UNIDENTIFIED CEMETERIES
The following is a list of unidentified cemeteries or burial places possibly located in Polk County.
Many of these are probably located outside of Polk County, or even out of state. The information was culled from provided burial information from official Polk County Death Records, 1880 thru
1907. The information is only as accurate as the clerk taking down the information, or the family member providing it. Examples of how some entries are erroneous are as for misspellings such as
"Jermeney"(Germany), misinterpretations like "Van Daley"(Vandalia Cemetery), or the indecipherable ones "BUBO_Y"(Byers Cemetery).
In the coming months I will try to wade through all these entries for burial places for various past Polk County residents(I have the notes), and throw out all that are determined to be outside this county. After all this is done, there just might be a few new previously unknown cemeteries found from this information. (June 27, 2004)
PROBABLY DES MOINES / POLK COUNTY:
NORTH SIDE CEMETERY
PROTESTANT W.D.M.
HIGH BRIDGE
FREDIGAL (Fredregill?)
COMMERCE
HEHE-N CEM. D.M.
DELAWARE CENTER
SIMONS (Sims?)
NORWEGIAN CEMETERY
JACOB KUNTZ PLACE
NORTHEAST DES MOINES
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP
CATHOLIC / GRWOOD
...and from the WPA records:
Ritters Farm - Webster twp, section 18
George Davis Farm - Madison twp., section 2
Carney
ANYBODY'S GUESS:
TAMWORTH
CENTENNIAL CHURCH
HOCUMS / HOLCOMB
MULLIGAN GROVE
QUAKER - M.M.HOUSE
STANTON PLACE
NEW CHURCH
GRD-WOOD
MADLARD
DAWNEY MAY
INDUR_ _ _
CL_ _ BY HILL, IOWA
OAK
VANET
GORINAS?
OAK PARK
TORNUM
MURROW
WRIGHT STATION
MOWER
VEERS
PEARIE (?)
HUELEY (Hurley?)
MEDICAL NATION
COLAHOH
OAK GREEN
VAN MART
SANSES
BURYING GROUND
WALNUT TOWNSHIP
CAMP TOWNSHIP
SAMO
HAVENS
McBEANS
LASING
FOREST
CALVARY
WALDEN
McCEANER
HARVEY KINNEY
TROWMAN'S
OAK DALE
IDENTIFIED CEMETERIES
The following cemeteries have been documented, and their locations are known, and they are as follows:
Des Moines:
Woodland (Woodlawn, West, West Side, City, Potter's Field, Public Ground
Fort Des Moines (Now part of Woodland Cemetery, blocks 1 through 8)
Saint Ambrose (R. C.)
Oddfellows
Immanuel Jewish (Hebrew, Jewish)
Oakwood (Now called Children Of Israel ) (C. of I.)
Children Of Israel (now called Beth El Jacob)
Sims (Harris, Grant Township)
Des Moines Lodge 159, Order Of The Brotherhood Of Abraham
Tiforeth Israel
Laurel Hill
Fort Des Moines Army Post
Cyrus A. Mosier gravesite
Wilson Alexander Scott gravesite
Hendricks children gravesites
Glendale (Waveland Park, City)
Masonic
Sunset Memorial
Thompson-Coffeen plot
Merle Hay Memorial / Chapel Hill
Benjamin Jesse's
Oak Grove
Elm Grove
East Side (Logan)
Fort Des Moines Garrison (city lots)
West Des Moines
Resthaven
Jordan Chapel (Jordan, Valley Junction)
Jordan Family
Pleasant Hill
Oakwood (Youngstown)
Urbandale
McDivitt's Grove
Johnston
Rittger's
Lawson (Kinsey, McHenry)
Hunt Burial Grounds (Now called Ridgedale)
McClain's (Now called Valley View)
Ankeny
Ankeny Memorial Gardens & American Veterans
Oralabor
Polk City
Beebe
Polk City
Mitchellville
Mitchellville
Mitchellville Industrial School for Girls
Grimes
Sunny Hill
Rural Polk County
Altoona
Old Altoona
Avon (Watts)
Berwick
Bondurant
Bretheren (Duncard, Church Of The Bretheren, United Bretheren, Flora)
Byers (Cory's Grove, Cory's)
Canfield
German Lutheran
DeVotie
Elkhart (Ottawa)
Enterprise
Farrar
Flora
Franklin (Lee's Burying Ground, Trullinger's Grove, Franklin Township,Santiago)
Gilfillian (Juber, Maffit Lake, Children's Cemetery, Waterworks Park)
Greenwood (Quaker)
Harvey
Highland Memorial Gardens (Magnolia Memorial Gardens)
Holy Cross
Keller
Lincoln Evangelical Lutheran Congregational (Nellie Coons farm, Otis Alleman)
Lincoln Township
Lincoln (near the former town of Andrews)
Linn Grove Congregational
Lowman
Mount Zion
Peoria Union
Saylor (Now called Pine Hill)
Powers - Warren
Rising Sun
Sheldahl
L.M. Small
Spry
Stewart (Stuart, Four Mile)
Union
United Bretheren (Union)
United Brethern (Hopkins Grove, Nissen)
White Oak (Tyner)
Wicker (Clark)
0r another way to list them is by townships. I've tried to correct mistakes in prior publications of their proper section number locations:
Camp Township
Adelphi (32)
Lowman (26)
Spry (15)
Powers - Warren (20)
Wicker (Clark) (32)
Franklin Township
Franklin(Lee's Burying Ground,Trullinger's Grove,Franklin Township,Santiago)(26)
Bondurant (31)
Linn Grove Congregational (16)
Elkhart Township
Keller (22)
Byers (Cory's Grove, Corys) (36)
Elkhart (Ottawa) (34)
White Oak (Tyner) (16)
Crocker Township
Union (United Bretheren) (17)
Oralabor (36)
Ankeny Memorial Gardens & American Veterans (2)
Union Township
United Bretheren (Union) (17)
United Brethern (Hopkin's Grove, Nissen) (20)
Lincoln Township
German Lutheran (Crocker, Moeckley) (32)
Lincoln Evangelical Lutheran Congegational(Nellie Coons Farm, Otis Alleman)(18)
Lincoln Township (Andrews, Lincoln Church) (28)
Sheldahl (6)
Douglas Township
Greenwood (Quaker) (32)
Bretheren (5)
Enterprise
Four Mile Township
Stewart (Stuart, Four Mile) (12)
Oakwood (Youngstown) (8)
Rising Sun (2)
Madison Township
Beebe (1)
Polk City (1)
L.M. Small (27)
Corydon (12)
Washington Township
Bretheren (Duncard, Church Of The Bretheren, United Bretheren) (10)
Farrar (25 or 23)
Holy Cross (27)
Mount Zion (8)
Peoria Union (2)
Flora
Jefferson Township
Hunt Burial Ground (Now called Ridgedale) (36)
McClain's (Now called Valley View) (26)
Lincoln (10)
Delaware Township
Berwick (5)
Walnut Township
Jordan Chapel (Jordan, Valley Junction) (16)
Jordan Family (16)
Resthaven (9)
Webster Township
Lawson (Kinsey, McHenry) (7)
McDivitt's Grove (13)
Rittgers (6)
Sunny Hill (5)
Merle Hay Memorial Gardens / Chapel Hill (24)
Allen Township
Avon (Watts) (29)
Clay Township
Canfield (32)
Altoona (18)
Old Altoona (17)
Harvey (26)
Peacock Schoolyard (20)
Mud Creek trestle bridge (17)
Saylor Township
Highland Memorial Gardens (Magnolia Memorial Gardens) (11)
Saylor (Now called Pine Hill) (15)
Beaver Township
Mitchellville (12)
Mitchelville Industrial School For Girls (12)
DeVotie (23)
Bloomfield Township
Gilfillian (Juber, Maffit Lake, Children's Cemetery, Waterworks Park) (31 west?)
Des Moines City Limits (Including Des Moines,Valley, Bloomfield, Grant and Lee Townships as well)
Glendale (Waveland Park, City) (31) west side
Woodland (5) west side
Fort Des Moines(Now part of Woodland cemetery,blocks 1 through 8) (5)west side
Hendricks Children (3) east side
Thompson - Coffeen Plot (35) near north side
Benjamin Jesse (12)
Masonic (31) west side
Oakwood (Now called Children Of Israel) (C.of I.) (30) east side
Children Of Israel (Now called Beth El Jacob) (31) west side
Sims (Agency, Harris, Grant Township) (32) east side
Laurel Hill (6) Lee
Odd Fellows (5) west side
Saint Ambrose (R. C.) (5) west side
Wilson Alexander Scott gravesite (3) east side
Immanuel Jewish (Hebrew, Jewish) (5) west side
Tiforeth Israel (31) west side
Des Moines Lodge 159 Order of the Brotherhood of Abraham (31) west side
Sunset Memorial (32) South side (Bloomfield)
Fort Des Moines Army Post (33) south side (Bloomfield)
Cyrus A. Mosier Jr. Gravesite (15) near south side
Elm Grove south side (36) (Bloomfield)
Oak Grove near south side (18) (Bloomfield)
.... I'm still trying to correctly place Gilfillian , George Davis Farm, and Ritter Farm
cemeteries.
