West Lawn Cemetery, Prairie Creek, Vigo Co., IN
West Lawn Cemetery is located just west of Prairie Creek, on the north side of West Middletown Drive.
West Lawn Cemetery is the burial site of at least 7 of Zadoc Piety’s ancestors and 3 of Ora (Watson) Piety’s:
Elijah Thomas – Latitude 39.2743 and Longitude -87.502850
Sarah (Pound) Thomas – Latitude 39.2743 and Longitude -87.502850
Emily (Thomas) Piety – Latitude 39.274283 and Longitude -87.502750
William Gregory Trueblood – Latitude 39.274167 and Longitude -87.502650
Hetty Taylor (Beauchamp) Trueblood – Latitude 39.274167 and Longitude -87.502650
John D. Early Piety – Latitude 39.274100 and Longitude -87.502817
Mary Phedora (Trueblood) Piety – Latitude 39.274100 and Longitude -87.502817
John Wesley Devol – Latitude 39.274250 and Longitude -87.502367
James Bucahnan Watson- Latitude 39.274917 and Longitude -87.502333
Clara E. (Devol) Watson- Latitude 39.274917 and Longitude -87.502333
Zadoc and Ora are connected to these ancestors as follows:
Elijah Thomas and Sarah (Pound) Thomas – GrGrandparents
Thomas Piety and Emily (Thomas) Piety - Grandparents
John D. Early Piety and Mary Phedora (Trueblood) Piety - Parents
Zadoc John Piety
William Gregory Trueblood and Hetty Taylor (Beauchamp) Trueblood - Grandparents
John D. Early Piety and Mary Phedora (Trueblood) Piety - Parents
Zadoc John Piety
John Wesley Devol and Frances “Fannie” Harriet (Heap) Devol - Grandparents
James Buchanan Watson and Clara E. (Devol) Watson - Parents
Ora Frances (Watson) Piety
Elijah Thomas was born 22 Feb 1801 in Butler Co. OH to William and Margaret (Marshall) Thomas, who are
both buried at Middleton Cemetery in Prairie Creek. (For information related to their family, refer to the
Middleton Cemetery.)
Sarah Pound was born 08 Mar 1799
in Butler Co. OH to Thomas and
Sarah (Kester) Pound, who are both
buried at Second Prairie Creek
Cemetery. (For information related
to their family, refer to the Second
Prairie Creek Cemetery.)
Elijah Thomas was married to Sarah
Pound on 01 Mar 1820 in Vigo Co.
IN by Aaron Frakes M.G. (Minister of the Gospel). Aaron Frakes recorded their marriage on 21 Apr 1820.
Elijah Thomas died 11 Dec 1871. Sarah (Pound) Thomas died 30 Jan
1875. They share a plot near the southwest corner of West Lawn
Cemetery. Their plot is the only one near that corner which is enclosed
by a short metal fence.
Sarah’s information is
inscribed on the opposite
(north) side of the same stone.
Elijah and Sarah had at least
three daughters, Zadoc’s
paternal grandmother Emily
(born 1828), Mary Ellen
(born 1834), and Eunice (born
about 1841).
Emily Thomas was born 09 May 1828 in Vigo Co. IN to Elijah and Sarah (Pound) Thomas (see above). Emily
married Thomas Piety on 22 Mar 1846 in Vigo Co. IN, a ceremony conducted by Asa Frakes. (For information
about Emily and Thomas, refer to Middleton Cemetery, where Thomas was buried.)
After Thomas Piety’s death on 11 Oct 1853, Emily remained a single mother of their two children, John D.
Early Piety (born 16 Apr 1848) and Elijah T. Piety (born 08 May 1852). Upon his death, Emily sold their mill
and bought a home in Middletown (Prairie Creek). They lived at that house until her sons were grown. Thomas
Piety also owned a farm one mile east of Middletown when he died. But no residence seems to have been at
that farm until after his death. Before John D. Early was “of age,” Emily gave the farm east of town to John,
and before Elijah was “of age,” she gave Elijah the farm north of town.
Their son Elijah T. Piety was baptized at the Prairie Creek Church of Christ on 14 Dec 1865. On 15 Dec 1865
(the next day), their older son John D. Early Piety was also baptized, along with six other people. In all, there
were 13 baptisms at the congregation between December 13th and 19th of
that year. Possibly there was some type of revival or “Gospel Meeting” at
the congregation during those dates. Note: Later records of the
congregation indicate that Elijah Piety was dismissed 27 Dec 1868,
reclaimed 12 Mar 1871, dismissed again, then reclaimed again 13 Dec
1879.
For the 1880 Census, Emily (Thomas) Piety was living with her son
John’s family. According to a family history book, Emily died in Vigo
County in 1891, which would explain why I cannot locate her in the 1900
Census. However her tombstone in West Lawn Cemetery has her death
date as 19 Oct 1900 (which should have included her in the 1900 Census).
Note: Emily’s tombstone has her husband’s name spelled “Tomas” rather
than “Thomas.” The stone also has their marriage date as 28 Mar 1846,
rather than 22 Mar 1846, the date reported by the minister who conducted
the ceremony.
William Gregory Trueblood was born 5 Oct 1815 in Camden Co. NC to Benoni and Bridget (Gregory)
Trueblood, both of whom are buried at Trueblood Cemetery. (For information on Benoni and Bridget
Trueblood, see the Trueblood Cemetery information.) William moved with his parent to Vigo County IN in
1828, when he was about 13 years old.
Hetty Taylor Beauchamp was
born 20 Jun 1825 in Vigo Co. IN
to Reuben Handy and Elizabeth
(Kester) Beauchamp, both of
whom are buried in Second
Prairie Creek Cemetery. (For
information on Reuben and
Elizabeth Beauchamp, see the
Second Prairie Creek Cemetery information.)
William Trueblood and Hetty Beauchamp were married in Terre Haute (Vigo
Co. IN) by William B. Eldridge on 10 Dec 1840.
In the 1870 Census of Prairie Creek, Vigo County, William’s farm had an
estimated value of $6,800.
William Trueblood died 22 Feb 1879 in Vigo County. After Wiliam’s death,
Hetty married Guilford Dudley Thomas on 02 Jul 1885. Guilford, a Texas
resident, was also a native of Vigo Co. IN, born 06
May 1821, and was visiting relatives in Vigo
County. Guilford was brother of Laurinda Thomas
(2nd wife of James Duncan Piety). Guilford took
Hetty back to Texas, where they lived until
Guilford’s death 19 Jan 1892. In the 1900 Census,
Hetty Thomas was living in Mills TX with her
daughter’s family ... Carrie B (Beauchamp) Stark
and Carrie’s husband Gilbert Stark. After returning
to Vigo County to live with other children, Hetty met
and married Israel French. She was living with
Israel’s son William Shelby French in the 1910
Census of Pierson, Vigo County IN. In the
1920 Census, she was living in Linton
Township, Vigo County IN, with her
daughter Rachel (Trueblood) Weeks. This
picture of Hetty with Israel French might
have been their wedding picture.
Hetty’s information “Hetty Beuchamp wife
of W. G. Trueblood Jun 20 1825” is inscribed
on the back (east) side of William’s
tombstone without any date of death. Probably the partial inscription (missing death date) was made at the time
of William’s death. Because the death date is not inscribed, it is not a certainty that she was buried near
William, who died 46 years earlier. The Vigo County Clerk was not able to locate a death record for her.
John D. Early Piety was born 16 Apr 1848 in Vigo Co. IN to Thomas
and Emily (Thomas) Piety (see above). The “D.” of his name probably
came from “Duncan”, similar to his paternal grandfather’s name James
Duncan Piety and James’ mother’s maiden name Mary Duncan. John
was in attendance among the “charter” members of the Prairie Creek
Church of Christ in Sep 1851, although his baptism date was 15 Dec
1865, one day after his younger brother Elijah was also baptized.
Mary Phedora Trueblood was born 01 Apr 1851 in Vigo Co. IN to
William Gregory and Hetty Taylor (Beauchamp) Trueblood (see above).
John Piety and Mary Trueblood were married in Vigo County IN by J.
K. Carr on 01 Apr 1868.
John and Mary had at least 5 children
who died before their 10th birthdays.
A common stone (picture above) for
all of those children is near the stone
for John and Mary at West Lawn
Cemetery.
This picture of John and Mary (Trueblood) Piety was taken for their
50th wedding anniversary, which would have been celebrated on April
1, 1918.
John Piety died 17 Jan 1922, after suffering
from cancer of the stomach and bowels, as
well as 5 months of “fatty degeneration of
the heart”. After John’s death, Mary moved
west, where she was living for the 1930
Census. At that time she was with her
daughter Sarah in Glendale Twp., Los
Angeles, CA. But she soon returned to
Vigo County, where she died of mesenteric
thrombosis and chronic arteriosclerosis on
09 Jul 1931.
John W. Devol was born 28 Jun 1836 in Kentucky to Benjamin Franklin Devol and Nancy Ann Turnham. He
was probably born in Spencer County KY.
A Devol Family history incorrectly (in my judgment) says John’s mother was Lucy Ann Butler and that he was
born in Elkton, Todd Co., KY. That incorrect information is due to confusion of Benjamin Franklin Devol
(John’s father) and Benjamin Duvall of Todd Co. KY, who married 23 Feb 1836 to Lucy Ann Butler in Elkton,
Todd Co. KY. Benjamin Franklin Devol (John’s father) was son of Gilbert Devol Jr. and Rachel Peck. Gilbert
and Rachel lived near Marietta, Washington County, OH, at the time Benjamin was born. Benjamin and one of
his cousins each married into the family of George and Nancy Turnham of Spencer County KY. The will of
George Turnham mentions each of them. However Benjamin Duvall of Todd County (not John’s father) was
son of Lewis Duvall and Margaret Butler. Lewis was son of Benjamin Skinner Duvall and Elizabeth Howard.
This Duvall family was from Prince George, MD,
and moved to Muhlenberg, KY. The Duvall family
descends from Mareen Duvall and Sarah Griffith.
Kiziah Watson (see Watson Cemetery) also
descended from Mareen and Sarah Duvall, through
Priscilla Duvall, Kiziah’s paternal grandmother.
Frances (“Fannie”) Harriet Heap was born 11
Jan 1837 in Ohio to George Washington Heap and
Elizabeth (Fiske) Heap. Before 1860, George and
Elizabeth Heap moved with his parents and other
family members to Richland Co. IL, where they
(Frances’ parents and paternal grandparents) are
buried.
John Devol and Frances Heap married 05 Feb 1857
in Olney, Richland Co. IL. I don’t know how John,
living near Prairie Creek, and Frances, from near
Olney (over 50 miles away), met each other.
Because John was not yet 21 years old when they
married, the consent of his father Benjamin was
required for the marriage. Frances was also less
than 21 years old, but no similar consent exists in
the Richland County Courthouse for her to marry.
John and Frances Devol were living in Illinois when their sons George (11 Aug 1858) and Charlie (03 Jun
1860) were born. They were living in Richland County IL for the 1860 Census. But they moved back to Vigo
County before Clara’s birth 17 Aug 1862.
On 04 May 1864, John Devol enrolled at Terre Haute Indiana for Union service in the Civil War. John was in
Captain Ike L. Mahan’s Company in the 100 days service. This Company was organized at Terre Haute IN as
Company C, 133rd Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry. John Devol was appointed Corporal. John was
described as being 5’7” high, dark complexion, black hair, and blue eyes. Occupation was “Carpenter” (which
was also his listed occupation in the 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 Censuses of Vigo Co IN). At Bridgeport AL
on 15 August 1864, John received an injury to the right hip by a fall while in the line of duty. He was mustered
out with his Company on 5 Sep 1864 in Indianapolis.
According to family records, Frances Harriet (Heap) Devol died 28 Nov 1890 in Prairie Creek. But I have been
unable to obtain a death certificate for her or locate a tombstone for her in any of the Vigo County Cemetery
indices. She also is not listed among the burials at the Richland County IL cemeteries of her parents or paternal
grandparents.
On 09 Jul 1892, John remarried a
widow Martha (Trueblood) Hunt. On
the application for marriage, Martha
Hunt is listed as both the bride and
John’s mother’s maiden name.
John Devol was admitted 15 Oct 1853
(probably his baptism date) to the
Prairie Creek Church of Christ,
reclaimed 06 Dec 1857, dismissed 27
Dec 1868, and reclaimed 15 Feb 1871.
John’s 2nd wife Martha
(Trueblood/Hunt) Devol was admitted
to the congregation 10 Feb 1888.
John Devol died of acute cystitis in
Prairie Creek on 12 Jul 1911.
James Buchanan Watson was born 15 Oct 1857 (according to his 1900 Census record and
tombstone) in Vigo County to Richard C. and Amanda Melvina (Paddock) Watson. (For
information on Richard and Amanda Watson, see the Watson Cemetery information.) He was
likely named for James Buchanan, President of the U.S. when he was born. Note: James’
certified death certificate shows his birth date as 15 Oct 1856, and his age at his 29 Apr 1938
death to be 81 years, 6 months, 14 days, which would have made his birth year 1856.
In November 1875, James B. Watson was “admitted by letter” to the Prairie Creek Church of Christ.
Clara E. Devol was born 17 Aug 1863 (according to her 1900 Census record and tombstone) in Prairie Creek,
Vigo Co., IN to John W. and Frances Harriet (Heap) Devol. Note: Clara’s certified death certificate shows her
birth date as 17 Aug 1862, and her age at her 13 May 1932 death to be 69 years, 8 months, and 26 days, which
would have made her birth year 1862.
Clara was admitted to the Prairie Creek Church of Christ in February 1877.
James Watson and Clara Devol married 24
Dec 1879 in Vigo County IN.
Clara (Devol) Watson died 13 May 1932 in Prairie Creek of stomach cancer and chronic myocarditis. Her
obituary was printed on page 2 of the Terre Haute Tribune 15 May 1932.
James B. Watson died in Prairie Creek on 29 Apr 1938 of
Arteriosclerosis and 1 hour of a cerebral hemorrhage. His
obituary was printed in both the Terre Haute Star and Tribune on
30 Apr 1838.