Liberty Township Historical Society - Liberty Township Cemeteries

New sign at Freidline Cemetery

Dr. Dale Hendrickson, DVM, Friedline Cemetery benefactor

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About Dr. Hendrickson

Dr. Hendrickson was raised on a hog farm in Indiana. He got his DVM degree from Purdue in 1968.  He started his practice in Farmland, Indiana immediately after graduation and purchased Stoney Creek Veterinary Services in 1969.  Since then he has owned and operated the practice in Farmland, Indiana.  Stoney Creek Veterinary has been a swine only practice for the last 26 years.  Dr Hendrickson has consulted with Carl S. Akey for 25 years.  He served on the Indiana State Board of Animal Health for 8 years and served as President for 4 years.  He also served as President for the National Hampshire Swine Association for 4 years; and was also on the Board of Directors for the AASV for 4 years.  Dr Hendrickson is a licensed Veterinarian in 9 states and consults with numerous swine clients across the United States.

Friedline Cemetery "adopted" by local benefactor

Friedline Cemetery

Silver Creek Cemetery

Cemetery in Liberty, IN
Fosdick Farms


Fosdick Farms


Fosdick Farms


Fosdick Farms


Fosdick Farms


Fosdick Farms

Cemetary in Liberty, IN
Fosdick Farms

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Liberty Township Cemeteries

Liberty Township Cemeteries

Liberty Township Cemeteries

Liberty Township is known for having the most township pioneer cemeteries in the State of Indiana.  Liberty Township Historical Society has taken a special interest in them.  Our Liberty Township cemeteries are:

Smithfield Cemetery was also known as Dunkin Cemetery. William Dunkin was one of the original proprietors of Smithfield. The cemetery is located off of County Road 625 East north of County Road 170 South. Smithfield Cemetery is listed on the 1887 Smithfield town Plat in Block 1 Lot 1.Travel Indiana State Road 32 East to County Road 600 East, turn right and travel south to County Road 138 South. Turn left and travel east to County Road 625 East. Turn right and travel south into Smithfield. The cemetery is on the east side of County Road 625 before you come to the T intersection of County Road 170 South. (The last driveway on the left, before the intersection will take you back to the entrance to the cemetery on the north side.) Two Wasson military tombstones were the only visible markers still standing when we visited the cemetery in 2006. 

Truitt Cemetery was also known as Wilson Cemetery. It is located in Liberty Township, south of County Road 125 South and east of County Road 500 East.Travel State Road 32 East to County Road 400 East. Turn right and travel south to County Road 125 South. Turn left and travel east to County Road 500 East south to the first curve. There is no public road back to the cemetery. Take the driveway on the east side of the road back to the woods. The path splits back by the house. Turn left on the gravel path and continue along the woods until you reach the fence post and opening on the right side of the path. The tombstones are not visible from the path. Please stop at the house and let them know you are there. The cemetery is overgrown and the tombstones are broken and lying on the ground. If this cemetery is not cared for soon, all traces of it will be gone forever

.Frieidline Cemetery is an old, small burial ground, typical of rural Indiana pioneer graveyards. The cemetery is located on Road 187 South and 762 East, a quiet corner among farmer’s field just east of the small village of Smithfield. The land originally belonged to the Friedline family, early Liberty Township land owners. The cemetery was had gone unused for many years until about 1947 when the local chapter of the American Legion began a project of clearing the weeds and maintaining the grounds. Today the cemetery is entrusted in the care of the Liberty Township trustee. In 1956 the local chapter of the Daughters of American Revolution, Paul Revere Chapter recorded the stones and inscriptions. The reading logged 75 stones aligned in 8 rows with the oldest burials in the 1850s. Today many of the stones from the 1956 reading are missing or broken. The only tribute to those early Indiana pioneers that exist are the sunken ruts from long forgotten graves. Inscriptions taken from the D.A.R. records, Paul Revere Chapter, Genealogical Records at the Muncie Public Library, 1956. 

In the Spring of 2011, a concerned citizen contacted the LTHS, having observed someone using a bulldozer in the Freidline Cemetery.  All township cemeteries are within the jurisdiction of the Township Trustee, Brian Dudley.  He was working with local philanthropist, Dr. Dale Hendrickson, to clear brush, re-seed the grass, and remove unsightly scrub trees from between tombstones.  Another part of the beautification process was to re-set toppled stones and erect a sign.  Dr. Dale provided the equipment, labor, and materials to complete the restoration of the Freidline Cemetery, which is located East of Hills & Dales.  We hope other local residents will take an interest in our historic cemeteries to make sure they don’t disappear as have some others in the township.

The following is a list of cemeteries that once existed in Liberty Township. This includes places where people were interred but there are no markers, or places where the remains were moved and reinterred in other cemeteries.

Canaday, Kennedy, or Williams Cemetery

Located at the curve on the south bank of White River, southeast of Smithfield. Near Hills and Dales, in section 27 of Liberty Township. It has been said that the caskets were seen floating down stream during one of the floods. At one time the Church of God Reformation owned land along the river in Smithfield. They would hold Baptism services on the banks.

Hutchings Cemetery

Located on County Road 170 South just west of County Road 700 East. In section 22, of Liberty Township. No stones are visible now.

Old Mount Tabor Cemetery

Located in section 30 of Liberty Township. The stones were piled against a tree and were moved when the road was changed to the present Mount Tabor Cemetery in the older section. It is shown on the 1876 atlas. The present Mount Tabor Cemetery is located on County Road 200 South on both sides of the road

We’ve also learned there is a “Potter’s Field”, located on the property of the old Delaware County Old Folks Home on Highway 32.  Indigent residents who passed away were interred in this gravesite.  This area is not yet marked, although the Liberty Township Historical Society is contacting people who would remember the pauper’s cemetery location.

For many years Ira and Ardis Pittenger Bailey documented all the Liberty Township cemetery headstones, particularly the veterans.  The Bailey’s were members of Selma American Legion.  Research documents from their work are now stored in the Selma Town Museum at 314 ½ S. Albany Street in Selma.  The Museum space was built in 1860 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, then later purchased by the Selma Legion, and is now owned by the Town of Selma.  The Selma Town Council has given the upstairs space to the Historical Society in 2009 to use as a Museum and research center for the community, schools, and genealogists.  Anyone interested in helping preserve our local history can attend a meeting on the 2^nd Monday each month, 7:00 p.m. in Selma Town Hall

Information provided by Liberty Township Historical Society.

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