Saving a pioneer cemetery
Published 9:24 am Tuesday, June 17, 2008
For 24 years Ron Schrader of rural Glenville has become intimately involved with the revival of a pioneer cemetery to the southwest of Myrtle and next to Freeborn County Road 30.
His connection with what was once a neglected burial place started in June 1984 when Schrader asked Walter Wangen, then a county commissioner, if there was some forgotten cemetery he could help to restore as a public service.
“I was just looking for something to do,” he said.
Wangen suggested a place known as Our Savior’s Danish Lutheran Cemetery on the corner of Section 12 of Shell Rock Township.
“The place looked like a jungle, but I had the time to clean it up,” he added.
It took two to three months during mid-1984 to clear away the wild growth in this cemetery and prepare the land for the seeding of new grass. And as the brush, small trees and weeds were cleared off, the gravestones and burial sites of the Danish pioneers began to appear.
One detail which surprised those who knew of or observed Schrader’s work in this cemetery 24 years ago is the fact that he had no personal interest in the cemetery or was related to anyone buried there.
“I just like history and have a lot of respect for the dead. Besides, someone had to do this job,:” was his reply to those people.
Schrader soon found seven tombstones which had been knocked off their bases. Using a tractor and other methods he restored those grave markers to their proper places.
Also, during the cleanup process he found two places known as burial rings. They were actually square areas outlined with narrow concrete borders.
“At first I thought they were building foundations. “ he explained.
However, the squares enclosed burial places for the remains of people who were later moved with some others to Greenwood Cemetery at Glenville.
He later found traces of a former church in the corner of the cemetery property.
Research shows that the first burial in the cemetery was made in 1878, and the last was made in 1917. The church itself was constructed in 1894 and used for services, mostly in the Danish language, until 1927. The wooden building was torn down in the early 1940s.
On Oct. 24, 1984, this cemetery had its first burial in nearly seven decades, A county road project in London Township, several miles to the east, resulted in the elimination of another forgotten burial place – Mockingbird Hill Cemetery. Thus, the remains of Jens P .Sorensen who died in 1892 and his tombstone in Danish were moved to Our Savior’s.
In 2005 three incidents took place which indicate this once forgotten pioneer cemetery might have a future life.
First, Jeff Anderson of Austin, owner of Anderson Memorials , laid out the cemetery into plots for use as potential burial sites.
Second, what may have really revived this cemetery’s future use was the burial of Douglas John Murphy who died May 12, 2005. He lived nearby and the family’s decision was made to have his final resting place to be in the small rural cemetery.
Third, a governing board was organized for this cemetery in June. Schrader became the board’s president. Kenny Lawson is the vice president, Terri Murphy is secretary/treasurer, and Robert Kluender and Anderson also serve on the board. One of their intentions is to somehow arrange for perpetual care.
“I took care of this place for 14 years,” Schrader commented. He added that he’s been replaced by Kluender and Debert Schuhmacher with the cemetery’s care.
“It’s nice to see this cemetery being used again, “ he concluded.
Age: 51
Address: Rural Glenville
Livelihood: Employed by Poet Biorefining Glenville
Family: wife, Kim; daughters: Jenny Davis, Kelly Bluedorn and Nikki Schrader; grandchildren: Owen, Ashton and Allison
Interesting fact: Schrader enjoys going to antique stores and rummage sales to find unusual items.