Sharon, I have tried for years to locate death dates for Stephen Smith (born
about 1823) and his wife, Susannah A. Martin. They were sheep farmers,
found on the 1870 census in Union Township. I have found no death record for
him, but in March 1878, William H. Props was named Guardian of their minor
children.
Stephen R. Martin must have been the administrator, and declared on June 29,
1871, that the assets were not worth "over five hundred dollars". Items
appraised included one mare and her colt $110, one grey mare $50, 33 sheep
$33. wagons, etc. for a total of $428.
My guess is because their family was so young, there was no money for
tombstones, so they are buried somewhere in that area in unmarked graves. I
keep hoping that there is some kind of death record with some cemetery
association. But for this couple, it was probably in a book which is
missing!
(But I thought I would ask when I saw the word "Eaton".)
Grasping at Straws in Minnesota,
MaryLu
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharon and Joe Mills" <mills(a)rnetinc.net>
To: <INDELAWA-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2005 12:06 PM
Subject: [INDELAWA-L] Eaton Union Cemetery
Recently a question arose about which township might benefit from
cemetery
restoration. I visited Eaton Union Cemetery on State Road 3 and talked
with Jack Young, who is a member of the Cemetery Association, and who
maintains the cemetery.
I also got a look at some of the older records, perhaps not the oldest
ones that I recall we in huge ledgers. There were at least two readings
of the Old Settlers Section and the German Baptist section. Both of these
seem to have errors or are incomplete. For example, Sarah Geyer's
tombstone is not recorded on a chart in the row behind her son Levi Geyer
and his family.
Mr Young told me about a pile of a dozen or so pieces or complete
tombstones in the back of the German Baptist section. He hasn't attempted
to
repair/restore or put them where they belong. (I hope one of these is
Sophronia Miller's tombstone.) He cited lack of funds for a professional
project. This sounds like an interesting project for a restoration group,
especially if the older records are available for comparison. Some
records were lost many years ago, which I think are of the Old Settlers
section.
Mr Young would welcome any help in cleaning tombstones or repairing
stones. He has worked on some himself. I am uncertain if his restoration
techniques would meet currently accepted standards. But he is
approachable.
Sharon Mills
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