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The Wiota or Jameson Cemetery is located in the South central part of section 7 of Franklin Township. The cemetery was originally known as the Jameson Cemetery and was started in 1855 on land given by W. W. Jameson. Evaline Jameson, daughter of Robert Jameson and niece of W. W. Jameson, was the first burial on May 20, 1855, having died the previous day. The second burial was a child of Mr. and Mrs. D. D. Morris, about the first of July. The third interment was the body of a Mr. Whitford, an immigrant from Indiana passing through to Nebraska, who died July 17, 1856, and buried on July 18, 1856. The fourth burial was that of Adelaide McGeehon, daughter of R. D. and Mary McGeehon, who died aged 17 months, was buried November 12, 1857. It may be noted that there was two inches of snow on the ground that day. The cemetery was formally laid out in 1860 and the land deeded to the cemetery association on November 7, 1877. Maintenance is provided by a tax levy, but for many years a ladies auxiliary provided the funds for maintenance. The oldest person believed to have been buried in Cass County in 1886 is a Mrs. Mary Ann Jordan, age 111.

Some of the older stones are barely readable and some of the inscriptions are in German. There are over 1000 burials on this seven acre plot. Two additions have been made to the original plot. Over the years there has been a great deal of vandalism with many stones broken and missing. As a result many rows appear uneven making a count of the rows difficult at times. As you enter the cemetery gate the rows are numbered starting with the far left going left to right and front to back (North to South). There are several stones missing in some of the rows making the it difficult to maintain a proper row at times. Sometimes the people that bought the plots were never buried in them. Records were not very well kept also making determining where burials are sometimes impossible.

This cemetery was recorded in 1977 by Gerte Boggs and Karen Thiner. Mr. and Mrs. Delbert Christensen rewalked the cemetery in June of 1986. Carolyn DeLay and Mary Hoegh rewalked and recorded the cemetery with photos in 2012. This is a project of the Genealogical Society.

Carolyn DeLay   May, 2012