James/Schrock Cemetery, Portage TownshipIndex of James/Schrock Cemetery burials . . . .

The James/Schrock Cemetery is pioneer cemetery located along the Indiana Toll Road, east of McCool Road and behind the Pleasant Valley Trailer Park (northeast quarter of northeast quarter of southwest quarter of Section 17 T36N R6W). Prior to 1900, the particular area was referred to as Joy's Run. The cemetery was established in 1838 and is named in honor of the Allen B. James family, original owners of the property, and the August Schrock, later owners of the property. The original name of the cemetery is unknown.

This cemetery nearly became obliterated and removed when the Indiana Toll Road was constructed. The original survey plans for the toll road had the roadbed going through the cemetery. Mrs. Dave Magnuson of Chesterton protested the obliteration or removal of the the cemetery and used a little known law to block the Toll Road Commission from traversing the cemetery land. It was estimated that the cost at that time of relocating the toll road so that it went around the cemetery was $100,000. Newspaper articles concerning the James/Schrock Cemetery and the toll road relocation, as well as historical images of this cemetery, are available here.

Only a few tombstone were standing when the cemetery was read by LuAnn Connors and Donna McCormick in 1991. At that time, several other tombstones were laying on the ground and down the hill adjacent to the Indiana Toll Road.

According to an article published in the January 23, 2000, issue of The Times newspaper, an old fence surrounding the James/Schrock Cemetery was torn down and the brush removed from the site by the Portage High School Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps and other volunteers. The apprentice program of the Bricklayers Local 4 also constructed new entrance gate piers at the cemetery. The article mentions that it is believed that 40 individuals are interred in the cemetery.

Care of the cemetery is entrusted to the Portage Township Trustee.

NOTE: If you have information that you like to add to this database, including corrections, then please contribute it to Steve Shook.

DORR, Allen J.
Birth: 1838
Death: December 17, 1838
Note: Aged 3 months; son of Russell and Emeline (James) Dorr

DORR, Barruch
Birth: August 28, 1778, in East Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut
Death: March 4, 1841, in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana
Note: married Phoebe (Ward) Dorr on June 1, 1809, in Licking County, Ohio

DORR, Lovina
Birth: 1843 or 1844
Death: July 7, 1845
Note: Aged 16 months; daughter of Russell and Emeline Dorr

DORR, Mary E.
Birth: 1841 or 1842
Death: February 1, 1843
Note: Aged 14 months; daughter of Russell and Emeline Dorr

GRIFFEN, Dudley [possibly GRIFFIN]
Birth:
Death: June 13, 1852
Note: Aged 66y, 28d

HOCKELBERG, Anna A. (Kuehl)
Birth: 1846, in Prussia
Death: May 25, 1875
Note: wife of Bernhard Heinrich Philipp Hoeckelberg; tombstone inscribed "Hier Ruht in Gott" (Here Rests in God)

HOCKELBERG, Mary
Birth: 1875, in Porter County, Indiana
Death: 1878, in Porter County, Indiana
Note: daughter of Bernhard Heinrich Philipp Hoeckelberg and Anna A. (Kuehl) Hoeckelberg

IRWIN, Lucy
Birth: January 26, 1828
Death: June 14, 1852
Note: Aged 24y, 4m, 19d; wife of Samuel Irwin

JAMES, Allen B.
Birth: April 12, 1808, in Middlebury, Vermont
Death: February 24, 1881, in Portage Township, Porter County, Indiana
Note: Aged 72y, 10m, 12d
Obituary 1: THE COUNTY. JOY'S RUN. -- Allen James, an old resident of this county, died at his residence Thursday night of lung fever, aged 73.
Obituary 2: THE COUNTY. CHESTERTON. -- Mr. Bostwick, Mr. Taylor and the elder attended the funeral of Allen James at Salt Creek on Sunday last.
Obituary 3: OBITUARY. -- JAMES -- Mr. Allen B. James, aged 72 years, died in Portage township, Porter County, on the 24th of February, 1881. Mr. James was born in Middlebury, Vermont, on the 12th of April, 1808, and emigrated to Porter Co. in 1836. He was married to Miss Roxana Griffen on the 5th of August, 1842, with whom he had three children. His wife and one daughter, the wife of William Wise, of Portage township, survive him. His funeral sermon was preached at the Robinson Chapel, in Portage township, on Sunday afternoon, by Elder smith, of Chesterton.
Obituary 1 Source: Porter County Vidette, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; March 3, 1881; Volume 25, Number 9, Page 1, Column 2
Obituary 2 Source: Porter County Vidette, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; March 3, 1881; Volume 25, Number 9, Page 1, Column 4
Obituary 3 Source: Porter County Vidette, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; March 3, 1881; Volume 25, Number 9, Page 4, Column 3

JAMES, Benjamin
Birth: 1778, in Massachusetts
Death: April 30, 1863
Note: An article concerning the James/Schrock Cemetery published August 2, 1973 in the Post-Tribune, Gary, Lake County, Indiana, includes a photograph of Benjamin James' tombstone. As of 2006, the tombstone could not be located.

JAMES, Benjamin F.
Birth:
Death: October 3, 1846
Note: Aged 10 or 16 months; son of Allen B. and Roxanna James

JAMES, Hiram B.
Birth:
Death: May 28, 1863
Note: Aged 5y, 4m, 18d

JAMES, Infant Daughter
Birth:
Death: October 8, 1844
Note: daughter of Allen B. and Roxanna James

JAMES, Mary
Birth:
Death: October 18, 1838
Note: Aged 52 years; wife of Benjamin James; Mary James was the first burial in James/Schrock Cemetery

JAMES, Roxanna (Griffin)
Birth: March 2, 1809, in Genesee County, New York
Death: October 14, 1882, at her residence near Robbins' Chapel
Note: Aged 71y, 6m, 12d; wife of Allen B. James
Obituary 1: OBITUARY. -- Died, on the 7th inst., at her residence near Robins' Chapel, in Porter county, Mrs. Roxana Griffin James, in the 73d year of her age. The deceased was born in Genessee county, New York, March 2, 1809. In 1835 she removed with her parents to Michigan City, Laporte county, and thence to Hebron, Porter county, where she married in 1842 Mr. Allen B. James, after which they settled on Twenty Mile Prairie, where she lived until death. She survived her husband not quite two years, and leaves one child, two brothers, one sister and a large circle of friends to mourn her loss. She had been a member of the Presbyterian church for about 22 years and spoke with cheerful confidence of her future prospects. Her funeral services were conducted by Elder E. S. Riley in the presence of a large congregation at Robins' chapel on Monday, the 15th inst., after which her remains were deposited in the family burying ground near her dwelling.
Obituary 2: CITY AND VICINITY. -- Mrs. James, widow of the late Allen James, died at her residence in Portage township, Oct. 15 Mrs. James was a native of New York, and came to this State in 1834. She was married 42 years ago. She was 72 years of age at the time of her death.
Obituary 1 Source: Porter County Vidette, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; October 26, 1882; Volume 26, Number 43, Page 5, Column 3
Obituary 2 Source: Chesterton Tribune, Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana; October 28, 1882; Volume 1, Number 1, Page 5, Column 2

KERN, Michael
Birth:
Death: July 19, 1857
Note: Aged 13y, 3d; son of J. P. and C. Kern

KUHL, John
Birth:
Death: November 28, 1872
Note: son of Henrich and Anna Kuhl

KUILL, John Van
Birth:
Death: November 23, 1872
Note: Aged 18y, 9m

WOLF, Catharine
Birth: May 1799, in Pennsylvania
Death: January 28, 1868
Note: Aged 59 years
Obituary: Passed from death to spirit life, from residence of Josephus Wolf, Porter County, Indiana, January 28th, Catherine Wolf in the 89th year of her age. Aunt Kate as she was called was born in the year 1779 on the frontier of Pennsylvania, Westmorland County; migrated to Athens, Ohio in the autumn of 1808, where she remained until 1834 when she took up residence with a brother in this county.
Obituary Source: The Republican, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana; February 6, 1868

WOLF, Jacob
Birth: August 13, 1784, in Blairsville, Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Death: April 15, 1851, in Porter County, Indiana [possibly April 10, 1851]
Note: emigrated to Porter County, Indiana, in 1834; husband of Lydia (Dorr) Wolf

WOLF, Lydia (Dorr)
Birth: January 30, 1792
Death: October 3, 1848 [possibly 1842]
Note: Aged 62y, 8m, 4d; wife of Jacob Wolf

WORMAN, Mary C.
Birth:
Death: January 1, 1884 [possibly January 31, 1884]
Note: Aged 53 years, wife of James Worman; tombstone broken

YOUNGS, Sophia (Crippen)
Birth: 1808, in New York
Death: March 15, 1869, in Porter County, Indiana
Note: wife of Ira Young

James/Schrock Cemetery data prepared by Steven R. Shook

 

CSS Template by Rambling Soul