The Shemwell Family

Information found at the findagrave source: "***THIS GRAVE WAS MOVED TO SALEM (see Memorial # 82837741) IN 1895 AFTER THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE COLUMBUS DEMOCRAT NEWSPAPER ON APRIL 11, 1895. I HAVE OTHER ARTICLES THAT FOLLOWED IT IF ANYONE WANTS THEM. In one of as quiet spots as could be found near this city has just been discovered a grave. If tombstones and inscriptions on them tell the truth the bones of Charles DePauw were placed at rest there over seventy-two years ago. The spot where the grave was found is one mile west of the city on land owned by James M. Perry, but which was entered from the government by Peter Troutman. On the top of the grave covering it entirely is a slab of sandstone 3x6 feet, on which the following is artistically inscribed: "In memory of Charles DePauw, who departed this life on the 11th of Oct., 1823, and who was about 26 yars old and died in Columbus, Bertholomew county, Indiana. This stone is presented to the memory of the deceased by his brother, N. B. DePauw." Aside from the spelling of the name of this county and the word years the inscription is regular and fairly well preserved. There may be other graves in the locality but if this is true there is nothing to mark on them. The slab covering the tomb of DePauw was about one foot under the surface and was directly under an old fence that had stood for years without be moved. Some two weeks ago the fence was torn down and removed, and wagons loaded with wood from the timber land north of it had passed over the grave cutting down to the stone. A few days ago the teams of Simp Wells were started plowing in the locality of the grave and now the stone has been dug out and the earth cleaned from it. There is no one now living here that remembers DePauw or the circumstances concerning his death. It is certain that at that time, which is more than seventy-two years ago, the land west of this city where this grave has been located was a wilderness covered with heavy timber and suggestive to the mind of anything else than a graveyard. Friendly Indians were here then and hunted over the lands. White river at that time was only about two hundred yards from this grave, but it has since changed it channel and is now a half mile away. It is a theory of some that this man DePauw died on the river while flatboating, a very common thing them, and was buried on it's banks, and that he is a relative of the DePauws of plate glass fame, residing in New Albany. Whether this is true or not it is certain that a brother whose history is a mysterious as the dead man visited this grave and placed the slab upon it."