What started as a sweet little project about the genealogy department at the Howard County Public Library turned into the wildest Kokomo mystery I’ve ever stumbled across.

For months, I thought I was working on a simple little feature, but it exploded into a journey I never saw coming. Along the way, I uncovered a war hero, a missing sword, cemeteries with mixed-up names and the possibility that my house might be sitting on actual GRAVES. Yeah… things escalated fast.

The Genealogist Who Retired on Me

Back in the summer, I teamed up with Amy Russell, the genealogy queen at the Howard County Public Library. Well… technically, former queen, because this project went on so long she actually retired in the middle of it. Yep, Retired. Mid-investigation. I can’t make this stuff up. Now, to be clear, this project wasn’t the reason she retired (that was already in the works before I ever swung open the genealogy doors). But still, she did in fact retire on me and let’s just say, I think I’ve managed to keep her retirement a little more active than she anticipated. 😂

The original plan was a fun little competition: me vs. Drew. Whose family was more local? Spoiler: Drew lost. Like, fast. He was kicked out before things even got good. Sorry, Drew—this one’s mine.

Then Things Got Creepy… Fast

Amy dove into my family history and came back with two giant binders stuffed with research. Buried in all that paper (pun intended) were stories that I didn’t anticipate, like:

An ancestor buried practically in my front yard.
Homes possibly built on top of a forgotten cemetery.
A cemetery that’s been mislabeled for decades.
And a War of 1812 artifact, just hanging around Kokomo somewhere.

Tell me that doesn’t sound like the plot of a Netflix documentary.

Enter Colonel Daniel Heaton

Meet my ancestor: Colonel Daniel Heaton. Born in Pennsylvania in 1780, died in Howard County in 1863, and lived one patriotic, fiery life.

He fought in the War of Tippecanoe, served as a captain in the War of 1812 and was promoted to colonel before it was over. How fiery was he? He was quoted in a Kokomo Morning Times article in 1965:

“A man had better say his prayers, make his will and prepare to go to hell than speak against our country in my presence.”

Okay. Mic drop.

In fact, he was so patriotic that he used to carry his War of 1812 sword around town and eventually donated it to the New London Masonic Lodge. Which raised the million-dollar question: IS THE SWORD STILL THERE?!

Cemetery Plot Twist

Just when I thought this couldn’t get any juicier, Amy casually dropped:

“Bree, I think this ancestor of yours is buried very close to your home.”

Excuse me, WHAT?! One minute I knew almost nothing about my family history and the next I’m finding out his final resting place might be practically next to where I rest?!

Here’s where it gets messy. Colonel Heaton is officially listed at Alto Baptist Cemetery. Cool, noted. But research kept pulling up Cobb Cemetery alongside Alto, sometimes even as if they were the same cemetery.

Except they’re not. They’re separate, in somewhat close proximity, but not that close. And here’s the kicker: Cobb Cemetery is recorded as being two acres… yet if you’ve ever seen it, you know it’s tiny. Like, way smaller than two acres. And guess where it sits? Just a few houses down from mine.

So naturally, my brain went full horror movie:

Were the two cemeteries once one?
Did someone slice the acreage in half?
Or worse… is Cobb actually two acres, which means my house is sitting on top of the rest?

Yeah, that kept me up at night.

What Happens Next

So now we’ve got ourselves a checklist of mysteries:

Find Colonel Heaton’s grave.
Track down that War of 1812 sword.
Solve the Alto vs. Cobb cemetery mix-up.
Confirm whether my house is… um… haunted real estate.

With help from Amy Russell, some new friends at the Masonic Lodges and historian Gil Porter (who brought maps and history receipts), we’re chasing down every lead.

Why You Should Follow This Story

Because it’s not just about my family. It’s about Kokomo’s history—our history—and it’s weirder, wilder and way closer to home than I ever expected.

One innocent trip to the genealogy department turned into a local adventure full of cemeteries, artifacts, and goosebumps. And trust me… you’re going to want to see how this ends.

Stay tuned for the full episode to drop right here on The Kokomo Post!

Is My Kokomo Home Built On Graves?! The Genealogy Journey I Didn’t Expect