Sugar Grove Cemetery
Mound Prairie Township, Jasper Co., Iowa
Flag lowered to half staff in memory of the
Memorial Day, May 2003 Statistics of Deaths On January 1, 2000 there were 738 known burials.
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Sugar Grove Cemetery 3 Miles West & 1 1/4 Miles South of Newton, Iowa It appears that Anna Sims might have been one of the first, if not the first, burial in the cemetery. Her tombstone is the oldest still standing and the land was originally owned by her husband, Lawson Sims who died in 1859. Tombstone records indicate that Rebecca Reed and Eliza Kelly died between the time that Anna and Lawson died. A rather tragic tale is of the murder/suicide of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Copeland, a hired hand of the Sims'. Most people think they were the first burial, but this is not true as the murder/suicide didn't happen until February of 1859. By 1881 approximately 48 irregular sized spaces were staked out by family members for burial purposes. This is the original part of the cemetery, lots 166 to 214. In 1881 people of the community thought it was necessary to add additional land and plot out the cemetery, measuring off the old lots and making all lots on new ground acquired to one specific size, 31' x 8', wherever possible. This new land acquired made the cemetery 3.62 acres with lots from 1 to 215. On December 16, 1962 additional land was given by Florence Miller of 1.5 acres which added an additional 148 lots, 10' x 16' making a total of 5.12 acres with a total of 363 lots. Some of these lots were taken off for roads in the old part of the cemetery. The records of 125 years ago and the book are badly torn and falling apart. We thought it would be good to record and preserve these records for future generations.
This cemetery has been operated by elected volunteers since 1881, and burials were not recorded. In 1981 Philip and Marjorie Hitchler Lane and their daughter Marvelyn Lane Adams cataloged the entire cemetery, and since that time burials have been recorded. People are probably buried here that are not recorded because the stones have deteriorated or sunken into the ground. If you have an ancestor buried here and have the information, please let us know so we can add to our list. We have tried to make this site tell the story of people who lived in and around the Metz area in Sherman and Mound Prairie Townships in Jasper County, Iowa. Be sure to check out the Metz site for plat maps so you can see where your ancestor lived. This site is more than a listing of burials. When we have the information, each burial name has a photo of the tombstone and a photo of the individual as well as birth - death - marriages dates, children's names and parent's names. If we have any other information like an obituary, that is also given. If you have an ancestor buried in this cemetery and can
send us photos and other information, I'll be happy to
include it on these pages. |
