Restoration of Priest/Claver Cemetery

Monroe Township

Putnam County, Indiana

September 2003

 

We performed a partial restoration of the Priest/Claver cemetery. This cemetery is located about a mile south the intersection of US 36 and 231  and contains the mortal remains of the family of Fielding and Nancy (Badger) Priest and the family of Elizabeth (Badger) Claver. Nancy and Elizabeth were daughters of David and Elizabeth Badger, who is buried in the Badger cemetery about one mile north of this cemetery.

 

This cemetery consists about ten tablet type tombstones which are lying at or below ground level along a fencerow at the edge of a cultivated field. It is likely these tombstones were originally set in the field itself and have in the past been moved to the fencerow. The area had become overgrown with sapling trees and undergrowth.

 

With the permission of the property owner, we cut the sapling trees and undergrowth around the tombstones. We then surveyed the area for tombstones and found eight legible stones and several that were illegible. We cleaned and photographed these tombstones and documented the inscriptions. Since we do not know where the tombstones were originally located, we laid the tombstones face down on the ground where they were originally found. Laying the tombstones face down preserves the inscriptions much more than if they were laying face up exposed to the elements. If someone can determine the original location of the graves, these tombstones could be repaired and reset.

 

 

View photos of partial restoration of Priest/Claver cemetery:

Looking west before cutting trees  (if you look closely you can see tombstones)

After restoration looking north

After restoration looking northwest

 

 

View list of individuals buried in this cemetery

View list of all Putnam County cemeteries