richiecemetery

Ritchey or Richie Cemetery

© Copyright 2004 by Jean Leeper

All Rights Reserved

Pictures taken June 6, 2004 and June 8, 2994

Found in Section six of Scott Township. Can be seen on the 1870 map.

Take Marsh Avenue north from Hwy. 78. Go past dirt road 110th Street.

Lane and sign is other side of the farm house, on the right.

Bill Klopfenstein, maintains this cemetery and he can take you back to it.

Bill send me an article from Washington County, Iowa "Centennial 1836 - 1936 Celebration"

Summarized from that article.

Adam Ritchey built his cabin in 1836 on the first land settled by a White Man in Washington County. He arrived in May 1836 in the woodlands of Crooked Creek, Crawford Township and erected his cabin. In the fall of the same year he sold his claim to Matthew Moorehead and sometime after that Adam moved from this claim to Scott Township, Henry County, Iowa. His daughter Isabell was born June 12, 1837 in the "Crooked Creek Settlement" whether that was in Washington County or Henry County, no one knows. In ca 1936 Dr. H. H. Smith of Olds went back to the cemetery which only had Adam's stone. "Asked what became of the other grave stones, Dr. Smith said 'that according to reports a farmer down that way somewhere a good many years ago gathered them up and used them to make a foundation for a farm building.'"

Lane goes east but the cemetery is NE. Crops need to be harvested before you drive in.

The lane goes back along this corn field. It ends by the second field. Wait until crops are harvested to go in.

Sign marking the area. In the memory box below are the names of the nineteen buried there.

You open the door on the box and a list of burials is encased in glass.

Adam Ritchey, died Feb 12, 1848, Aged 50 yrs. 3 ms. and 28 ds.

Looking out towards field.

Listing of burials found inside the "In Memory" box. List follows:

  • Mary Caldwell, spring of 1839 (first burial?)
  • Benjamin Brovard, Sept 18, 1839
  • Abigail Dill Ritchey, Sept 1843 (Mother of Adam, Thomas and etc.)
  • James Ritchey, Nov 25, 1847 (He was Abigail's oldest child, born Dec 20, 1787.)
  • Elizabeth Ritchey, 1848 --Widow of James
  • Martha Ritchey, January 1848. Born 1830. -- Daughter of James and Elizabeth.
  • Barton Ritchey, Jan 1848 -- Born 1822.-- Son of James and Elizabeth.
  • Caroline Ritchey, after Oct. 30 1847. born 1825. Daughter of James and Elizabeth. She brought typhoid from her sister's family in Dutch Creek where she had been visiting, in the home of Conrad and Margaret Temple.
  • Tilford Ritchey, after January 30, 1848. Born 1832, son of James and Elizabeth.
  • Simpson Ritchey, Dec 10, 1947. Born 1819. Son of James and Elizabeth.
  • Eliza Louisa Deyo, 1848? Born 1816? Daughter of James and Elizabeth
  • Martin Deyo, husband of E. Louisa, date? Typhoid
  • Adaline Pence, date? typhoid
  • Adam Ritchey, Feb 12, 1848, Typhoid. Son of Adam and Abigail Dill Ritchey. Brother of Thomas and James.
  • Mr. Maynard, Froze to death walking from Burlington. Date?
  • Child of McElroy -- Date?
  • Child of McElroy -- Date?
  • Child of Martin Brown -- Date?
  • Child of Martin Brown -- Date ?
  • Isabell Ritchey, daughter of Adam Ritchey was supposedly the first one buried in the cemetery, born June 12, 1837
  • Nancy Ritchey, a child of Matthew Dill Ritchey Sr., was born in 1841, died 1843.

By Jim Marsh and Jean Leeper copied from above list so it could be indexed by indexing program.

It is my understanding that Adam's wife and family left after the Typhoid outbreak and went on the Oregon Trail to Oregon.

If you turn east on the dirt road you also can see it looking to the north. With binoculars it showed up well.

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