Iowa County Cemetery Stones and History 1844-1975 (manuscript) by Pauline Lillie

                              ST. MICHAELS CATHOLIC CEMETERY          p. 1
                                   (Holbrook )    by Pauline Lillie


Location
Section 5, Green 78 Township, Range 9 on Black top on the "A" Road,
or the Old Diamond Trail, in old town of Holbrook, next to St. Michaels 
Catholic Church.

History
To give a history of the cemetery is first to establish St. Michaels 
Catholic Church and location of families. There was a trail west from 
Fry Town in Johnson County, which crossed, Iowa County from the South 
East, and families located within traveling distance. Several early 
postoffices, were named Jones and Iona. Settlements in Section -1-
find Mrs. James McKray died in 1842, buried east of the house. The 1881 
History mentions a brick Catholic Church (Section 5 built in 1868 ), and 
cemetery with about 250 internments used for many years. That the first 
church was a little church structure built near the present church " We 
know that this little church was in existance in 1856 when Thomas Boyle 
married Anna Carney, and he was exceptionally liberal in contributing 
to the (brick) church of St. Michaels, and for the erection of the 
parsonage; Instrumental in establishing the mail route to Holbrook, and 
the postoffice at that place, and then the first postmaster. By his effort 
the Boyle school was established, for which he generously donated the land 
he mentions that the Postoffice and St. Michaels Church and Parsonage were 
on his land, and that the church was erected principally by 15 men.

One of the earliest burials in St. Michaels is Roseann (McGee) Boyle 
dated 1857, the mother of Thomas Boyle; His father Peter Boyle died 1876; 
Both came and lived with son Thomas after he bought the farm, - in SW¼ of 
Section 5. Evidently the cemetery was soon started for several stones dat- 
ed 1855, of which one is Daniel, son of Thomas Hanson and this family 
appears in the 1850 census.

There were unmarked and unknown graves, it is impossible to tell how many; 
The history mentions the cemetery in Section 3 -Ricords-burials: In various 
places of the 1881- and 1915 County history of the biographical sections, 
we find others, as well as one of Section 1- who died, and are buried some 
where. Mrs. Wm. K. Wagner of Cedar Rapids, states there possibly were 
burials in Section. 6, for one of her husbands great grandfathers Herman 
Feldevert, was buried there, that a fence was around the spot in the field 
He died June 28 1856 over in English Township Section 12, brought to Section 
6, in Greene township and buried; However an inscription is on a stone -of 
Herman Bushman (d. 1879) at St. Bernards, Catholic Cemetery, probably placed 
there by the wife Sophia. (she married both.) It states that Herman Felde- 
vert died June 28, 1856 age 40 yr. 5mo. 27da. One can only assume if he was 
brought over here to Section 6 Green and buried in the field in 1856 there 
must have been others in the same place.


continued on page 2


                              -121-


                    St. Michaels Cemetery - Holbrook - continued      p. 2


Others in the 1850 Mortality Schedule of Iowa County Green Township 
Census we find three deaths of families; That of Winefreth Butler 
born Ireland age 59 married; Anna Henson age 24 born Ireland, married 
and that of Thomas Spratt age 1 year born Iowa; Have no record of 
those burials, in the township. As there were only four townships in 
the whole county then-Brush Run-Greene-Marengo-English River, for those 
listed might he of a different township to-day. The name of Holbrook was 
given, for Honorable N.B. Holbrook, who came into Iowa County in 1857 as a 
surveyor and engineer (not a Catholic)

The 1881 history is vague on this area, for those who moved on left
no tales; There have been established many first, which we know from 
research do not balance out, and only going into depth of records, can 
we grant a place to the rightfull settlers their place.

Condition
Taken care of in regular manner, mowed and kept up. Many of the old 
stones need attention: When the cemetery was copied back in 1966 by 
Mrs. Wagner and Mrs. Wennermark of Cedar Rapids they dug out stones Re-
ported (1976) some are piled up, edge of cemetery. Avery pretty cem-
etery, in the church yard. I found no pile of stones, only down in lots.

Remarks
So much history of the county is tied up in this area, - these people-
for one has only to check the number of dates on the stones to realize 
the heavy population of the 1860- and 1870s, that I cannot do justice 
to the history for the cemetery or church.


Researched by Pauline Lillie


                              -122-