'1817' Batavia Headstone

CREESE OR CREASE, HARRIS, LAFFERTY, MCCAMAN, SWITZER, MCKEE, OBANNON, PUNNYBECKER, ABBERTSON, HAMBRICK, DEWITT, SLOAN, HUFF, LAMBIRTH

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 1/29/2006 at 10:36:13

"Fairfield Ledger", October 23, 1958

Find '1817' Head Stone In Batavia Is Actually 1847

Batavia, Ia. -- The head stone marking the grave of Henry CREESE in the Batavia cemetery came into prominence during the past few days when the cemetery caretaker, Ed HARRIS, noted the date of death on the stone as July 29, 1817.

Some began to wonder about the date since there is no record of white people in Jefferson county until 1835.

A close examination of the old stone shows that the date is July 29, 1847, instead of 1817 as it appears today. By carefully and lightly rubbing the surface of the stone, one can feel where the extended part of the figure four was cut into the stone. However, time and weather have all but worn away that part of the figure, while the vertical portion of the numeral is still quite clear, making it appear as the figure one.

But even so, 1847 was a long time ago. It is an old head stone to say the least.

Old Stones
And there are others in the old cemetery. HARRIS pointed to two head stones, side by side, which he says are supposed to be the oldest in the graveyard. The oldest stone marks the grave of Louisa M. LAFFERTY, daughter of S. and E. M. LAFFERTY, who died Aug. 5, 1846, at the age of nine years.

The other stone marks the grave of A. LAFFERTY, who died Aug. 15, 1848, at the age of 45.

There is another stone that dates back to 1848. It is the stone marking the grave of James G. McCAMAN, died June 22, 1848, at the age of 12 years.

The CREESE grave stone was reset in new cement three years ago and is standing erect and solid. The name is spelled differently than the name listed in an early Jefferson county history which states Henry CREASE was one of the first settlers in the Batavia community.

Laid out in 1846
A history of 1879 says Batavia was first called Creaseville and was laid out on Aug. 26, 1846, by David SWITZER, county surveyor. The town was laid out for William M. McKEE, Henry CREASE, and Elijah O'BANNON, proprietors. The plat was recorded Sept. 26, 1846.

Besides the proprietors, other early settlers included Henry PUNNYBECKER, Joseph CREASE and Benjamin ABBERTSON.

The first cabin on the town site was erected by McKEE and O'BANNON. The cabin was used for a double purpose, a dwelling and a store-room. McKEE lived in the rear part of the structure and goods were sold from the front part.

The first building erected exclusively for store purposes was built by William HAMBRICK about 1860. A blacksmith shop was built and a forge opened by a man named DeWITT in 1862.

The first justice of peace in the new town was John SLOAN, whose courts were held in a old log hut, without windows, and which was afterwards used as a schoolhouse.

The name was changed from Creaseville to Batavia, under special act approved Jan. 19, 1853, in answer to a petition presented by William F. HAMBRICK, who secured the unanimous consent of the people in the town.

First Settlers
Batavia was laid out as a town 11 years after the first white man came to Jefferson county.

The history says that in 1835, settlements had extended west from the Mississippi river to the Skunk river valley in Henry county. Until August of that year, it is not known that white men had ever penetrated to any part of the territory now recognized as Jefferson county.

During that month John HUFF, a native of Kentucky but then a citizen of Hancock County, Ill., and five other men crossed the Skunk river and spent two or three days exploring what is now Round Prairie township.

Thomas LAMBIRTH is said to have erected the first cabin in Jefferson county in February, 1836. The family arrived to occupy the cabin in May the same year.

With those dates recorded, it was hard to understand how a grave stone could have been erected in the Batavia cemetery in 1817, many years before record of the arrival of the first white man in the county and before the town of Batavia was laid out. But careful examination solved the mystery.

Ed HARRIS has been caretaker of the Batavia cemetery since 1947 and during those years has acquired considerable knowledge about the place.

He is extremely handicapped, however, since there are no records of the past. HARRIS said the original records of the old burial plot were lost in a fire.

HARRIS is a life-time resident of the Batavia community and was a painter until his partial retirement at which time he took over the cemetery duties.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s).