O'Brien County Cemetery
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Steuck Family Cemetery
Steuck Family Cemetery
The Story of the Steuck Cemetery
By Fred H. Steuck
The Story of the Steuck Cemetery
By Fred H. Steuck
3646 Tanager Avenue
Center Township
3646 Tanager Avenue
Center Township
1892-My Great-grandmother Anna Maria Steuck was buried in the Southeast corner. She was the first to be buried on a one-acre area set aside on his farm by my Grandfather Friedrich G. Steuck even though their church had purchased land for a cemetery and his daughter Anna was buried there in 1889.
1893-Rosa David, my Grandfather’s sister, was buried.
1894-Stephen Spangler buried- he is the only unrelated person buried in the cemetery-circumstances not known.
1899-Carl Steuck, Grandfather’s son, was buried in the church cemetery alongside his sister Anna.
1900-30 June-Grandfather deeded his Cemetery to the church, book 37, page 470.
1900-26 September-the Church deeded the Cemetery back to Grandfather, book 37, page 604.
1901-2 February-Grandfather deeded Plot 1 to John Brinkert, recorded 1 Dec. 1908 in book 40, page 401.
1901-2 February-Grandfather deeded Plot 2 to Michael Steuck, recorded 15 March, 1904 in book 41, page 94.
1901-2 February-Grandfather deeded Plot 3 to John A. Steuck, recorded 26 Sept, 1913 in book 44, page 173.
1914-12 March-Grandfather deeded the cemetery to his son, my father, Wilhelm F. Steuck before his death on 25 April 1914, book 44, page 350.
1995-The title to the Cemetery now rests with Grandfather’s grandson, Arnold W. Steuck.
The above events recorded chronologically are facts relating to the Cemetery. What is unknown is how it came about that this Cemetery and the Center Twp. Church Cemetery, located about one-half mile apart, were considered necessary for this relatively small group of mostly related German people.
Why should my Grandfather, who with his wife Henriette, daughter Anna and son Carl, be the only Steuck relation buried in the Church Cemetery? And why should he have made available and acre of his farm for his mother and other relatives to be buried? It might seem that some family tiff maybe the answer, but this really doesn’t explain Grandfather’s actions. A possible reason may have been differences arising from the fact that the Center Twp. Church was connected with the Iowa Synod and the Sanborn Church, where some buried on the Steuck Cemetery went, was a Missouri Synod Church. The two churches both started functioning in about 1886.
The “lost” Center Twp. Church records may have some answers.
Provided by LeRoy Steffens (Steuck Cemetery), Hartley, Iowa.