MyIndianaHome.net

The Blankenship Cemetery was a family cemetery, that began on land owned by James and Alice Blankenship. James was born on Dec. 7, 1773, in North Carolina. He came to Jefferson County, Indiana in 1807, via Kentucky. On Aug. 13, 1812, at the Jeffersonville Land Office, James Blankenship, assignee of Isaiah Blankenship, obtained a patent for 160 acres, in the southeast quarter of Section 32, in what is now Republican Township. A patent deed was made for this land in Jefferson County, Indiana on Aug. 13, 1842, and recorded on Nov. 8, 1843.

James and Alice deeded the land to their son, James, Jr. on Aug. 13, 1845 (same day Jas. Sr. wrote his will). However, out of consideration and affection for his parents, James, Jr. agreed to lease 41 acres of this land to his parents during their lifetime. This lease agreement included the dwelling house, orchard, garden, a field on the west side of the creek, a pasture field on the north adjoining a small tract of ground occupied by Ambrose White. Timber was to be furnished from James, Jr.'s other lands, and he was to keep up the fences, and provide a sufficiency of firewood.

James Blankenship, Sr. died shortly afterwards, on Apr. 23, 1848. He was laid to rest on the Blankenship farm, on a hilltop, on the west side of Little Creek. Nearby, rested his granddaughter, Mary Fidelia Tull, who had died on Mar. 7, 1843, and, his daughter, Lucretia Tull, who died on May 31, 1846.

On Jan. 17, 1887, James Blankenship, Jr. sold 135 acres of the southeast quarter of section 32 to Archibald Guthrie. The sale excluded so much of said tract as had been laid out in town lots in the town of Kent. It also, excluded one acre for the present public graveyard, and one half acre for a family grave yard. The public graveyard mentioned in this deed was part of the present day Kent Cemetery; and, the family grave yard was the Blankenship Cemetery. This appears to be when the land surrounding the cemetery was sold out of the Blankenship family. The Blankenships, father, and then son, had owned this land for 75 years.

I speculate that the reason this cemetery was also called the Old Kent Cemetery, was to differentiate the east side of the Kent Cemetery from the Blankenship Cemetery, as the latter sets on a hill behind the Kent Cemetery, north of Kent.

Bennett, Joshua T., 1845 - 1916 [ss - Sarah E.]
Bennett, Sarah E., his wife, 1842 - 1923
Bennett, Abraham M., 1847 - 1922 [ss - Margaret A.]
  [I.O.O.F. / F.L.T. Emblem; Stone is off its base.]
Bennett, Margaret A., his wife, 1851 - 1938
Bennett, Thomas H., 1876 - 1946 [ss - Jessie]
Bennett, Jessie, 1879 - 1929
Infant Daughter, 1871 - 1871 [Stone beside Herbert & Horris Bennett]
Bennett, Horris E., 1878 - 1879
Bennett, Herbert M., 1873 - 1876

Blankenship, James, Dec. 7, 1773 - Apr. 23, 1848, aged 74y 4m 16d
 [Stone is broken & laying on ground. A border made of creek rock
 partially marks off this lot.  DAR Note: Came from N.C. 1807]
Blankenship, Corp'l. I. H., Co. C 82nd Ind. Inf.

Buxton, James B., June 27, 1827 - May 10, 1895 [ss - Rebecca P.]
Buxton, Rebecca P., Nov. 19, 1829 - June 20, 1896
  [This stone is enclosed by a wrought iron fence.]

Chambers lot enclosed by wrought iron fence:
  [Gate] [Another view: Chambers lot, left; Buxton lot, right.]

Burials enclosed by wrought iron fence:

Chambers stone:
  Alzora M., w/o E.M. Chambers, d. Nov. 24, 1878, aged 21 yrs
  Eva M., wife of E.M. Chambers, d. July 21, 1896, aged 28 yrs
  Charlie, s/o E.M. & A.M. Chambers, d. Jan. 24, 1886, aged 7 yrs
  [Each have small individual headstones with only their first
  names to mark their graves: Allie, Eva; Charlie.
  Allie has a foot stone - A.M.C.

Chambers, Cameo, d/o E.M. & S.E.D., Sep. 05, 1880 - Apr. 06, 1884
   [Lamb on top of stone. Footstone is mostly underground.]
Fs - C.E.M.C.

Burials outside of fence:

Chambers, James B., Mar. 18, 1825 - July 13, 1905
Chambers, Margaret M., wife of J.B., Jan. 26, 1826 - Aug. 1874
Chambers, Alice B., June 12, 1847 - Dec. 31, 1927
  [The above Chambers' stones were not found during this survey.
  One stone on the Chamber's lot was off its base, and too heavy
  to turn over to read the inscription. Information per DAR.]
Chambers, John B.?, son of J.B. & M.M., Jan. 27, 1847 - Sept. 21, 1858
  [Stone is worn. DAR gave middle initial as C., also looks like a D.]
Chambers, James Allen, Sep 30, 1882 - Jun 28, 1908
  [I.O.O.F. / F.L.T. Emblem. Stone off of base.]
Chambers, W.F., Mar. 15, 1845 - Mar. 26, 1906  [ss - Mary A.]
  [I.O.O.F. / F.L.T. Emblem; Stone is off its base, laying on ground.]
Chambers, Mary A., his wife, Aug. 19, 1838 - no death date
Chambers, Lizzie B., d/o Wm. F. & M.A. Chambers, Nov. 2, 1867 - Feb. 8, 1885 [fs - L.B.C.]
Chambers, Levenia J., wife of Wm. A., d/o Wm. & J.E. Meguier, of Cincinnati, O.,
  d. Dec. 18, 1857, age 19 yrs & 11 mos.
  [Top of stone broke off, laying up against fence. Middle of the stone
  is broken diagonally, laying on ground.]

Cooperider, Ellison, May 2, 1855 - Jan. 15, 1929 [ss - Mary]
Cooperider, Mary Emma, his wife, Jan. 22, 1857 - Sep. 17, 1919
  [fs - M.E.C.]

Ennis, Janett, wife of David Ennis, d/o J. & E.M. Haining, d. June 19, 1857,
  aged 25y 11m 4d [Stone laying on ground. fs - J.E.] [Top of stone]

Giltner, Ogan, Nov. 15, 1903 - Jan. 15, 1913

Hendricks, James, Nov. 11, 1819 - Sept. 1, 1895, aged 75y 9m 20d
Hendricks, Sally G., wife of James, Sept. 30, 1824 - Dec. 4, 1890
  [These 2 stones are enclosed by a wrought iron fence.]

Herrig, Jacob Bennett, Sep. 12, 1915 - Oct. 4, 1915
  [Stone laying on ground. Repaired with iron brackets. On Bennett lot.]

Lyle, Wilson H., 1843 - 1918 [ss - Margaret J.; fs - Father]
  [I.O.O.F. / F.L.T. Emblem]
Lyle, Margaret J., his wife, 1853 - 1934

McCartney, Louis E., Aug. 02, 1919 - Jul. 4, 1925
  [Near Wooden burials]

McConnell, John N., Jan. 20, 1838 - Jan. 3, 1897 [ss - Eliza J.; fs - J.N. McC]
McConnell, Eliza J. Buxton, w/o J.N., Nov. 24, 1838 - Jan. 8, 1920
  [Stone off base, laying on ground; fs - E.J. McC]

Tull, Lucretia, May 29, 1811 - May 31, 1846
  [Above information per DAR. Stone not found during this survey.
  However, a stone near James Blankenship's grave is broken, and
  the top is missing. A footstone is leaning on the back of this
  stone. The initials are L.T.]
Tull, Mary Fidelia, d. Mar. 7, 1843, age 8 yr.
  [Information per the DAR. Stone not found during this survey.
  There is a broken off field stone near the above mentioned
  broken stone & L.T. foot stone.]

Wells, Clara Ruth, Feb. 18, 1878 - Aug. 26, 1913 [plain foot stone]
  [Beside Cooperider stone]

White, Ambrose F., 1804 - 1872 [ss - Louisa]
White, Louisa, 1815 - 1890
  [Field stone nearby.]

Wooden, Wm. E., 1852 - no death date [ss - Martitia C.]
  [DAR gave dates as Dec. 13, 1852 - Sept. 24, 1924]
Wooden, Martisha C., his wife, 1853 - 1910
  [DAR gave inscription as: Wooden, Martitia Catharine,
  wife of Wm. E., Sep. 21, 1858 - Nov. 18, 1910]