Read time: 4 min.

Pioneer cemeteries across the countryside often tell stories of the hardships faced by early settlers. I’ve only been to a handful, but I’ve seen a heartbreaking pattern often emerge: often, the first burial was that of a child. Could you imagine? Such is the case with Felton Cemetery in rural Delaware County. 

Felton Cemetery sits tucked away in Perry Township, just north of the village of Mt. Pleasant. It’s on a winding county road that leads to Prairie Creek Reservoir. Although it isn’t called out on atlases published in the nineteenth century, it sat on the land of William Felton in 1874¹, then property owned by the heirs of Sarah Felton in 1887². 

William Stanley Felton and Sarah Turner Felton hailed from Henry County, just south of their family homestead. In 1856, Sarah gave birth to a daughter, Eliza. Jane followed in 1859, Lewis in 1863, Riley in 1867, and another infant daughter the same year. Sadly, Jane passed away in 1863 just after her third birthday. As best I can tell, she was the first to be buried at the family plot that eventually took her family’s name. 

Little Jane’s funeral must have been a poignant moment that highlighted the isolation of pioneer life. Way back then, there was no established cemetery to provide her resting place. Maybe William had to dig her grave himself hurriedly and with a heavy heart. He may have even crafted and set her marker with his own hands. Fortunately, Jane isn’t alone in eternal rest. William and Jane are buried nearby, as are fourteen other Feltons.

Other families interred at Felton Cemetery include the Anthonys, Cavanalls, Howells, and Priddys. Among them, A.C. and Jane Priddy have one of the most ornate markers in the burial ground! Unfortunately, their story is one of profound tragedy. In 1901, their six-year-old daughter, Lacretta, succumbed to typhoid fever at the family’s home in nearby Oakville. Six years later, the family suffered another heartbreaking loss when their infant son, Paul, passed away at just one month old. Lacretta and Paul were laid to rest beneath a matching pair of tiny tombstones.

There’s only one Stanley buried at Felton Cemetery, Johney Lloyd. Johney, who passed away at just one or two months old, was the infant son of Ezekiel and Elizabeth Felton Stanley. Although his life was heartbreakingly brief, Johney’s burial weaves a personal thread into the the cemetery’s historical tapestry. His heart-shaped marker ties him to the Felton family and the larger story of those who once called this area home.

After nearly a century in existence, Felton Cemetery was finally incorporated in 1956³. Since then, the burial ground has seen about twenty interments- nearly half of its total interments! Felton Cemetery may not count as a pioneer cemetery by some accounts, but its earliest graves -especially the ones of children- were the ones that drew me in.  

Overall, about fifty people call Felton Cemetery their final home. Standing there today, you can almost hear the echoes of those early settlers’ grief. Still, Felton Cemetery isn’t just a place of mourning. It’s also a testament to survival. Its aging markers tell a story of people who faced loss and carried on, who built lives and legacies despite their grief. More than a hundred and sixty years later, their echoes linger as reminders of Delaware County’s enduring pioneer spirit.

Sources Cited
1 Kingman Brothers. (1874). Map of Delaware County, Indiana. Chicago, IL.
2 Griffing, B. N. (1887). Mt. Pleasant Township. An atlas of Delaware County, Indiana . map, Philadelphia, PA; Griffing, Gordon, & Company.
3 Cemetery Incorporates (1956, July 24). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 15.