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

                    SEVEN DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH AND CEMETERY           p. 1
                        and STONES AT VICTOR DEPOT     (Hartford)

Location
SEVEN DAY ADVENT CHURCH and CEMETERY was located in SW¼ of Section 10  
Hartford 80 Township, Range 12 about 3 miles west of town of Ladora
(1976) Off Hy. 6 and East of Hy. 44 up a short distance from the rail- 
road, on the north side.

Location
DEPOT STONES; Located in SW¼ of Section 19 Hartford 80 Township,  
Range 12 about 5 miles west of Ladora, on Hy. 6 near Poweshiek County  
line, In front of Victor Depot-near the railroad. (all so long ago  
that no stones left.) (in fact 1976 - Depot even gone.

History    ( for both )
Are given these to-gether; They may - or may not be of one unit.
There is no way to find out who was buried at the church cemetery, or
when stones removed; And no way to find out where the bodies are for
the stones at the DEPOT.

The Seven Day Advents had a church and cemetery (on Allen farm) in
the same areaas [sic] also was a postoffice (on Henry Purdy Wilson farm-no  
relation to other Wilsons.) along this road about 3 miles west of  
present town of ladora. When the railroad came from Marengo to Victor
(1860) a depot was built east, so postoffice, moved there and settlement  
flourished on the present site of town. The Methodist Organized. M. E.  
Society in 1880 and M. P. in 1889; The Seven Day Advent sold their church  
to them, and it was moved into Ladora, in this time frame.

It is my opinion that the stones were then placed on a railroad flat  
bed and dumped off at the depot at Victor. The Depot was not built  
at Victor until November 1861, with M. V. Barker the station agent.  
The stones were placed as a wide walk on west side of the building in  
an extension about 8 feet by 20 feet around the water hydrant, along  
the building foundation.

Newspaper articles and pictures in 1969 failed to solve anything;  
Answers never came for either of them; Some thought they were duplicate  
stones, having wrong dates, and supposed they were refused, another idea  
was they failed to pay for them when they came, others said no one came  
to claim them. No one could tell me who other names were at the depot,  
and those I found in the walk, were in pieces; Some remembered hearing  
that at one time they were in a big pile, but all agreed to one fact,  
they had been there for years.


continued on page 2 


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                    SEVEN DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH & CEMETERY             p. 2 
                        and  STONES AT VICTOR DEPOT    - continued


Balance of Stories left at the Depot;


Finnell Delia                           d. Oct. 15, 1879  ae 56 yrs.

Patrio  Wm. A                           d. July 29. 1870  ae ????
        (They are gone before) on stone

Barker  - - -Dau. of J. & E. Barker     d. May 13, 1875   ae 1 yr. 1 mo. 15 da
        Oh, weep not for the love done so rudy 
        from the driven terrance; But a flower too good to for earth (???)

Warner  Sally A. wife of Josiah Warner  d. Oct. 6, 1874   ae 43 yr. 10 m. 28 da
        (my wifes grave)

                              - - - - -

J. E. Barker was here in 1874 when he was sued on a note of merchandise
to C.C. Wolf- Other names in the Case Docket 1434 (Victor) W. C. Barker 
Attorney, and W. E. and E. J. Barker for M.V. Barker Estate; So it is doubt- 
ful that the stone would not have been set on the grave in Victor cemetery. 
I failed to find that one there.

In 1969, I answered and advertizement [sic] in a Genealogical Magazine from
a descendant who requested information on stone of Delia Finnell; He 
gave me information of the past on Delia Wright Finnel, her children 
and husband (who died in Ohio and his parents). They were married at the 
Episcopal Church in Ohio. Her youngest son married a Wolfe (connection 
to second stone - Barker). That she came into Iowa sometime after her 
husband died in 1854.

Also with the son of Delia Finnell (Thomas m. Anne Wolfe Poweshiek Co.) 
living would have seen that his mother had her stone on a grave. The 
researcher of the family history was of the opinion that Delia was buried 
over in the United Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Lincoln Township Power- 
shiek County with the grandchildren. No stone for her there could be 
found, so the question remains.

If these stones were not part of the cemetery at the Seven Day Advent 
Church, then I have no idea where those stones are, or who was buried 
there, or how many; If they are only stones which were for some reason 
not set on graves, then I do not know where the bodies are located for 
those at the Depot.

Remarks;
Only history, and time may come up with answers- 


Researched by Pauline Lillie - Ladora.


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