Read Township
Section 7 NW/NW

The following news article was transcribed from The Clayton County Register, published Wednesday, May 7, 1975:

Catholic cemetery near Communia

Few persons living today known that at one time there was a Catholic cemetery also connected with the Colony of Communia and it was the intentions of some of these early pioneers to also build a church there but permission was not granted so the building existed only in their dreams.

The cemetery was located on the farm now owned and operated by the Carl Wessels, and was about one-fourth mile slightly northeastward from the farm buildings. It is thought there were about a dozen tombstones there, although there most likely were some graves unmarked as there are in all cemeteries.

The dimensions are not known at this time but at the courthouse at Elkader was found the following:

Perhaps this was the time they were thinking of building the church, but by the size of the plot it would seem they were thinking of more than that.. The Rev. Michael O'Bierne mentioned had charge of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Elkader and did much to improve the church and property while he was there.

It is thought the first person buried there was James Phelan in 1854 who was killed when his horses ran away with him. The last person perhaps was Jane Henry who was buried there Nov. 29, 1890.

Later the public road was changed so there was no access to the cemetery only through a field, and since it was not being cared for it was thought best to discontinue it, exhume the bodies and take them elsewhere. Where relatives could be found, they were notified of these intentions. On October 9, 1918, some of the interested parties met and started to cut the brush from the part where the graves were. On October 15 the digging started. The Phelans and Conley were taken to Volga (see article "Correction" below), but those for whom no relatives could be found or who did no respond to the appeal were taken and put in a common grave at St. Joseph's cemetery at Elkader near the tool shed and marked with a tombstone of grey granite with a large Latin cross etched in the stone almost to its full length and width, and where the arms of the cross meet is a plaque which reads:

Here lie the remains of those who were formerly buried in the old cemetery.

In the death records at the courthouse at Elkader were found the names of two persons buried here. One called it "The Catholic burial ground near Communia", the other "Catholic cemetery, Colony, Iowa."

At this time persons known to have been buried there are (scroll down below the newspaper transcriptions for the burial list).

After the cemetery was abandoned Frank Tieden, who owned the land around it, bought the ground and it is now a cultivated field, but on the north side are a few trees among which is a cedar tree which no doubt was there when the cemetery was in use, and stands as a sentinal to the forgotten past.

We are indebted to a number of persons who helped make this article possible, especially Wm. Phelan, Masonville, Iowa, who found when the cemetery was discontinued and the digging started, in the records kept by his father, the late Tom Phelan, whose father, James Phelan, and three brothers, a sister and half sister were among those buried here. Wm. helped his father and Patrick Conley clear brush and dig up their loved ones.

~~~

Correcion

Correction on the article of last week on the Catholic Cemetery at Communia: The Conley and the Phelans were taken the next day and buried at St. Michael's Cemetery at Elkport, and it was thought some were taken to Volga, but those for whom no relatives could be found or who did not respond to the appeal were taken and put in a common grave at St. Joseph's Cemetery at Elkader. ~Clayton County Register, Wednesday, May 14, 1975 ~transcribed by S. Ferrall