Beacon News- August 2020

Page 4A THE BEACON August 2020
Families Preserve Cemeteries and Community History
Continued from page 1A
of five families, including
his Blasdel descendants. The
association maintains Cambridge
Cemetery.
Jacob Blasdel, originally
from New Hampshire, fought
in The Revolutionary War
and migrated to this area in
1799 with his wife and eight
children. Lieutenant Blasdel
served three enlistments in the
war. His payment was a land
warrant in the northwest territory
of the Ohio River.
From New Hampshire,
he traveled by horse, oxen,
by foot, and eventually by
flatboat down the river near
Cincinnati. He eventually
settled in the area by Perfect
North Slopes, which he
coined Cambridge.
The small town of Cambridge
included a church,
a store, a hotel, a school,
and Blasdel’s Mill. In 1821,
Susannah Ferris Blasdel, who
was Jacob’s daughter-in-law,
passed away. Before she did,
she said that she wanted to be
buried by the old tree that ran
near the mill race. Jacob Blasdel
granted her last request
and did just that. Thus began
Cambridge Cemetery.
In the cemetery, you will
find the graves of the Blasdels,
their descendants, and
others who came from New
Hampshire. As time passed,
the fact that the area was
prone to flooding became
evident, and eventually, Cambridge
was abandoned. At one
time, the cemetery was not in
great shape, but that has been
remedied by the dedication of
the families who have been
entrusted with its care. Their
fortitude for the preservation
of such important history is
evident as Cambridge Cemetery
is now a very well kept,
peaceful resting place.
The stories behind some of
the people buried there are
quite colorful.
John Shanks was murdered
by his mentally ill son and is
buried in Cambridge Cemetery.
Retired broadcaster Jim
Scott lives on the old Shanks
family farm. To this day, Mr.
Scott continues to leave flowers
on his grave.
John Dawson, a pioneer
native of Loudoun County,
Virginia, is buried in Cambridge
Cemetery. His intricate
headstone is made of Virginia
Granite and features a sheep,
an ax, and a cougar. It was
supposedly knocked down by
a cow. Clyde Perfect generously
hired a company to
restore and repair the beautiful
headstone. The Dawson
141 Walnut Street Lawrenceburg IN
812-577-3348
West Fork Cemetery on Bonnell Road is cared for by The Lewis Family.
The East Fork Stone Chapel
in East Fork Cemetery
which will celebrate its two
hundredth anniversary in
2021.
family still raises and shows
sheep. As Mr. Gellert elaborated,
“Many people in this
area can trace their roots to
Tanner’s Creek.” Mr. Gellert
also shared with me why his
family does what they do.
“Our family maintains the
Cambridge Cemetery out of
respect for our Blasdel ancestors
and to set an example for
future generations.”
Next, we head to Bonnell to
a lovely plot of land known as
West Fork Cemetery.
I had the pleasure of speaking
with Clara Lewis, whose
family maintains the cemetery
as many of her relatives are
buried there. She was kind
enough to share some of West
Fork’s history with me. In the
1800s, a log church was built
at the site and was of Methodist
Episcopal denomination.
As the years passed, the
The headstone of celebrated Revolutionary War soldier,
John Case, who is buried in Braysville Cemetery. (Photo
courtesy of Joyce Baer)
church changed with the times
as the Episcopalians worked
to help free slaves. In 1836 a
stone chapel was built next to
the log church.
In 1867 when the railroad
came through the area, the
stone chapel was abandoned.
A frame church was built in
its place but was eventually
moved to higher ground. In
1945 the congregation was
deemed too small to support
a preacher, and the patrons
merged with the Guilford
Methodist Church. The vacant
church was vandalized years
later and subsequently torn
down in 1962 to preserve
its dignity. Although the old
church no longer stands, many
who are related to its patrons
are laid to rest on its grounds.
The tombstones, many dating
back to the 1800s, are well
cared for thanks to the dedication
of the Lewis family.
Moving along driving up
curvy scenic State Route 1
towards Dover, on the left is
East Fork Cemetery where
the East Fork Stone Chapel
still stands. In 1821 the stone
chapel was built on land
donated by John Ewbank. In
1830 The Methodist Protestant
Church was formed by
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