Chickasaw County Cemetery Commission members and guests met at the Pearl Rock Cemetery Sunday afternoon August 10, 2003 and participated in a program of dedication. Pearl Rock Cemetery is located two miles south of Nashua along Highway 218. The Restoration of the cemetery is now complete. Two years ago, few even knew the area was actually a cemetery. It was overgrown with brush and trees. Volunteers spent several hundred hours restoring the place to attractiveness. Fred Reisner of Fredericksburg spoke thanking so many who helped make this restoration a success. Descendants of those buried there more than a century ago was also on hand to help with the dedication activities.
The day of the Dedication Ceremonies, August 2003
Pearl Rock Cemetery Before Restoration in 1999
Kim Waller of Belmond spoke in behalf of her relatives and spoke of the search she made to find her ancestors large stones to no avail. The descendants have now mounted a new monument in memory of Ludden and Barlett families who were buried there more than a century ago.
Historian Jeanette Kottke also spoke highlighting the history* of the Pearl Rock area and how the burial place was chosen in 1854. The cemetery recorded in court records has the area named as Pearl Rock Cemetery Association.
The singing of “Amazing Grace” was led by Cari Krause and members of the Civil War
Actors of Mason City. The Roll Call was then read of those buried in Pearl Rock Cemetery. Rev. Marion Sindt
of Nashua gave the blessing and dedicated this beautiful spot to the memory of all who were buried here.
Then Civil War Re-enactment Actors participated in civil War demonstrations.
They also gathered around the burial site to honor Civil War Veteran Frank Slawson whose burial marker has the original Government issue Civil War stone. It is located next to a large cement slab marking the Slawson family.
Special guests included Mike Magee of Waterloo, Steve and Donna Story of Wet Union who have been and continue to volunteer in many other area cemetery restoration projects Cemetery Commission members expressed thanks to all who volunteered for this project in the past two years. Refreshments were served by the Nashua Women of Today.
Attending the dedication ceremonies were descendants of the Barlett-Ludden Family. From left to right are: Lois Pals, Alexander, IA, William and Margie Barlett of Waterloo, IA; Georgia Hackbarth and Hazel Jenison, Clarion, IA; Linda Thompson and Kim Weller both of Belmond, IA.
The Barlett-Ludden descendants of relatives buried at Pearl Rock
*Early Bradford Township Pioneer settlers are buried here in Pearl Rock Cemetery
located in Section 31 west of U.S. Highway 218. The first known burial was that of Sumner Eli Pratt who died
of malaria on August 10, 1854. Sumner and his family were some of the very first settlers to come to this area.
Later a Pearl Rock village had a post office that was in service for the years of 1872 to 1878. Pearl Rock
Cemetery was just north of the village.
Records indicate that when the Pratt heirs received or sold the land, the cemetery was then known simply as
Pearl Rock Cemetery Association. The Catholics were buried on the south part and the Protestants on the
North part of the hill. When the land was divided, the fence line went through the cemetery – thus later known
as the Pearl Rock Catholic and Pearl Rock Protestant Cemeteries.
Many obituaries indicate that the north part of the cemetery was also known as Thomas Cemetery, probably
for the many Thomas family burials. Research in the archives has known records of burials which occurred on
the Pearl Rock Hillside from the years 1854 to the turn of the century (1900).
After the restoration was nearing completion, descendants of the earlier ancestors have erected a new
monument to replace the missing earlier stones. Surnames of known burials in the Protestant or also known
as 'Thomas' Cemetery are: Aldrich, Barlett, Connell, Fleming, Harris, Hildebrand, Knapp, Lockwood, Ludden,
McMahon, Medders, Molsoff, Parish, Pratt, Robinson, Sailor, Schmidt, Slosson/Slawson, Stocks, Thomas and
Waupner. The adjoining Pearl Rock Catholic Cemetery known burials includes the following surnames.
Doughtery, Farrell, Feeney, Hawkins, McConnell, O’Donnell, Somers and Stapleton.