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Watters Family Cemetery
PIKE COUNTY MISSOURI
Salt River Township.
a mile north of Ashburn
SE1/4 of the NW1/4 of the NE1/4 of T55N, R3W
location, burials, probing for markers, farmstead, family members, photo survey
Cemetery GPS: N39deg, 33.588min; W091deg, 10.973min, +/- 20ft,
elevation 590. Cemetery GPS location converted to the deg/min/sec reading to
use for a site like Google Earth (which shows locations in minutes and seconds
rather than only in decimal equivalents of minutes) as one moved the mouse over
the maps: (N39deg, 33min, 35.28sec); (W091deg, 10min, 58.38sec).
Albums with hundreds of pictures of the Watters Cemetery, Watters farmstead,
DuPont Reservation, Waddell farmstead, Ashburn and Bush Station area can be viewed by browsing the
Pike County Missouri folder at
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 Burials markers, bases, fieldstones located in
Jan 2007:
Southern Portion
From west to east, four standing markers, one buried, two bases buried.
Susan A. Watters, b. Mar 19, 1833, d. July
15, 1870, mother. Marker was broken through the ‘wife of W.M. Watters.’ Top
half found covered with leaves in front of the standing bottom half.
Underground Marker Base, was located between Susan and Joann’s
markers. No marker was located for this base; probably Joann’s base.
Joann Watters, b. Jan 13, 1862, d. Sept 10,
1962, dau of W.M. & S.A. Joann's marker was/is propped up on some
fieldstones. A base was found underground just to the westward of her
marker, or toward her mother Susan's marker. This base is the likely
location of Joann's burial.
James M. Watters, b. Mar 31, 1856, d. Sept
21, 1856, son of W.M. & S.A. James’ marker is/was leaning upright on a field
stone.
Underground Marker Base, assumed to be James’
was located underground less than two feet to the west of James’ marker.
Unknown flat limestone piece, found just west
of Charles’ marker.
Charles B. Watters, b. ?, d. ?, son of W.M. & S.A. Was located
underground about two feet west of William’s marker. The marker was broken
with only the top/name portion found. It is possible one or more pieces around
William Jr.’s marker belongs to the Charles marker.
W. (W.M., William Marion?) Watters,
b. Jan or Mar or Apr 31, 1825, d. Nov 18, 1872. Marker was broken, bottom half
standing, with only the dates showing. This is Wm. Jr., husband of Susan A.
W.W.’s footstone was found buried close-by, but the area census data
shows initials W.M. The footstone if William Jr.’s, apparently did not have the
middle initial, ‘M.’ The Watters family apparently had numerous ‘Marion’
first/middle names used, so if an M. initial, it may be Marion.
W.W. Footstone, found by probing, buried
under 6in of leaf mulch and soil, located 3+ feet eastward and in line with the
broken marker assumed to be W.M. Watters, thus likely the footstone for W.M.
Watters which had been displaced and ‘tossed’ up near the headstone, eventually
coming to rest three feet east of the headstone and covered by leaf mulch and
soil formation.
Unknown Marker Piece, found probing for the
broken top of Wm Jr.’s headstone, located 18in to the NE of W.W.’s headstone
under about 4” of soil, with what appears to be a number five.
Unknown flat limestone piece, found probing
for the broken top of Wm Jr.’s headstone, located 18in to the N of W.W.
headstone under 6” of soil. No apparent markings, but appears to have worked
flat sides.
Northern Portion
One field stone standing, three markers, one base, field stones found underground:
Watters, George A., d. Aug 20, 1865, aged
30y9m3d. Marker was located with a probe buried about six inches under leaf
mulch and soil at the west end. Marker was north of Susan A.’s standing
marker. A fieldstone was found underground about four feet north
of George’s marker.
Article (Bowling
Green) 1865 (regarding George Watters,
murdered)
A Man Murdered—We learn that
George Waters (Watters), living on Salt River, in this county (Pike), was shot
on last Sunday morning, from the effects of which he died in a short time. We
did not hear the particulars of the murder. A man whose name we heard but have
forgotten, with whom Waters had difficulty some ten days prior to the killing is
supposed to have committed the deed. He has fled.
Watters, William (Sr.), b. Sept 12, 1787, d.
Feb 7, 1864. Marker under about eight inches of leaf mulch and soil. Marker
located on a north line about equal distant from Joann and Susan’s, and a few
feet NW of John H. An underground base was found just to the east of Wm. Sr’s
marker.
Watters, John H., son of W.M. & S.A., b. Dec
7, 1868, d. Apr 5, 1869. Marker was located with a probe and found buried about
six inches under leaf mulch and soil. Marker was north of Joann’s standing
marker.
Underground Fieldstone, about four feet
northward from George’s marker.
Fieldstone Marker,
a standing limestone slab with no marking is located burial length+, to the
north of the Wm. Jr. Watters family standing row of markers.
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Locating and walking into the Watters Family Cemetery
1. Go to old Ashburn, Missouri. Go north
about one mile, either on the east or west side of the railroad track, to the
end of the north/south road. Park on the west side of the tracks at the entrance to the MO
Conservation land or the old DuPont Explosive Plant.
GPS readings:
DuPont Explosive Plant, north valley: N39deg, 33.906min;
W091deg, 11.143min.
Busch/Bush Station Store: N39deg, 33.766min; W091deg, 11.213min, elev. 675ft.
Cemetery location: GPS N39deg, 33.588min; W091deg,
10.973min, +/- 20ft, elevation 590
Conservation land gate (entrance area into old Watters’
farmstead or south valley of the DuPont Explosive Plant: GPS N30deg,33.643min;
W091deg10.808min, +/- 20ft.
Above is a view back to Ashburn from the gate area into the DuPont Reservation trail
to the Watters Cemetery. The line on the right of the
road is some of the old fencing which controlled entry of visitors, plus kept a
herd of goats which were pastured within the grounds to keep
underbrush down. The plant operated from the 1890's to the early 1930's,
producing gunpowder, explosives and corrosive chemical by-products.
2. Start at Conservation land gate: GPS
N30deg,33.643min; W091deg10.808min, +/- 20ft.
3. Walk about 300yds WxSW, on a 240deg bearing
following the old trail into the DuPont Plant.
4. Turn
directly north after reaching about the middle of the north side of the
Conservation Shed, which in 2007 was on the south side of the trail, or at a GPS
reading of N39deg, 22.560min; W091deg, 10.930min, +/-20ft, elevation. 495ft.
5. If the leaves are off the trees, one can see a
few pine trees midway up the hill to the north. These are not cedar trees,
but true red pine trees which in 2007 seem to be a self sustaining small cluster
of pines, therefore the cemetery pines may survive for decades of future location reference.
If during growing season the forest cover and undergrowth will be too dense to
see very far ahead so one will need to follow directions more closely.
6. After leaving the DuPont trail, cross a dry creek bed
area a few yards away, and continue directly north uphill crossing a flat area
which was an old shortlline railroad bed that lead around the east side of the hill and northward
about a mile to the next deep valley or the northern portion of the DuPont Plant. Go up the next
rise/hill to a another flat ‘bench’ where the cemetery is located, about 75 yds
from the DuPont path. In 2007, there was still the timber base or foundation of a
small cabin like building on the next level/bench above the cemetery. The
cemetery is on the immediate northern rise-line up the ridge of the of hill, and not on
the east facing or southwest side of the hill. If the cemetery cannot be found
in dense cover after walking about a hundred yards, the easiest thing to do is
return toward the DuPont trail and start over.
Coming upon the Watters Cemetery from the south, up over the second 'bench,'
one can faintly see four standing markers in 2007. Three are on bases,
while the second from the right is leaning on fieldstones. Later some of
the small woody stems were trimmed back so the ground could be probed for buried
markers and bases. The soil and leaf mulch covering located buried markers
was later put back in place as the inscriptions on buried markers is lasting
better than those exposed to acid rain, lichen growth and other environmental
factors. Going left/west to right/east: Susan A. Watters, mother, 1833-1870; underground base with the marker not located; dau Joann, 1862-1862;
underground base likely James M.'s, son 1856-1856, as his marker can be seen
propped up on fieldstones; underground maker of son Charles B., broken
with no dates; father Wm. M, 1825-1856, marker broken.
7. Cemetery location: GPS N39deg, 33.588min;
W091deg, 10.973min, +/- 20ft, elevation 590. Note the cemetery is about a
hundred feet higher than the DuPont Trial. Cemetery GPS location converted to the deg/min/sec reading to use for a site
like Google Earth (which shows locations in minutes and seconds rather than only
in decimal equivalents of minutes) as one moves the mouse over the maps:
(N39deg, 33min, 35.28sec); (W091deg, 10min, 58.38sec) Online mapping sites
such as TerraServer and Google Earth can be used to get a better visual of
the area. Online census and genealogy sites such as World Connect,
Heritage Quest, Ancestry can be used to trace families in the area.
Visitation Log
July 2007: Jerry Lamberson of Ashburn, Doug Cox
from Hannibal and I did not find the 'lost cemetery' on the DuPont Reservation
during a visit in July of 2007, due to the thick summer growth on the old DuPont
Explosive Plant, now the DuPont Reservation of the Missouri Conservation
Commission.
Above shows the dense growth at the DuPont gate area.
Just to the right would have been the old LaMotte Station/Depot area.
Forward and to the right/north would have been the actual buildings and
farmstead of the Watters family before DuPont bought the land in about 1890+.
Most of the DuPont buildings/structures were up the trail and in the deep
valley and along the road from Ashburn to this gate area. Below, is some
of the area to the north and into the old Watters farmstead. Since the
DuPont/Watters land was taken over by the Missouri Conservation Commission in
the late 1930's, most of the area has been left undisturbed and in the process
of natural succession of plant communities since the 1940's.
Jan 4, 2007: On a rainy day in early
Jan 2007, we located the cemetery, discovering it was the Watters Family
Cemetery. Three markers and one field stone were standing, one
marker was propped up. The markers were chalked but the ground was not
probed for buried markers and bases. Below, is a view from the west end of
the southern portion. Markers in order, Susan A. 1833-1870, Joann
1862-1862, James M. 1856-1856, William M. 1825-1872. A base is underground
between Susan and Joann, and no marker was located for this base.
There is a base between Joann and James M., and since James' marker is propped
up with field stone, the base may be his. Just on the other side of James'
marker, and found underground was Charles B., but his marker was broken with no
dates showing.
Jan 6, 2007:
Below, a second photo survey was taken, GPS readings checked, markers re-chalked,
the ground
probed with two markers found underground, George A. (in the right
corner of the pic) and John H., (in the middle of the pic), plus
W.W. footstone, a broken headstone piece and a flat field stone were found near W.W.’s broken headstone. Pics were taken of the old Watters farmstead area west
of the tracks and north of the path up into the DuPont plant area.
Jan 8, 2007:
Below, a third visit to do another ground probe for buried makers, plus
walk/photo the area from the south DuPont Valley/Watters Farm, northward to the
north DuPont valley, the Woodall Farm and Busch/Bush Station area. The entire area
to the north of the southern or standing row of markers was gridded off with
flags and carefully probed. The marker of William Sr. Watters,
1787-1864 was discovered between the buried markers of George A. and John H.,
which were found two days earlier. This is the third and most intensive
probing of the northern portion of the burial grounds, but another more complete
grid probing of the northern portion will be undertaken in an attempt to locate
Wm. Sr.'s wife Margaret's marker.
William Watters Sr, born Apr 12, 1877, died Feb 7, 1864.
Jan 9, 2007: A fourth visits primary
objective was to systematically probe the the northern 2/3 of the burial
area with grid flags, with the intent to locate
a marker for William Watters' (b. 1787) wife Margaret. Since William Sr.’s marker was
found underground, there is a possibility his wife, Margaret (b. 1792), is
buried next to him, with her marker also being underground. That is, assuming
his marker was underground at or near the location of his actual burial. As of
Jan 2007, since I do not have a known family tree for this Watters family, I do
not know William1787’s middle initial. The W.W. footstone found underground at
the east end of row 1, near the broken marker of what I assume is William M.
Watters burial, may be William1787’s footstone. No further underground markers
were found in this grid search of the north 2/3 of the cemetery. Heavy ice,
snow accompanied by cold weather immediately followed this trip. The fourth and
final survey visit will be done after snow melt and the frost leaves the ground
in early spring, with the objective to be a final grid search of the south end
of the cemetery. At this time, all underground markers, bases, field stones and
opened areas will be recovered as the underground markers are holding up much
better than those exposed to acid rain and other atmospheric conditions.
Trail Back to the Lamotte Station (gate) area.
Back on the trail after coming down the hill from the north/left.
Gate and railroad track area. Ashburn is a mile to the right/south.
The old Watters farmstead on the north/left.
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Watters Family Farm
The Watters farm would become the Dupont Powder
Plant by the 1890's.
William Watters Family
Ashburn area, Salt River Twp, Pike Co,
Missouri
William Watters, b.
Sept 12, 1787, d. Feb 7, 1864; VA, wife Margaret, b. 1792, Canada.
William’s marker was found buried; Margaret’s marker has not found, even after
probing the entire cemetery three times in Jan 2007.
Possible Children (Using 1860 & 1870 census
data and found cemetery markers. No descendent trees were
found on World Connect or Ancestry.
James H. Watters, 1821, OH.
William M. Watters, Jan or Mar or Apr 31, 1825, d.
Nov 18, 1872, b. OH, bottom of marker standing, top half not found; wife Susan
A. b. Mar 19, 1833, d. July 15, 1870, standing maker; dau Joann, b. Jan 13,
1862, d. Sept 10, 1962, standing marker; son James M., b. Mar 31, 1856, d. Sept
21, 1856, standing marker; son John H., b. Dec 7, 1868, d. Apr 5, 1869, marker
found buried.
John Watters, b. 1829, KY?
J.P. Watters, b. 1833, OH.
George Watters, b. 1836 (census), OH, d. Aug 20,
1865, aged 30y9m3d, marker found buried.
Thomas Watters, b. 1837, OH.
F.M. Watters, 1837, OH
Joseph N. Watters, b. 1840, OH.
Julia A. Watters,
b. 1842, OH.
The Watters Farmstead
Above, standing in the Watters farmstead area, which is just north
along the trail into the southern Dupont/Watters valley, the Watters Family
Cemetery location can be seen as the red pine grove in the middle of the
picture. Even in full summer foliage one could step into the farmstead
field and can see the tops of these pines which allows a general visual of the
cemetery location. During the summer the plant growth is very intense over
all of this area.
Below, one has a view of the the high hill which overlooked the Watters
farmstead with the buildings and farmyards in the bottom fields. The
cemetery location is on the 'bench' just off the left side of the picture.
The old shortline railroad bed can be seen as the rise just above the two larger
trees in the middle of the picture. The rails ran between the southern
valley off the left side of the picture up to the northern valley a couple of
miles away. The old building foundations can still be seen in both valley
areas, and the old railroad bed is still evident. Pictures from both
valleys and the rail bed will be found in the Pike Co folder at
Iowaz Photo Hosting Site
Data Storage:
marriages, census info, plats
Marriages in Pike Co, MO
William Watters x Darcus Angeline Guilford, Dec 8, 1850
Wm. Watters x Jane Draheart, Feb 6, 1852.
Census Information:
1860 Census, Pike Co, MO, Salt River Twp, N
of Ashburn.
Watters, Wm, , 73bVA, farmer; wife
Margaret, 68bCanada; George, 23bOH, day laborer. Dwelling
1699
Watters. Thomas, , 23bOH, farming;
Julia A., 18OH, domestic; Joseph N., 20bOH, day laborer;
Francis A., 6bILL; Nancy J., 4bMO; I.N., 2bMO. Dwelling 1700
Watters, Wm. M. (or W.)., 35bOH, farmer
$1000/600; wife Susan A., 35bMO?; Charles B., 2bMO; William M., 6mbMO; William
M. Spears, 19bOH, farm laborer. Dwelling 1701
Watters, James H., 39bOH, farmer,
$3000/1000; Harriet, 32bOH; William J., 9bMO; George W., 5bMO. Dwelling 1701
Watters, F.M., 23bOH; Margaret A., 21bIN;
William C., 4bKS; Laura, 8bMO; Paralie, 1mbMO. Dwelling 1729
Watters, J.P., 27bOH, farming $4000/2000;
wife Barba, 26bMO; William B., 7bMO; Mary E., 5bMO; Sarah E., 1bMO, James W.,
3bMO. Dwelling 1737
1870 Census, Salt River Twp, Pike Co,
Missouri
Waters, Wm., 45bOH; Martha, 16bMO, keeping
house; C.C. male, 13bMO; Wm. C., 9bMO; Harvey, 5bMO; Susan, 2bMO. Dwelling 21
Waddell, John, 41bKY, farmer $3000/545; Mary
24bMO, keeping house; Alex, 9bMO; Victoria, 2bMO; Samuel M. Waters,
6bMO. Dwelling 23. This farm is abt 2mil north of the Watters farm and located
up against the hill/cliff wall of the east facing bluff and overlooking the
Mississippi River abt a half mile across a bottom land field. Evidence of the
old farmstead foundations and building locations can still be seen (in 2006/bz),
with collapsed structures of a later farm home and a couple of outbuildings.
Pics are in the Pike Co. folder at
Iowaz Photo Hosting Site
1880 Census, Salt River Twp, Pike Co,
Missouri
Wadall, John, 51bKY, farming; Mary C., 33bMO;
Victory, 12bMO; John, 9bMO; John 9bMO; Louisa, 8bMO; James, 4bMO; Janey, 1bMO; Samuel Watters, 15bMO. Dwelling 44.
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Last uploaded: Jan 2007
