WALNUT GENEALOGY SOCIETY PROJECTS
BY KAREN HANSEN
We are working on an index of burials at the Layton Township Cemetery to go on a sign, similar to the index that we made for the Lincoln Township Cemetery. We have scanned all three books of cemetery lot deeds for the Layton Township Cemetery and made indexes. My husband Jim has been spending many hours creating a map with the lot owners at Layton Township Cemetery. The map that the clerk had was in very bad shape. Gayle and Leo Stuart are working on a map of the Catholic Cemetery. We have a more detailed database of the burials at both Walnut cemeteries, thanks to the work of Erika Lees. Layton Township Cemetery, St. Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery, and Lincoln Township Cemetery are on findagrave and we have photos of the gravestones.
Lillee Anderson, Jim and I have worked on repairing and straightening many stones, mostly at Layton.
Barb Butcher and I continue to work on a book of information on those interred at the Lincoln Township Cemetery. We had thought that it would just be finding obituaries in the newspapers, but found out that most obits did not exist or were very short. Thus, it has involved much more searching and researching.
We scanned the Walnut Peace Church records, which include the German Lutheran Church records, and made a database index. We also have a database of the Presbyterian Church records.
We continue to add to our obituary notebooks that are organized by cemetery. Our extra obits are given to our member Adrian Brisee, who has the genealogy library at Irwin, Iowa.
We made an index of two birth certificate notebooks and are working on an index of three obituary notebooks. Glenna Thompsen has been doing typing for us; Jim and I have been editing. We certainly wish that it was easier to read some of the handwriting.
Tuesday afternoons are our scheduled time to work in the genealogy room at the library, but many of us spend countless hours working at home. This is evidenced by the two file drawers full of family queries.
We are beginning our 21st year of publishing this quarterly newsletter, Antique City Roots.
KH