Crawford County, Iowa: Gravestones of the Valley View Cemetery (Part 1: 1853-1890)
I have boxes upon boxes of old Dunham, Thompson and Pedersen photographs and keepsakes; I have quite a number of items from Z.T. Dunham and R.W. Dunham. I will be uploading them here on Hubpages, so be sure to follow me to get all the updates for your genealogy research.
Additional photographs may be added to these hubs.
You can see more photos of the Valley View Cemetery here.
Brief History of Valley View Cemetery
History of the Valley View Cemetery, provided by Ken Dunham and the Board of the Valley View Cemetery:
"On a hill across from the Dunham Sawmill, hidden from public view and nearly inaccessible, is the earliest cemetery of the Dunlap area. It is located one mile west of Dunlap on the south side of HWY 37, and still gives the visitor a beautiful view of the valley. Much of the history of early Dunlap is echoed in its quiet stones.
"The earliest white settlers in this part of Iowa came in the 1840s. At that time, this whole area was known as Monona County. Iowa had become a state in 1846, but almost all of its inhabitants still lived in the eastern part.
"The first of the Pioneers to die here was an eight-year-old boy, Jasper H. Dunham, who was buried in 1853 on this hill overlooking the beautiful Boyer Valley. Several more Crawford County Pioneers passed away and were buried at the top of the hill in the following years, including the first white settler of Crawford County, Cornelius Dunham.
"Finally, around Christmas of 1885, the land on top of the hill was officially donated and named "Valley View Cemetery." The names of the first officers of the Valley View Cemetery Board were Hayes, Milligan, Davis, McDole, Brown and Dunham. O'Banion and Dunham purchased the entrance gate. The last persons to be buried there were James Hall in 1912 (who was later moved to Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Dunlap) and Ben Pettis in 1914.
"Modern visitors go back in time when they go up the hill to the old cemetery. One can identify the bonding of those early settlers' heavenly hopes with their love of the land at Valley View; picking the highest point around, they not only buried their loved ones close to their God, they also gave them a perfect point from which to gaze upon their land and watch over the family and friends they left behind.
"As you read the old gravestones, imagine how people lived generations ago when Dunlap began to be established. The lines of poetry on the stones, indicating desire for peaceful rest and reunion with deceased loved ones, reflect the hardships of putting down roots in this untamed territory and the tragedy that went along with the loss of any family member who played a part in the struggle."
1853
Jasper Dunham
- 8 years 7 months
- September 6
- Block 28 Lot 5
1854
John C. Dunham
- 28 years 2 months
- October 31
- Block 35 Lot 8
1865
Cornelius Dunham Sr.
- 68 years
- October 3
- Block 28 Lot 8
1868
Alice M Dunham
- 18 years 7 months
- March 26
- Block 35 Lot 5
1874
E. O’Banion Sr.
- 75 years
- June 8
- Block 12 Lot 8
Carrie La Huie
- 1 year 2 months
- August 27
- Block 44 Lot 8
1876
Margretta Dunham
- 67 years
- September 24
- Block 28 Lot 8
1879
Jasper Ray O’Banion
- 1 year 6 months
- July 7
- Block 12 Lot 5
Fred J. Dunham
- 1 year 7 months
- July 25
- Block 44 Lot 7
1882
Louisa Milligan
- 53 years
- March 17
- Block 35 Lot 6
1883
Alfred Chase
- 6 months 12 days
- March 25
- Block 44 Lot 6
1884
J. Earl Milligan
- 7 days
- July 13
- Block 36 Lot 1
1886
Lillyann Pearl Milligan
- 5 months 10 days
- March 3
- Block 36 Lot 2
1887
Ora L O’Banion
- 20 years 6 months
- May 24
- Block 19 Lot 8
Jessie O’Banion
- August 22
- Block 13 Lot 5
