Hyde Cemetery, Pleasant TownshipIndex of Hyde Cemetery burials . . . .
The Northwest Indiana Genealogical Society cemetery index for Pleasant Township, Porter County, Indiana, published December 1993, does not include Hyde Cemetery.
Hyde Cemetery is a burial ground that no longer exists and its exact location is
unknown. The cemetery was located on Lone Tree Island, which was located at the
mouth of Crooked Creek on the Kankakee River. The island's general location was
in the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 36, Township 33
North, Range 6 West in Pleasant Township. When Crooked Creek was straightened in
the 1890 and the Kankakee River dredged and straightened into Marble Ditch in
the early 1900s, the island was obliterated.
At least seven individuals were interred at Hyde Cemetery: three children of the
Hiram Hyde family, an old lady, and three timber thieves. The Hiram Hyde family
reportedly settled on Lone Tree Island in the spring of 1833. The Jerry Sherwood
family also arrived that spring and settled north of the Kankakee River where
Baum’s Bridge is now located.
A column appearing in the September 1, 1965, issue of
The Vidette-Messenger states that:
"The Hydes settled on Lone Tree Island. During their period of residence
there they lost three
children by swamp fever [probably diphtheria] and
they were buried on the
island. The Sherwoods had lost their son,
Jeremiah, previously, and
had buried him on the Widow Bonesteel’s farm
[at Mayville], where she
had permitted the location of a community
cemetery. But the Hyde
children couldn’t be taken over the water-covered
prairie, so the first
cemeteries are recorded as 'Widow Bonesteel’s' and
'Hyde’s Cemetery.'"
Another column concerning timber thieves appearing in the June 28, 1958, issue of The Vidette-Messenger states that:
"The watchers [Jasper County Rangers] let them get going [chopping
down] on a big oak tree –
and three cracks from accurate rifles ended
their career. Three
notorious timber-crooks paid the inevitable penalty.
No one ever tried to find
out who they were or where they came from.
Nobody searched their
clothes for any marks of identification. Nobody
cared.
Hyde’s Cemetery was on
Lone Tree Island. Three children and an old lady
were buried there. So the
vigilantes dragged the crooks over to the edge
of Hyde’s cemetery and
dug a somewhat shallow grave and dumped all
three in it. With them
was buried that cache of lumbering tools....
The ditching machines
came, and piled a great heap of muck all over the
burial site. I don’t know
exactly where it was. Everything has changed so
much since they drained
the river flats. If I were to make a guess I’d say
it was on the old Ault
place."
Sources:
Anonymous. 1990. A Quarter Past One:
125th Anniversary, Kouts, Indiana. Kouts, Indiana: Star Printing. 100 p.
[see p. 36]
The Vidette-Messenger,
Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Pages 13-14.
Column titled “Kouts High School History of Pleasant township. As Compiled
by History Class and Instructors For The Vidette-Messenger.”
The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; June 28,
1958; Volume 31, Number 303, Page 1, Column 1 and Page 2, Column 5. Column
titled “Tree Thefts Halted By Fast Action,” by The Stroller (William O.
Wallace).
The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; September
1, 1965; Volume 39, Number 50, Page 8, Columns 1-5 (Kouts Centennial
Edition). Column titled “Pleasant Township's Early History Vague.”
NOTE: If you have information that you
like to add to this database, including corrections, then please contribute it
to
Steve Shook.
Hyde Cemetery data prepared by Steven R. Shook