Source:  HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY MISSOURI, by Ewing Cockrell.  Topeka, 
Cleveland:  Historical Publishing Company, 1918.
Transcribed for the WWW by Nancy Howland(c)1999


EARLY CEMETERIES

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP-
"There were no regularly established cemeteries in this township prior to 1840.  
Up to that time interment was made o the home place of the deceased.  Cooper 
cemetery, Goodwin cemetery and Combs cemetery were all private burial place.  
There was also a private cemetery in section 32 and one in section 35.  A. P. 
Blewitt was the first to be buried in New High Point cemetery.  His burial took 
place August 24, 1881.  There are a number of graves in various parts of the 
township which at this time cannot be definitely located."  (p. 166)

HOLDEN-
"For a number of years after Holden was built there was no regular cemetery laid 
out and established by law.  The inhabitants buried their dead in what was known 
as the old burying ground, which is now occupied by the public school in the 
southern part of town.
The Holden cemetery was regularly laid out and platted by Luther Wagner, a civil 
engineer, and the plat recorded May 17, 1869, and at that time about 125 graves 
were removed from the old burying ground to the new one.  The new cemetery is 
under control and jurisdiction of the city of Holden and is located about one 
and one-fourth miles southwest of the Missouri Pacific depot and originally 
contained ten acres, but additions have since been made and a concrete sidewalk 
was built to it."  (p. 180)

JACKSON TOWNSHIP-
"The early cemeteries of the township were Lundy cemetery in section 31, a well-
kept plat containing several graves.  Louis Edwards was the first to be interred 
here in 1855.  The oldest cemetery in the township is Blackwater cemetery at 
Blackwater church, located in section 36.  There are many graves here.  The 
cemetery lot is enclosed by a stone wall and kept up and used today.  There is 
also a cemetery in section 4 and one in section 15, and also in section 30, near 
the old Basin Knob church.  Pittsville cemetery was established subsequent to 
the Civil War and J. A. McClure was the first to be buried here."  (p. 189)

POST OAK TOWNSHIP-
"Among the old cemeteries of the township, Shiloh cemetery was laid in 1840 and 
an infant child of James Stewart was buried there the same year.  Here also rest 
the remains of Rev. Samuel King, one of the founders of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian church.  Cornelia cemetery was an old one.  The Dunkard cemetery, 
in section 21, township 44, range 25, was started in 1869.  The first burial was 
that of a child of an emigrant family who were passing through here.  Snelling 
cemetery was established about 1841.  Greer cemetery was an early-day burying 
ground, as was also Mount Zion.  Wall cemetery and Greenlee cemetery were family 
burial grounds and there were a number of other private burial places throughout 
the township.  The first burial occurred in the township in 1837." (pp. 227-228)

HAZEL HILL TOWNSHIP-
"Regular cemeteries were established very early within the present borders of 
Hazel Hill township.  Liberty cemetery was established on section 24, on the 
road between Warrensburg and Fayetteville, at an early day.  Harrison cemetery 
was established in 1844 and Thomas B. Harrison was the first to rest here.  
Hobson cemetery, another early burial place, is located on the northeast corner 
of section 15 and the remains of Mrs. Elizabeth Brooks were the first to be 
interred here.  Mt. Moriah cemetery, located on section 28, was another pioneer 
cemetery and Mrs. P. V. Spring was the first to be buried here.  Morgan Cockrell 
was the first to be interred in the Old Bethel cemetery, which was located on 
the western part of section 7."  (pp. 234-235)

CHILHOWEE TOWNSHIP-
"Walnut Grove or Carpenter's cemetery, located in section 27, is probably the 
oldest cemetery in the township.  Isaac M. Carpenter was the first to be buried 
here.  Chilhowee cemetery is located in section 24 just south of old Chilhowee.  
Hosea Young donated this ground for free burial purposes in his will.  The first 
to be buried here was Mrs. Sallie J. Young, March 5, 1868.  There are some other 
cemeteries in the township, of which little or nothing is known of their 
history."  (p. 243)

GROVER TOWNSHIP-
"There are numerous cemeteries in Grover township.  Tebbs' cemetery is located 
in the western part of the township.  John M. Tebbs was the first to be buried 
here, March 4, 1848.  Hocker cemetery is located on what was the old Hocker 
farm.  The first person buried here was Harrison Hocker, May 1, 1840, and the 
second was Thomas Huff.  Robinson cemetery is located in the southern part of 
the township near Walnut Creek and is located on an eminence or knoll.  Joseph 
Robinson selected this spot for a burial ground and his remains were laid to 
rest here in 1839.  "Old Dick," a colored slave who lived to be a hundred years 
old, also sleeps beneath the stars here.
Oglesby cemetery is a small burial ground and the graves herein are mostly those 
of the family whose name the cemetery bears.  Swope cemetery is another small 
burying ground.  Marshall cemetery is located east of Walnut creek.  There are 
several graves here, the first one being that of Mrs. William Cheek, who was 
buried about 1840.
Mount Zion cemetery, which was laid out in close proximity to Mount Zion church, 
was used mostly for members of that denomination.  The cemetery was opened 
coincident with the building of the church.  Wampler cemetery was quite a large 
burying ground and is located in the western part of the township.  The child of 
Isaac McCoy was the first to be buried here.
Payne cemetery bears the name of the original owner of the land where it is 
located.  Miss Martha Grice was the first to be interred here in 1857.  The 
Rothwell cemetery is a family burying ground located on section 10.  The infant 
son of J. C. Rothwell was the first to be buried here in 1854."  (pp. 252-253)

ROSE HILL TOWNSHIP-
"Among the many small cemeteries of Rose Hill township the Strange cemetery is 
perhaps the oldest, having been established in 1838.  Quick cemetery is also an 
old burial place.  Daniel Quick, Jr., was the first buried here.  Priestly 
graveyard is also a family burial place, Mrs. Priestly being the first to be 
interred here.  Baston cemetery is among the old graveyards of the township and 
takes it names from D. W. L. Baston, who was a prominent pioneer of the early 
days.  Rose Hill cemetery was established about the time that the town of Rose 
Hill came into existence.  The Wall family cemetery is located on section 13, 
and here rest the remains of a number of that name.  The first to be interred in 
this burying ground was Mildred B. Wall.  There are a number of other small 
burial places and graves scattered through the township, many of which are 
unknown.  It is said that a Mr. Scaggs was the first person to be buried in the 
township."  (p. 262)

COLUMBUS TOWNSHIP-(page 270)
"The cemeteries in Columbus township were among the oldest in the county.  The 
first one was at Columbus and Nicholas Houx was the first to be buried there.
Columbus cemetery contains the last resting places of many of Johnson county's 
pioneer citizens and there are numerous tombstones in this burial ground bearing 
the epitaphs of several prominent early settlers, among them hundreds of men and 
women who were identified with the early history of this county.  Among the 
countless number are the stones bearing the following inscriptions:
'Nicholas Houx
Died August 9, 1831
Aged Forty-two Years.'
The widow of Nicholas Houx afterward married Jonathan Fine and a marker at her 
grave gives the date of her death as December 29, 1857.

'Dr. Frederick D. Fulkerson
Died August 18, 1857'

'Pleasant Rice
Born March 7, 1803-Died May 9, 1892.'

'Virlinda G.,
Wife of Pleasant Rice,
Born May 13, 1809-Died June 10, 1890.'

'Reverend Robert D. Morrow, D. D.
Born December 26, 1796-Died January 23, 1869.
Here rest the remains of the first Cumberland Presbyterian missionary to the 
state of Missouri.  He was ordained by the Logan Presbytery, February, 1819 was 
an active minister of the Gospel fifty-three years, was an humble and devoted 
Christian, a learned and eminent divine.  His death was peaceful and 
triumphant.'

'Elizabeth M., his wife, born August 7, 1802.  Died December 29, 1880.'

'Baxter Ewing Morrow
Born June 9, 1824-Died July 25, 1890.'

'Ann S. Dinwiddie
Wife of Allen Wallace
1809-1857.'

There are many more stones marking the graves of scores of residents of Columbus 
and Columbus township, whose names are indelibly written on the pages of 
township history.  The memorial tablets of stone erected long, long ago impress 
the visitor with the flight of time and the older people with a train of 
reminiscences and memories of the days of seventy years ago, when other forms 
were familiar and frequently seen, moving amid the scenes of early pioneer life 
in Johnson county."

KINGSVILLE TOWNSHIP-(page 276)
"The oldest cemetery in the township is perhaps what is known as Hopper 
cemetery, located on section 3 in the western part of the township.  It was the 
private cemetery of the families of William Hopper, Houston Helms, and Thomas 
Savage, early settlers here.  A blind man, who was accidentally killed, was the 
first to be buried here.
Major's cemetery is an old burial ground supposed to have been laid out in 1837 
and was used as early as 1840 as a public cemetery.  One of the Major family was 
one of the first to be interred here.  It is located on East fork of Lost creek 
in section 13.
Bluff Spring cemetery is also an old burial ground and was laid out by Benjamin 
Longacre in 1837.  It is in section 25, on the ridge dividing the Osage and 
Missouri water sheds.
Duncan cemetery is located in section 14.  The first burial here was that of 
Gideon Cunningham.  In 1841 a man named Savage was buried here.
Hornsby cemetery, in section 15, is a family burial ground and the first to be 
interred here was Mrs. Ester Hornsby, the aunt of J. N. Ferguson, old county 
surveyor, in 1845.
There are numerous other private burial grounds and many lone graves in various 
parts of the township, the exact location of many of which is unknown."

SIMPSON TOWNSHIP-(page 291)
"The following early cemeteries were located in Simpson township:  Oak Grove 
cemetery, which was established in 1855.  John Roberts was the first to be 
interred here.  Foster cemetery located on section 4.  Thornton cemetery, an old 
family graveyard on the Taggart farm.  There were other private burial grounds 
located in various sections of the township."

MONTSERRAT TOWNSHIP-(page 297)
"Lea's cemetery is located about a mile south of the village of Montserrat and 
Thomas J. Lea was buried here January 2, 1859, which was the first burial in 
this cemetery.  This cemetery originally consisted of one acre which was set 
apart by order of court for burial purposes.  It was donated for that purpose by 
Rev. H. R. Lea.  Another burying ground is located on the southeast corner of 
section 10, Montserrat township, and perhaps the first burying ground in the 
present borders of Montserrat township is located near the northwest corner of 
section 25 and was known as the Adams burying ground.  This ground was used for 
burial purposes as early as 1844.  Mayes' cemetery, located on section 23, was a 
private burial ground."