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

                    SPICER OR SPOONER CEMETERY
                                        HISTORY by Pauline Lillie        p.1

[Note: This cemetery was never known as the Spooner (Sponar) cemetery.  The
 Sponar family simply lived nearby when this information was gathered. -LKM]

Not for Loan


Located
Iowa Township 80 Range 9, Section 1, off Hy. 6, north east of town of
Homestead. In the timber now behind the A. T. and T. Tower reached by 
a narrow lane, at one time a road within the timber of the homesteaders 
cabins.

History
In the 1881 history of Iowa County it is next to the oldest in the
township, the other bing Section 4, west of Homestead, or a half mile
from this one (Check that one for the Granny Sprague cemetery else--
where)

The Spicer cemetery is steeped deep in History of Iowa County, for this 
area of Brush Run (now Homestead) west and south of Iowa River- Extend-
ed the earliest of settlers came along after the Old Indian Trading Post 
up west near the river, the first point of survey. The Spicers, Spragues, 
Niles and others came in the 1840s married into other families

First time I copied this cemetery in 1959 Newell Wrights stone stood 
on a lot near the south end of the cemetery. Second time in 1971, it 
had been moved about 600 feet north and up against a tree. a road was 
being used for a gate put in behind the land owned by the A.T. and T. 
Tower, and driving over the cemetery.

Evidently children of Wm. H. Spicer were the first buried in 1852 and
1853 William Spicer died at Iowa City October 12, 1889. Taken from the 
death record book in Johnson County (of Cancer of the throat) addres Oxford 
Mentions he was buried in the Spicer cemetery. Apparently no stone was 
erected, or it may have been removed by some of the family later, from 
the Peter Spicer Genealogy it gives his birth date as March 31, 1819 
and his wife Delilah Sprague Spicer survived him only a short time.

Also buried here is a Patriot of War of 1812 that of Nathan Spicer (1796 
1873) yet he has no recoganization, in fact joined others of abandonment. 
One has only to check the atlas of 1874 and locate these names, as they 
do not appear much later for the Amana Colonies bought up all their land 
and they moved on.

There is a plat in Iowa County Book 40 page 103: We find also in a record 
Book 42 page 343 January 24, 1883 that of William and Delilah to John Mc-
Coy plot SE¼, D lot # 24 5x16. The first time I heard of this cemetery was 
from an Iowa Township resident who lived there; Of people buried without 
stones, that Spooner came around trying to get people to do something in 
way of up keep. After Spicers left, or died and Spooner purchased land 
around the cemetery long before 1900. No one remembered the name of Spicer 
and it was referred to as Spooner cemetery. As far as I know there are no 
Spooners buried here.

continued on page 2


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          SPICER OR SPOONER Cemetery - continued                      p. 2


History lists the Brush Run Settlements as wild and wooly; Pages 732
or the (Ia.Co.Hist 1881.) No creek or flow of water in Iowa County 
has witnessed so many deed of love and hate, so many scenes of joy 
or sorrow, so many drunken revels, and fights so many sucides and 
murders. Brush Run  the headquarters of drunkards and cut throats 
News article appears on the death of old Luke Sherlock (buried here.) 
who told on his death bed of a man coming to his house at night with 
money to hide from robbers that the robbers did come in, kill and cut 
him up, put the poor man in a hole they dug in his cellar. That his legs 
had to be sawed to place in the hole. Upon investigation found true.

Legal
Book 40 page 103: The plat is filed as a true representation as sur-
veyed by me (ref. to C. Paine) on a piece of land described as follows; 
Commencing at a point at the letter A 60 rods north and 20 feet east of 
the SW corner of the SW¼ of the SW¼ Section # 1 township # 80 Range #9 
west of the 5th p.m. Thence north 26 1/3 degree 2 rods thence north 11 
degrees west (connecting from 9 ft var) 4 rods thence North var. 6 1/3 
degree, thence east var 6½ degree 4 rods thence south 17 1/3 degree 
East count for 90 degree). 20 rods thence varation 6½ degree- 9 rods 
and 22 links thence north var. 6½ - 9 rods- 21 links to the place of 
beginning said land being in SE ¼ of SW¼ of above described Section; 
Done at request of Wm. Spicer May 17-;18- 1881 Scale 24 ft, to inch; 
Chainman Henry M Kennedy- J.L. Black- Moses Mitchel; Signed C. Paine Co-
unty Surveyor of Iowa County, dated     and filed June 2, 1881 C. W. 
Williams Recorder; The plat contains 36 blocks all different size; 
Some small were , 16, 14: Except at the north end were they are of 
various sizes up to as much as 29- 28 feet wide.

Again this land was surveyed- April 22, 1949 for the purpose of estab-
lishing near by an A.T.N.T. Tower; Recorded in Vol. 88, page 43 which 
shows the cemetery and a schoolhouse. Is described in plat as commen-
cing of a cross in the pavement of the SW corner of the SE¼ of the SW¼ 
Section 1 Township 80 Range 9 West. Land to-day 1976 and then was owned 
around by Bertina Smith with J. E. Spooner owning that adjoining west 
line. Otherwise the Amana Society is the large owners.

Condition
Terrible: Now overgrown with small trees, and blackberries. A number of 
nice stones, and one time little fence around Cook and Ellis. Some old 
lilac fill spots, but in all it is considered abandoned. As far as I know 
there are no plans of restoring it either.

Remarks
To forget these early settlers who done so much for Iowa County in the 
beginning of its history, seem so unfair.


Researched by Pauline Lillie- Ladora 


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