First Burial in Forbes Cemetery

HUNTER, FORBES, TRIBLECOCK, FITCH

Posted By: Gloria Dodds (email)
Date: 10/29/2002 at 18:18:06

Thursday, August 14, 1935 The Keosauqua Republican Page Forty-Three 80 year Anniversary 1855-1935

First Burial in Forbes Cemetery

F.M.Hunter tells the following interesting story of the first burial in the Forbes cemetery, north of Keosauqua:
"One night a young man knocked at the door of the Robert Forbes home and asked if this family would let him remain over night. He told them that he was sick and could not go any farther. The Forbes took the young man in and sent to the neighbors for a boy to go for a doctor.
The boy who went for the doctor was John Triblecock, son of Frank Triblecock, who lived neighbors to the Forbes, and brother of Judge Hunter's mother. He could not find a doctor in Keosauqua so went on to Pittsburg and brought Dr. Fitch back with him.
A little later, however, the young man, who had told them he was from New York, died. There wern't many cemeteries in those days, so Robert Forbes buried the fellow on his place. After the young man's death Mr. Forbes wrote his people in New York informing them of the death of their relative. Correspondence in those days was both expensive and tendous, so after perhaps a letter or two, the incident was nearly forgotten.
About 25 year ago two men came from New York to this vicinity and made inquiry about this same young man. Some of the people told them to talk with John Triblecock since he was the oldest person in town, and would probably be the only one who would know if this person had ever come to this vicinity.
John Triblecock told them the story and of his part in the incident. Since the men wanted absolute proof of the fellow's death, or information regarding his descendants, if any, they asked John Triblecock to make a written statement of the story he had told them and to send it to them. Before they left they promised to send a stone for the grave of the young man buried at Forbes cemetery, and left money for the
erection of the stone.
Mr. Triblecock sent for Judge F.M. Hunter for advice about the written statement he was to make. Mr. Hunter helped him with it, took it to the Clerk's office for the necessary seals and affidavits, and he, himself, mailed the statement telling of the death of this young New York man, back to these men who wanted it.
The stone for the grave never came, but it was later learned that had the young man lived he would have been worth Millions of dollars. The value of his home and land back in New York had become very high because of the growth of New York. The men who had come to Keosauqua seeking information of this young man had to find out whether he had any descendants to what had become of him, and whom his property would go, before they could dispose of the land.
Since there was never a stone marking the grave, there is no one today who knows just where it is, nor anyone who can remember the name of this young man, who was the first to be buried in the Forbes cemetery.