Cicero Twp., Tipton Co.,
| Doversberger Cemetery, along with St. John's Evangelical
German Lutheran Congregation Church, was situated on one acre
of land located on the east side of 300W opposite the tee junction with
450S in the south west portion of Cicero Township. On June 10, 1859
Lawrence Beck and wife Matilda deeded the one acre to church trustees and
successors for as long as it is used for church purposes and when ceased
to revert to the said Beck. That part was easy.
However, it is not known when the cemetery itself came into existence, the date of the first burial nor the number of burials. Church minutes from a meeting held thirty-two years after the formation of St John's mentions the "renovated" cemetery. Another meeting on Jan 22, 1891 discusses adding more lots. More easy stuff. On February 8, 1902 trustees of St. John's Evangelical German Lutheran Congregation Church deeded to the trustees of Evangelical Lutheran Emanuel Congregation the church site and cemetery. The church now on said land to be used for no other purposes than funeral services. It is evident that did not happen. The church building was sold to a nearby farmer who moved it across the road to be used as an out-building. The church, today, stands fully restored behind the Emanuel Lutheran Church in Tipton. Not so easy stuff. When were the markers moved? Not known. Were all interments moved? Not known. Are there unrecorded/forgotten burials here? I have no idea. What's known: What is printed on these pages is based solely on transcribed meeting minutes, a few other pages of church records and in the case of the Prifogle twins, oral history. This only covers three or four years of the cemetery's history. Surely more were buried here. Here is an incomplete list of the surnames of the families who were parishioners of St. John's. I imagine some of them were buried here also. Doversberger, Schulenberg, Beck, Meyer/Meier, Angstadt, Weigand, Pape, Duerr, Stellwagan, Bauer, Brocksiker, Leininger, Pfankuchen, Sander, Sandmann and Schmelzer. I am indebted to Morris Stillabower, Bruce Schulenberg and his sister Marla (my new best friend). |
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