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THE DICK CEMETERY by Malinda Pauls. The first reference to the Dick cemetery which I found was listed on an Abstract of Deed form dated April 20, 1888. It states that "One half of an acre of land ... shall remain as a graveyard of the heirs of the late Peter Dick, deceased." It then describes the exact size of the cemetery which was part of a larger area containing 39 1/2 acres. The grantee at that time was Susanna (Dick) Wiens. After that it changed hands several times to Peter and Wilhelmina (Ortman) Dick and finally in 1905 it became the property of Isaak Dick. Today the property east of the Dick cemetery still belongs to Isaac Dick's descendants. (Information from the Register of Deeds Office, Turner County, Parker, SD) It always seemed a strange place for a cemetery since it is approximately half a mile south of the section line or the main roadway. But there was a purpose in this as related to me by Henry I. Dick, son of Isaac Dick. A family heading to Oregon came through this vicinity. One or two of their children died in Dakota Territory while enroute to Oregon. They were buried on the prairie in this location. Later there was a death in the Dick family and it could have been Peter Dick Sr. who died in January of 1887. Someone recalled the burial of the children at this location and the fact that the graves were free of water. Consequently, they decided that this would be a good place for a cemetery. A second story has been handed down through the generations. Someone cut the grass and made a haystack at the place of the cemetery. A death occurred during the winter. They removed the haystack and dug the grave at that site. The ground was not frozen solid and was very pliable. Each summer following this incident, they made sure that a haystack was put up in the cemetery. I'm not sure how long this continued or how they determined where the haystack should be placed in case of a death in winter. There were times when the cemetery was not properly cared for. Again, Henry Dick related this incident to me. At one time his mother, Mrs. Isaac Dick, and Mrs. Peter Dick, my grandmother, sent notices to all the people who had relatives buried in the cemetery. The purpose of this meeting was to mark the then unmarked graves. When the day for the meeting arrived, no one showed up but the two women and Henry who was just a boy then. Mrs. Peter Dick was quite familiar with the location of the various graves even though they were unmarked. So she and Mrs. Isaac Dick proceeded to mark the graves with sticks. Nothing was ever done to follow up on this and the markings have long since disappeared. It is not known how many unmarked graves are in the cemetery. The infant children of John D. and Katie (Dick) Ensz are buried in unmarked graves in the northwest comer of the cemetery. Peter Sr. and Katharina Dick are buried between the tree and the graves of Peter Jr. and Wilhelmina Dick. A committee was never formed to oversee the care of the cemetery. I’m not sure why, but apparently, no one took the initiative. As the Dick descendants married into other families many of them were buried at other locations. So there were years when no burials took place. I recall our family going to the cemetery to take care of the graves of our mother and infant daughters. We would clean our graves and others would do the same, but the grass around the graves was allowed to grow, sometimes to great heights. Henry Dick often hired people to care for the cemetery. Marvin Ortman mowed it for 10 years and I'm sure Henry Dick paid him out of his own pocket. When I was mowing, he would slip five dollars to me every now and then. Other individuals should have stepped forward to help him. After the death of my aunt in 1973, I suggested that we set up a fund or do something so it could be taken care of properly. However, her sons offered to mow it several times each summer which they did for some time. Then in 1978 I bought a mower and decided to take care of it. I had the summers free and most weekends so I enjoyed this time outdoors. Henry Dick generally cut the grass beside the long driveway. But many times I would mow it. I continued to do this through 1990. When Henry Dick died in 1983, he designated in his will that the proceeds of 20 acres of his crop land be used for the upkeep of the cemetery. After that I received payment each summer for mowing the cemetery. This has been done ever since, thanks to him. It is also used to make improvements as needed. Presently, 2004, Lisa Mathes does the mowing. Harvey Ortman keeps the driveway trimmed and presently takes care of the finances. There is a cemetery map, but it has vanished. At one time the map was in the Register of Deeds office in Parker, SD. I looked at it there perhaps in the late 70's and noted the grave sites of my great grandparents, Peter and Katharina Dick. Had, I known it would disappear, I certainly would have had a copy made. I checked the Register of Deeds office in 2004. They no longer have the map. I'm hoping that it will resurface one of these days. The above story of the Dick Cemetery is so very indicative of the founding of a rural farm private cemetery that it was given here to illustrate how one of these historic and revered places came into existence. Special thanks to the research author, Malinda Pauls for letting it be used.
************************************************************************************************* This information was prepared by Ken Tiahrt (tiahrt@montana.edu) with the generous assistance of Duane Tieszen and may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires written approval. 1. A Cemetery Map A map of the cemetery showing the individual lots in relationship to the nearby Turner County Roadway, 271st Street, gives the user a physical setting.
2. A List of Burials A listing of the burials at Dick Cemetery – Section 27 – Dolton Township – Turner County, gives the individual names in order of lot number, and site in the lot. This listing also gives the date of birth and date of death when available.
Photos of Grave Monuments |
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| Dick Cemetery Burial Record as of 2010 Section 27 - Dolton Township - Turner County - SD
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