Self-Guided Visit
Daytime Cemetery Visit
A short walk to a small nineteenth-century cemetery to see the unusual 'Cinderlla' headstone at the heart of a local counting legend.
- Duration:
- 30 min
Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domain Cemetery / Burial Ground
Cinderella's Grave (Finch Cemetery)
A small 1800s cemetery behind the Jay County Conservation Club holds a headstone reading 'Cinderlla' — the centerpiece of a local counting legend in which the graves seem to change number.
Jay County Conservation Club, 6243 S 325 W, Portland, IN 47371
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No admission; the cemetery sits on Jay County Conservation Club grounds. Visit during daylight and respect club property.
Access
Limited Access
Short wooded lane off the conservation club property; uneven ground.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1850 · Nineteenth-century rural cemetery (also recorded as Wentz Cemetery) · Home to the unusual 'Cinderlla' child's headstone · Documented in Jay County genealogy collections
Finch Cemetery is a small nineteenth-century burying ground in Jefferson Township, Jay County, in east-central Indiana. It is also recorded in county genealogy indexes as Wentz Cemetery and lies on land now part of the Jay County Conservation Club, a roughly 80-acre property near Portland established in 1945. The cemetery is reached by a short lane off the club grounds.
The feature that gives the site its public identity is a child's gravestone whose carving reads 'Cinderlla' — apparently 'Cinderella' with the second 'e' omitted, whether by the engraver's error or as the name was actually spelled. Sources differ on who the child was: one account describes a boy who died in 1859, while another identifies Cinderella as the daughter of a couple named Steed. The discrepancy itself has become part of the cemetery's lore.
The cemetery and its interments are documented in Jay County genealogy collections, and photographs of the grounds and the unusual headstone have circulated through Indiana cemetery-history communities. The site is included among Jay County's documented haunted places, which is what has kept the small rural cemetery named and visited beyond its immediate community.
Visitors should treat the grounds as the active historic cemetery it is, visiting during daylight and respecting both the burying ground and the surrounding conservation club property.
Sources
- https://my1053wjlt.com/cinderella-grave-haunts-indiana-cemetery/
- http://ingenweb.org/injay/Cemeteries/Finch/Finch.html
- https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/finch-cemetery/
Changing headstone count (thirteen in, eleven out)
The Cinderella's grave legend centers on a counting anomaly. Visitors say that walking in toward the marked grave and tallying the headstones yields thirteen, but counting the same stones on the way out yields only eleven, as though graves appear and disappear (https://www.hauntedplaces.org/item/finch-cemetery/).
The headstone itself fuels the mystery. It reads 'Cinderlla,' and accounts disagree about whether the child buried there was a boy or a girl, and even about the year of death — one telling places it in 1859, another names the child as a daughter of the Steed family. This unresolved contradiction between sources is repeatedly cited in coverage of the site and has become woven into the legend (https://my1053wjlt.com/cinderella-grave-haunts-indiana-cemetery/).
The paranormal claims are folklore rather than documented fact, and HauntBound presents them as such. What is verifiable is the real cemetery and the genuinely unusual headstone, which is what anchors this otherwise small rural burying ground in regional ghostlore.
Notable Entities
The child buried as 'Cinderlla'
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cinderella's Grave (Finch Cemetery) family-friendly?
A quiet historic cemetery and a gentle counting legend make this approachable for families during daylight. Supervise children on the uneven wooded lane and respect the burying ground. Overall family fit: Moderate.
How much does it cost to visit Cinderella's Grave (Finch Cemetery)?
No admission; the cemetery sits on Jay County Conservation Club grounds. Visit during daylight and respect club property. This location is free to visit.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is Cinderella's Grave (Finch Cemetery) wheelchair accessible?
Cinderella's Grave (Finch Cemetery) has limited wheelchair accessibility. Terrain: Short wooded lane off the conservation club property; uneven ground..