Bockelmann Family Cemetery

Written and Used with Permission from Brent Friedrichs

Location Coordinates: 42.09540, -95.53573
Go 1 mile East of Charter Oak on Highway 141, and turn left/North on L51 towards Ricketts. In 2 miles, at "Marshall's Bottom", turn Right on "I" avenue. Go about 2.1 miles and the cemetery will be on the left/North side of the gravel road.

Description (under construction & likely to see update as time permits). Near the center of the cemetery is the largest of all gravestones. It has inscriptions on all 4 sides and is believed to represent the burials of the following four:

1) Friedrich Bockelmann = Johann Friedrich "Fredrick" BOCKELMANN. Family records show that he was born in 1797, in Niedersachsen, Germany. Some debate about the date of being either 21 Dec 1874 or 21 Dec 1871. Most sources seem to favor 21 Dec 1871.

2) Catharina Bockelmann. Family records indicate that she was born sometime in 1872 in Crawford County - very likely on the farm place that was then located about 16th of a mile further East down the road (farmstead now gone). She is known to have died on 23 Mar 1873- and that date all well confirmed. Thus was roughly about 1 year old at time of death. She was the granddaughter of (1) daughter of (3) and (4)

3) Sophia Bockelmann = Dorothea Sophia M. "Sophie" Boesenberg Bocklemann. Family records show that Sophie was born in 1838 in Hanover, Germany. She died 28 Oct 1881. Sophia was the daughter-in-law to (1) and mother to (2).

4) Fritz Bockelmann = Heinrich Friedrich "Fritz" Bockelmann. Born: 9 Jul 1828 in Altenwahlingen, Eystrup, Hanover, Prussia, Germany. The central figure, the actual settler, and landowner.Some debate about death date - 26 Dec 1893 vs "1883". Yet most family records seem to list DOD as being 26 Dec 1893.

There are three much smaller gravestones on the right/West now up against the West Fence. Those three gravestones as follows: 5) Herman Kuhlmann (baby); Born February 1887. Died 10 Apr 1887. Thus was about 2 months old. His mother was "Sophie Friedrika Bockelmann Kuhlmann (1860-1948) and George John (Johann) Ludwig Kuhlmann (1852-1941). So Herman was the Great Grandson of (1); grandson of (3) and (4), and was a nephew of (2).
*His mother "Sophie Friedricka Bockelmann" (1860-1948) not to be confused with the grandmother "Dorothea Sophia M Bosenberg Bockelmann" (1838-1881).Yet another source (gravestone?) has (quote) “Gest den 10 april 1887, Alter 2 mon 3 tage, Sohn von G. S. Kuhlmann”. …So on mention of 2 months and 3 days – this would place birth at about February 7, 1887.

The following two known burials are NOT listed (yet) at Find-a-Grave (one only as Unknown Unknown). Yet we have since obtained the following additional other information and of which I hope to update FAG with that additional other/composite information soon as time permits.

6) Baby Schroeder. Believed to be the baby of Henry F. Schroeder and Mary Bockelmann. Mary was the daughter of Heinrich Friedrich "Fritz" Bockelmann (1828-1893) and "Dorothea Sophia M Boesenberg Bockelmann (1838-1881). So "Baby Schroeder" was buried with his grandparents (3) & (4) and was a nephew/niece of (2).
In looking at the Schroeder family records – show that Henry Schroeder & Mary Bockelmann Schroeder had 4 children. Three of them lived into the 1900s. Only the information on William Schroeder is missing. Thus I am fairly certain the name of the baby was “William Schroeder”. Henry & Mary were married in 1879. They had a daughter (Emilie) on 22 Dec 1880 - almost certainly their first based on the timeline. So one can envision that baby William Schroeder was born sometime in the years of from late 1881 through mid 1884.
One family record source mentions that (quote) “…and William who died as a small boy”. Which all seems to support that “Baby Schroeder” was “William F. Schroeder”.
One source has (quote) “ Schroder, Wilhem F. Geb. Von 14 Jan 1883, Gest ven 16 Feb. 1884. Sohn von Henry & Mary Schroeder …Mary’s maiden name was Bockelmann”..all said – William/Wilhelm F. Schroeder Born abt 14 Jan 1883. Died 16 Feb 1884. - age about 13 months.

7) Baby Lill. Very little information is known about this baby - only that all records seem to agree that it was a baby with last name of "Lill". What is interesting about the “Baby Lill” burial is that one of the drawings made by family members of the time indicates that “Baby Lill” was buried in the North-East corner of the Bockelmann Cemetery and that “Baby Lill” never had any permanent marker. And indeed there is no gravestone in the North-East corner of the cemetery. This then creates a bit of a mystery and begs the question – “are there 7 burials or 8 burials in the "Bockelmann family Cemetery”.

Source: drawing of EIGHT burials kept in a master file my personal holding. On the other hand - all 3 of the existing "Baby" markers are very loose from the ground and thus could have easily have been moved.

The cemetery's formation: So here is the “Bockelmann Family Cemetery” story as I (Brent) understand it. In about 1870-1871 Fritz Bockelmann came to farm on the land where the family cemetery is located. The group was as follows:
1) Fritz Bockelmann – the actual settler landowner, head of family
2) Dorothea Sophia M Boesenberg Bockelmann – wife of Fritz
3) Caroline “Lena” – born 26 Aug 1858 in Germany
4) Sophie Friedricka Bockelmann – born 6 Sep 1860 in Germany
5) Mary Bockelmann – born August 1863 in Germany
6) Fritz2 Bockelmann – born 2 Aug 1866 in Germany
7) Henry Herman “Hank” Bockelmann – born 21 Jun 1869 in Jackson County, Iowa. Was as seems sort of born “in transit”
8) Johann Friedrich Bockelmann – born 1797.
Johann was sort of the “tag along” widower father/grandfather. His wife was known to be Caroline Christiane Stockmann Bockelmann. We only know that she was born in about 1802 and that they were married in Germany on 15 Feb 1828. I have yet to find out when she died nor where she is buried. Only that she clearly died before 1870 as Johann Friedrich Bockelmann was a widower by then and when they settled in the East Soldier River valley in 1870-1871 - the "water fetching era".

Johann Friedrich Baockelmann, the “tag-along” father/grandfather died fairly soon after the family arrived to Hanover Township near Charter Oak. And it was his death on 21 Dec 1871 (possibly 21 Dec 1874) that the need for a cemetery obviously came to be needed.

The actual farmstead was said to be just a bit further East on same side of the road – within seeing distance of the cemetery. Keep in mind that in 1871-1874 there really were not any organized cemeteries anywhere in the Charter Oak area. For example - it was only on the death of “Infant Brazel” in that same year of 1871 that the 3x cemetery North of Charter Oak saw its first ever burial. The burial of “Infant Brazel” on 10 Jul 1871 (age 2 days) that the Charter Oak came to need a formal cemetery – and it made use of a traditional 1 acre plot where once stood the areas first Rural/Country School.

So one can readily envision that on the death of his father, Fritz Bockelmann, went down the road towards the corner of his farm yet on the closest knoll dug a grave and buried his 77 years old father. So began the Bockelmann Family Cemetery.

Everyone buried in the Bockelmann Family Cemetery are related. The one possible exception is with “Baby Lill” – who I have not made any family connection between "baby Lill" and the "Fritz Bockelmann Family". "Baby Lill" is then by all indications, simply the earthly remains, or what appears to be the neighbor’s baby and that probably died after Johann died in 1871 and before 1885 (family records law went into full implementation).

Likewise, I have not found a connection between “baby Lill” and the “Lill family” we know today (example; Alva Lill family) - although once can readily envision that there is a connection somehow.

This cemetery would very likely have been lost to history by now if it had not been for the extensive steel fence with concrete border foundation, and significant central stone - all of which survived the test of time and the plow.

"The File"
I am actually in personal possession of a core file (or copy of) on this topic and it is stored here in my office. It has a lot more details than I have here been able to summarize.

FindAGrave Listings

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Previous Webpage:

Bockelmann Family Cemetery

Hanover Township

The site is located two miles north and about three and one-half miles east of Charter Oak on the north side of the county gravel road. The stones are in an enclosure approximately eighteen feet square with iron post in concrete bases and railings with wire surrounding the site and are located at the top of a road cut. The site was visited and recorded during the summer of 2000 by Norm and Carol Prince.

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