Many notable citizens from Boone County and around central Indiana are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. The following listing briefly describes some of their esteemed accomplishments. Many historical tombstones in Oak Hill Cemetery are architecturally unique. Photographs of several interesting stones are available in the Gallery. For more general listings of those interred at Oak Hill, browse the following links to cemetery record database websites.
Findagrave.com
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Billiongraves.com
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Cora O. Bynum (1862-1934)
Mrs. Bynum was born in Boone County and moved to Lebanon as a child. She excelled at needlework, winning many prizes at fairs throughout the area. She was active in the Federation of Women's Club which purchased the Main Street gate for Oak Hill Cemetery in 1903. After helping to raise money to purchase land to build the Lebanon Public Library, Mrs. Bynum attended Earlham College to study Library Science. She served as the head librarian during the Boone County Courthouse dedication celebration in 1912.
Rep. Thomas J. Cason (1828-1901)
Cason was elected to represent Indiana's 7th and 9th Congressional Districts in the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1873 to 1877. Cason's official U.S. Congress biography: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000232.
T. J. Cason
Dr. Henry N. Coons (1853-1929)
Dr. Coons was a graduate of Wabash College, studied at Pulte Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio, and completed his medical degree at Hahnemann Medical College in Chicago, Illinois, in 1883. Coons practiced medicine for three decades. According to an article in the Lebanon history book by Janie Cassell, Dr. Coons was well-known for falling asleep in his buggy after a long day of making house calls. It did not matter as his horse knew the way home and always deposited him there. In 1909, Dr. Coons was elected as the permanent chairman of the building committee that oversaw construction of the Boone County Courthouse.
Strange N. Cragun (1857-1926) & Adelaide M. (Booher) Cragun (1857-1932)
Mr. Cragun was an educator, community leader, and owner, editor of the Lebanon Pioneer and Patriot, newspapers that preceded the Lebanon Reporter. Mr. Cragun had attended West Point but was forced to end his military career due to ill health. He was part of the dedication committee for the Boone County Courthouse in 1912.
Mrs. Cragun was from a pioneer family in Boone County. Mrs. Cragun was active in a variety of philanthropic organizations and was dedicated to her husband and family. Mrs. Cragun and her husband hosted a dinner honoring U.S. Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks during the Boone County Courthouse dedication celebration.
Mrs. Cragun was from a pioneer family in Boone County. Mrs. Cragun was active in a variety of philanthropic organizations and was dedicated to her husband and family. Mrs. Cragun and her husband hosted a dinner honoring U.S. Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks during the Boone County Courthouse dedication celebration.
S. N. Cragun
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A. M. Cragun
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Abram O. Miller
Miller attended the University of Louisville and graduated in 1856. He worked as a banker and physician in Lebanon, Indiana. By the conclusion of the Civil War, Miller had risen to the rank of Brevet Brigadier General.
Judge Willett H. Parr (1878-1967)
Judge Parr was born and raised in Boone County. He started his career in the field of teaching before pursuing higher education and studying law in the office of A. J. Shelby. Judge Parr and Elza O. Rodgers were law partners until then-Mr. Parr became a judge of the Circuit Court. His "sterling honesty and fearlessness of purpose," made him "one of the most popular and efficient men ever called to preside over the courts of this circuit." During the Boone County Courthouse dedication in 1912, Judge Parr served on the reception committee to greet and honor former Circuit Court Judge John M. Cowan.
Gov. Samuel M. Ralston (1857-1925)
Gov. Ralston started his career as a schoolteacher. He graduated from the Northern Indiana School in Valparaiso and the Central Indiana Normal School in Danville, Indiana. He was admitted to the bar in 1886 and came to Lebanon to practice law. He was nominated for governor by acclimation by the Democratic Party in 1912. He carried 83 of the 92 counties to become governor of Indiana. Other than Lebanon School Board President (1908-1911) and being a presidential elector (1892-1893), Gov. Ralston did not hold elected office prior to his term as governor. He escorted U.S. Vice President Charles Fairbanks during the dedication celebration of the Boone County, Indiana Courthouse in 1912.
S. M. Ralston
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Gov. Ralston rally outside newly-dedicated Boone County Courthouse.
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