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| Cooksville Cemetery Gravestone |
On November 11, 1861, Cooksville’s new
official cemetery—Waucoma Cemetery— was established when 2.5 acres of land were
purchased from the neighboring Village of Waucoma’s founder Dr. John Porter for
$25. The location was directly south of old Wisconsin and South streets (now
Church Street), at the southeastern corner of Waucoma. The new Waucoma Cemetery
Association was soon formally established, and this first formal cemetery began
serving the greater Cooksville area.
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| Cooksville Cemetery Gravestone |
Apparently, some memorial grave
markers and perhaps burial remains may have been moved from the first burying
ground to the new Waucoma Cemetery. An early death date on a stone in the new
1861 cemetery is listed as 1846. However, Cora Atwood, a Cooksville historian
in the mid-twentieth century, relates that a village resident’s grandmother
told her that there were only a few burials in that first burying ground with
no stones on its graves and with no remains moved to the new cemetery.
Within a year or so, a board fence
was erected around the new Waucoma Cemetery and trees were planted, with money
from “cemetery subscriptions.”
After the Civil War, about 1865, an
earthen memorial mound was constructed in the southern area of the cemetery to
commemorate those men from the community who had died in the war and were
buried in the south. A wooden marker with their names painted on was erected on
the mound. Apparently, about 12 names were on the marker, but the marker was
lost over time. Only four names of those men have been discovered: Perry
Brooks, John Shurrum, Ira Sturtevant, and James Melvin Van Vleck. Later, a
modern flag pole was erected on the grassy mound.
Between 1868 and 1881, cemetery records
indicate a total twenty additional burial lots (each lot contained five burial
plots) were purchased for $7, some for $10.
Improvements were made to Waucoma
Cemetery over the years. Steps were added to climb over the protective fence,
and in the 1870s, a small gate was added, with corner stones placed to
delineate the cemetery blocks and more trees planted. About 1882-83, at least
portions of the “old dilapidated board” fence were replaced with a wire fence.
Later, larger gates were installed. In
addition, the Association decided to restrict the haphazard planting of trees
and shrubs.
In 1897, the Norwegian Lutheran Church was
built to the west of the cemetery, to replace the 1892 church destroyed by fire
when struck by lightning. Now named the Cooksville Lutheran Church, it never
had any official relationship to the nearby cemetery.
In 1945-1946, an effort was begun
by the Waucoma Cemetery Association to create a record of all the old burials and
the inscriptions on the markers, with an alphabetical listing of all those
buried there. Burials in the southern
part of the cemetery were found to have been irregularly placed and unlisted in
any records; some graves there had markers, some did not, and some were only
marked by “Mother” or “Grandmother.” And there were a number of fallen and
broken stones in that area. The research
work was carried out by Cora Atwood and Fritz Hanson, and a new cemetery record
book was donated by Frank Viney, Secretary and Treasurer of the Association, in
memory of his son, Lieutenant Earl Viney. (The original book from 1861-1868 was
lost and the existing book was reported “in poor condition.”) Officers and
board members at that time were: Hans Haakenson, Edson Brown, Ole Haakeson,
John Furseth, Jo Porter, Frank Viney, and Cora Atwood.
The cemetery was expanded to the
west in 1947 with about 1.4 acres of land acquired south of the Lutheran
Church. A new plat map of the cemetery was completed in 1952, with the old 1868
map redrawn. The new map included the original land purchased in 1861 (blocks 1
to 26) and the land purchased in 1947 (blocks 27 to 32). This map also indicated
the haphazard burials in the southern-most block 26, which contained 56 burials
that could be identified by name.
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| The Cooksville Cemetery Sign |
In 1999, the cemetery was expanded again with the
purchase of two acres of farmland to the east. In 2000, a metal “Cooksville Cemetery” sign
was erected at the front of the cemetery, designed by Larry Reed, funded by
Reed, James Danky and Christine Schelshorn, and fabricated by Bill Howard of
Stoughton. (The old fence and other identifying signage, if any, were long gone.)
In the 21st century,
Waucoma Cemetery became more generally known as the “Cooksville Cemetery.” The name “Waucoma” had began to fade from
community usage. However, the original name of “Waucoma” remains the legal name
for the cemetery, as well as for Porter’s village established to the east of
the Cook brothers’ smaller village.
The cemetery is now part of the Cooksville
Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980,
which includes most of the two mid-19th century villages.
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| St. Michael's Cemetery, Caledonia Road |
Many of Cooksville’s early settlers
and Porter pioneers, some born in the 18th century, lie at rest in
the old Waucoma Cemetery beneath their weathered marble headstones and granite
memorials. They remain a part of the community’s history and have been joined
in the shade of old pine trees by their many descendents, as well as by new
residents of the community, and by others who wanted a quiet resting place.
They represent several centuries of birth—the 18th, 19th,
and 20th centuries—and, soon, the 21st century. About a
thousand are at rest there now.
Of course, there is always room for
more. Contact John Julseth (608) 698-6916 or Larry McDonnell (608) 873-5483 or
(608) 302-8766 for information about the Cooksville Cemetery.
