Pickle Cemetery
Franklin Township
Initial Needs Assessment
Members of the Putnam County Cemetery Restoration and Identification Project surveyed the Pickle Cemetery in
December 2003, to determine the condition of the cemetery and assess the potential for restoration.
This cemetery is located on property owned by David Wathen. It is situated 39 47 57N Latitude; 86 53 36W
Longitude about ¼ mile south of Fincastle on US 231 on the east side of the road.
BACKGROUND
This cemetery contains members of the family of Jacob Pickle (1792 – 1884). Jacob was believed to have served
in the War of 1812.
The first burial in this cemetery appears to be that of Nancy Pickle, wife of Jacob Pickle, who died in 1862. The
last burial appears to be that of Jacob Pickle, who died 1884. There are a total of about ten tombstones in this
cemetery, seven of that are legible. We were able to obtain readings for nine individuals. We were also able to
document that Joseph Bundrant was buried in this cemetery as noted in the 1966 Putnam County
Sesquicentennial.
We were aware that Carl Mandelco Jr., had performed some restoration work on this cemetery about 20-30 years
ago. Mr. Mandelco is not with is any longer, but his widow still lives in the next house south of this cemetery. Mrs.
Mandelco indicated that her husband and Larry Price found several tombstones from this cemetery in Ramp
Creek, which is nearby. They pulled these tombstones from the creek and reset them in the cemetery as best
they could.
It is also interesting to note that there is an old road just south of the cemetery. This was referred to as an old
tavern road, which came from the then thriving town of Blakesburg, which is about two miles west of this
cemetery. The trail crossed Ramp Creek and after following Ramp Creek southeast for a little bit, continued on
east. This road was probably the main east/west road of the mid to late 1800’s for this area.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THE CEMETERY
The stone in the southwest corner of the cemetery is a monolith with the inscriptions for Jacob Pickle and his wife
Nancy (Bundrant) Pickle. This stone is a monolith type stone. It is leaning just slightly to the west. There is an
ornamental piece at the top of this stone that is broken off. It would be desirable to reset this stone and repair the
broken piece at the top.
The stone just east of that of Jacob and Nancy Pickle is their son Jacob. This stone is also a monolith type stone
that is leaning badly to the south. The monolith is lying on the base. There is normally a square middle piece of
stone about six inches thick for this type of stone between the base and the monolith, which is missing for this
stone. This stone must be reset or it will fall to the ground in the very near future.
The next stone north of the younger Jacob Pickle is that of his brother Henry. This stone is a larger slab type
stone and is broken in two places. Fortunately, the base for this stone is still intact and is in good shape. The
bottom of this stone is chipped a little, but it appears possible to fit this stone back into its base and repair the two
breaks.
The next stone north of Henry Pickle is that of his sister Rachel. This stone is a larger slab type stone that is in
good condition, except that it is broken just above the base. The break is a jagged break and All the pieces seem
to be intact. This stone should be in good condition after the break is repaired.
To the north of Rachel Pickle, and a few feet east, there is a square stone just outside the fence. This stone
appears to be the size of the two large monoliths of Jacob and Nancy Pickle and their son Jacob. Since the
monolith for the younger Jacob Pickle does not have a middle piece, this stone lying just outside the fence likely
belongs with the monolith of the younger Jacob Pickle.
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Going back to the south end of the cemetery, the next stone east of the younger Jacob Pickle is that of Olive C.
Stultz. Olive was the daughter of John H. and Mary E. (Pickle) Stultz, who are buried at the Hartman Cemetery.
Mary (Pickle) Stultz was the daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Bundrant) Pickle, who are buried in the southwest
corner of this cemetery as noted above. This stone is a smaller slab type stone that is broken just above its base.
This break is also a jagged break. This stone should be in good condition after the break is repaired.
The next stone to the north of this stone is a smaller slab type stone that is not legible. This stone is smooth and
any inscription it once had is long gone. The stone is above the ground about a foot and is about ten inches wide.
It appears too large to be a footstone, and is about the same size as the stone of Olive Stultz, the next stone
south. We feel that this stone is in fact a tombstone, probably that of a young child.
The next stone north is a small slotted base, with the slot measuring about six inches across. This may have been
a base for a footstone, which are about the size of the slot for this stone. If it was the base for a headstone, that
stone would have been very small.
Just to the north is a footstone with the initials H. P. This footstone is east of the stone of Henry Pickle, and is
presumed to be his footstone.
To the north of that stone is a small monolith containing the inscriptions for Josiah Dyer and James and Joseph
Hulse. James and Joseph Hulse were sons of William I and Julia A. (Pickle) Hulse. Julia was the daughter of
Jacob and Nancy (Bundrant) Pickle. Josiah Dyer was Julia’s second husband. The monolith for this stone needs
to be reset and leveled. Then the monolith can be replaced on top of the base.
There is also a very old field stone, which has been placed just outside the cemetery, to the east of the southeast
corner. During the era this cemetery was used, it was common to place a large flat stone that is pointed on top as
a tombstone marker. Sometimes an inscription was etched into this type of stone. More often than not, these
types of stones were later replaced with a more modern tombstone. The 1966 Putnam County Sesquicentennial
states Joe Bundran is buried at the Pickle Cemetery, with an unmarked field stone. We believe the fieldstone
described here is that of this Joe Bundran, or Bundrant.
MAP OF CEMETERY
After we located these stones, we mapped the cemetery, marking the location of the stones with a GPS devise.
This is done so that the location of the stones can be marked where we found them. Because of vandalism or
natural deterioration, it may be difficult to locate the old tombstones in the future. We also took digital photos of
the area and of the individual tombstones, so that a permanent record will be available.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We performed some research on the individuals buried in this cemetery. This is difficult to do since most of the
official records, such as birth and death records, were not recorded until the early 1890’s. We were able to extract
some information from the census records, marriage records, etc., and from discussions with descendants of the
Pickle family.
As noted above, the monolith for the younger Jacob Pickle must be reset. Otherwise this stone will fall over in the
very near future. We suggest lifting the monolith off the base using a tripod and nylon strap. This will limit the risk
of scratching or damaging the stone. After setting the monolith on the ground, the base should be pulled up from
the ground. The area below the base should be tamped with a sand and gravel mix. The base then can be reset
level and should remain level for many years. We suggest that the small square stone lying outside the north side
of the cemetery be placed on the top of the base. The monolith then can be reset and properly secured to the
base.
We recommend that the base for the small monolith of Josiah Dyer, James Hulse and Joseph Hulse be pulled up
and leveled in the same manner mentioned above. This is a small monolith, so it shouldn’t be difficult to get the
base pulled up and set level. The monolith can then be placed on the base and properly secured.
We also recommend that the three slab stones that are broken be repaired using a proper mortar mix solution.
The base for these stones should first be leveled and set flush with the ground. It would be desirable to tamp a
sand and gravel mix around these bases. This will help keep the bases level and secure for a long time.
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We further recommend that all mortar materials used conform to generally accepted practice for proper care for
cemeteries. Such practices are documented in literature from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the
Indiana Pioneer Cemetery Project, and in many cemetery restoration books. Our group always strives to use the
proper recommended cleaning and stone repair techniques. Our goal is to restore the cemetery to its original
condition to the extent possible and to not do anything to damage or diminish the integrity of the cemetery, the
tombstones or any other historical artifacts.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
There are two general traditions about cemeteries that are useful in identifying the location of the graves of
spouses. The first is that most individuals are buried with their feet facing east. This is so they can rise up to meet
the rising sun on Resurrection Day. Thus, in most instances, the tombstone is at the head of the deceased, which
would be on the west end. Further, the inscriptions are usually facing to the west. When reading the inscription of
the stone, you should be west of the body facing east. The other tradition is the wife is usually buried to the north
of the husband. The tradition is this is the way they were standing at the altar, with the wife at the left and the
husband to the right. So when viewing the couples’ graves you are usually west of the graves looking east and
the wife is usually on the left, which is north. This is not always the case though. For instance, the wife might be
buried to the south of the husband because her family is in that direction. But it is very rare for this tradition to be
broken.
It is important to note how slab stones are set. Many well-intentioned individuals have severely damaged these
types of stones by improperly resetting them. The really long slab stones, which generally have a lot of blank
stone below the inscription, were merely placed upright in the ground. An attempt was usually made to reinforce
these slab stones with gravel, sand or some other type of fill just below the ground. Other slab stones were set
into a slotted base. Those were usually the stones that do not have a lot of empty stone below the inscription. In
other words, if a slab stone was three feet tall, with about a foot of inscription at the top and two feet of blank
space below the inscription, that type of stone was usually set directly into the ground. A slab stone two feet in
length, with about a foot of inscriptions and another foot or less of blank stone was probably set in a slotted base.
A slotted base is typically made of concrete. For a typical sized stone, the base was about a foot wider than the
stone and about a foot to 18 inches deep. A slot is then made in the middle of the concrete. This slot is typically 46 inches deep and about ¼ inch wider than the stone. That way, the stone can be placed in the slot and packed
with sand or a soft mortar. The top of the base was usually set at ground level. But due to the weight of the stone,
the top of the base has usually settled and is typically found a little bit below ground level. Using a slotted base is
an extremely advantageous placement as the stone merely falls out of the slot, usually without any breakage, if a
high wind or other distress knocks the stone over. It is tempting to reset a slab stone in wet concrete. This should
never, ever be done. Since the new concrete is much stronger than the old stone, the stone will always break off
just above the concrete, usually within just a few years. We have seen many instances where a well-intentioned
individual has reset a slab type tombstone directly into wet concrete. In almost all cases, these tombstones are
found to be broken just above the concrete. The end result is these stones are being damaged greatly by setting
into wet concrete.
Great care should be taken in cleaning a tombstone. Most of the tombstones in the pioneer cemeteries are over
150 years old. Time, weather, vandalism and natural deterioration has taken its toll. Many stones, particularly
those that are lying face up, are becoming difficult to read. It is usually helpful to clean an older stone in order to
read the inscription. The first rule in cleaning a stone is to do no damage. Some of the older stones are so
stressed that it would be very easy to break the stone merely by applying pressure during cleaning. Further, many
are tempted to use a cleaning solution to restore the stones to their original condition. This should not be done
either. The chemicals in most cleaning solutions will react to the stones and cause rapid deterioration. The best
way to clean an old stone is to lie it facing up on level ground. Then using water only, gently rub the stone with a
soft brush. Wire brushes or any abrasive material should never be used in cleaning a tombstone. With enough
water, you should be able to remove the thin layer of material from the face of the stone. Be very careful when
cleaning a tombstone. Since these stones are old and brittle, the risk is high that a tombstone could crack or be
broken when cleaning. When the stone dries it should then be legible. Some have suggested a solution of one
part household ammonia and four parts water could be used to clean the stones. In some cases a tombstone will
be difficult to read, even after a careful and thorough cleaning. Some individuals use chalk, flour or other material
to help get a good reading and enhance the photos. We really hate to do this. In some cases, it might be
determined that the value of the permanent record via the photos might seem to justify the use of the chalk or
other material to enhance the photo. This type of decision should not be taken lightly. It can’t be stressed enough
that if chalk, or any other foreign material, is used on an old stone the stone should be cleaned right away with
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lots and lots of clean water and a soft brush. Leaving chalk or any other foreign matter on a tombstone is not
acceptable practice.
It has been our observation that in the old cemeteries like this one, family members would mark a new grave with
a temporary stone in one of two ways. The more common method is to find a flat stone, usually two or three feet
in length, coming to a point at the top. This stone is placed at the west end of the grave to mark the head of the
grave. Sometimes, a smaller stone of the same shape is placed at the east end of the grave as a footstone. This
method is usually done if a creek is nearby, as is the case with this cemetery, since this type of stone is readily
abundant in the creek bed. Another method of temporarily marking a grave is by placing a fieldstone at the west
end of the grave. Sometimes a round field stone about a foot in diameter is used. Other times a square fieldstone
is set upright in the ground at the west end of the grave. In some cases, the family places a traditional inscribed
tombstone later. In some cases, however, the tombstone never gets set. Sometimes the family leaves the area
before they can set the permanent tombstone. Other times the remaining family members themselves die out
before they are able to set a permanent tombstone. Thus, some of the old graves are marked only with
fieldstones.
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