submitted by Vanessa Burkhart
Caroline Scott Harrison Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
On Sunday September 22, the Caroline Scott Harrison Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) with support from the Clarence Cook Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard, dedicated a granite marker and engraved NSDAR Insignia at the grave of Pennsylvania Patriot, John Mitchell. The ceremony was held at the Old Trails Cemetery (McVey Family Cemetery, 299 S. Old Trails Road) in Warren Township, Indianapolis, Indiana. Over 100 people were in attendance.
Jeff Bennett, Warren Township Trustee, shared the history of the cemetery and preservation efforts. Revolutionary War soldier enactors conducted a military salute firing historic black powder rifles. Joseph Fuller, Commander of Indianapolis American Legion Post 4 performed “Taps.”
There were several honored guests from the NSDAR, and descendents of John Mitchell, and James Franklin McVey, 95 years old, of Indianapolis, who is the great-great grandson of John McVey, founder of the cemetery. Also in attendance were Tim Beckman, Sons of the Union of the Civil War and Stuart Hart, Ron Darrah Carson Smith, Steve Oberlin, David Betzner, and Rod Charrad of the Clarence Cook Chapter Sons of the American Revolution.
John Mitchell, Revolutionary War Patriot, was born July 29, 1758 in Middleton, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He served in the Revolutionary War from the state of Pennsylvania as a Private with the Artillery Artificers in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Artillery Artificers were formed at the request of General Washington and consisted of civilians as well as military men who had skills needed to manufacture and repair the items used by the military. This freed the regular trained militia to fight. John Mitchell’s group was responsible for the making and repairing of cannons and ammunition. When Mitchell’s service ended, he migrated to Ohio where he was a farmer. In 1820 he applied for a pension. He married twice; little is known about his first wife, and he married his second wife Judith Hollinger in about 1795. In 1847, he again applied to the pension board to have his pension sent to Indiana where he had moved to be with his children (daughter Sarah Mitchell Apple, wife of John Apple) after his wife’s death. He died January 11, 1851 in Indianapolis at the age of 92.
Indiana Pioneer, John McVey, born June 7, 1790 in Franklin County, Virginia, received a land grant in April of 1820. The cemetery was established circa 1830-1840 on McVey property. Burials were recorded between 1839 and 1943. In a cemetery survey of the 1940s, 37 burials were recorded. Of those buried in the cemetery in addition to pioneer John McVey, his wife Barbara Sullivan Lloyd McVey, his son Thomas Morton McVey and Thomas’ wife Jane M. Buchanan McVey, John’s sister Mary C. “Polly” McVey Staley and her family, there are six civil war veterans, one war of 1812 veteran, one Revolutionary War patriot (John Mitchell), and one wife of a Revolutionary War patriot (Elizabeth Blue Ferguson, wife of Samuel Ferguson) buried in the cemetery.
submitted photo
James Franklin McVey, great-great grandson of McVey Cemetery Pioneer John McVey, and Warren Township Trustee Jeff Bennett were on hand for the dedication of the grave marker.
Over the last five years, Jeff Bennett, Warren Township Trustee and his staff have worked to restore the pioneer cemetery by removing trash, repairing tombstones, clearing the underbrush and keeping the grass mowed. John “Walt” Walters, well known Indiana cemetery restoration specialist, repaired and restored the tombstones in the cemetery.
In 2010, Old Trails (McVey Family Cemetery) was listed as a historic cemetery in Indiana’s Cemetery and Burial Grounds Registry of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
