Every name
belongs to
the story.
A place of remembrance and discovery. Jordan's Crossing preserves the recorded names of those buried in Section 14—and the history of the Black community whose lives are part of Fort Wayne's story.
More than a cemetery.
A record of lives.
Jordan's Crossing was a historically segregated burial area within Lindenwood Cemetery. Its story belongs to the history of African Americans in Fort Wayne—and to the families whose ancestors rest here.
The graves record dates, addresses, origins, and family names. The spaces between the stones remind us how much remains to be learned. This website brings together two responsibilities: helping people find someone, and documenting the history that shaped this place.
Who are you
looking for?
Search our working register of Jordan's Crossing. Every record includes the best available transcribed dates and a lot reference where the evidence supports one.
Browse the full alphabetical register →
A map for people,
not only numbers.
The original Section 14 diagram identifies lots with numbers alone. Our research edition uses surnames and dates, while preserving those numbers behind each record. It is intended to make a difficult place easier to navigate.
- 01Search for a person by name or death year.
- 02Select their recorded lot and see everyone indexed there.
- 03Visit with care: lot boundaries are not individually surveyed grave locations.
The ground remembers more than the stones can show.
Lindenwood opened in 1860. Black Fort Wayne residents were buried in various parts of the cemetery before Section 14's earliest documented burials in 1911. The later separation of burial space is part of the record, not something to be written out of it.
Jordan's Crossing invites visitors to learn about segregation, migration, community-building, and the people who gave this city its history.
Read the history ↗Every entry points to a person.
Elma E. Alsup
A community organizer and social worker whose contributions to Black civic life in Fort Wayne are documented by the History Center.
Discover her record Died 1911 · Lot 114Rosetta Gross
One of the two earliest recorded Section 14 burials, both interred on December 12, 1911. Important details of her life remain to be researched.
Discover her record Died 1893 · Lot 1Samuel Kaboo Morris
Also known as Prince Kaboo. His 1928 reinterment connects his earlier Fort Wayne story with the later history of Section 14.
Discover his recordThe record is not finished.
Neither are the stories.
If your family has photographs, memories, funeral programs, or documents connected to Jordan's Crossing, those materials may help recover lives that the surviving register can only partly describe.
Community contributions will be reviewed and published only with appropriate permission and attribution.