Back from the Dead
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Shan Jakobeit, left, and her mother Connie stand by the grave of Caroline Otto, who died in 1898. The top of the gravestone has broken away from the leaning pedestal. Photo by Andy Behlen -
The gravestone of Joseph J. and Ida Fietsam, another example of the bad condition of the grave stones at Williams Creek Cemetery.
The Williams Creek Cemetery Association reorganized recently after a six-year hiatus.
The last president of the association, Albert Jakobeit, died in 2021. He had been sick for a few years before that. Jakobeit and the late Robert “Buddy” Loehr, who died in 2010, took care of the cemetery for many years. In their absence, nature slowly took over the old graveyard on Kruppa Road.
Occasionally, family members of those buried at Williams Creek would come to mow around their family plots. But the Cemetery Association, tasked with basic ground maintenance and the selling of plots, effectively died with Jakobeit. His widow, Connie, and daughter, Shan, now hope to resurrect it.
“We’re hoping to get people back and involved,” said Shan Jakobeit, who is serving as the interim secretary-treasurer of the organization.
A few of the remaining association members met back in January to restart the organization. They elected Shan Jakobeit to her interim role. They also set another meeting date for Sunday, April 21.
Jakobeit said the condition of the gravestones spurred her and her mother into action. The rich black land prairie north of Ammannsville shifts every time it rains. Over the decades, this has caused the gravestones to lean. Some of the historic, obelisk-style have already toppled over.
“We’d like to straighten them, but we need to get ahold of family for permission,” she said. “We’ve got some stones that completely fell over in the back, after some cows got in here. This is a beautiful cemetery and I hate to see it destroyed.”
Descendants of those buried in the cemetery, those interested in purchasing a plot, or or anyone wishing to join the Association is invited to attend. It will take place at Williams Creek Cemetery at 2 p.m., with a potluck picnic to follow. Be sure to bring a lawn chair, as there is no where to sit in the cemetery. For more information contact Sham Jakobeit at (979) 702-1566 or email shanjakobeit@gmail. com.
About William’s Creek Cemetery
The cemetery association was established on Jan. 12, 1879. At that time, it was known as the Bluff Cemetery. According to the late local historian Norman Krischke, the first burial in the cemetery was for Alfred Munke, who died on June 11, 1881.
In addition, Krischke’s research indicated that the remains of several people who were buried in homestead cemeteries may have been moved to Williams Creek Cemetery before 1881. Those may have included Peter and Rosina Laux, Gustav A. Mensing, Theodor Merrem, Alma Merrem, George T. Fietsam, Klara J. Fietsam, and Friederike Hinze. Some of these people were among the earliest German settlers in Fayette County.
The identities of the people in three graves have been lost to time. In total, the cemetery contains 235 graves as of 2024.
The most recent burial was last year.