In 1859, Samuel’s youngest son, William S. McAninch, age 23, and the only son born in Indiana,

married Mary M. Johnson, 1 Feb. 1859, at the home of her parents, in Hendricks County, and they

became members of the (new) Methodist Episcopal Church in Coatesville [26]. In the February, 1861,

“Partition” [27], William S. received “Lot 5”, fourteen acres, and then, in July, 1861, Joseph and

Elizabeth Jane (Quiett) McAninch sold “Lot 12” to his younger brother William, for $200, with the

same reserve clause “except one-half acre deeded to the Methodist Church at Pleasant Hill” [28].

 

William S. and Mary M. (Johnson) McAninch had three children born in Hendricks County; after

serving in the Civil War (Sergeant, 18th Indiana Light Artillery, Capt. Eli Lilly’s unit), William and his

family also went to Iowa (first, to Keokuk County, then to Ringgold County), and they had six more.

children in Iowa. They moved to Des Moines in 1890; William died in 1901, and Mary died in 1902;

they are both buried in the Oralabor Cemetery, Ankeny, Polk County, Iowa

 

In the 1861 partition of Samuel McAninch's estate [27], a land sketch map was recorded in the actual

Hendricks County Deeds; the sketch map is oriented correctly (North at the top), and there is clearly

a “north half” (Lots 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 14) and a “south half” (Lots 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13) [map, 27a].

 

The 1878 Map of Franklin Township [29a], seventeen years after the partition of Samuel McAninch’s

land, shows clearly the results of the land consolidations, after the various McAninch families left the

area (several families went to Iowa, and John W. McAninch went to Clinton County, Indiana).

 

In 1878, the land in the middle of the “north half” was owned by the two spinster sisters, (Elizabeth)

'Betsey' and (Permelia Catherine) 'Amelia', shown on the 1878 map as “E. & P. McIninch [sic], 39”

[39 acres] (their two original lots, 3 and 4, plus Lot 5, bought from younger brother William S.

McAninch when he went to Iowa) [Lots 3, 4, 5, map 27a].

 

In 1878, in the “north half”, neighbors east of “E. & P.” were B. Johnson [17.5 acres, (1861) Lot 2,

Sarah Harlan] and B. Tincher [17.5 acres, (1861) Lot 1, Arminta Harlan], and the neighbors to the

west of “E. & P.” were Samuel Phillips [40 acres, (1861) Lots 6, 10, and 11?], and then David Pike,

[44.5 acres, (1861) Lots 7, 8, and 9] [27a] [29a].

 

In the “south half” of the 1861 partition [27], Lot 9 went to Daniel McAninch, who married Phebe

Pike, and was later to become a Justice of the Peace in Hendricks County. The Pleasant Hill M.E.

Church (and cemetery) were located at the south edge of Lot 12, which went to Joseph McAninch

(he went to Iowa later), with the cemetery on the land owned by the Johnsons in the 20th century [2].

 

In 1878, their neighbor in the “south half” was S. Baker [72 acres: John McAninch's land, (1859) 40

acres, and (1861) Lots 12, 13, and 14, total 72 acres (John had gone to Clinton County, Indiana)] [29a].

 

At this time, it is not known when the Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal Church ceased operations, and,

by 1904, the name McAninch did not appear anywhere in the vicinity of the church and cemetery [29b].

 

In the 20th century, the land was owned by the Johnson family [2] [3a2], and Mrs. Ennis Johnson, wife

of Allan F. Johnson, wrote down the list of headstones and inscriptions while she was living there [2].

Unfortunately, the cemetery was destroyed in 1967, as described elsewhere [1] [2] [3a2].

 

This location is not correct; this paragraph, and note [61], revised June 2006 /Frank McAninch.

Additionally, this “Pleasant Hill Cemetery” can be found on U.S. Geological Survey topological maps

(‘topo’ maps), Zionsville quadrant, at Latitude 39d 54m 19s North, Longitude 86d 17m 31s West [61].

 

The next section traces the physical growth of the cemetery, 1847-1868, in five phases.

 

 

“Old Pleasant Hill Methodist Cemetery”, Copyright 2003, by Frank McAninch   (1.1) page 22 of 68

Permission granted to copy freely for any non-commercial purpose except copyrights owned by others

 

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