Rockford Cemetery
Friends Cemetery
Rockford Cemetery
Location: County road 100 N between 500 W and 400 W, east of Rockford in Rock Creek Township, Wells County, Indiana.
The original introduction states: “The Friends Cemetery is located adjacent to the Rockford Friend’s Church but it is used as a public burial ground. The Reverend Hallett Barber helped establish the Church and Cemetery. The first person buried here was James Roberts in 1821. Data was compiled by Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Higgins, members of Wells County Historical Society.
This cemetery is also referred to as the Rockford Cemetery. The Evening News-Banner centennial edition states Jacob Miller settled in the township in 1832 and William Barton in 1836. There are no Roberts in the list of early settlers. The article also states that “Rev. Hallet Barber died of Cholera in 1849 and was buried in the Rockford cemetery”.
The Evening News-Banner centennial edition states “Some of the earliest settlers…
Rockcreek township were Jacob Miller…1832; William Barton…1836 and took up residence in a hollow sycamore tree on the Samuel McAfee farm. Between 1832 and 1848 others that came…Mr. Dewitt, William Redding, Solomon Johnson, Thomas Wallace, Matthew Davis, Theodore Ellingham, a Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown.”
S. Dailey walked the cemetery during the summer of 1999.
C. Brubaker re walked this cemetery in November of 2001. She found a plaque with the following inscription:
Original site (across the drive)
Barbers Mill Friends Church
Rockford
1892-1982
Founders Rev. Cyrus Williams
Rev. Myra (Vickery) Webster
The following funeral home records were cross-referenced to supplement and verify information.
Brown Funeral Home - Warren
Elzey-Dickey Haggard Funeral Home - Ossian
Jahn Funeral Home - Bluffton
McBride Funeral Home – Bluffton
Thoma/Rich Funeral Home – Bluffton – partial
Walker Funeral Home – Montpelier
Warfield Funeral Home - Montpelier
Goodwin Memorial Chapel will be incorporated in the next update.