| The Bonneyville Cemetery is located on the south side of County Road 8, about 3 miles East of Bristol. | |
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The letters formed in the iron gate at the entrance to the cemetery, say "Bonneyville Cemetery, 1835." � |
| According to Elkhart County, IN Cemeteries, Volume IV, published by the Elkhart County Genealogical Society, the cemetery was begun on what was then the farm of Edward Bonney, the area's most notorious entrepreneur, and the oldest grave was for Eliza Bonney 1838-39, perhaps a child of the family. �� Although no trace remains of his grave, it is believed by some that he was buried there.� But perhaps it is just another of the fascinating mysteries about this colorful character.�� | |
| Another famous inhabitant � is William Tuffs, who was a Revolutionary War veteran, was honored with a monument from the International Association of Red Men, which states that Mr. Tuffs served at the Boston Tea Party.��� |  |
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Many of the stones
copied by the Elkhart County Genealogical Society in the early and mid-1980's are no
longer there, victims to the effects of time or vandalism,�� Among the families
represented are Sanger, Sherwin, Morton, Kelsey, Gibson, Goodspeed, Minard, Daily, and
Blood. �� The Elkhart Co. Genealogical Society has available copies of their published volumes of cemetery records.�
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For the Sanger and Sherwin families, four generations are represented, from Rebecca Barrett Bacon Sanger, died Oct. 15, 1861 to her great-great-grandson Brian Sherwin, who died August 12, 1968. |
| It is a peaceful place to sleep, alongside a country road near tree-covered fields. | |
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The song of birds and the chirp of insects offer a gentle lullaby as soft sunlight filters through the trees to illuminate the long ago names and dates on the crumbling gray stones.�� It is a place of quiet history that invites contemplation, encourages reflection.� |
| It is the final resting place for some family names which are no longer represented in the area, its members having died out, or moved away.�� |  |
| There are several other cemeteries in the Bristol area, including a churchyard.� Visit those pages below: | |
Oak Ridge Cemetery at the edge of Bristol |
