PIONEERS HAD FEW CEMETERIES AT FIRST;
BURIED DEAD ALONG ROUTE TO NEW HOMES

When the pioneers first came to this territory they had not time to think about cemeteries. Instead, they buried their dead on their own land or along the tedious route to their future homes. Graves were dug by friends or neighbors and often were left unmarked and uncared for.

But as pioneers began to settle closer together and towns began to grow, the dead were buried in one central place.

In the early days around Osage it was customery to plant a cedar tree to mark the graves. When stones were used they had to be hauled by horse or oxen from Janesville, Wisconsin. These stones were about two inches thick. Many times the early markers recorded some outstanding event in the life of the deceased.

When the railroad came to Osage, transportation was easier and the gravestones began to look more like small monuments. Several of these large stones were quite ornate.

Markers For Relatives, Too

In the late 1870's and 1880's several families started the custom of placing markers for several relatives on one grave regardless of the date or where the relatives were buried.

An example of this is the E. L. Sawyer lot, where one of the markers is for a person buried in another part of the cemetery. On the N.C. Deering lot is a marker for Deering's first wife, who was buried in Maine. The grave marker for his second wife, Lucretia, was initialed and placed by her husband's, about 40 years before her death.

The Albert C. Ross lot has seven markers for five persons. He marked and placed his own monument while still living.

First Cemetery in Osage

The first real cemetery in Osage was located on what is now the west side of Seventh stree where the Illinois Central railway crosses. Most of the graves were south of the railroad bed.

In 1868 word came to Osage that the tracks of the railroad were to go through their cemetery. This meant they must find a new burial place.

The new site was in the northwest part of the city. The first plat had four acres. In the first series of numbers, Plat No. 1 began at the northwest corner of the cemetery and went east for 18 lots, then back and forth for 203 lots. Plat No. 2 started at the same corner and went west for nine lots, then back and forth for 106 lots. In 1875 all the lots were renumbered and new deeds were issued.

Used Before 1869

This new cemetery was established sometime before 1869, as forty lots had been sold before February of that year. One of the first known burials was Henrietta F. Turner, on February 8, 1869.

On June 14, 1875, N.H. Benjamin gave Osage a book for recording deaths and burials. He filled in names and dates for 131 people, beginning with Hattie Turner. No official record was kept until 1895.

At first, the present cemetery belonged to a syndicate of local men, each having lots for sale. Some of the earliest receipts were hand written by Dr. S.B. Chase. later, Theo. Wilson had forms printed. In 1875 land which included the cemetery was deeded to the city and in 1876 a corrected deed was issued to include more land.

Ladies Cemetery Association

Lots were under the care of individual owners and little was done to keep them looking nice. It remained this way until 1893 when the ladies' cemetery Association was formed, and took over the care of the cemetery for six months of each year.

They decided that each lot owner should pay a feww of $1.00 per year for upkeep. One of their first acts was to place a water barrel at each gate from which patrons might water their flowers.

The ladies soon found that the money from the annual fee was not enough, so they began canvassing for donations. One member kept a "mite" box in the hotel and coaxed money from the guests for the cemetery fund.

Try To Raise Money

They sold food at the fairgrounds to raise money. One year they sold grass from the unused parts of the cemetery for hay. Another year they sponsored a market each Saturday where they sold food. Still short of money, they decided to require lot owners to pay $25 for the continuous care of their lots.

In 1896 two antique muzzleloading cannons and 11 balls were bought from the government. These cannons weighed 7,000 pounds each. They were mounted on wooden supports and were placed on the G.A.R. lot. When the supports began to rot they were replaced with a concrete stand.

Wives of the G.A.R. bought the old "town bell" and gave it to the cemetery for a flower urn. It was upturned, filled with dirt, and put in a concrete base. The bell had been used to sound fire alarms until it cracked one wintery night.

The Ladies' Cemetery Association saw to it that the water system in the cemetery was improved. They also sponsored the building of a chapel on the cemetery ground.

But money to care for the cemetery was an increasing problem and eventually a general tax on all city property was passed to help supplement the dwindling funds. Then in the early 1900's the Ladies' Cemetery Association turned the care of the cemetery back to the city.

The Press-News, June 21, 1956