St J Ev Cem

JOHNSON COUNTY IAGenWeb Project

St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery is located ten miles south of Iowa City. Travel south on four-lane Highway 1 South,
then approximately two miles farther on two-lane Highway 1 South. Turn left (south) at the Sharon Center Road
and proceed five miles to Sharon Center. Continue south one mile. St. John’s Cemetery is located on the right
(west) side of Sharon Center Road.

Information provided by Colleen Sehr and submitted on 15 June 2002.

The following information is located on a plaque along with a plat map in the cemetery:

"St. John’s Lutheran Church" served for many years (1870-1977) the spiritual needs of the small German community of Sharon Center, Iowa. Services in German provided important cultural ties with the homeland of the most of the congregation and contributed to the sense of community among strangers in their new land.

The congregation was organized in 1870 by immigrants from Germany and Switzerland who had come in 1866. It began as a mission under Reverend J. Hoerlin, Sr. and was formally incorporated in 1865. The church was built by parishioner, Albert Drews, with help from the entire congregation.

English services were introduced in 1905 "for the benefit of the younger members". In the years between 1900 and the official closing of the church in 1955 the congregation shared ministers with Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City.

In 1967 St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery Association was incorporated to care for the buildings and grounds. The National Register of Historic Places accepted St. John’s Lutheran Church on its roll in 1977. During a severe storm a huge tree beside the church fell on it, making it impossible to preserve the church.

The beautiful cemetery adjacent to the church continues to give solace and comfort to the descendants of those who have been laid to rest there.

This page was last updated 20 Aug 2010 by Harvey W. Henry

Last Name	First Name	Born	Died
Back (10th) Row Left to Right
Kesselring	Emilie	Jan 1, 1866	May 1877
Bettcher	Carl	May 21, 1870	June 21, 1886
Frank	Margerette	Feb 14, 1879	Jan 16, 1881
Meinike	Elsie	Aug 30, 1887	Sept 8, 1887
Konrad	Ferdenard	July 23, 1889	Sept 21, 1889
Helm	Elsie	May 7, 1889	Aug 7, 1890
Yordie	Elsie	Nov 11, 1895	Mar 29, 1896
9th Row Left to Right
*Barz	Anna M	Jan 2, 1826	Feb 13, 1879
Kesselring	Anna Carolina	Oct 1, 1872	Feb 10, 1890
Hoffmeister	Charlotte	Oct 10, 1804	Apr 18, 1880
Bettcher	Fridericke	Oct 17, 1866	Apr 17, 1881
Hoffmeister	Christoph	Jan 15, 1796	Oct 15, 1884
Falk	Christlieb	July 16, 1816	Sept 17, 1886
Falk	Pauline	Sept 10, 1820	Feb 28, 1897
Meer	John	Oct 12, 1839	July 24, 1896
Meer	Bertha	Oct 26, 1848	Sept 18, 1886
Siehrig	George	Jan 2, 1822	Sept 15, 1888
Suhrig	Barbara	Jan 12, 1829	Mar 12, 1889
Siegling	Christiane	Apr 15, 1809	Dec 28, 1889
Sigling	Christoph	Nov 18, 1808	Mar 12, 1894
8th Row Left to Right
Treptow	Dorthathea, M	Mar 12, 1814	Sept 9, 1890
Walter	Johann, G	1818	1896
Walter	Katherine	1837	1914
Sommer	Andreas	Aug 30, 1828	Jul 28, 1890
Sommer	Ottellie	Jan 11, 1846	Jan 1, 1936
Roessler	Gottlieb, F	Mar 20, 1821	May 10, 1889
Roessler	Louisa	1838	1925
Monk	John
Monk	Caroline	July 26, 1891	Jan 1, 1917
Sommer	Christian	Sept 1, 1831	Oct 1, 1909
Sommer	Augusta, A	Aug 28, 1847	Mar 20, 1894
Wachholz	Charlotte	Dec 25, 1820	Mar 17, 1896
Kortz	Pastor John	Feb 19, 1838	Aug 17, 1896
7th Row Left to Right
Walter	George	Jan 30, 1868	Jan 21, 1939
Sommer	Cora, M	Nov 15, 1887	Feb 18, 1902
Sommer	Christian, R	Mar 19, 1873	Nov 2, 1900
Siegling	Marcus	Jan 5, 1868	Sept 9, 1900
Bettcher	William	1832	1901
Bettcher	Dorothea	1830	1904
Siegling	Jimmie	Mar 1899	Dec 1907
Kutchenreitter	Hanna	July 29, 1870	Mar 12, 1899
Sass	Annie	Apr 18, 1876	Sept 4, 1898
Yordi	Anna	Nov 9, 1856	Apr 15, 1898
Kesselring	Caroline		Nov 26, 1897
Zager	August, B	Mar 21, 1843	Jan 17, 1905
Zager	Wilhelmine	Feb 24, 1843	Nov 4, 1896

6th Row Left to Right
Hoppe	Friedrich	Aug 18, 1828	Dec 25, 1908
Hoppe	Louisa	Jan 30, 1844	Mar 25, 1926
Klineschmidt	William, F	Oct 23, 1943	Oct 11, 1910
Klineschmidt	Johanna	Sept 9, 1844	Jan 28, 1915
Amelon	Elisabeth	Mar 10, 1822	Jan 10, 1911
Roessler	Pauline	May 26, 1880	Apr 26, 1916
Amelon	Augusta	Sept 11, 1855	Mar 6, 1917
Kesselring	Gottlieb	Nov 10, 1836	Oct 11, 1921
Kesselring	Albertine, C	Sept 7, 1845	Feb 18, 1921
Venzke	Reinhard	Jan 8, 1857	Mar 24, 1930
Venzke	Bertha	Sept 4, 1857	Apr 5, 1907
Hesselschwerdt	George, J	Nov 9, 1902	Jan 31, 1903
5th Row Left to Right
Graeper	Gustave, C	1845	1918
Graeper	Theresa, W	1855	1924
Graeper	Elsie, G	1889	1918
Kleinschmidt	Albert	Sept 9, 1877	Nov 1, 1923
Kleinschmidt	Minnie Heeds	Oct 11, 1880	May 28, 1918
Kleinschmidt	Minnie, R	May 25, 1918	Jan 9, 1919
Kleinschmidt	Frank, A	May 25, 1918	Apr 3, 1919
Hoppe	Paul, F	May 22, 1920	Aug 18, 1920
Eyman	Vera, M	Mar 7, 1921	Mar 12, 1921
Sass	William, J	July 9, 1847	Mar 22, 1926
Sass	Caroline, D	Oct 15, 1843	Jan 23, 1923
Sahs	Alvin	Nov 13, 1923	Nov 16, 1923
Venzke	Theresa	Feb 25, 1863	Mar 13, 1928
Venzke	Irene, R	1915	1976
Venske	Albert, R	1912
4th Row Left to Right
Gaffaner
Kuester	John	Sept 13, 1848	Apr 29, 1926
Kolstad	Doris, M	Aug 7, 1932	Nov 7, 1932
Moll	Gustave	1872	1937
Moll	Bertha	1881	1961
Kutchenwriter	John, D	1864	1941
Kutchenwriter	Vina, W	1975	1961
Venzke	Herman	1895	1982
Venzke	Leona	1900	1934
Graeper	Erich, W	1891	1942
Graeper	Emma, M	1895	1981
Hoppe	Elizabeth	1890	1933
Hoppe	Horace	1923	1948
Hoppe	Ferdinand	1866	1951
Sehr	Frank, F	Oct 21, 1861	June 14, 1943
Sehr	Mathilda, W	May 5, 1862	Dec 28, 1955
Sehr	Carl, F	May 29, 1895	Sept 1, 1957
Sehr	Anna, E	July 12, 1889	Apr 17, 1981
3rd Row Left to Right
Young	Harold	1917	1993
Young	Adolph	1913	1973
Young	Andrew	1866	1940
Young	Anna	1875	1970
Venzke	William, E	1888	1966
Venzke	Helen, G	1906	1998
Graper	Richard, P	1884	1962
Graper	Clara, E	1890	1985
Graper	Leo, C	1910	1966
Graper	Frances, C	1911	1983
Sahs	Emil	June 5, 1887	Sept 23, 1967
Sahs	Minnie	July 28, 1892	Jan 10, 1960
Sehr	Donald, F	May 7, 1927
Sehr	Anita, K	July 26, 1930
2nd Row Left to Right
Kutchenwriter	Frank, W	June 2, 1893	Dec 16, 1967
Kleinschmidt	Fred, F	Sept 21, 1915	Oct 18, 1994
Kleinschmidt	Dora, M	May 30, 1921
Graper	Eldon, P	Aug 20, 1920
Graper	Helen, L	Oct 15, 1934	Apr 23, 1988
Semler	Don "Chub"	June11, 1918	July 23, 1995
Semler	Loretta	Apr 19, 1913	Oct 15, 1997
1st Row Left to Right
Trost	Shirley Ann Brand	Mar 25, 1935	Aug 6, 1985
Trost	Pastor Richard, L	Aug 10, 1930