Miscellaneous Pioneer Cemeteries

Most of this information comes from the book Stone Cities by Donald Wentworth.

Beedle Cemetery (aka Irwin Farm Cemetery)

This pioneer cemetery is located on 136th St., Maquoketa, in Section 20 of Farmer's Creek Twp.  The GPS coordinates are 42.17461, -90.68126.  The only stone there marks the grave of Jemima Jane Ross.  She was born May 26, 1810 and died August 22, 1855.  He says, "Local rumor is that she was a black woman and former slave who was on a wagon train that passed through the area.  The train was composed of other former or runaway slaves and other black people all on their way to Canada.  Around the site of the grave, it is said that the train stopped for 2 or 3 weeks due to rampant illness among their ranks.  Jemima and some others died.  Her stone, which is made of white marble, has an inscription or poem done in fancy lettering.  There are supposed to be other burial there as well, though Jemima's is the only one known to have a marker."

Deep Creek Cemetery

This cemetery is also known as the August Schroeder Farm Cemetery.  It is located in Section 19 of Van Buren township.  Not much is known of thes cemetery except old-time residents say that the stones were pulled up out of the field and laid next to the fence.  According to people who knew the cemetery before it was taken up, there were about five grave stones there.

Dutton Farm Cemetery

The Dutton Farm Cemetery is located in Section 30 of Farmer's Creek Township.  Very little is known about this cemetery.

Burial: Thora Bowling, aged 35.  She was a niece of Milton Bowling.

John Huff Farm or Stoedler Farm Cemetery

This cemetery is in Section 6 of Washington township.  The information comes from WPA records:

Eggenhouse, Abigail; died 04 Dec 1874; 75 yrs; wife of Geo.

Jones, Alford; 1853-24 Apr 1924; possibly buried in Hazen.

Hurstville Cemetery

Donald Wentworth writes:  "The Hurstville Cemetery is in may ways more fiction than fact.  For many years there have been stories and rumors, but no concrete facts.  A good many people agree that a town, especially a company town the size of Hurstville, should have had a cemetery of it's own.  But where was it?  The author of this work set out .... to see if any solid information could be found to either prove or disprove the myth of the Hurstville Cemetery."

Mr. Wentworth tells of searching thru many records, maps and newspapers.  He did find some stories regarding Native American graves but nothing regarding an actual Hurstville Cemetery.

Littlefield Farm Cemetery

This cemetery is located in Section 4 of Perry township.  Those buried there are Millie Littlefield who died about 1864 and Moses Littlefield who was born in 1790 and died 03 Feb 1878.  He was a drum major in the Massachusetts Artillery in the War of 1812. 

North Bend School Cemetery

There was a cemetery on the east side of the schoolhouse.  According to local rumor, the stones were pulled up about 1930 and used as part of the foundation for a barn on a neighboring farm.  It is not known if this is true nor which farm exactly the barn was on.

Due to the fact that the stones have been gone so long and that Reed Cemetery has been lost even longer, the two cemeteries have been mixed up, not only in the records of the county but, in people's minds as well.

The North Bend Baptist Church conducted services in several school houses, but it's burying ground was Reed Cemetery.  No known records exist as to who was buried in the North Bend School Cemetery.

Richardson Farm Cemeteries

The Richardson Farm Cemeteries are located in Section 30 of Fairfield township.  They are very old cemeteries, but no one is sure just how old.  One cemetery, west of 'the barn' is the resting place of two children.  Another child was buried in the back yard.  Her name was Jane Shannon.  She died in 1885 at the age of 18 months.

Scheckel Farm Cemetery

This cemetery is located in Section 29 of Fairfield township.  Not much at all is known of this cemetery, as it has long been a cultivated field.

Slipper's Dam Cemetery

Slipper's Dam is located in Sec. 26 of Farmer's Creek township.  It was built and operated by Wm. H. Slipper. William Slipper followed his brother John to the Maquoketa area in the 1860s.  They formed a partnership in Farming and Saw-milling.  John A. Slipper died in 1873 and William purchased his brother's share of the property, including the mill.

There was only one burial at this place, that of Alva Newcomb.  She was the daughter of W. A. and M. A. Newcomb.  Alva died at the age of 2 months on Sept. 13, 1856.

Vaughn Cemetery

The Vaughn Cemetery is located in Section 10 of Farmer's Creek Township.  It is the burial ground for the Amos and Ann Vaughn family. There is a description of the cemetery in the Land Deeds, Book D., pg 203 & 204.  This transaction is dated March 14, 1849.  No more information on the Vaugh family has been found, except that Amos Vaughn dealt heavily in land.

Watts Farm Cemetery

The Watts Farm Cemetery is located in Section 24 of Van Buren township.  Almost nothing is known of this cemetery except that it exists, or perhaps did at one time.  So far the only one burial has been verified.

Henry Langrehr, died 01 May 1870, aged 46 years.