Power Point Presentation Created BY: NEAL Du SHANE Version

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project Photo’s courtesy of Larry Fox Neal Du Shane Merri Cross Steve Ham Vivian Du Shane Larry Kershner Courtesy of the Mitchell County Press - News

Project Provides Data Dignity and Honor!

WHAT IS A PIONEER CEMETERY?

DEFINED BY THE STATE OF IOWA A CEMETERY HAVING NO MORE THAN 6 BURIALS IN THE PREVIOUS 50 YEARS

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project OBJECTIVES OF THE RESTORATIONPROJECTARETWO-FOLD

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project FIRST FIRST Cleaning and clearing the sites so the graves of Mitchell County pioneers can be honorably presented Cleaning and clearing the sites so the graves of Mitchell County pioneers can be honorably presented Dudley Cemetery – Ghost Town of Dudley, IA

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project SECOND To the extent possible To the extent possible we want to copy the data we want to copy the data from the tombstones and from the tombstones and share it with genealogical research share it with genealogical research via the Mitchell County via the Mitchell County IaGenWeb site IaGenWeb site

Mona Cemetery – Mona, IA

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project

 Mitchell County Historical Society  MCHS Museum & Historical Books  Individuals  Leona Montags – Mitchell County History  Plat Books  County Court House  Abstract Office  Library

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project  46 Communities – Past & Present  31 Classified as Ghost Towns  62 Cemeteries - Past & Present  32 Cemeteries – Classified as Pioneer  Several may have been destroyed  6 remain to find and/or document  Remaining may be small and presumed family burial sites  No Mennonite Cemeteries (at this time)

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project 41 of these 62 cemeteries were recorded at the Court House 41 of these 62 cemeteries were recorded at the Court House OLDEST recorded – St. Johns Lutheran 11/9/1868 – Rock Twp - Section 5 OLDEST recorded – St. Johns Lutheran 11/9/1868 – Rock Twp - Section 5 NEWEST – St. Peters Lutheran – Mona 12/26/1986 NEWEST – St. Peters Lutheran – Mona 12/26/1986 Original Osage Cemetery was West of ICRR on South 7 th St. (possibly the oldest but it was never recorded) Original Osage Cemetery was West of ICRR on South 7 th St. (possibly the oldest but it was never recorded)

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project DETERMINE BURIALS Walking Area Metal Detector Witching – Dowsing Probing for buried headstones using Metal Rods Raise Sunken Headstones Level Headstones Install Foundations for Headstones Repair Damaged Headstones Prepare Ground Reseed grass

Merri Cross – Dralle boy – Marlene Kershner – Vivian Du Shane (Mona Cemetery)

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project  CLEAR THE CEMETERY WITH ASSISTANCE FROM: WITH ASSISTANCE FROM:  Fire-Police Departments  Volunteer Groups  MC Business’s  Equipment Donations  Financial Donations  SAPIC Grant Funding  Local Organizations

Lyle, MN Fire Department – Cleaning/Burning Mona Cemetery – Mona, IA

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project Dudley Cemetery – Ghost Town of Dudley, IA

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project  Document and record those interred record those interred Mona Cemetery – Mona, IA

Marlene Kershner – Merri Cross – Mona Cemetery

FARLEY CEMETERY A.K.A. Old Mona Cemetery Otranto Township, Mitchell County, Iowa 2/10 Mile S, of Old School House in Mona - 499th & Ember (Located in NW 1/4 Section 14, TWP. 100N, RNG. 18W) SURNAME FIRST NAME MIDDLE NA ME BIRTH DATEDEATH DATECOMMENTS CobbJoel 71Y 7MSep 15, 1876 FisherPederJason 1898 HildebrandCA Pastor HolmAnna Age 75 YrsMay 1880 JohnsonEL28Y 8M 10DOct 1886 MasonJW75Y 11M 11DAug 6, 1896 OlsenLars 14 Feb, Sept, 1882 OlsonLA 1887 OlsonM 1887 Sherman WheelerMina Feb 4, 1891 WierAnna Nov 25, 1886 Contributor: Neal Du Shane, Ft. Collins, CO Transcribed:Neal Du Shane 9/21/02 There is more records available at the cemetery - update to come.

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project REGISTER THE LOCATIONS  State of Iowa  Mitchell County  IaGenWeb Project  SavingGraves Organization  State Association of Pioneer Iowa Cemeteries (SAPIC)

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project RESTORETHEHEADSTONES

Neal Du Shane – Lawrence Weinberger – Eric Dralle – Restoring headstone at Mona Cemetery

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project Post Pioneer names on the Mitchell County IaGenWeb site for GENEALOGICAL and LOCAL HISTORICAL purposes

Old Newburg Cemetery Newburg Twp. – N.W. of St. Ansgar

Old Thompson Cemetery

Lohr Cemetery – E. Cedar Twp.

Iron Spring Cemetery  Edith Smith  Age 1 Yr. 1 Mo.  June 1, 1863  Dau. of S. & A.  Father Capt. Smith  May have been 2 or 3 additional burials at this site?

Oscar Peterson Cemetery

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project Arrangeforlocal “ADOPT A CEMETERY” program to provide future care and maintenance

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project NEEDS YOUR ASSISTANCE! YOUR ASSISTANCE!

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project Private - Business Private - Business  Financial Donations  Volunteer Contributions  Donations of Materials  Donations of Equipment  Services  Grant Funding Government Government  Township Levy  Supervisors  City Assistance  Equipment  Labor  Materials  Supplies  Services  Advise

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project Please Contact: Neal Du Shane 1224 Canvasback Court Fort Collins, CO Office Fax Cellular

Mitchell County Pioneer Cemetery Restoration Project

LOHR CEMETERY Restoration - Before – During – After Bob Hollatz – Steve Ham – Marlene Kershner

MONA CEMETERY – Mona, IA Vivian Du Shane – Delores Weinberger Larry Kershner – Merri Cross – Unknown – Loren Meyer

DUDLEY CEMETERY Larry Fox – Mic Fox – Marilyn VonTersch – Norm Troge Jody Staff – Norm Troge – Larry Fox