Description:
C. W. Howes Jr., of Colome, South Dakota, duly elected and qualified and acting County Surveyor for the County of Tripp in the State of South Dakota, surveyed the cemetery for the Ideal Cemetery Association, described as follows: part of the SE ¼ of Section 13, Township 101, Range 76, W. of 5” P.M., Tripp County, South Dakota as follows: commencing at SW corner, SE ¼ of Section 13, East 254 feet, to East line thence in northerly direction, 165 feet, to North line, thence West 254 feet, to West line, thence southerly direction 165 feet, to beginning. The lots are sixteen feet by sixteen feet with alley ways of four feet.
Land Donation for the Cemetery:
The land for the cemetery was given by William Witmer (W. W.) Lenker in 1909, when his son, Ora H. Lenker, drown in Thunder Creek, near the “U Cross Ranch,” East of their homestead. Ora’s funeral was held at the Lenker home at 10 a.m., June 27, 1909.
Cemetery Lots:
Mr. Lenker allowed in this cemetery lots for each of his children: Carl, Witmer, Marguerite Hibbs, Arzilla Willms and Ival Mason. Witmer and Carl are not buried at the Ideal Cemetery.
Original Lots:
Original lots were sold for the upkeep of the cemetery.
Lots that were recorded:
Lot 29--Willms, Arzilla (Lenker)
Lot 35--Brown
Lot 36--Notson
Lot 37--Anderson
Lot 38--Mason, Ival (Lenker)
Lot 41--Roosa, Joe
Lot 42--Roosa, Charlie
Lot 48--Olefson
Lot 49--Vandenburg
Lot 50--Hurd
Lot 51--Hibbs, Marguerite (Lenker)
Lot 52--Mahoney
Lot 53--Lantz
Lot 54--Brown
Lot 60--Lenker
Lot 61--Schwitter
Lot 62--Gruber
Lot 64--Young
Lot 65--Hampson
In recent years the Ideal Beavers 4-H Club has taken responsibility of the upkeep of the cemetery.
Cemetery Records Updated:
The cemetery records were updated by Richard & Betty Bice in April 1993, by compiling Lenker family cemetery records, death records from the Tripp County Courthouse, funeral records, W.P.A. Graves Registration Project of 1941 from the National Archives, which were supervised by W. W. Lenker, also tombstone readings and the measuring of graves.
It was found in this update that some graves had not been properly measured also some markers were not placed correctly. Both of these errors are common in all early cemeteries resulting from not measuring at the time of a death and tombstones added years later with no one to supervise the company placing the monuments. Because of these errors, lots 60, 61, 64 and 65, should be considered as concluded.
Note: Richard Bice, is the Great-Grandson of Robert J. Hampson, Sr.
| Name of Deceased | Grave No. | Lot No. | Bl. No. | Date of Death | Age | Sex | Veteran | Birth Date | Comments |
| Willms, Arzilla May | 6 | 29 | 1 | 02-Aug-1957 | 53 | Female | 00-000-1904 | ||
| Willms, William D. "Bill" | 8 | 29 | 1 | 00-000-1975 | 76 | Male | 00-000-1899 | ||
| Willms, Wayne W. | 9 | 29 | 1 | 14-Feb-1993 | 62 | Male | Yes | 00-Nov-1931 | Buried N. alley of Lot 29, extending Lot 29 into alley & joining Lot 16, grave numbering 9, 10, on NW of lot. |
| Brown, Henry Dodge | 5 | 35 | 1 | 05-Sep-1940 | 2y9m | Male | 20-Dec-1937 | ||
| Notson, Infant | 5 | 36 | 1 | No Date | |||||
| Anderson, M. N. (Infant) | 5 | 37 | 1 | 00-000-1923 | 0 | Male | 00-000-1923 | ||
| Mason, Baby | 5 | 38 | 1 | ||||||
| Mason, Ival A. | 6 | 38 | 1 | 00-000-1972 | 66 | Female | 00-000-1906 | ||
| Mason, Kenneth Ray | 7 | 38 | 1 | 00-000-1961 | Male | 00-000-1961 | |||
| Habger, Milt | 7A | 39 | 1 | 00-000-1988 | 76 | Male | 00-000-1912 | ||
| Habger, Marguerite | 8A | 39 | 1 | 00-000-1992 | 80 | Female | 00-000-1912 | ||
| Roosa, Ella M. | 7A | 41 | 1 | 00-000-1970 | 96 | Female | 00-000-1874 | ||
| Roosa, Josiah Eston | 6A | 41 | 1 | 21-Dec-1937 | Male | 00-000-1868 | |||
| Roosa, Elin Margart | 7A | 42 | 1 | 00-000-1938 | Female | 23-May-1906 | |||
| Roosa, Charles I. | 6 | 42 | 1 | 13-Oct-1977 | Male | Yes | 13-Dec-1900 | ||
| Olefson, (Will?) (Infant) | 6/7A | 48 | 1 | No Date | |||||
| Vandenberg, Margaret | 6/7A | 49 | 1 | 02-Dec-1915 | 5m | ck | 03-Jul-1915 | ||
| Hurd, Robert Donald (Twin) | 7A | 50 | 1 | 00-000-1916 | 00-000-1915 | ||||
| Hibbs, (Infant) | 5 | 51 | 1 | 01-Jan-1922 | Female ck | 01-Jan-1922 | Info from Obit | ||
| Hibbs, Marguerite | 7 | 51 | 1 | 00-000-1966 | 64 | Female | 00-000-1902 | ||
| Hibbs, Ray | 8 | 51 | 1 | No Date | Male | 00-000-1900 | |||
| Mahoney, (Child) | 5 | 52 | 1 | No Date | Male | ||||
| Lantz, (2 Twins) | 5 | 53 | 1 | 29-Aug-1922 | 0 | Male | |||
| Lantz, Earl J. W. | 6 | 53 | 1 | 11-Feb-1923 | 3 | Male | 00-000-1919 | ||
| Brown, Edward | 7A | 54 | 1 | 29-Oct-1923 | 59 | Male | 00-000-1865 | ||
| Knapheide, Henry Edward | 5 | 54 | 1 | 03-Mar-1934 | 16 | Male | 00-000-1917 | ||
| Shouse, Carol A. | 8 | 56 | 1 | 28-May-1924 | 0 | Female | |||
| Heller, Edward M. | 6/7A | 57 | 1 | 25-May-1917 | 3 | Male | 22 May 1817 | Info from Obit check | |
| Nelson, Lewis | 7 | 58 | 1 | ||||||
| Bowman, (Baby) | 6/7A | 59 | 1 | No Date | |||||
| Nephew, (Baby) | 7/8A | 59 | 1 | 00-000-1968 | 0 | ||||
| Halberg, Jaden Robert | 4 | 59 | 1 | 11-May-1981 | 2m | Male | 25-Feb-1981 | ||
| Lenker, Ora H. | 6A | 60 | 1 | 27-Jun-1909 | 15? | Male | 00-000-1894 | Incorrect placement of headstone 6A & 8, Lot 60, should be as shown here | |
| Lenker, Vera | 8 | 60 | 1 | 24-Dec-1909 | 12 | Female | 00-000-1897 | Incorrect death date on Vera's headstone, corrected here | |
| Lenker, William Witmer | 3 | 60 | 1 | 31-Dec-1947 | 82 | Male | 29 Oct 1865 | ||
| Lenker, Anna E. | 4 | 60 | 1 | 00-000-1957 | 88 | Female | 00-000-1869 | ||
| Schwitters, Lilly | 6A | 61 | 1 | 00-000-1909 | 39 | Female | 00-000-1870 | Info from Death Certificate | |
| Schwitters, John T. O. | 8 | 61 | 1 | 22-Sep-1917 | 24 | Male | 00-000-1893 | Info from Obit | |
| Schwitters, S. F. | 7A | 61 | 1 | 19-Feb-1940 | Male | 28 Aug 1869 | |||
| Schwitters, Harold | 5 | 61 | 1 | 25-May-1947 | Male | 05-Apr-1905 | Appears markers are incorrectly placed on Graves 7 & 8, Lot 61, should be as shown | ||
| Gruber, (Infant) | 2 | 61 | 1 | 00-000-1909 | 0 | Female | Correct measuring puts Gruber Infant in Lot 61 instead of 62 | ||
| Auble, Lewis J.* | 7A | 63 | 1 | *Body transferred to Ord, Nebraska | |||||
| Young, John | 5 | 64 | 1 | No Date | 0 | Male | |||
| Hampson, Margaret Bell | 6A | 65 | 1 | 08-Jul-1937 | 76 | Female | 20 Feb 1861 | ||
| Hampson, Robert James | 5 | 65 | 1 | 15-May-1947 | 86 | Male | 29 May 1861 | Records show burial as grave #2, but believe he was placed by wife in #5 | |
| Records corrected and updated by Richard & Betty Bice, April of 1993. Richard Bice, Great-Grandson of Robert J. Hampson, Sr. | |||||||||
| Name | Family Information | Cause of Death | Comments |
| Willms, Arzilla | Father--William W. Lenker;
Mother--Anna Hakes; Husband--William "Bill" Willms |
||
| Willms, William "Bill" | Multiple Embolism | ||
| Willms, Wayne W. | Son of Arzilla Willms;
Grandson of W. W. Lenker; |
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| Brown, Henry Dodge | Father--Dement Brown; Mother--Margaret (Madge) Hampson; Grandson of Robert Hampson, Sr, II. |
Eclampsis gastro intertional infection | Funeral held at home |
| Brown, Edward | |||
| Notson, (Infant) | |||
| Anderson, M. N. (Infant) | Infant of Nels Anderson; | ||
| Mason, Baby | Parents--Hank & Ival Mason | ||
| Mason, Ival A. | Daughter of--William Lenker;
Husband--Hank Mason |
||
| Mason, Kenneth Ray | Infant of--Shirly Mason; Grandson of W. W. Lenker; |
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| Roosa, Ella M. | Husband--Josiah E. Roosa | ||
| Roosa, Josiah Esto "Joe" | Father--Isaiah Roosa; Mother--Mary Turner; Wife--Ella M. Roosa |
Cerebral hemorrhage/ Acute labor pneumonia | Residence: Carter, SD |
| Roosa, Elin Margart | Father--Carl Carlson; Mother--Anna Anderson; Husband--Charles I. Roosa; |
Acute labor pneumonia | Born in Sweden; Place of Death-Wood, SD; Funeral--Wood, SD |
| Roosa, Charles I. | Tec. III, U. S. Army, WW II |
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| Knapheide, Henry Edward | Father--Oliver Knapheide; |
Acute Encephalitis | Place of Birth--Ideal, SD;
Funeral--At Ed Anderson home in Ideal, SD |
| Lantz, (Twins) | Son of Elof (E. N.) Lantz | Twins (2) buried | |
| Lantz, Earl J. W. | Infant son of Elof (E.N.) Lantz | ||
| Mahoney, (Child) | |||
| Hibbs, (Infant) | Infant of Ray &Marguerite Hibbs; Grandson of W. W. Lenker; |
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| Hibbs, Marguerite | Daughter of William W. Lenker; Wife of Ray Hibbs; |
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| Hurd, Robert Donald | Father--Tom Hurd; | Twin Infant | |
| Vandenberg, Margaret | Child of Gilber Vandenberg | ||
| Shouse, Carol A. | Infant; (1) Twin; | ||
| Heller, Edward M. | Son of Chas. & Dora Heller | ||
| Nelson, Lewis | Son of Will Nelson | ||
| Nephew, (Baby) | Baby of Rev. Nephew | ||
| Halberg, Jaden Robert | Father--Robert J.
Halberg; Mother--Lynn Lenker; Grandson of David Lenker; Great-Grandson of Witmer (Wit) Lenker; Great-Great-Grandson of William (W. W.) Lenker; |
Crib Death | |
| Lenker, Ora H. | Son of W. W. Lenker; | Drown in Thunder Creek; | First person to be buried in Ideal Cemetery |
| Lenker, William Witmer | Father--Jacob H. Lenker; Mother--Delilah Witner (Witmer?); |
Cerebral hemorrhage | Name used W. W.; Born at Silverton, PA; |
| Lenker, Vera | Daughter of W. W. Lenker; | Typhoid Fever | Headstone reads death in 1907; Courthouse & family records have 1909 |
| Lenker, Anna E. | Wife of William (W. W.) Lenker; | Maiden name--Hakes; | |
| Schwitters, Lilly | Wife of S. F. Schwitters; | Typhoid Fever | |
| Schwitters, John (T. O.) | Son of S. F. & L. G. Schwitters; | ||
| Schwitters, S. F. | Father--John Schwitter; Mother--Maria Willms; |
Chronic Myecarditis | Went by Swittney & Frank; Name on Funeral record-Schwitter Frank Schwitter; |
| Schwitters, Harold | Father--Swittney Schwitters; Mother--Lilly G. Powell; Wife--Gertrude Schwitters; |
Bronchi pneumonia, obstruction bowel; | |
| Young, John | Baby of Rev. Young; | ||
| Hampson, Margaret Bell | Father--John Brown; Mother--Elizabeth Offutt; Wife of Robert James Hampson, Sr., II; |
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| Hampson, Robert James, Sr., II | Father--Robert J. Hampson, I; Mother--Mary Hockenberry; |
Acute Coronary occlusion | |
| Auble, Lewis J.* | Body transferred to Ord, Nebraska; | ||