Road Warriorette Shari and I headed up Hwy 61 to check out some antique stores. After finding a couple of likely prospects closed, we started driving roads at random until stumbled across this interesting cemetery at the intersection of Perry county roads 510 and 520. (On Google Maps, it’s at the intersection of Bethany Road and Luther Chapel Road.)
Info from Find A Grave
If I can’t find information anywhere else, I turn to the Find A Grave website. Here’s what it had to say about our graveyard after I plugged in some names from tombstones.
Located between Longtown and Biehle in Perry County. Also called “Hart’s Cemetery” because of it’s proximity to the Hart residence.
Jacob Wills 1843 – 1870
One of the organizers (Elizabeth Ann Welker Knox) of the American Lutheran Congregation at Harts, was said to have been the only living member of the original group to retain any authority over the affairs of the church property. The church itself (in 1937) had not been used as a place of worship for more than a generation and the cemetery had been used as a burial ground only at rare intervals.
The cemetery was often described as being in the “Eddleman Settlement”.
In December of 1984, the old Luther (Hart) Cemetery was accepted by Sargents Chapel Congregation for incorporation with their cemetery association for perpetual care.
Well-maintained
The cemetery was well-maintained, and some of the graves had decorations, so someone still remembers the people who are buried here. As always, you may click on any photo to make it larger.
Great find Ken. As you know I love walking cemeteries. I’ll have to look this one up on one of our Tuesday Old Man’s Ride to Eat motorcycle trips. The obvious love and maintenance those folks give this cemetery is very impressive.
Ken, how close is this to Sargent’s Chapel?
Phyllis, I plugged both locations into Google Earth. If we’re talking about the same places, they are about eight miles apart as the crow flies. I didn’t try to calculate the distance in road miles.
Just found this posting. My ggg-grandfather Henry Eddleman donated the land for the church (which sat south of the cemetery) and cemetery. At one time he and at least two of his siblings and their extended families lived in the area. He and several family members are buried there. The congregation was made up of 2nd to 4th generation German immigrants who moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina in the 18th century, and then came to Southeast Missouri. They were Lutheran, but no longer spoke German. The church really never recovered from the Civil War, and declined thereafter. That’s when it was merged with Sargent’s Chapel.
Looking at this posting in preparation of visiting the cemetery tomorrow. I am relation to the Eddlemans buried there and am interested in learning more about them. Henry would be my gggg-grandfather.