Pine River Cemetery TALES THE TOMBSTONES TELL

Tales The Tombstones Tell - Republican Observer - January 26, 1956

           A Visit to Four Cemeteries

    Pine River, Bovee, Ash Creek and Mayfield are the names of four cemeteries along county trunk O in the towns of Richland and Orion all within a distance of four miles. In these four burying grounds rest many of the early settlers of the neighborhood.

    In the Pine River cemetery many of the stones bear the name of Miller for it was in that area that many of the Miller families lived and died. Other familiar names appear upon the markers; Jones, Klingler, Keys, Starkey, Davis, Brimmer, Ross, Howard and others.

    A church once stood in the cemetery grounds, but it was torn down years ago. This was a Disciple church, organized about 1855 and meetings were held in school houses until the church building, a wooden structure 3Ox45 feet, was erected and surrounding it was the cemetery. Land for this was donated by Hiram Welton and as fate would have it he was the first person to be burned there. He died in 1873 and had been a resident of Richland county since 1852, coming direct from Indiana; though his birthplace was Ohio.

    Burials are not frequent in the little cemetery these days but descendants of the pioneers of the area find rest therein.

    While in this cemetery this summer, Frank Poynter and Frank Spry were with me. Mr. Poynter pointed out the grave of his grandmother and Mr. Spry came upon the grave of an uncle, Hiram Spry, who he thought was buried at Bloom City or Woodstock.

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