Packerton, Clay Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana is a very small town today. The cemetery is directly across the street from the Methodist Church. This cemetery is interesting to us because of the Wilson side of our family. The mother of Miriam Grasz Field, to whom this web site is dedicated, was Tressa Ethel Wilson. Her father was James Robert Wilson. He owned land in Clay Township, to the west of Packerton. James was married to Elizabeth Rosette Frymire. Besides Tressa, James and Rose had a daughter Emma Isabelle. Emma was always known to her family as Aunt Maime. She was married three times. Her first husband was William E. Barnes who grew up near Packerton. His father was Amos Barnes who is buried in the Packerton cemetery along with several of his children. Emma's second husband was Loren Ezwell "Pet" Simison. Loren's parents, William Simison and Mary Jane Lucas, are both buried in the Packerton Cemetery along with others of the Simison Family. There are also members of the Wrigley family who are related to the Wrigley chewing gum family and for whom Wrigley Field is named where the Chicago Cubs play. Mary Field Clouse, a sister-in-law to Miriam Field is a diehard Cub's fan, as were all the Field family. Her cat is named Wrigley.

Lucie and Gene Field visited the Packerton Cemetery in July of 2009 and photographed many of the tombstones there. This web page has images of the stones and comments on the relationships of the people buried there. Some of the relationships get pretty complicated.

Amos/Barnes/Died/Mar. 13, 1891/Aged/75Y 8M 19 D

Amos Barnes, born 23 June 1815 in either Pennsylvania or Maryland. He is the first of this Barnes family we know of in Kosciusko County, Indiana. He had two wives, Sophia A. and Fianna Wetzel and had three children with each. Amos died 13 March 1891 and Fianna married William Vellum in 1893. We know of no children of this marriage.

Henry T. /Barnes/Born/Sep ... 1860/Died/Sep 8 1889

Henry T. was a child of Sophia. Henry married Mary E. Bock in 1888 and they had one child, Embree. Henry died in 1889 and Mary married David Knief in 1891 and they had two children, Bessie and Mable.

Mary E./Barnes Knief/1866 1935

Mary married Henry T. Barnes and David Knief.

William Barnes/1878 -- 1910/

William E. Barnes was the third child of Amos Barnes and Fianna Wietzel. He was born 4 August 1878 in Claypool, Indiana. He was a farmer. He married Emma Isabelle Wilson 9 September 1899 in Warsaw, Kosciusko County, Indiana. He and Emma had seven children. He died of typhoid fever 21 December 1910. An interesting fact was told to me by his grandson Tom Barnes. Tom said that when William had typhoid so did his son Robert Wilson Barnes, Tom's father. Robert survived and he was hardly ill a day in his life after that. After William died Emma married Loren Ezwell Simison always known as "Pet." He died in 1938 and Emma married Franklin M. Hartman. Frank had been married to Amanda E. Lahm and had two children by her, Gerald and Walter. Emma Wilson Barnes Simison Hartman is the aunt of Miriam Grasz Field to whom this web site is dedicated.

Ida A. Barnes was the second child of Amos and Fianna Wietzel Barnes. She was born between 1867 and 1869 in Kosciusko County, Indiana. She married John Frank Gunter 27 December 1887 in Kosciusko County. They had one child, Foster H. Gunter.

John Frank Gunter. John was born in Packerton, Kosciusko County, Indiana, 2 February 1889. His parents were Andrew J. Gunter and Adeline Mosier. He and his wife, Bessie Mae Frymire, are both buried in the Graceland IOOF Cemetery in Claypool, Kosciusko County, Indiana. Bessie Mae was a first cousin of Tressa and Emma Wilson and became her aunt by marriage.

GUNTER/Andrew J./Gunter
/Died/Feb. 5, 1871/Aged/57 yrs. 11 Mo.

Andrew J. Gunter was born 5 March 1813. He died on 5 February 1871. He married Adaline Mosier on 4 June 1843 in Kosciusko County, Indiana. They had one child, John Frank Gunter.

Adaline/Wife of A. J. Gunter
/Died/ Dec. 12 1886/Aged/ 62 Y. 3 M. 19 D.

Adaline Mosier was born 23 August 1824. She died 12 December 1886.

Agnes Nancy Bone Kerr was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania 16 May 1790. Her parents were Robert Kerr and Agnes Elder. She died 25 September 1869 at nearly 100 years of age. She died near Oneida, Kosciusko County, Indiana. She married Robert Simison also of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Robert was born 8 January 1781 and died 16 Sept 1869 in Kosciusko County, Indiana. We did not find his tombstone in the Packerton Cemetery.

William Simison was a son of Agnes Kerr and Robert Simison. He was born 28 December 1826 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He died in Koscisuko County, Indiana 10 September 1895. He married Mary Jane Lucas 7 August 1851. Mary Jane was born 11 March 1824 in Ross County, Ohio. She died 22 July 1909 near Packerton, Kosciusko County, Indiana. Their son, Loren Ezwell Simison "Pet", was the second husband of Emma Wilson Barnes. Loren and Emma are buried in the Greenhill Cemetery, Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana.

R. A Simison

This broken stone is most likely that of Robert Alexander Simison. He was born 11 October 1821 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Robert Simison and Agnes Nancy Bone Kerr. He died in Kosciusko County, Indiana 26 October 1874. He was married to Mary Beeson born 23 May 1836 and died August 1894. She is also buried in the Packerton Cemetery. They had five children. Robert Alexander was an uncle of Loren "Pet" Simison the second husband of Emma Wilson Barnes.

John O. Simision/1852 -- 1933/

John Oscar Simison was the oldest child of William Simison and Mary Jane Lucas. He was born 21 May 1852 in Indiana, and he died in 1933. He was a brother to Loren "Pet" Simison.

Roy/Simison/1885 -- 1910

Roy is a son of William H. Simison and Oneida Athelia Thompson.

SIMISON/William H./1857 -- Oneida A. 1864 -- 1948/

William H. Simison was born 23 November 1857. He died 12 November 1930. Oneida Althelia Thompson was born on 24 June 1864 and died on 3 June 1948. William was the oldest son of Robert Alexander Simison and Mary Beeson. Robert and Mary were married on 29 January 1857 in Kosciusko County, Indiana. After Robert died Mary married Martin Martens on 13 April 1880. William and Loren "Pet" Simison, were first cousins. Oneida was the daughter of William H. Thompson and Mary E. Hullenbarger.

Lizzie S. Forney/May 24, 1882/May 23, 1907/

Lizzi is a daughter of William H. Simison and Oneida Athelia Thompson. She is the wife of Frank Forney. Possibly there is a connection through Levi Forney and Elizabeth A. Kiste. The Kiste family was from Kosciusko County, Indiana.

Anna/Simison/1903 -- 1904/

Anna is a daughter of William H. Simison and Oneida Athelia Thompson.

Mabel/Dau fo J. M. & A. J./Correll/1885-1888

We do not know how Mabel Correll relates to other people buried in the Packerton Cemetery. Letta V. Correll married James F. Denny and one of their daughters, Pruda Denny, married Monroe Wilson. Their son was Merl Monroe Wilson. Monroe Wilson was half brother to James Robert Wilson the father of Tressa Wilson Grasz the mother of Miriam Grasz Field to whom this web site is dedicated. Tressa was the sister of Emma Wilson Barnes whose second husband was Loren "Pet" Simison who has many relatives buried in the Packerton Cemetery.

Susan Correll/Wife of S.Correll/Died/Aug. 14, 1891/Aged/ ... / (this stone has an inscription on the other side that is illegible.)

We do not know how Susan Corell is related to other people buried in the Packerton Cemetery.

From our years of genealogy research experience we have found that very often people buried in the same cemetery are related. In the past we would not take photos of tombstones unless we knew who the people were. We now take photos of the stone and very often learn the relationships later. Letta V. Correll is a connection to the Wilson family in Kosciusko County so we feel there may be connections with other members of the Correll family.

LUCAS/Robert S./1852 -- 1934/ Sarah Ann/ 1856 -- 1930

Robert S. Lucas was born 30 November 1852 and died 4 February 1934. His parents were Isaac Lucas (1811 - 1865) and Catherine Simison (-1869) Robert was a first Cousin of Loren "Pet" Simison, Robert married Sarah Ann. We do not know who the parents of Sarah Ann were.

Gertrude Lucas/Enyert/1874 --1910

We do not know the relationship of Gertrude Lucas to other people buried in the Packerton Cemetery.

Elizabeth/Wife of W. H. Lucas/Died Oct. 15 1875
/Aged/29 yrs. 10 m.

Otto W./son of/ R. S. & S. A./Lucas/Died/Aug. 21, 1882
/Aged/1 Y/8 M/& 8 D

Son of/J. M. & A. J. Correll/1881 -- 1882