Maas Cemetary

     On  the way to the timber someone lost a muffler on Highway 6 which is not big deal, I just stopped and got it off the road. The location came to mind though of my family History. That is the road which leads to My Great, Great Grandfather Berend S. cemetary. So on the way back I had to stop and see the small Graveyard which is about 1/2 mile north on a dead end gravel road. It turns into a dirt/sand road at the end. Thanks to a relative of one of those buried there for mowing The Maas Cemetary for the last 30 years.

     I hadn't been down there for sometime. He Settled about 2 miles from there when he brought his family from Germany, The Timber is only about 3 miles from there. The Timber where he and his family harvested Trees for a corn crib, barns, homes, and firewood to heat their homes.

     It is also where Fred A. my Great Grandfather (who was one of his sons) who also came over from Germany (when Berend came here) buried his 1 wife, he was married 3 times. Fred died in 1925 the same year my folks were born at the age of 100. 2 of his wives died from complications from child birth. 1 of Fred's wives name was Silk who is buried there and 2 of their children Hinrich B. died March 28, 1874 at the age of 5 years and 8 days ,and Mariae M. who died on July 26, 1880 at the age of 1 year, 1 month and 10 days. The stones are having a lichen problem, which is obscuring the writing. 2 stones are broken off. I decided to take one of them and try to scrub it down and see about getting it replaced. I also took a pencil rubbing of it.

    

     Here you can see the before and after results from scrubbing the stone down. I can read most of it now. I also have what is on it from when I first saw it almost 35 years ago. I only have to find it in my Genealogy files at home.

     I don't think those files were damaged from my recent Gas Water heater leaking after only 4 years. The other one lasted only 6 years. The warranty was still good on this one though.

Here is Silk's stone and I know it is hard to Hard to read.

This next stone is a sister of Berend also buried in the same general area of the Maas Cemetary, Anna K. Otte, her married name. She died in 1872 and she also came over from Germany with her father Berend. They came over from Neuenkoop which is close to Oldenburg in NW Germany. They took a ship from the port of Bemen, Germany to New York in 1860.

All the children of Berend and his wife came over without spouses and later married in Iowa County.

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