Iowa County Cemetery Stones and History 1844-1975 (manuscript) by Pauline Lillie

                    GERMAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH - cemetery      p. 1

                           History by Pauline Lillie      (DAYTON TWP.)

Located Section 8 Dayton 78 Township , Range 12, on Highway V. 38 about
12/15 miles south of Victor, or just off north of Hy. v. 52 (The Old
Black Diamond Trail) which is west of town of Millersburg. It was
located in the NW¼ of NW¼ Section 8, on east side of road, down hill
and up from the Dayton Township Rural Schoolhouse. Only a short dist-
ance from the Church, which sat on the fourcorner, across road west.

History
Both Church and cemetery now gone. This cemetery appears only once
and that of the 1900 Atlas. No mention in any history, but the Church
is found in the 1881 history page 741; The Atlas of 1874 where the cem-
etery would have been located was owned by J. Ewing, then south of Dayton
Schoolhouse, but no church appears. I doubt if any burials were before 1860
In 1900 Cemetery appears on the Peter Myer land. In the 1915 Atlas where
the cemetery should appear the land is owned by Conrad Gabriel (was being
used by them.) To-day the land is owned by La Vaughn Wilcox; When I was
there several years ago it was in pasture. (1976 in cultivation)

These graves were moved by Clark Furney, to Guernsey according to inform-
ation by his daughter Mrs. Velda (Furney) Wiedow. She remembers that
her father helped. That the Cemetery belonged to the German Methodist Church.

Church
The Church given from history as follows; One of the largest Church
organizations of the township and has a large commodious building, sit-
uated in Section 8. The Society was organized October 16, 1870, and the
present church erected in 1877.

The original membership consisted of 15 member as follows:

George Gabriel      George Dietrich
Marie Gabriel       Anna Dietrich
Michael Schomberg   Henry Biedebach
Magdalene Schomberg Maria Biedebach
John Fischemann     Adam Gabriel
Adam      Hucke     Anna Gabriel
Hannah Hucke        Henry Miller
Martha Miller

The membership 86 (1881) pastors have been

Rev. Louis Kroeck   William Gethmann
H.W.Axthelm         J.G.Vogel
Henry Piener        S.G.Hilmer
Godfred Bonn        H.F.Schmidt
C.J.Lortz

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                    GERMAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH                 p. 2
                              Cemetery - continued

I am indebted to Mrs. Ralph Weiss, Deep River, for her help in locat-
ing names of some who were buried there, and information of their re-
moval, Thanks to her efforts, this area will be remembered in the Bi-
centennial, of early settlers who gave so much.

Burials at one time known by friends- or relatives (1976): All agree
it was removed.

Gabriel   Elizabeth (Fish) wf. of Conrad   d. 1893
          Ida Pearl dau of Elizabeth &
          Conrad Gabriel                   b. April 8, 1892

          (Moved to Guernsey Cemetery, sister &
           mother of Eva Gabriel Bales-Deep River
           now age 89)

Rainy     Jewell - may have married name.
          Suppose moved to Guernsey; Inform-
          ation from Harry Dugan; as given him
          from friend, was Great Aunt. Could not
          find stone there (Records were burnt)

Schraders Supposed buried here once. Name
          could riot be remembered: Information
          Velda (Furney ) Wiedow) (Age 85)

Child     Not moved; on hill top - no stone -
          unable to locate grave, when bodies
          were moved.

Unable to give any definite time of the cemetery removal, but apparently
it was between 1925 and 1935; No doubt Conrad Gabriel (b. 1857) wanted
his first wife and child moved. A biography of him is given on page 159
Iowa Hist. Vol. II, of 1915; His father Adam (d. Oct. 1905 ae 88 yr.) and
mother Eliza (Gleisner) Gabriel (d. 1878)-Iowa County, being immigrants
from Germany. They came into this area about 1867, from Muscatine Co.
previously their home was in Hesse - Cassel, Germany.

Like so many other German families banded together to have a church
close by; Transportation was long and difficult- so it was that the
stage coach going between rail points from Victor (Old State Road)
and the Diamond Trail, and on down to Millersburg, made this an ideal
point to build a church, and accounts for its large membership.

This cemetery like so many others of the 1850s to 1900 were on farm
land, for convenience of small group of settlers. No one knowns [sic] how
many prayers, or how many tears went from a tired unhappy settler, who
poured out his troubles over their graves, came away incouraged [sic] to try
again. Their love is shown when they, built a church, and cemetery
close by.

                              -12-


                    GERMAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH                 p.3
                              Cemetery - continued

I have not checked any of the stones of their removal in the
Guernsey cemetery. These Early Germans had a strong religious
faith, we see so often in this group, for appearing on the stones
are Bible Scriptures.

Remarks
These people appreciated their ancestors, and cared enough to
move them, instead of leaving them to be abandoned-resulting
in complete destruction by others. They survived a better
fate than those a few miles east (Dedmore) Sec. 1 Dayton and Sec. 6
English on section line.: These stones are broken up, piled next to
the shed in farm yard, having been removed from the back of hill top.


Researched by Pauline Lillie - Ladora.

                              -13-