Baptist Cemetery
Wills Township

LaPorte County, Indiana

150N between 500E and 600E

LaPorte County, Indiana

over view over view
     

Gate photo contributed by Gloria Arndt

Photos updated on April 22, 2008
Updated June of 2004 with burials, contributed by Allan Zeller, up to 1980.
Again updated on July 5, 2004 with cemetery map (see below) contributed by Marsha Porter.
To find a name quickly, hold down your crtl & F key. Then type in the name you are looking for and hit enter.

WILLS BAPTIST CHURCH AND CEMETERY HISTORY

Wills Township Baptist Cemetery AKA The Old Baptist Cemetery is a last resting place for many of the areas inhabitants. Wills Cemetery is located on 350N between 500E and 600E in Wills Township, La Porte County, Indiana.   

   On June 13, 1836 at the home of James Hunt, Elder T. Price of Edwardsburg, Michigan, and Elder T. Spaulding of La Porte organized a Baptist Church. Some of the members were: John Salisbury, Mathias Dawson, Nancy Hunt, Clarissa Canada, Martha Hunt, Catherine Whitehead, Sara Mason, Phebe Hunt, Sabrina Salisbary, Alice Dawson, Martha Whitehead and James Hunt. In 1837 a Baptist Church was erected in the southeast corner of Section 13. The building was made of logs and the warrantee deed shows that George Belshaw conveyed the land to the trustees of the organization. The log building was used until 1843 when it was razed and a new frame building was erected near the site of the original one. The frame building housing the church no longer exists. The oldest known burial in this cemetery is: Lavina Stoner who d. July 26, 1837.
  In the early days when sickness was so widely spread and accidents were common a burying ground was needed and a tract of land was acquired for that purpose. The section in front of the main gate was the original Baptist cemetery. In 1837 a section west of the original one was opened by David Stoner. The east side of the original section was opened about 1900 and is called the "New Addition", though another section was opened by Burl and Ethel Stoner in 1907. The cemetery has their own association and is still open for burials.

Original Map of Baptist Cemetery

NEW - 2nd Cemetery Map
NEW - Blank Cemetery Map

Last Name

First Name

Middle Name

Maiden Name

Birth Date Day

Birth Date Month

Birth Date Year

Death Day

Death Month

Death Year

Spouse Name

Parents

DAR List

Note

Serial

Row

Ordinal

Austin

Achsah

29

10

1790

1

11

1856

Samuel

1

1

6

1

Ackley

John

C.

5

1

1804

9

5

1866

1

2

6

12

Andrews

James

H.

15

5

1800

27

10

1854

1

3

8

7

Andrews

Sarah

16

11

1805

16

10

1850

James K.

1

Spouse James H.

4

8

6

Andrews

Lydia

Ellen

7

9

1848

17

9

1857

G. H. & S.

1

James H. & Sarah

5

9

3

Brown

Benjamin

F.

20

9

1853

9

9

1909

1

6

20

14

Brown

Mary

K.

1854

1938

Benjamin F.

1

Mary E.

7

20

13

Brown

Roswell

4

7

1796

12

9

1850

1

8

9

10

Brown

James

W.

21

2

1879

7

1

1897

B. F. & M .M.

1

9

20

15

Bailey

James

M.

1

1

1854

29

4

1920

1

10

18

10

Bailey

Jessie

Hastings

20

8

1855

23

6

1932

James Bailey

1

11

18

11

Bartmess

Mary

28

6

1810

12

8

1891

1

See footnote

12

0

0

Bartmess

Benjamin

F.

1843

26

8

1920

1

13

20

7

Bartmess

Mary

J.

Feigher

22

5

1856

19

3

1940

Benjamin F. Bartmess

1

14

20

8

Bettys

Eliza

M.

13

6

1837

17

10

1852

A. & J.

1

Betters

15

13

10

Blocker

John

H.

30

8

1828

28

7

1892

1

Co. C, 87th Reg., Ind. Vol.

16

Codding

William

Thayer

24

3

1854

17

9

1936

1

17

18

23

Codding

Margaret

J.

1848

2

11

1920

William Thayer Codding

1

18

18

24

Cutler

Eleanor

6

7

1798

6

7

1845

Leonard

1

19

14

13

Drummond

Maria

25

1

1825

26

4

1858

J. J. (Dr.)

1

20

19

3

Esteb

Isaac

9

1809

1

10

1888

1

21

16

10

Fissgus

George

25

12

1817

1

5

1880

1

22

14

18

Fissgus

Mary

6

6

1819

6

7

1892

George

1

23

14

19

Fissgus

John

12

6

1848

6

6

1930

1

24

14

21

Fissgus

Susanna

Martin

28

5

1854

23

4

1937

John Fissgus

1

25

14

22

Frick

Joseph

W.

1830

23

5

1912

1

26

12

13

Frick

Eliza

26

1

1833

2

11

1890

Joseph Frick

1

27

12

14

Galycan

Mary

1

5

1793

5

5

1844

Jacob

1

Galyean

28

16

16

Gillchrist

Jerome

F.

1854

1921

1

29

Gilchrist

Ella

J.

1861

1941

Jerome

1

30

Guyer

George

1801

1879

1

Grandfather

31

4

1

Guyer

Mary

1802

1871

George

1

Grandmother

32

4

2

Guyer

Benjamin

1830

1861

1

Father

33

4

3

Guyer

Emeline

1837

1879

Benjamin

1

Mother

34

4

4

Halter

Jacob

27

12

1821

28

2

1897

1

35

6

2

Halter

Henrietta

13

10

1831

14

9

1861

Jacob Halter

1

36

6

3

Halter

Samuel

20

2

1823

8

12

1884

1

37

10

18

Halter

Catherine

13

5

1831

30

8

1899

Samuel Halter

1

38

10

19

Halter

George

A.

15

2

1864

15

9

1864

S. & C.

1

39

10

16

Halter

Andrew

V.

26

8

1865

3

11

1865

S. & C.

1

40

10

17

Halter

Peter

6

10

1817

2

6

1894

1

41

14

17

Halter

Elizabeth

5

10

1817

21

9

1880

Peter Halter

1

42

14

16

Halter

Jacob

A.

5

9

1856

9

4

1928

1

1929 from burial permit

43

23

2

Halter

Henry

L.

12

6

1862

12

6

1864

J. & H.

1

Parents J. & S.

44

5

4

Halter

Leonard

F.

15

1

1855

15

10

1857

J. & H.

1

Parents J. & S.

45

5

1

Harris

Charles

H.

1848

26

2

1914

D. & R.

1

46

6

19

Harris

Henrietta

Ingram

6

11

1850

11

1

1929

Charles H.

1

47

6

18

Harris

William

H.

29

11

1846

4

7

1914

David & Rosanna

1

48

22

13

Harris

Luella

Gridley

12

3

1855

16

1

1943

William H. Harris

1

49

22

14

Harris

Effie

27

8

1883

27

9

1883

Charles & Henrietta

1

50

7

7

Harris

Winnifred

12

1

1870

1

10

1883

Charles & Henrietta

1

51

7

8

Harris

Bertha

2

1

1874

18

9

1883

Charles & Henrietta

1

52

7

5

Harris

Charles

Edward

16

6

1878

26

9

1883

Charles & Henrietta

1

53

7

6

Harris

David

17

12

1812

8

3

1877

1

54

6

16

Harris

Rosannna

16

3

1824

28

8

1887

David Harris

1

55

6

15

Harris

Nelson

13

11

1856

13

3