As I walk among the stones at the Coon Prairie Cemetery near Westby, it’s like taking a trip down memory lane. Some people hate cemeteries and find them dark, scary, and foreboding. I find them quiet, restful, and full of memories and history. It’s like taking a trip to a historical library. If only I could have an hour with each of them to ask questions and get their story. They all had a story to tell.
Most of these people took their stories with them when they left us, including my mother, who died 21 years ago on July 29, 1992. I wish I had sat down and had her tell me about her life. I have so many unanswered questions.
As a person interested in genealogy and family history, I know the importance of cemeteries and what the tombstones can tell us. I also know the importance of maintaining those old stones.
Recently two families from Norway visited their relatives in La Crosse. They wanted to see the inside of the Country Coon Prairie Church and also look through the burial records. They were trying to find the graves of some relatives who had come to America. I have a key to the church and agreed to meet them, explain the history of the early pioneer church and cemetery, and help them find the records they were looking for.
When we met, I found out they came from the same area of Norway as my paternal Sherpe and Ostrem ancestors. We quickly discovered that I was related to all of them, including the couple from La Crosse that they were visiting. It’s a small world. We were able to find the Skaaland and Sandsmark families they were looking for in the records and located them on the cemetery map. Of course, I’m also related to those families. One of the men, Trygve Ege Olson, has written several books on family histories of Norway, and he was thrilled to find where members were buried who had come to America. I took a photo of everyone standing by the tombstone for them.
It’s now been only a week since that visit and today I received an e-mail from him with all kinds of information on how we are related in many different family lines. He had a line going back from my grandmother, Inga (Ostrem) Sherpe, that I had come to a dead end on. As of today, that line now goes back to the 1400’s. I won’t bore you non-genealogy fanatics with the details, but it just goes to show what a simple visit to the cemetery can produce.
It’s now been only a week since that visit and today I received an e-mail from him with all kinds of information on how we are related in many different family lines. He had a line going back from my grandmother, Inga (Ostrem) Sherpe, that I had come to a dead end on. As of today, that line now goes back to the 1400’s. I won’t bore you non-genealogy fanatics with the details, but it just goes to show what a simple visit to the cemetery can produce.
While they were here, they were glad to see how well maintained the cemetery was. It wasn’t neglected and overgrown with weeds. I remember how nice the Lund Cemetery at Moi, Norway was when we visited. That’s the church in the area where these relatives are from and where my Sherpe and Ostrem ancestors are buried.
It’s a lot of work to keep a cemetery looking nice. Joe Rickey has been the caretaker of the Coon Prairie Cemetery for ten years. It’s a very large cemetery and it’s a monumental job to maintain it. Joe knows how important it is to keep the cemetery looking nice. He takes great pride in his job and it shows. The Norwegians looking for the tombstones of their relatives noticed too. They were impressed. The Coon Prairie Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the church building. Many of the pioneer settlers in this area are buried there.
Unfortunately, not all cemeteries are as well maintained as Coon Prairie and other cemeteries in this area. Many become neglected, built over, or moved to make way for highways and developments. Society does not always respect the dead and their resting places. Look at what the early settlers did to many of the Indian mounds. They are long gone. Luckily, most mounds are now protected and can’t be destroyed.
It also bothers me when I hear about vandalism in cemeteries. Many older tombstones can never be replaced or repaired when they’re knocked over and broken. I find it hard to understand that kind of destructiveness. It’s very disturbing and hurtful to those people whose ancestor’s graves have been desecrated. I once heard the reason some people destroyed numerous tombstones is that they were bored. That to me is very sad. Perhaps that boredom could be alleviated if they had been sentenced to help maintain a cemetery for the summer months. I would hope they would gain a better appreciation for what’s there and how hurtful their actions can be.
As I stand in the Coon Prairie Cemetery, I can see where two great, great grandparents are buried. To my right are my paternal great grandparents. Off to the left, are my maternal great grandparents. Near the back fence are my paternal grandparents. As I walk down the lane to the right, I find my maternal grandparents. Farther along, I come to the new part of the cemetery. There I find my parents and three sets of uncles and aunts. My relatives who rest here could fill another column. That’s a lot of ancestral history in one cemetery. It’s why maintaining them is important to so many people. You can see why I find them quiet, restful, and full of memories and history.
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