Note: This cemetery and community seem to have at least two spellings. The spelling "Wittenburg" is used on official maps. However, the spelling "Wittemberg" is on the cemetery sign. The two spellings seem to be used interchangably.
"Wittenburg Cemetery is located in Section 3, Newton Township, Jasper County Iowa. The cemetery is occasionally referred to as College Farm Cemetery. According to historian Lawrence Hammerly, 'Several well educated families of the Free Presbyterian Church came from Ohio in 1853 to Iowa and settled in excellent land on top of the divide between the North and South Skunk Rivers. They were of high Christian morality, violently opposed to slavery, alcohol in any form and they had high educational ideals.' They named their settlement Wittemberg.
"Soon after arriving they organized a Free Presbyterian Church and by 1855 had organized the Wittemberg Manual Labor College. It goes without saying every community must a cemetery and the land for Wittemberg Cemetery was established in 1856, however the earliest recorded burial was that of Sarah E. Wade who died 26 November 1851. Sara was the daughter of S. & M. Wade and there is no stone marking her grave.
"In the cemetery among the conventional headstones is a small pile of stones apparently gathered from nearby fields. The pile of stones was places by friends of Gelnn Kennedy to commemorate his service in World War I. He was killed in action and his body was never returned. Near this monument is a flag adorned stone to the unknown soldier.
"The Jasper County Writer's Club in their publication, Jasper County Yestertowns, state that in the 1870's when the college was no longer in use . . . . . 'there was little reason for Wittemberg to exist. The last physical signs of the village, except for the houses which became farm homes, is the peculiar layout of the roads near the present church.'
"The first church building, which was built in 1878, is located one fourth mile North of the cemetery. The building has been improved and remodeled several times, with the bell tower and steeple being added in 1963. The denomination has also changed to United Church of Christ Congregational Church. They had made this affliction by 1926 when the Wittemberg Cemetery Improvement Association, filed their Articles of Incorporation. The lot owners make up this group and they are responsible for the care of the cemetery which is well maintained. In the village of Wittemberg the cemetery was located on Old College Avenue."
Source: Jasper County, Iowa Cemeteries: Newton Township; compiled by Jasper County Genealogical Society; published by Iowa Genealogical Society. Copyright 1994. Used with permission. To purchase a copy of this book, contact the Iowa Genealogical Society.
 |
To inquire about volunteering for the IAGenWeb Project enter here and Join Our Team! |  |
Server space for the IAGenWeb Project site is provided by the Friends of Iowa Gen Web |