Monday, Oct. 30, 2017 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
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Buried hearts of Indiana Dunn Cemetery sits on IU’s campus quietly but speaks of history By Katelyn Haas haask@umail.iu.edu | @khaas96
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ituated on a patch of land overlooking the Jordan River, one family is laid to rest in the heart of IU’s campus. Dunn Cemetery sits beside the Indiana Memorial Union. Students walk by on their way to class every day, and usually do not know what is it or how the cemetery got there. Three sisters, Elinor Brewster Dunn, Agnes “Nancy” Brewster Alexander and Janet Brewster Irvin began the cemetery’s story. The Brewster sisters provided resources for the American army toward the end of the war, originally living in Virginia during the Revolutionary War. After the war, they eventually all moved to Bloomington, where they settled and died, according to IU Archives on the cemetery’s history. They were buried in the Dunn’s family cemetery, a plot of land on the Dunn family’s farm in what was then east Bloomington. The last Brewster sister, Elinor, died in 1841 in Bloomington. One of Elinor’s grandsons, farmer turned U.S. congressman George Grundy Dunn, deeded the 60-by-110 feet plot of land forever a cemetery plot in honor of his grandmother and her two sisters. They laid to rest there. In 1883, George Grundy Dunn’s son, Moses Fell Dunn, sold the acreage surrounding the cemetery to the trustees of IU. A condition of the sale was the graveyard had to be preserved, and untouched by nonfamily members forever. Today, there are only two IU graduates who are direct descendants of
two of the Brewster sisters. One of them, Stephen Hofer, said only direct descendants of the three Brewster sisters are allowed to be buried there. It was a provision of the sale made by the Dunns, and the University has kept true to its promise. “Those of us who are connected to it are very proud of it and very proud of both our relationship with those ancestors and also our relationship with the university.” Hofer said. Hofer, an attorney raised in Indiana, now based in California, said he became interested in genealogy around 2000.
“Those of us who are connected to it are very proud of it and very proud of both our relationship with those ancestors and also our relationship with the University.” Stephen Hofer, Brewster descendent
As an IU student, he had walked past the cemetery, but never really realized its personal significance, though his family had talked about the Dunn history before. “I would walk by that cemetery on the way to class in Ballantine or Woodburn and I would sort of think, ‘Yeah, I’m related to people in that cemetery,’” Hofer said. “But it didn’t resonate in a meaningful way to me.” Once he began to learn amateur genealogy, however, he figured out he was not only a direct descendant of two of the Brewster sisters, but
PHOTO BY XIAOAN GUAN | IDS
Dunn Cemetery is next to the Indiana Memorial Union and Beck Chapel. It was owned by the Dunn family.
his 8th great grandfather settled in Jamestown. His interest in genealogy matched up with another amateur genealogist, Larry Stephens, IU’s director of insurance, loss control and claims. All burial requests that the University receives must be approved by Stephens. A vigorous process, funneled from Stephens to Hofer, must take place before anyone requesting a plot in the cemetery can rest there. “He’s very particular,” Stephens said of Hofer. “He’s very meticulous about documentation and they have to show they have a link back to the family.” When Hofer receives a request to be buried in the cemetery, he takes a look at what they provide him, going back generation by generation making sure there is a true direct link to the sisters through records and other documentation of their families. He began taking requests and verifying them when Stephens reached out to him in 2006, after the previous person of contact for requests died. Stephens said they were having trouble finding someone, but happened upon Hofer. He says he’s been told he is the genealogical caretaker of the Dunn Family Cemetery. “I get probably, maybe one or two requests a year,” Hofer said. “I’ve approved more than half of them.” SEE CEMETERY, PAGE 2
‘Frankenstein’ offers new take on the classic By Clark Gudas ckgudas@umail.iu.edu | @This_isnt_clark
The Creature emerged in the production of “Frankenstein,” which premiered Oct. 27 and runs through Nov. 5 at the BuskirkChumley Theater. Tickets start at $15.95. “Can a man be God?” Victor Frankenstein, character in “Frankenstein” and creator of the Creature, said. “I had to find out.” Based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein,” the production follows the Creature in his quest to seek happiness and a place in society. However, due to the lines of bolts across his scalp and face, the exposed muscle on the back of his neck and the sew marks down his chest, he is regarded as a hideous monster wherever he goes. “He wants to be part of society, but nobody really accepts him,” Chris Ellis, actor playing the Creature, said. “This journey is about finding some sort of acceptance.” Only when he meets DeLacey, a blind man, does he find compassionate friendship. From DeLacey, the Creature learns to speak and read and also learns about the world and society. He jumps with youthful glee on his first observation of snow and bombards DeLacey with naive questions like, “Am I poor? Why?” “DeLacey teaches him and edu-
MEN’S SOCCER
IU ties Michigan State in overtime By Josh Eastern jeastern@indiana.edu | @JoshEastern
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“It is very much the story of the ‘other,’” Randy White, director, said. “A character with differences, a
The Hoosiers had been waiting for this day all season long. IU came into Sunday’s match in East Lansing against Michigan State controlling its own destiny for a Big Ten regular season championship. It was one of the main goals the Hoosiers aimed for this year. However, after Michigan knocked off Maryland with a goal in double overtime, the Hoosiers were unable to win the Big Ten regular season title. Instead, they will be the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. But in East Lansing, IU and Michigan State traded penalty
SEE FRANKENSTEIN, PAGE 5
SEE SOCCER, PAGE 5
MALLORY SMITH | IDS
Christopher Ellis, acting as the Creature in the Cardinal Stage's production of "Frankenstein," comes to life as he is tied up to a machine. "Frankenstein" is showing from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5 in Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
cates him and he learns right from wrong,” Ellis said. “Or, at least the idea of those things.” Shortly after hearing the Creature speak for the first time, Victor
attempts to murder him. Characters shriek in fear at the sight of him and he is beaten with bats and clubs because of his horrifying appearance.