ST. JOSEPH SETTLEMENT CATHOLIC CEMETERY
Reverend Frank A. O'Kruta, March 1998
Submitted by Isabelle HOHMANN Parikh.
The cemetery at St. Joseph Settlement had its beginnings at the very start of the community. According to church records, the current cemetery began with the first death to be recorded in the settlement. On October 12, 1856, George Hoffman died at the age of 56. He was buried in the newly formed St. Joseph Settlement Cemetery.
Soon after it was established, a large wooden cross in accord with Catholic tradition was erected in the center of the cemetery. The earliest graves are located in the "back section" of the original cemetery. By the 1890's this section was almost completely filled and new graves began appearing in the front section of the original cemetery.
Just as with St. Joseph's church, the cemetery has also received many improvements during the course of its history. For many years, black "iron" crosses were imported from Germany to mark the graves of the early settlers. They remain today and their German inscriptions testify to the settlement's origins. Massive stone-carved Stations of the Cross, which "encircle" the oldest parts of the cemetery, were the loving tribute left by Victor Messey who died in 1870. In 1996, through the Reverend Eugene Klug and Mr. Evaristus Klug Estate and Memorial Fund they were given new bronze images, numbers and identification plaques.
On May 17, 1937, while still pastor of St. Joseph's Settlement, Reverend J.P.T. Holtzmer was killed in a car accident near Ivydale in Clay County, W.Va. After a solemn High Mass at St. Joseph's Settlement, he was buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery. The spot chosen for his grave was where the large wooden cross marked the center of the cemetery. In 1940 a large granite memorial marker was erected on the same spot by members of the settlement as a special tribute to Father Holtzmer. On top of this granite marker a Crucifixion Scene was mounted. As the years passed the memorial became the focal point of the cemetery. On June 10, 1963, as the parishioners were gathered in the "old" hall, starting plans for a new convent, a very violent thunderstorm hit the area. During it, lightening struck the monument. The corpus of Christ was knocked off the granite cross. It and the statue of St. John were completely destroyed. The statue of Mary was unharmed. Due to the large expense of replacing the figures the memorial remained a simple granite cross. The statue of Mary was moved to the rear of the newly opened section of the cemetery where she remains today. In 1996, new "bronze-colored' fiberglass statues created by Tonini Church Supply Company, Louisville, Ky., were installed on the granite marker through the generosity of the Reverend Eugene Klug and Mr. Evaristus Klug Estate, Family and Friends. Today the Holtzmer Crucifixion Memorial has regained its place of honor as the focal point of the cemetery.
The "back" section of the original St. Joseph Settlement Cemetery which contains the oldest graves can still be determined. It consists of the part of the entire cemetery that lies at the very "center" of the hill. Its "front" or southeast boundary begins at the Crucifixion Group Memorial marking the grave of Father J.P.T. Holtzmer with one of the stone-carved Stations of the Cross to its left, another to its right. Its back or northwest boundary is encircled by four more of the stone-carved stations. The rest of these stations mark the outer edge of the access road which encircled the original cemetery.
As the settlement grew, the first expansion of the cemetery was plotted out. This was done in the 1890's and is actually the "front" section of the original cemetery. This section lies in front of the Holtsmer Crucifixion Memorial and contains a wide access way leading to it. This expansion which was filled by the late 1950's made the memorial a natural focal point of the overall cemetery design.
Soon another expansion was planned and plotted out. It was finished on June 23, 1962 and is located directly behind the original cemetery. At its rear stands the concrete statue of Mary that remained from the original Crucifixion Group Memorial.
After some extensive landscaping work done from 1991-1993, with time alotted for soil settlement in 1994, Louis Fox, completed the second major expansion of the cemetery which was ready in 1995. It is dedicated to St. Isidore, the patron saint of farmers, and is located directly due west of the rest of the cemetery, which covers the top of the hill. This section is at a slightly lower elevation. A lower access road runs along its eastern boundary.
Unfortunately, time and nature's elements effect even something as "timeless" as St. Joseph's Cemetery. Many of the older markers have been worn smooth. Names and dates have been obscured but the testimony of all who are buried in the cemetery remains. It is a testimony of love both to the land and the GOD above who still guides us and watches over us.
St. Joseph's Settlement, 1926 - 1998 | |||
| Surname | Given Name | Age | Date of Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANDREWS | FLETCHER E. | September 3, 1987 | |
| BAKER | CASPER | December 31, 1935 | |
| BAKER | CATHERINE | June 11, 1940 | |
| BAKER | CHARLES | November 26, 1946 | |
| BAKER | VINCENT J. | August 29, 1949 | |
| BAKER | CHRISTINE | April 25, 1959 | |
| BATTAGLIA | LUCILLE M. | November 25, 1980 | |
| BEUCKE | LEVI BURDETT | August 25, 1997 | |
| BLATT | GEORGE | January 16, 1928 | |
| BLATT | MABEL C. | March 3, 1928 | |
| BLATT | NICHOLAS | December 8, 1928 | |
| BLATT | JOSEPHINE | June 25, 1930 | |
| BLATT | ANNA | October 25, 1930 | |
| BLATT | JACOB | January 19, 1931 | |
| BLATT | JOHN R. | July 28, 1932 | |
| BLATT | ELIZABETH | March 26, 1936 | |
| BLATT | ALOYS | December 27, 1936 | |
| BLATT | BERNARD | February 6, 1940 | |
| BLATT | CHARLES | March 5, 1955 | |
| BLATT | VALENTINE | September 29, 1956 | |
| BLATT | LENA | April 17, 1958 | |
| BLATT | AUGUST | March 11, 1961 | |
| BLATT | CHARLES | January 2, 1962 | |
| BLATT | MARY | May 30, 1966 | |
| BLATT | MILDRED | December 14, 1968 | |
| BLATT | EDWARD V. | August 14, 1969 | |
| BLATT | CHRISTINA | August 7, 1973 | |
| BLATT | CATHERINE | January 22, 1976 | |
| BLATT | LEE | March 10, 1980 | |
| BLATT | FLORENCE | January 11, 1981 | |
| BLATT | PAUL | May 4, 1983 | |
| BLATT | HELEN M. | July 4, 1984 | |
| BLATT | JOSEPH N. | March 5, 1993 | |
| BLATT | ANGELA | January 15, 1994 | |
| BLATT | ALFRED G. | November 27, 1994 | |
| BOOTH | ALBERT | September 23, 1926 | |
| BRINKMEIR | ELIZABETH | December 7, 1934 | |
| BRINKMEIR | ADOLPH | February 26, 1958 | |
| BURKHART | FRANK | September 10, 1926 | |
| COLVIN | CATHERINE T. | January 16, 1928 | |
| COLVIN | CATHERINE | April 25, 1966 | |
| EBERT | JACOB | February 28, 1926 | |
| EBERT | BARBARA M. | May 17, 1937 | |
| EBERT | CLARANCE A. | September 25, 1944 | |
| EBERT | HARRY W. | May 28, 1969 | |
| ESTEP | MARY | February 4, 1928 | |
| ESTEP | THERESA | September 30, 1930 | |
| ESTEP | JOHN | January 30, 1939 | |
| ESTEP | JOSEPH M. | October 15, 1970 | |
| ESTEP | FRED L. | November 17, 1971 | |
| ESTEP | JOHN R. | February 19, 1972 | |
| ESTEP | CATHERINE | February 22, 1974 | |
| ESTEP | THERESA | November 12, 1978 | |
| ESTEP | JOSEPH | May 29, 1981 | |
| ESTEP | JOHN | February 23, 1983 | |
| ESTEP | FRANK J. | November 24, 1985 | |
| ESTEP | NETTIE | December 4, 1985 | |
| ESTEP | BUELAH M. | July 11, 1997 | |
| FERRELL | JILL MICHELLE | April 12, 1967 | |
| FERRELL | CARL S. | December 1, 1997 | |
| FOX | HARRY L. | December 24, 1963 | |
| FOX | HUBERT | March 31, 1982 | |
| FOX | MARGARET | May 14, 1993 | |
| FOX | LOUIS E. | June 23, 1997 | |
| FOX | JAMES G. | November 30, 1997 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | GERTRUDE G. | ||
| FROHNAPFEL | EILEEN | April 19, 1930 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | TERESA | June 17, 1933 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | JOHN | October 30, 1939 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | ANTHONY | November 25, 1941 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | BARBARA | April 26, 1942 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | PATRICK F. | July 16, 1945 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | ADAM E. | November 25, 1945 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | ALVIN A. | January 16, 1952 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | LENA | August 21, 1959 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | THEODORE | September 11, 1963 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | HELENA C. | October 17, 1967 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | ALICE C. | November 17, 1967 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | LEONARD | December 12, 1970 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | CASPER | March 8, 1975 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | MELVIN | October 27, 1980 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | ANTHONY H. | June 3, 1985 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | SCOTT A. | September 20, 1991 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | ADDA MARY | August 6, 1992 | |
| FROHNAPFEL | ILLA MARIE | April 15, 1996 | |
| GATTS | RITA | March 13, 1960 | |
| GODDARD | HAROLD | April 15, 1996 | |
| GUZZETTA | JOSEPH LEO | January 28, 1941 | |
| HALL | RAYMOND J. | May 6, 1993 | |
| HAWKEY | HELEN | October 9, 1936 | |
| HAWKEY | DOLORES | October 9, 1936 | |
| HAWKEY | ANTHONY | July 19, 1939 | |
| HERRICK | BARBARA | May 5, 1930 | |
| HERRICK | JOHN | April 14, 1939 | |
| HERRICK | JOESPH E. | July 25, 1953 | |
| HERRICK | HENRY | April 4, 1957 | |
| HERRICK | LUCILLE | November 6, 1961 | |
| HERRICK | ALBERT | June 21, 1962 | |
| HERRICK | CATHERINE J. | October 22, 1965 | |
| HERRICK | CLEM F. | December 5, 1967 | |
| HERRICK | JOHN DAVID | November 30, 1970 | |
| HERRICK | BERNETTA | February 12, 1976 | |
| HERRICK | ANNE | March 14, 1978 | |
| HERRICK | ANN MARIE | March 25, 1980 | |
| HERRICK | WILLIAM A. | June 15, 1980 | |
| HOCKE | LAWRENCE | December 23, 1927 | |
| HOCKE | FRANK | May 24, 1933 | |
| HOHMAN | LOUIS | May 1, 1966 | |
| HOHMAN | CLEM DONALD | May 12, 1966 | |
| HOHMAN | KENNETH N. | March 8, 1974 | |
| HOHMAN | CLARENCE | December 6, 1978 | |
| HOHMAN | CLARA | October 17, 1986 | |
| HOHMAN | ROBERT V. | April 5, 1997 | |
| HOHMANN | GEORGE | March 15, 1926 | |
| HOHMANN | ANDREW F. | October 9, 1929 | |
| HOHMANN | CHARLES A. | January 28, 1931 | |
| HOHMANN | SOPHIA | May 1, 1932 | |
| HOHMANN | MARY ANN | January 13, 1942 | |
| HOHMANN | WILLIAM | January 13, 1942 | |
| HOHMANN | FREDERICK | September 2, 1943 | |
| HOHMANN | ADAM | January 4, 1951 | |
| HOHMANN | JOSEPH | April 22, 1952 | |
| HOHMANN | HENRY | March 26, 1958 | |
| HOHMANN | MARY G. | May 31, 1974 | |
| HOHMANN | HILDA | December 7, 1980 | |
| HOHMANN | CLEMENCE J. | September 5, 1990 | |
| HOLTZMER | REV. J.P.T. | May 17, 1937 | |
| HOOD | CATHERINE | December 6, 1935 | |
| KIRK | THOMAS W. | October 28, 1926 | |
| KLUG | PAUL | ||
| KLUG | LOUIS C. | December 9, 1928 | |
| KLUG | MARY | January 26, 1929 | |
| KLUG | JOSEPH | January 16, 1937 | |
| KLUG | AGNES | July 28, 1944 | |
| KLUG | GEORGE | November 25, 1944 | |
| KLUG | JOSEPHINE | July 24, 1945 | |
| KLUG | MARGURITE C. | February 11, 1946 | |
| KLUG | ALBERT | June 20, 1947 | |
| KLUG | ANNA | January 5, 1954 | |
| KLUG | ANNIE | September 4, 1963 | |
| KLUG | EDWARD A. | July 20, 1965 | |
| KLUG | LAWRENCE | March 28, 1966 | |
| KLUG | MONICA | June 25, 1968 | |
| KLUG | NICHOLAS J. | December 11, 1968 | |
| KLUG | JOSEPHINE | June 5, 1970 | |
| KLUG | ALBERTA C. | August 21, 1971 | |
| KLUG | ANGELA | November 20, 1971 | |
| KLUG | CLARA | November 24, 1973 | |
| KLUG | CHARLES | May 23, 1976 | |
| KLUG | CLEMENT | August 30, 1976 | |
| KLUG | WILMA | November 7, 1979 | |
| KLUG | GEORGE | July 8, 1983 | |
| KLUG | EVARISTUS | May 10, 1994 | |
| KLUG | LENA M. | September 11, 1994 | |
| KLUG | REV. EUGENE | May 16, 1995 | |
| KLUG | MURIEL | June 2, 1996 | |
| KLUG | VICKI LYNNE | November 19, 1997 | |
| KRAUS | MARY A. | October 31, 1953 | |
| LONG | PHILOMENA | April 2, 1968 | |
| LONG | JAMES ALLEN | January 23, 1971 | |
| LONG | STELLA M. | November 15, 1986 | |
| Mc COMBS | JOHN RICHARD | August 4, 1973 | |
| Mc ISAAC | MOLLY | May 29, 1967 | |
| Mc ISAAC | A.E. BERT | September 28, 1970 | |
| MESSY | JAMES | July 13, 1927 | |
| MILLER | JOHN | April 27, 1926 | |
| MILLER | MARY | May 13, 1935 | |
| MILLER | EVELYN | December 26, 1941 | |
| MILLER | DAVID | November 7, 1969 | |
| MILLER | ANTHONY | November 7, 1969 | |
| MILLER | MARTHA L. | August 24, 1973 | |
| MILLER | CHARLES | June 16, 1977 | |
| MILLER | HENRY | December 2, 1977 | |
| MILLER | NICHOLAS | March 26, 1980 | |
| MILLER | JAMES HENRY | June 30, 1981 | |
| MILLER | MARY MARIE | July 2, 1985 | |
| MILLER | FRANCES R. | February 1, 1998 | |
| MONTGOMERY | HENRY | October 7, 1931 | |
| MONTGOMERY | DANIEL | August 19, 1955 | |
| MONTGOMERY | ANGELINE E. | February 19, 1970 | |
| MONTGOMERY | JOSEPH JOHN | September 6, 1971 | |
| MONTGOMERY | CECILIA | September 14, 1975 | |
| MONTGOMERY | RALPH | April 4, 1978 | |
| MONTGOMERY | KATHLEEN M. | December 15, 1986 | |
| NOLTE | CLARA | November 6, 1951 | |
| NOLTE | JOSEPH D. | January 19, 1971 | |
| OBERLE | LOUIS J. | September 12, 1963 | |
| OBERLE | MARY VIOLA | December 22, 1991 | |
| PARSONS | JENNIE | May 2, 1964 | |
| PARSONS | LESTER | January 10, 1969 | |
| REDFOX | MARY C. | December 9, 1933 | |
| RHODES | CLEO | August 26, 1993 | |
| RUSK | MONICA | July 31, 1979 | |
| SCHAEFER | MARY | November 18, 1928 | |
| SCHAFER | FRANK | February 1, 1942 | |
| SCHAFER | JOSEPH R. | August 21, 1943 | |
| SCHAFER | WILLIAM | April 24, 1946 | |
| SCHAFER | ELIZABETH | March 15, 1948 | |
| SCHAFER | BERNETTA | March 1, 1964 | |
| SCHAFER | ANTHONY | June 4, 1976 | |
| SCHEIBELHOOD | JOHN | September 25, 1926 | |
| SCHEIBELHOOD | CATHERINE | May 22, 1939 | |
| SCHEIBELHOOD | THEODORE | November 19, 1953 | |
| SCHEIBELHOOD | LAURENCE | April 22, 1996 | |
| SCHEIBELHOOD | RAYMOND | April 22, 1996 | |
| SHELLHASE | KATHRYN L. | January 9, 1997 | |
| SHUTLER | BERNARD W. | ||
| SHUTLER | GEORGE | September 1, 1938 | |
| SHUTLER | CHRISTINE | October 29, 1940 | |
| SHUTLER | JOHN | March 9, 1958 | |
| SHUTLER | JOSEPHINE | March 18, 1968 | |
| SHUTLER | FRED JOHN | August 13, 1973 | |
| SHUTLER | CLARA | August 9, 1981 | |
| SHUTLER | HAROLD J. | December 15, 1982 | |
| SHUTLER | RAYMOND | June 16, 1984 | |
| SHUTLER | RICHARD PAUL | October 29, 1987 | |
| SMITH | JAMIE NICOLE | March 25, 1988 | |
| STEGER | ALBERT | April 26, 1932 | |
| STEGER | ELIZABETH | April 2, 1948 | |
| STEIN | TERESA | September 4, 1938 | |
| STEIN | ANDREW | July 18, 1940 | |
| STEIN | JOSEPH | February 12, 1952 | |
| STEIN | LOUISE | October 6, 1958 | |
| STEIN | ANDREW | February 17, 1966 | |
| STEIN | REGINA | August 4, 1981 | |
| STEIN | J. AMBROSE | July 12, 1997 | |
| THORNTON | THERESA | October 21, 1968 | |
| THORNTON | RICHARD | September 26, 1974 | |
| VAN SCYOC | CATHERINE A. | September 18, 1933 | |
| VAN SCYOC | LES | March 2, 1966 | |
| VAN SCYOC | PHILOMENA | December 5, 1980 | |
| VILLERS | CAROL JEAN | February 4, 1980 | |
| WAYMAN | CHRISTINA | March 27, 1931 | |
| WAYMAN | BARBARA | March 10, 1950 | |
| WAYMAN | BERTHA C. | December 6, 1979 | |
| WAYMAN | VINCENT | September 5, 1980 | |
| WEIGAND | WILLIAM | January 14, 1933 | |
| WEIGAND | GEORGE | January 27, 1938 | |
| WEIGAND | ELIZABETH | September 1, 1939 | |
| WEIGAND | PANSY | February 16, 1940 | |
| WEIGAND | HUBERT | January 11, 1942 | |
| WEIGAND | GEORGE | February 24, 1946 | |
| WEIGAND | GERALDINE | May 17, 1947 | |
| WEIGAND | CONRAD | November 2, 1947 | |
| WEIGAND | CARL | March 22, 1953 | |
| WEIGAND | JOSEPHINE | April 28, 1960 | |
| WEIGAND | BERNARD | December 13, 1964 | |
| WEIGAND | JOHN GEORGE | March 17, 1972 | |
| WEIGAND | LEONARD | January 22, 1974 | |
| WEIGAND | ELIZABETH | March 22, 1978 | |
| WEIGAND | JOSEPH CARL | March 4, 1994 | |
| WILSON | THOMAS | December 10, 1964 | |
| WILSON | LOUIS F. | August 9, 1989 | |
| YEAGER | FRED | August 26, 1941 | |
| YEAGER | HERBERT | March 27, 1947 | |
| YEAGER | CECILIA | September 14, 1949 | |
| YEAGER | LAURENCE R. | November 5, 1987 | |
| YOHO | HOLLY LYNN | November 7, 1975 | |
| YOHO | PATRICIA | March 7, 1977 | |
| YOUNG | RAY ARNOLD | June 30, 1973 | |