Mills County Tribune

Glenwood, Ia.

Oct. 11, 1915

Killed a Man to Start It

The North Grove cemetery two miles east of Hastings is beautifully located upon a knoll overlooking Indian creek's wooded valley. It is reasonably well verified that the foot of the north slope upon which the cemetery is located, was used as an Indian burial ground. That part is now north of the road that runs east and west past the cemetery.

It was not because of this historical association that the North Grove cemetery was located where it is.

The first settlements made in that vicinity were in 1852. It was an extremely healthful community, evidently for there was no need of a burial ground until the spring of 1853.

The land for the cemetery is part of the Ross place as a man by that name entered the land. The farm is now occupied by George Bowen.

In the Spring of 1853, two men named Huntsman, an uncle and nephew, were working in a field not many rods from where the cemetery is located. They fell into a dispute. One or both were using those heavy hoes made of one piece of iron with an eyelet for the handle. The result of the dispute was that the nephew struck his uncle such a blow with the hoe that the uncle was killed. The nephew disappeared and never has been heard of since.

The dead man had to be buried and it was decided the knoll mentioned previously as the site of the cemetery be selected as his burial place.

Thus was North Grove cemetery started. To start a white man's grave yard a man was killed, and a murdered man was its first occupant.

North Grove cemetery bears the distinction of containing, probably, the costliest monument of Mills county, that of Alex Bowen. A ladies cemetery association has been in existence in that vicinity for years. A fairly respectable sum of money has been set aside by now occupants of the cemetery, to provide an income to care for several graves of that cemetery.

[Alexander M. Bowen, Row 6]