Cemetery Histories

ABANDONED BURIALS Prior to 1850 there was small cemetery north of town, north and east of the Philip Boyles farm. George Guye, pioneer settler, says this was the first cemetery. The first death in the County was a baby of the Phillip M. Boyles family. This would be UnionTownship. (Contributed by JoAnn Walker) 1976 —John Alles, Douglas Township found in Cedar Creek running through farm, Sec. 23 Sl/2 SE ¼ a stone “Mary Eddy, wife of F. Irwin b. November 2, 1865 d. August 24, 1920". (Contributed by JoAnn Walker) 1976 —A stone found in a draw SW of buildings on ridge in a fence line being bulldozed on Dean Mapes farm S 1/2 SE 1/4 Sec. 13 and N1/2 ofNE ¼ of Section 24. Stone 24x18x4” with the inscription “Baby Boy, b.1867 Henry, son of D and A Hal (Hallings?)". (Contributed by JoAnn Walker) Richard Johnson, a former resident of Jefferson Township, grew up there and now living in Madison Township, Madison County, remembers an 8 to 10 inch square stone carrying a description of the death of an older woman. He describes the stone as being in Section 12, Jefferson Township. This stone was in a draw below a pond. The stone was said to be 20 to 30 feet to the west of the section line in the South ½ of the NE ½. This stone was not found due to the area being a wild life preserve. (Contributed by Lewis E. Morris) ABANDONED CEMETERIES Note: None of these cemeteries are known to have "official" names. They have been given names herein by the editor to distinguish amongst them. County Poor Farm Cemetery - In February of 1975, Leonard Abrahams, a lifelong resident of Douglas Township, living in Section 23, spoke of people who were residents of the County Poor Farm, located in Section 24, being buried on the County Farm property, west line, adjacent of the draw that goes through the property. No records of who may be buried in these potters graves are available. Douglas Township Cemetery - Douglas Township, Section 11 also has a reported abandoned cemetery. The name is not remembered and this abandoned cemetery is located in the SW half of this section, on the bluff overlooking North ---- valley to the west, south and east, with a country road at the foot of the bluff on the west side. The exact spot has not been found as a search was made for markers and foot stones and none were found. This area is partly timbered over. (Contributed by Lewis E. Morris) Eyerly Cemetery - Land for a cemetery in Section 29 of Douglas township was given by George and Martha Eyerly on September 8, 1875. Whether anyone is buried there or not is unknown. Francis Cemetery - Emily and Daniel Francis gave land for a cemetery in Section 15 of Penn township, May 8, 1875. Whether anyone is buried there or not is unknown. Kirvin Cemetery - Tradition says that there is a burial site located in Douglas Township on or very near the Section Line running east and west between Sections 14 & 23 on the approximate north-south centerline of these sections on what was (in 1976) the Thomas Kirvin farm and believed to be relatives of the Kirvins. The gravesites are at the point where the North-South road turns west and goes down the hill toward the river bottom. It is also said that the stones were laid down and covered over by the road grading crew. Jackson Township Cemetery - The 1875 township map shows an unnamed cemetery in the southwest corner of Section 8 of Jackson Township. Subsequent plat maps do not show the cemetery and no other written record of its existence has been found. Lee Township Cemetery - An abandoned cemetery is in Section 18, Lee Township, Madison County. The WPA cemetery records state that there was an abandoned cemetery in this section - but apparently no stones were found or read. This cemetery was very close to the road and tradition says that when the road was widened (year not known) the existing stones were thrown upon the bank and left lay. There were said to be 18 or 20 gravestones. In March 1976, Walter Eichner, on whose farm the cemetery was located, pointed out the site. It is on the south side of the road, on a knoll, near his east property. It is described as on the north section line of Section 18, and in the very northeast corner of NE ½ of the section. Inspection of the site produced a foot marker type stone and a gravestone bearing the inscription: George W. s/o L. & S. Knight d. the rest of the stone is broken off. (Editor's note - there was a Lester & Sarah Knight living in Lee Township in the 1880 census). There is also a claim that people by the name of Burgett were also buried there. Leo Jungman, a nearby neighbor, reported that a burial stone had been found in the ditch south of his buildings. It bore the inscription: Reuben Hale d. 1-23-1883 age 57. (Contributed by Lewis E. Morris) (Editor's note - this cemetery appears on the 1875 county map as well as most of the early plat maps and on a county map published in 1976.) Lincoln Township Cemetery - There is an isolated grave site on the Lester Rhodes farm, Lincoln Township, Section 14, near the approximate east – west center line of the section, approximately 20 rods west from the north–south road and 125 feet west from said road on a knob running north toward Middle River. This is presently north of a set of farm buildings. Grave site measures 10 feet by 10 feet, surrounded by a woven wire fence with creosote posts and 2 inch by 6 inch rails nailed top and bottom. A small elm tree is in the lot. Two graves that were found by witching appear to be facing southwest. The found headstones read: Theo Ansley d. May 19, 1865 age 71y 1m 12d and Esther, w/o Theo Ansley d. Sept. 25, 1862, age 69y 14d. Tradition says two other people are buried here, but that may be in error. Also, in the Madison County two-volume history published by Mueller in 1915, on page 441, under Nobel Loehr, makes reference to E. L. Richmond being buried in an isolated grave in a field in Lincoln Township.


Transcribed by Judy Wight Branson Edited by Kent Transier

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