Collection of Genealogical Articles Written by Society Members For Weekly Publication in the Sun Herald Newspapers, 1999

              Wednesday^ November 24,^999
Sun ^^^Herald
Punta Gorda Herald Page 7
CCGS updates 'Indian Springs Cemetery' book
Interested in local county history? The Charlotte County Genealogical Society has announced the update of its acclaimed research effort, the "Indian Springs Cemetery book." The new update will include a list of burials in that cemetery up to June 1999.
Members of CCGS printed the original book several years ago after much serious research. Many days were spent at the cemetery, discover¬ ing and mapping out long- abandoned graves. Innumerable visits were made to the court¬ house to check probate records. And personal interviews were held with some descendants of the deceased and longtime resi¬ dents of this area before the book was finally organized and readied for printing.
The result? A book that is not just a list of names and dates, although like any work of its kind, they are there in abundance. This book manages not only to be an excellent resource for anyone searching for their Charlotte County ancestors, but also a great his¬ tory of the area. |
Indian Springs Cemetery is i the second oldest cemetery in ' Charlotte County. Many of its occupants have lescendants in the area to this day. Check out , some  of these  names,  for instance: McQueen, Peeples, Cleveland and Whidden, all residents of Indian Springs Cemetery and all listed in the CCGS book, some with fasci¬ nating anecdotes about their lives.
Mary Wilson   |
Virginia Taylor Trabue, for instance, was laid to rest there. At the time of her death she was the widow of the town's founder, Isaac Trabue. You probably know that Isaac was the first lawyer in the town and the first postmaster, and that he built the first house. But did you know that Virginia's moth¬ er was the first woman ento¬ mologist in the United States, and that Virginia, herself, founded the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church?
Bet you didn't know that the first bride in Punta Gorda is buried in Indian Springs Cemetery. Her name was Mary Lulu Seward and she married
James L. SandUn in May 1887. She helped to organize the First Baptist Church. He was a pio¬ neer merchant and real estate man. Together they produced the first child born in Punta Gorda, Felix K. Sandlin. These facts and others can be found within the pages of "Indian j Springs Cemetery."      _   _ I
Albert Waller Gilchrist, for¬ mer governor of Florida, lies there, too, as does an enterpris¬ ing businessman of the 1900s, Adrian Pettus Jordan. Jordan came to Punta Gorda in 1901 and bought the Punta Gorda Herald. His epitaph states he was a "Florida Pioneer Newspaperman."
The old cemetery can create an emotional pull, too, when you read about "Baby Land," a place where infants were buried free, and there is a Potter's Field, as well. One of the souls buried here, "Ollie Bracket," was evidentiy quite a character in life. According to the story, Ollie was a six-foot-tall red¬ head who had a penchant for sexy dresses and feather boas. She was a "madam" who worked in one of the bawdy houses outside of Punta Gorda, about the turn of the century. Although a cook may have guessed her secret, it wasn't until "Ollie" was stricken with dysentery and required a doctor that she was found to be a man.
Ollie confessed to the ruse in his delirium. It turned out that "Ollie" was in reality Charles Asbel, who had fled to Florida from Alabama after hurling a man to his death. He adopted his female disguise to evade the law. This story is related in the book on good authority by U.S. Cleveland
and Luke Wilson. But don't Estates. Cost for lunch is $10.
look for this story at the cenie- En harmonics from Port i tery. No records of it exist Charlotte High School will pro- 1 there. vide the entertainment. Casual
I      Indeed, the old cemetery has dress. Call Mary Wilson at 743-
a history and "Indian Springs 2769 for more details.
Cemetery" tells it well. There is
not only good reference materi-      ^^^y ]Yilson is vice presi-
al here, but also interesting ^^^^j „y ^^^^ Charlotte County
\ reading. Genealogical Society.
Maybe you should check it ——-^	
i out for yourself. Call Betsey ! Lambert for more information at 637-1158.
Christmas luncheon
I Don't forget the Christmas luncheon and installation cere¬ mony at noon Dec. 1 at Victoria