Cemetery Histories


Fairview Cemetery	The land for the Fairview cemetery and Methodist church site was given by George and Henrietta Storck and was recorded April 29, 1871. The cemetery is located in Section 13 of Madison township. Most of the early burials were those of infants. The oldest grave is that of Theodore F. Gabbert buried January 1856. Others include Olive Payton in 1869, infant daughter of B. W. and A. Payton, Carl Rinard, infant son of R. W. and A. J. Rinard in 1870, Cynthia Bonine in 1871, daughter of T. E. and R. E. Bonine and William Fisher in 1872. Members of the Powell family are also buried there.

Farris Cemetery A cemetery in Section 11 of Union township, was used in the early days; it is on the farm now owned by Ward Lecocq, and buried there are members of the J. H. Farris family, who came to this county in 1851; John R. Beedle, who came here in 1848, and the Jeremiah Rhoads and William Bass families. This cemetery is no longer used.

Farson Cemetery September 26, 1879, Rebecca Spencer deeded land in Section 2 of Ohio township to the trustees.

Fidler Cemetery Mention is made of this cemetery because of the relationship with the Thornburg’s Osburns, Dorrells and Samuel Crawford – early settlers who are buried at the Primitive Baptist Cemetery. James Fidler was one of the first persons to die in Madison County, in October 1846, and at that time there was no cemetery, so he was buried on his land in Section 9. As others died they were buried near him. Others buried in the Fidler Cemetery were a child of David D. Henry, Jane Casebier, 16 years, James Thornburgh, his son-in-law, Elza Tremble, Sarah and Anderson Crawford, Sarah Pender, Mrs. Mahala Simmons, David Cracraft, and daughter, a child of Asa Hills and a child of Phillip M. Boyles.

German/Trinity Lutheran Cemetery The Trinity Lutheran cemetery is a private burial ground which adjoins the church by this name in Jefferson township. It is located in the SE quarter of Section 9, and as of April 1, 1954, there were 121 graves there. The ground for the cemetery was given to the church by Gerhardt Storck, Mrs. Marion Brooker’s grandfather, about 1886. He donated the land for the church and parsonage. The first person buried in the plot was a child of the Rev. Mr. Gusweiler, the non-resident pastor, who traveled from Dexter to serve the church. Members of early families buried there are Storcks, Ziemanns, Kneupers, Westphals, Bernams, Buskes, Marquardts, Neindores and Wehrkamps.

Gordon Cemetery One of the early cemeteries, known as the Gordon Cemetery, is located in Section 10 of Lincoln Township. The land was given by Moses A. and Martha Jane Carmichael and was recorded on September 13, 1862. The first burial was made in 1854, William W. Gordon, seven month old son of W. I. (Wm. I.) and S. A. (Sarah Ann) Gordon. He died October 1, 1854. The infant daughter of I. And S. Miller died December 2, 1856 and their son, Joseph H. died August 23, 1858. Others buried in this cemetery during the 1880’s were the Carmichael and Connard families – the land being originally on the Connard farm.

Hamblin Cemetery - No information

Hartman Cemetery Robert T. and Amanda E. Coskey deeded land in Section 21 of Ohio township, August 17, 1904, for a cemetery.

Hickman Cemetery		Jesse V. and Sarah Edgington deeded some land (for a cemetery) in Section 32 of Grand River township September 30, 1895.

Hooten Cemetery The land for the Hooten cemetery in Section 8 of Lincoln township was given by Joshua Gentry, and recorded February 11, 1882. The first burial was October 15, 1851, a daughter of W. H. and Sarah Harmon. Others in the Harmon family are buried there also. Other early burials were Thomas Hooten, June 1852, Thomas J. Hooten, 1853, Thomas Howard, 1852, Philinda Howard, 1871 and Eleanor Chastain, 1853, Lovice Bertholf, 1856, Mary Vancil, 1853. Other family plots in Hooten cemetery in addition to the above are the Roys, Longenakers, Gentrys, Grahams and Moores.

Jefferson-Goar Cemetery This is a cemetery in Section 26 of Jefferson Township that was deeded to the township, by Jacob and Nancy Reigle, April 15, 1863. They had settled in Jefferson Township in 1850, and two of their children, Melinda and Ben, one aged 20 and the other 22 were buried there in 1861 and 1862. The Jefferson Evangelical and United Brethren church was organized and built near the cemetery in 1904, and services are still held in the church. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the early settlers are now the cemetery trustees They have an endowment fund that helps with the maintenance of the cemetery, which is used by descendants of the early families. A rail fence was built around the cemetery in 1870. Another family that located in Jefferson township in the early ‘50’s were Stanislaus and Theresa Baur, natives of Germany, who first located in Michigan, but arrived in this county, July 4, 1853, and settled on a farm in Section 34. One child died in 1856, and four of their children died with diphtheria in one month in the early 1860’s, and are buried in this Jefferson township cemetery. The only child who lived during the epidemic was George Baur, the father of Bob Baur, who still resides in Jefferson township.			F. Wm. L. Schoen, and his wife, the former Dora Lorenze, also natives of Germany, located in section 36 of Jefferson township, July 6, 1852, and this family and their children were buried in the cemetery. Gottleib and Frances Burger, also natives of Germany, came to the United States in 1848 and settled in Section 34 of Jefferson township in 1859 where they raised a family of seven children. Albert and Roy Burger, grandsons, still reside in Jefferson township. Coordinator's Note: Per a descendant, Frances was Gottieb's second wife, married in 1850. Five of the seven mentioned children were from her first marriage. Another German family who came to Madison County and located in Section 35 of Jefferson township in the early days, were George and Katherine Mueller. In pioneer days, George Mueller served as an undertaker for the neighborhood, for those who had deaths in their families. Mrs. E. W. Mueller and son George now reside there. Perhaps some of the oldest men buried there in 1866, were Hugh T. Ballentine, who came here at the age of 85 years, and died soon after his arrival. Ira C. Walker and his bride, Lucy Edmonston Walker settled in Jefferson township in 1854, and among his children were Mrs. Agnes Crumbaker, Mrs. A. D. Fletcher and Seth Walker who resided in this county all their lives, and some are buried in this early cemetery. Two sons of Harvey Lee, aged 7 and 8 were buried in the cemetery in 1860. Later, Lee township was named after this man, and four of his descendents recently sent donations from far away states to help maintain the cemetery. The trustees of this cemetery which was started in 1919, are Floyd Reigle, a great-grandson of the original donors of the land, Merritt Baur, Albert Burger, Willis Fletcher and Mrs, E. W. (Georgia) Mueller. .