historic significance including the
burial spot of Gen. William T. Spicely, a native of
Orleans, born in 1823, who bravely lead a company of men
out of Orleans in 1861 to fight in the Civil War. Earlier
he had served as a volunteer in the Mexican War. He is
also often remembered as being one of the first teachers
in the Orleans free schools. Spicely died in 1884 at the
age of 64.
Another
interesting tombstone in this cemetery marks the grave of
Frederick Fesperman, a German, who was the first person
to be buried in Orleans. He was born in 1742 and died on
May 25, 1816 at the age of 74. He lived and died in a
house located at the present site of the Sugar &
Spice Shoppe on the north side of the town square.
* * * * * * *
ABRAHAM
LINCOLN'S WIFE HAD ORLEAN TIES
Indiana
proudly claims Abraham Lincoln as a former resident. He
is commemorated with a state park, a memorial and other
famous sights. However, the fact that his wife also had
Indiana ties is seldom mentioned. the fact that her ties
were in Orleans is a little know fact.
Lincoln
married Mary Todd, Nov. 4, 1842. She was his second
choice for a wife, he was engaged to Ann Rutledge when
she was struck by a swift and fatal disease in 1835.
After her death he seemed to lose his interest n life
until he met Mary Todd in 1839.
Marriage
plans were made when Lincoln backed out and decided he
wasn't good enough to marry Todd. later on th spur of the
moment, he decided to continue with his plans and a
second wedding was planned and carried out within 24
hours.
Mary
Todd was the daughter of Robert S. Todd of Lexington,
Kentucky, a man of wealth and culture with strong
political interests. Her mother, Eliza, died in
childbirth in 1825. The Todd household had a total of 14
children, six by Eliza and eight by his second wife,
Betsy.
As a
result when the eldest daughter Elizabeth married Ninian
W. Edwards, a member of the famous Long Nine, and became
the first lady of Springfield, Ill., she invited her
younger sisters to Springfield to meet potential
husbands.
Edwards
did such a good job that eventually all three of her
sisters were married in Springfield.
As
the history of Lincoln, his family and the nations
turmoil was lived, at least one section of Orleans was
vitally involved with each action. Mary Todd's aunt, Ann
Tegarden, lived in Orleans.
Tegarden
was outstanding in her own right, she lived to be almost
85 years old during a time in our history when the
average life span was far short of that number.
Ann
Tegarden was born approximately July 17, 1778. Just two
years after this country won its freedom from England.
She was the daughter of one of our early pioneers. She
died May 7, 1863 at the age of 84 years, ten months and
20 days.
She
is buried in the Tegarden family plot at the Liberty
Christian Church Cemetery northeast of Orleans. Several
other Tegardens are buried within the plot, possibly some
of the children buried there are hers. However, little
knowledge remains in the local history of Tegarden. Her
husband, Basil, died in his late 60s and is buried on the
right side of her.
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