Cedar County, Iowa

Elliott Parr Grove
Massillon Township

View Grave Stone Photo

Cedar County Historical Review August 1959
published by the Cedar County Historical Society, pg 16


        By the Hoover Highway, (county road Y14), three miles southwest of Lowden, a United States flag flutters in the breeze above a grave. A government headstone marks the soldier's resting place. About the graveyard is a high wire fence. Inscribed on the stone is Elliott Parr, Company K, 3 5th Iowa Infantry. Elliott Parr was a son of Old Billy Parr, as he was known back in Ohio and later in Cedar County where he with fifty others came in 1848 to build homes. This son with four others went to war. He came back to Old Billy unscratched. But the smallpox epidemic of 1867 struck the county and Elliott Parr died. Residents of the section were terrified and refused to allow smallpox victims' burial in Van Horn Cemetery, the only burial ground in the vicinity. I have enough land of my own, said Old Billy Parr, My son was a good soldier. He can have a cemetery of his own. So Old Billy set aside this quarter acre and deeded it to Cedar County. There he buried his son. The government placed the headstone years ago.

Return to Cemetery Index Page

Return to Cedar County IAGenWeb Home Page