Soules Creek Cemetery TALES THE TOMBSTONES TELL

Tales The Tombstones Tell - Republican Observer - August 22, 1957

               Soules Creek Cemetery

    The cemetery up in the Soules Creek valley in Henrietta township is a cemetery that goes by the name of "Soules Creek." It is situated on a hillside a bit off the main road. It is now on land of the Allie Barreau farm, though back in 1874 it was owned by A. V. Stevens, we believe.

    The earliest settler of the township was Wm. W. Garfield, who settled down at the lower end of Soules Creek valley, a mile above Hub City in 1853. Mr. Garfield was born in Vermont, March 9, 1809. In 1830 he was married to Fanny Willard, who was also born in Vermont, April 16, 1804. In 1852 they started west to seek a home. They came to Wisconsin and stopped at Waukesha where they spent the winter. In the spring of 1853 they again started west by ox team. They came to what is now the town of Henrietta and took up their home in a hunter's cabin. Surrounding them was an unbroken wilderness of giant trees. Here on this farm he lived until his death, which his tombstone in the Soules Creek cemetery say was October 25, 1878. Mrs. Garfield died in May, 1879. Their youngest daughter, Carolyn, died in 1865, of smallpox contracted while teaching school at Debello. A son John M., buried here, was married to Nancy Judkins, daughter of an early settler in Rockbridge. John M. enlisted in the army in 1865 and served a year, when the war ended. He was a member of the first board of supervisors of the town of Henrietta. Mr. Garfield died August 11, 1894, and his wife died October 19, 1902, aged 72 years, 8 months and nine days. A line is engraved on her tombstone which says:
            "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

    On the marker for Mrs. William W. Garfield, the first white woman settler of Henrietta, is this:
            "Dear Mother, in earth's thorny paths,
            How long your feet have trod!
            To find at last this peaceful rest,
            Safe in the Arms of God."

    There are a number of familiar names upon the markers in this burying ground. Good, Maly, Burrington, Schoonover, Hall, Martin, Moore, Dixon.

    One of the stones marks the grave of Starr Titus and his wife, Elsa. He died April 6, 1859, aged 59 and Elsa died at the age of 41. Starr, at one time lived up in the Melancthon Creek area.

    Among other names on the stones are Cockroft, Tadder, Mead, Sugden, Robinson and Mellom. There are numerous markers for members of the Sugden family. One of these Johnnie Sugden, was a soldier in the Korean war, a corporal in Co. C 839 Wisconsin. He was born February 2, 1932, and died in August, 1952.

    Joel J. Stevens and his wife Mary, have a large monument. Mr. Stevens was born in 1850 and died in 1931. His wife was born in 1852 and passed on in 1929.

    Andrew Payne, born in 1861, and his wife, Jennie, born in 1877, are buried here. He died in 1932. Later his wife re-married a Mr. Jones who was familiarly known as "Peg Leg" Jones. They were all residents of Richland Center at one time.

    Sidney Mead and his wife Emma, are buried here as are also other members of the Mead family, who were prominent residents of Henrietta. Sidney Mead was born in 1877 and died in 1952. His wife died in 1941.

    Among the Civil War veterans are Wm. Kerns, a member of a New Jersey regiment and W. J. Cockroft, who belonged to Co. I, 22 Wisconsin.

     Burials are not frequent in this cemetery but it is kept nicely and there is plenty of room remaining for many, many more of the members of the families now sleeping therein. We may have missed some of the names as a storm was headed up the valley and rain was beginning to fall so we hastened down the hillside to the main highway and headed for home.

S.F.

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