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Transcription of Church of St. Nicholas Catholic Cemetery New Market, Minnesota Scott County Compiled by Ronald J. Zweber & Patrick J. Mahowald March 31, 2005 Cover Photo: Aerial photograph of St. Nicholas Church, the School, and the “Old Cemetery” as of 1960. The Church of St. Nicholas was built upon one of the tallest hills in New Market, Minnesota. Table of Contents AN EARLY HISTORY......................................................................................................... 3 Burials Prior to the Church Records.............................................................................................................. 3 Oldest Pioneers Buried at St. Nicholas.......................................................................................................... 4 Immigrant Burials.......................................................................................................................................... 4 Civil War Veterans ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Small Pox Epidemic of 1882 ......................................................................................................................... 4 Diphtheria Epidemic of 1895......................................................................................................................... 4 Most Recent Burials ...................................................................................................................................... 5 How This Publication is organized................................................................................................................ 5 OLD CEMETERY ..................................................................................................................... 9 NEW CEMETERY.................................................................................................................. 43 BURIALS WITHOUT GRAVEMARKERS.................................................. 73 Copyright: "This book is intended as a memorial and family genealogy reference of our ancestors, relatives and friends of St. Nicholas parish. This information may be readily shared. But any reprinting for resale is prohibited." This book can be purchased at St. Nicholas, or viewed online at: WWW.Mahowald.Info/StNicholas . Also see this web site for other additional information. Acknowledgement: We want to thank the many people who contributed to this publication. With your help we were able to make this work a more valuable historical reference guide. A more detailed list of acknowledgements is listed on page 102. Published at: CORNERSTONE COPY CENTER - Burnsville, MN . March 31, 2005 ST. NICHOLAS CATHOLIC CEMETERY AN EARLY HISTORY The St. Nicholas cemetery has had approximately 930 burials during its 144-year history (1861-2005). From April 1858, when the first mass was said in New Market Township at the home of Martin Eischen, until the completion of the first church, traveling priests ministered to the Catholics of New Market. The earliest records (1858 through 1862) for the Catholic families living in New Market Township are commingled in the records of Assumption Church, St. Paul; Immaculate Conception Church, Faribault; St. Mary's, New Trier and possibly elsewhere. The traveling priest generally resided at these parishes. The church property was “purchased” by Bishop Grace from Peter J. Baltes in 1861. This purchase created a site for the first church, built in 1861, as well as the site for a church cemetery. The first church was a log building built on the site of the present "Old Cemetery”. This church remained until a frame church was built in 1871. Burials Prior to the Church Records Prior to January 1863, we do not have burial records for the newly established church. However, we have several gravestones that have survived, as well as other written records: 1) The History of the Minnesota Valley, by Rev. Edward D. Neill (1882), states in the New Market chapter, “The first person who died in the town was Mary Hoffelt, May 24, 1858. She was buried in St. Paul.” Mary was probably related to Peter Hoffelt and his wife Mary Offermann, who are buried at St. Nicholas, but the exact relationship is unknown. 2) Gravestone: Marie A. Ring, 1802-1861; Marie was the wife of Anton Ring and mother of four children, all sons, John Joseph, Peter, John Peter and Joseph. Marie's maiden name was Ficker and the family emigrated from Germany in July 1846. They lived in Kenosha County, Wisconsin until immigrating to New Market in either 1860 or early 1861. 3) Gravestone: Michael Moes, born 23 Dec 1859; died 28 Jan 1861; Michael was the son of Peter Moes and Mary Ann Timmisch. Peter Moes also was an early burial at St. Nicholas having died 1 Dec 1863, at the age of 34. 4) Gravestone: Michael King, born 1830 in Ireland; died 26 March 1862. Michael and his family were settlers in Webster Township, Rice Co., MN. When he died he was buried at St. Nicholas, as that was the closest cemetery. When Annunciation Church in Hazelwood was established, his family joined that parish and other family members are buried there. (Information provided by Peggy King, a great-granddaughter). 5) Notation in Parish Records: An undated notation states, “Mrs. Joseph A. Wagner says her bro (sic), Andrew Mahowald, son of Frank and Susan Mahowald, died when 1 & ½ years old and was the first person buried in St. Nicholas cemetery.” Other evidence suggests that Andrew was born in 1861 and died in 1862. If the gravestones noted above are correct, Andrew may not have been the first burial, but certainly one of the earlier ones. Early Church Burials that were recorded Beginning in 1863, Father Pius Beyer, was assigned to St. Nicholas. He resided in New Trier and handled a number of parishes. Father Beyer started keeping the records for St. Nicholas separate from the other parishes. 1) The first entry in the parish death registry is for a Catherine Plaesner, who was born 12 January 1858, died 27 January 1863 and was buried 29 January 1863. She was possibly the daughter of Damien Plaesner and Anna Klein, who are listed as parents in the first baptismal record after Father Beyer started keeping St. Nicholas records separate. The date of the baptismal entry is 21 February 1863. 3 ST. NICHOLAS CEMETERY March 2005 2) The second entry is for Christopher Baltes. Christopher was born 18 March 1837 and died 26 March 1863 in Mankato and was buried 30 March 1863. The records state that he was buried without a priest blessing, but Father Beyer did bless the grave on April 16, 1863, presumably the next time he was in New Market. Christopher was a Civil War veteran in Company F 7th Regiment. He was a private in the Army, stationed at Mankato, when he died at a "post hospital of congestion of the lungs." He was 26 years old and the son of Hubert Baltes and Anna M. Frings and a brother to Peter J. Baltes Peter J. had donated the land for the church and cemetery and both Hubert and Peter J., were instrumental in the first church's construction. Oldest Pioneers Buried at St. Nicholas Nicholas Backes is believed to be the only person buried at St. Nicholas who was born prior to 1800. He was born 5 Jan 1795 and died on 4 Jan 1879. Nicholas and his wife M. Josephine Dupre may have been from Luxembourg or the Alsace-Lorraine region. Other early pioneers born prior to 1810 include Susanna Hoeltgen Mahowald (her husband died in Lux.), Hubert Baltes (his wife died in Germany), Anton Ring & Marie A. Ficker, Anton Misslin & Maria Ortscheid, Theodore Rosen & Katharina Zimmer, Mathias Sauber & Elizabeth Sauser, Katharina Sauser Schneider (her husband died prior to their arrival in New Market), Susanna Seurer (maiden name not known), Peter Sprank & Margaret Hoffman, John von Kaufenberg & Margaret Herber, Martin Eischens & Elizabeth Donndelinger and John P, Holzem & his wife Margaret. Immigrant Burials There are approximately 130 burials of people who were born in a European country and buried at St. Nicholas. The majority of these people were born in Luxembourg or Germany (Prussia), but also included are immigrants from Holland, France, Austria, Czechoslovakia and one from Ireland. Civil War Veterans There are nine Civil War veterans buried at St. Nicholas. They are Christopher Baltes, Joseph Baltes, Anton DeGross, George Herber, Frank Mahowald, Joseph Pisbach, Joseph Ring, Michael Schneider and Jacob Steinmetz. Small Pox Epidemic of 1882 In July 1882 there was small pox epidemic that was centered in Credit River Twp., Scott Co., MN. This epidemic caused the death of three sons of Peter Sauser and Susanna Kirsch and the daughter and granddaughter of Mathias Sauser and Anna Katharina Reuchlin. These five burials at St. Nicholas occurred within several weeks. Diphtheria Epidemic of 1895 From the cemetery’s beginning in 1861 until 1894, the most burials in any one-year was nine, with most years having three or four. In 1895 the community was confronted with a diphtheria epidemic that substantially increased the burials to 36. The epidemic caused multiple deaths in several families, most notably, the Joseph Pisbach and Gertrude Bruck family, losing four children in 5 weeks; the Henry Stork and Mary Lenertz family, losing three daughters in less than a month; and the Henry Dircks and Anna M. Herber family losing Mr. Dircks and two children in one month. There were also several families that lost two families members that year, including the Adam Eischens/Catherine Friedges, Anton

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