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Iowa County Cemetery Stones and History 1844-1975 (manuscript)
by Pauline Lillie
ST. MICHAELS CATHOLIC CEMETERY p. 1
(Holbrook ) by Pauline Lillie
Location
Section 5, Green 78 Township, Range 9 on Black top on the "A" Road,
or the Old Diamond Trail, in old town of Holbrook, next to St. Michaels
Catholic Church.
History
To give a history of the cemetery is first to establish St. Michaels
Catholic Church and location of families. There was a trail west from
Fry Town in Johnson County, which crossed, Iowa County from the South
East, and families located within traveling distance. Several early
postoffices, were named Jones and Iona. Settlements in Section -1-
find Mrs. James McKray died in 1842, buried east of the house. The 1881
History mentions a brick Catholic Church (Section 5 built in 1868 ), and
cemetery with about 250 internments used for many years. That the first
church was a little church structure built near the present church " We
know that this little church was in existance in 1856 when Thomas Boyle
married Anna Carney, and he was exceptionally liberal in contributing
to the (brick) church of St. Michaels, and for the erection of the
parsonage; Instrumental in establishing the mail route to Holbrook, and
the postoffice at that place, and then the first postmaster. By his effort
the Boyle school was established, for which he generously donated the land
he mentions that the Postoffice and St. Michaels Church and Parsonage were
on his land, and that the church was erected principally by 15 men.
One of the earliest burials in St. Michaels is Roseann (McGee) Boyle
dated 1857, the mother of Thomas Boyle; His father Peter Boyle died 1876;
Both came and lived with son Thomas after he bought the farm, - in SW¼ of
Section 5. Evidently the cemetery was soon started for several stones dat-
ed 1855, of which one is Daniel, son of Thomas Hanson and this family
appears in the 1850 census.
There were unmarked and unknown graves, it is impossible to tell how many;
The history mentions the cemetery in Section 3 -Ricords-burials: In various
places of the 1881- and 1915 County history of the biographical sections,
we find others, as well as one of Section 1- who died, and are buried some
where. Mrs. Wm. K. Wagner of Cedar Rapids, states there possibly were
burials in Section. 6, for one of her husbands great grandfathers Herman
Feldevert, was buried there, that a fence was around the spot in the field
He died June 28 1856 over in English Township Section 12, brought to Section
6, in Greene township and buried; However an inscription is on a stone -of
Herman Bushman (d. 1879) at St. Bernards, Catholic Cemetery, probably placed
there by the wife Sophia. (she married both.) It states that Herman Felde-
vert died June 28, 1856 age 40 yr. 5mo. 27da. One can only assume if he was
brought over here to Section 6 Green and buried in the field in 1856 there
must have been others in the same place.
continued on page 2
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St. Michaels Cemetery - Holbrook - continued p. 2
Others in the 1850 Mortality Schedule of Iowa County Green Township
Census we find three deaths of families; That of Winefreth Butler
born Ireland age 59 married; Anna Henson age 24 born Ireland, married
and that of Thomas Spratt age 1 year born Iowa; Have no record of
those burials, in the township. As there were only four townships in
the whole county then-Brush Run-Greene-Marengo-English River, for those
listed might he of a different township to-day. The name of Holbrook was
given, for Honorable N.B. Holbrook, who came into Iowa County in 1857 as a
surveyor and engineer (not a Catholic)
The 1881 history is vague on this area, for those who moved on left
no tales; There have been established many first, which we know from
research do not balance out, and only going into depth of records, can
we grant a place to the rightfull settlers their place.
Condition
Taken care of in regular manner, mowed and kept up. Many of the old
stones need attention: When the cemetery was copied back in 1966 by
Mrs. Wagner and Mrs. Wennermark of Cedar Rapids they dug out stones Re-
ported (1976) some are piled up, edge of cemetery. Avery pretty cem-
etery, in the church yard. I found no pile of stones, only down in lots.
Remarks
So much history of the county is tied up in this area, - these people-
for one has only to check the number of dates on the stones to realize
the heavy population of the 1860- and 1870s, that I cannot do justice
to the history for the cemetery or church.
Researched by Pauline Lillie
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