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Inman Homestead Cemetery
Section 11 of Eden Township, Benton County, Iowa

Only selected items have been listed here from the diaries of John M. Inman. The diaries cover the years 1869 to 1899 with the year 1891 missing. These diaries were donated by John Inman's granddaughter to The State Historical Society of Iowa at Iowa City.  1 linear ft. (2 archives boxes). Sys.No.[003489285].

For a comprehensive study of the John M. Inman diaries, visit Inman-Weatherwax, a research report submitted by Richard Inman to The Inman Compendium, authored by Jim Williams. Permission granted by Jim Williams on May 21, 2007 to republish the following information. Thank You Jim!

( personal comments are in parenthesis )

Aug. 17, 1869 Mother is 80 years old this day. (Polly Mary Sherwood Inman, mother of John Inman was born Aug. 17, 1789)
Oct. 4, 1870 Mother died this morning at 20 minutes past three in the morning in the 82d year of her age. (Polly Sherwood Inman)
Nov. 30, 1870 W. Markham helped fix mother's grave.   (at Inman Homestead Cemetery)
May 23, 1871 Mother applied for her pension. (Mother-in-law Ann Weatherwax. See below for abstract of her pension)
June 4, 1872 Order tombstone for mother paid $45. (Polly Sherwood Inman)
Mar. 8, 1874 I am 57 years old today. (John Inman)
Mar. 22, 1874 Edwin Hibbard (John's step-son) and wife started to move Wright Co. (Worth Co.?), Iowa, this Monday morning at 1/4 past one o'clock in the morning. Alfred Parsons and John helped him start his cattle, 5 cows and two calves.
Apr. 16, 1874 Alf Parsons and Eliza want to Charles (son, Charles E) Inman's at Jessup, Bucannon (Buchanan) Co.
Apr. 23, 1874 William Webb died this afternoon at about five o'clock.
Apr. 24, 1874 William Webb's funeral was held at the new M. E. Church of Eden, he being the first one that was buried in the new graveyard.
Jan. 13, 1875 Grandmother died this evening at 10 o'clock in the 83d year of her age.
(Ann Weatherwax, the mother of John Inman's 2nd wife)
Jan. 14, 1875 Alf and I went to Vinton and got the coffin for grandmother of George L. Freeman. John went to George Ketchum's to notify them of the funeral. Wheeler Markham and Elias Hall dug the grave.
Jan. 15, 1875 Grandmother Weatherwax buried today. A large attendance at the church. Mrs. Slade still here from Pocohantas Co. and all the relatives.
May 22, 1875 Deeded my farm to Stephen Seeley. On Apr. 12th he and Seeley had come to a trade and Seeley was to deed him 134-1/2 acres "on. the other side of the river". Seeley allowed him $10,300 for his farm and was to take a lot of stock, grain, tools, etc.
May 25, 1875 Contracted with Mr. Conner for a house and lot belonging to Mrs. Thompson.
June 3, 1875 Wheeler Markham helped me take up and move my mother to the graveyard in the M. E. church of Eden the 2d.
June 21, 1875 Got a deed of Mrs. Thompson for the house and put it on record.
Aug. 24, 1875 We moved to Vinton today.
Sept. 14, 1875 Went to Eden to set grandmother's tombstone.
Mar. 7, 1878 Mrs. Inman's 63d birthday. (According to obituary, she was born 3-14-1814)
Jan. 13, 1879 I made a box to move Charles E. first wife's corpse from the old graveyard to the church yard at the First M. E. Church of Eden for burial. The old yard is abandoned.
Mar. 7, 1879 Eliza's birthday 64 years old.
Apr. 17, 1879 We heard Mr. Butterfield died today.
Sept. 29, 1883 Got a letter from John G. Inman of Ill. (Note: David Davis & wife Hannah buried in Eden Cemetery)
Mar. 7, 1885 This is Mrs. Inman's birthday. She is 70 years old today.
Mar. 8, 1885 This is my birthday. I am 68 years old today. Weight this day is 184 lbs.
Mar. 29, 1885 Ella Weatherwax Wife of George Weatherwax of Johnsonville, N.Y. died this morning.
June 4, 1885 Eliza is sick in bed today.
July 1, 1885 Mrs. Inman's health improving nicely. The Dr. is not coming again unless he is called.
Aug. 10, 1885 Mrs. Inman taken worse again today another light shock of paralisis.
Jan. 27, 1885 Dr. Sanders came to see Mrs. Inman.
Feb. 25, 1885 Mrs. Inman went downstairs for the first time since she was sick nearly five weeks or since the 25 of January.
Jan. 16, 1891 Mrs. Inman taken with a poor spell so I had to send for our folks and the Dr.
Dec. 2, 1891 Eliza worse tonight.
Dec. 3, 1891 Eliza no better today. I wrote to the boys.
The last item in the diary for 1891 was: She died Dec. 13th.
Jan. 22, 1892 Wrote to Ed and Jake Weatherwax and sent them a memorial card.
Feb. 14, 1892 Geo and I prepared memorial cards to send away.
Feb. 15, 1892 Geo went to Manly and got a letter from Charles stating the monument was O.K.
Mar. 21, 1892 I gave Geo W. Inman my East 80 of land today for a home and present to make him a home of his own.
June 2, 1892 Geo and I measured off 80 acres on the east side of my farm that I gave him.
Mar. 23, 1896 Charles E. Inman removed his first wife to the first Eden church cemetery today after being buried 29 years.
(Hannah Jennie Brannan. Married 31 Oct 1866 in Stephenson Co., Illinois. Died ca 1867. First burial may have been in IL.)
Dec. 1, 1896 I was married to Malvina Lawrence 57 years ago today Dec. 1, 1839. (Geo. L. Freeman was a witness of John M.'s marriage to Malvina Lawrence in N.Y)
March 8, 1898 i am 81 years old. This is my birthday.
Oct. 25, 1898 I sent O. Inman a draft for $8.00 to fence the graveyard at Eden church.
June 28, 1899 Charles' wife and daughter Carrie and Frank Inman's wife were thrown from a carriage this evening and the two Mrs. Inmans were badly hurt. Carrie was not hurt very much.
July 2, 1899 Frank Inman's wife died this evening at 9 o'clock.

A newspaper clipping in the pocket of the 1892 diary reads:

Weatherwax near Vinton, Iowa, Jan. 14, Mrs. A Weatherwax. She was born Nov. 23, 1792 in N.Y.; lived in Iowa 11 years; was a useful and consistent member of the M. E. Church for more than 50 years. In her life and death her faith was strong. She lived a widow almost 30 years, was mother of two daughters and three sons who still live.
(signed) W. S. Burnett

(Mother-in-law of John M. Inman. The diary states she died Jan. 15, 1875.)


A paper in the handwriting of John M. Inman in this 1893 diary reads:

Susan E. Inman, Born March 7, 1814, Died December 13, 1891, married J. M. Inman October 20th 1851.

The following is noted in the back of the diary for 1875:

J. M. Inman was born in Delaware Co., N.Y. in the year 1817. Was married to Malvina Lawrence in 1839. Cast first vote for Pre. Harrison in 1840. Emigrated to Illinois in the fall of 1841, lived in Illinois thirteen years and moved to Iowa in the spring of 1854. Entered land on 7 March 1854 in what is, now the I own of Eden 400 acres. At that time but two settlers in the township, P. N. Chenowith and V. Bogle, first stopped in Canton Township, the nearest house to be got and moved on my farm in Eden in September of the same year. I organized the township of' Eden in the spring of 1856 under a commission of Judge Douglas. Was elected Supervisor in the fall of '59 and served the first four years of the old board during the war of the rebellion and re-elected in the fall of '66 and served two years more making six years. Sold my farm in Eden in the spring of 1875. Went to California and purchased a tract of 437-1/2 acres. Returned to Benton Co., moved to Vinton and have purchased 480 acres of land in Worth Co., Iowa. Also have a tract of land of 120 acres in Benton Twp., this county. Have four children, all sons and three are married.

Mrs. Ann Weatherwax, mother of Susan Eliza (Weatherwax) (Hibbard) Inman, applied for a War of 1812 widow's pension which was rejected on account of insufficient length of service of her husband, Jacob P. Weatherwax.

The War of 1812 pension application of Ann Weatherwax, File No. W. O. 3,818, gives:-

May 23, 1871 Ann Weatherwax, a resident of near Vinton, Benton Co., Iowa, aged 78 years, widow of Jacob P. Weatherwax who was a private in the company commanded by Captain George R. Davis and who was a soldier in the War of 1812.

She married the said Jacob P. Weatherwax, November 20, 1811, by Mynard Grosbeck in the town of Schaghticoke, Rensselaer Co., New York, It was customary in the said state of New York at the time she was married for the parties to appear before a Justice of the Peace, clergyman, or other persons authorized by law to solemnize marriages without previously obtaining any licenses or having their intentions published in any other manner. That after such marriage took place no record was made of it, the official who joined the parties in marriage not being required to record the same, nor report such marriage to any officer required by law to keep a record of marriages. That notwithstanding, she has made every effort to procure record evidence of her marriage by addressing letters to the Probate Judge, Clerk of the Court, and County Recorder of the County and the Township Clerk of the Township in which such marriage took place, and from the replies so far received she has every reason to believe that there is no record of her marriage in existence except her own family record which was consumed by fire along with the house in which we were living some 28 years ago.

The said Jacob P. Weatherwax has been dead for some years and the eye witnesses to the said marriage are all reported to be dead.

(signed) Ann Weatherwax

On the same day Edwin J. Weatherwax and Susan E. Inman swear as to acquaintance with the said Ann Weatherwax.

Ann Weatherwax further swears that the said Jacob P. Weatherwax was drafted in Captain George R. Davis' Company, Colonel Carr's Regiment, Hoosack Brigade, at Schaghticoke, N.Y. on October 15, 1812 and was honorably discharged near Whitehall, New York on September 10, 1814. He was under General Eddy. She got a land warrant for 160 acres in the fall of 1856. The above are the facts as near as I can give them. My memory is so defective that I may have made mistakes.



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