GERMAN CEMETERY, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Submitted to the LaGenWeb Archives by Debbie Cutrer Powers. Updated by Belford Carver, April 20, 2001 Updated by Frank A. Ricks III, May 19, 2001 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ THIS IS THE NEWER SECTION ROW 1 1. UNMARKED 2. UNMARKED 3. UNMARKED 4. MOLLY - 1971 -- dog (Boxer) 5. RUTH RICKS O'HARA-OCT. 26, 1900/OCT. 6, 1991 6. MILDRED M. RICKS- 1910/1983 7. GREER S. RICKS- 1903/1965 8. RUDOLPH F. RICKS- 1873/1964 9. CANDY BABY- 1955-1965 -- dog (Boxer) 10.JOHN RICKS- 1860/1900//CH RICKS- 1871-1900 11.PHILLIP RICKS- 1859/1867//WC RICKS- 1899/1900 12.ROSENA PETERS RICKS- APR. 30, 1836/AUG. 18, 1902 WIFE OF ALBERT RICKS 13.ALBERT RICKS- 1832/1875 14.LAURA RICKS- 1862-1886 15.ROSENA RICKS SALING- MAR.11, 1947--AGED 44 YRS. WIFE OF PAUL SALING 16.PAUL H. SALING, JR.- SEPT. 13, 1899/JAN. 21, 1966 17.UNMARKED 18.ADOLPH W. RICKS, JR.- AUG. 21, 1902/MAY 11, 1903 19.ADOLFH W. RICKS, SR.- JUL 8, 1856/NOV 10, 1927 20.ALBERT J. RICKS- APR 4, 1886/JUL 24, 1907 21.NOAH JOSEPH GAUTREAUX- JUL 13, 1911/MAY 4, 1982 22.ALBERTINE RICKS GAUTREAUX- JAN 22, 1922/DEC 25, 1971 23.LENA K. RICKS- 1880/1959 24.FRANK A. RICKS- 1875/1959 25.HELEN L. RICKS- AUG 21, 1911/FEB 28, 1983 26.JOSEPH A. KIHNEMANN- AUG 25, 1898/JAN 15, 1967 27.IDA RICKS KIHNEMANN- JAN 30, 1906/ 28.HELEN K. CRUZ- JUN 27, 1930/JAN 30, 1991 29.ANDREW "STICK" CRUZ- OCT 31, 1933/MAR 23, 1986 30.ABBY DANIELLE REED- SEPT 8, 1996/SEPT 8, 1996 ROW 2 1. UNMARKED 2. UNMARKED 3. EVA RICKS CUMMINGS- APR 11, 1918/JUN 30, 1964 4. JEAN MARIE CUMMINGS- JUL 7, 1941/APR 4, 1976 5. EUGENE JOHN CUMMINGS- JUL 28, 1919/OCT 14, 1996 6. ALBERT RICKS GAUTREAUX- AUG 6, 1946/MAR 30, 1989 7. FRANK A RICKS, JR.- MAY 16, 1908/OCT 1, 1984 JACK RAY REED- APR 5, 1930/MAR 11, 1991 ROW 3 1. JOHN JACOB BERGOLD- SEPT 22, 1859--AGED 50 YRS. 2. EARNEST MARGEUS- DIED AUG, 1860 3. MILLER - 2 GRAVES NO FIRST NAMES NO DATES 4. HIER RULL_________- ALEXANDRAMANN- AUG 28, 1863--22 YRS. OLD 5. ELIZABETH BENZ- JUL 19, 1861/MAR 18, 1890 WIFE OF GEORGE COOK ROW 4 1. JOHN OUDER- D. MARCH 4, 1868 NATIVE OF SAR LOUI, FRANCE 2. BARBARA OUDER- NO DATES ROW 5 1. UNMARKED GRAVES (ABOUT 3-4) 2. MARY HELEN SIGMON SASSONE- AUG 22, 1920/- 3. NENO SASSONE- FEB 15, 1918/JUL 28, 1993 US ARMY ROW 6 1. UNMARKED- NO NAMES-NO DATES 2. UNMARKED- NO NAMES-NO DATES ROW 7 1. JAMES E. SMITH- APR 3, 1888/JUN 6, 1948 LA SGT. US ARMY WWI 2. ADDIE THOMPSON SMITH- SEP 7, 1905/FEB 4, 1989 3. DOMINIC P. SASSONE- JUN 7, 1909/FEB 8, 1979 SGT. US ARMY WWII FATHER OF GRACE ANN AND JOHNNY SASSONE HUSBAND OF LILLIAN D. SASSONE ROW 8 1. AUGUST H. SMITH- 1885/1950 2. NELLIE SMITH- MAR 29, 1862/MAR 15, 1881 (NOT SURE ABOUT DATES) AGED 18 YRS. 11 MOTHS 16 DAYS 3. JAMES SMITH- JAN 2, 1871--45 YRS. 4. JAMES EMANUAL SMITH- SEPT 2, 1856/JUL 11, 1931 5. MARGARET MOCK PETERMANN-SEP 7, 1844/SEPT 10, 1933 6. JOHN PETERMANN- APR 2, 1844/ DEC 1, 1895 BORN IN DARMSTADT, GERMANY 7. CHRISTOPHER PETERMANN- AUG 23, 1877// AGE 6 MONTHS 8. CHARLIE JONES- JAN 9, 1868/AUG 20, 1869 INFANT SON OF SARAH AN AND WILLIAM JONES 9. SARAH ANN JONES- APR 1, 1837/JAN 2, 1871 WIFE OF DR. WILLIAM JONES 10.MOLLIE FORDESH- APR 19, 1866/MAY 29, 1873 DAU. OF MARY AND JOSEPH FORDESH 11.HELEN LOUISE FORDESH- APR 13, 1872/OCT 20, 1873 12.JOSEPH FORDESH- FEB 21, 1841/JUL 29, 1908 13.MARY FORDESH- JUL 1, 1844/JUN 1, 1916 14. FELIX H. VARNADO- SEP 5, 1838/NOV 22, 1888 ASSASSINATED 15.FRANK SASSONE- MAY 23, 1874/APR 3, 1951 HUS. OF GRACE FAZZIO SASSONE 16.GRACE FAZZIO SASSONE- OCT 30, 1879/APR 13, 1942 WIFE OF FRANK SASSONE 17.FRANK SASSONI- NOV 17, 1913/DEC 10, 1916 SON OF G.E. AND F. SASSONE--notice the I on the end of name instead of and E 18.TONEY SASSONI- SEPT 25, 1916/SEPT 17, 1917 SON OF DOMINICK & FRANCIS SASSONI 19.CARMELLA SASSONE- 1844/1926 WIFE OF ANTHONY SASSONE BORN IN SANTE RESA MASSENA, ITALY 20.MARTHA SASSONE- DEC 31, 1913/DEC 9, 1932 ROW 9 1. JOSEPH BUTSCHER- SUG 4, 1858/MAR 30, 1917 2. GUSTAVE EDWARD BORN 3. EDWARD BORN 4. THOMAS BORN, JR. 5. FRANK BORN 6. DORA BORN 7. OTTO BORN ****ALL NAMES ON ONE MARKER-NO DATES 8. THOMAS BORN, SR.- 1840/1920 9. MARY RAMBOW BORN- 1842/1906 10.HUGH VARNADO- FEB 2, 1884--AGE 29 YRS. 2 MO. 11.BARBARA MOOK SIPPEL- JAN 28, 1834/OCT 27, 1900 WIFE OF PHILLIP SIPPEL BORN IN GERMANY.....DIED IN OSYKA, MS 12.FRANCIS RESTUCCIA SASSONE- DEC 18, 1877/MAR 13, 1954 BORN IN SICILY, ITALY 13.DOMINICK SASSONE- DEC 23, 1877/DEC 15, 1948 BORN IN SICILY, ITALY ROW 10 1. HENRY A. BUTSCHER- JUN 5, 1877/FEB 18, 1900 SON OF WILLIAM BUTSCHER 2. ADOLPH C. BUTSCHER- MAR 30, 1868/NOV 9, 1895 SON OF WILLIAM BUTSCHER 3. ANNA BUTSCHER- DEC 6, 1836/MAY 8, 1893 WIFE OF WILLIAM BUTSCHER 4. WILLIE BUTSCHER- FEB 15, 1873/NOV 4, 1878 SON OF WILLIAM AND ANNA BUTSCHER ROW 11 1. UNMARKED 2. WILLIAM WEIHS, SR.- NOV 18, 1826/JUN 11, 1898 BORN IN PRUSSIA 3. CHRISTINE WEIHS- JUN 2, 1825/SEPT 21, 1896 BORN IN PRUSSIA---WIFE OF WILLIAM WEIHS, SR. 4. AUGUST WEIHS- JAN 24, 1862/OCT 17, 1878 SON OF WILLIAM & C. WEIHS 5. CHARLIE . WEIHS- AUG 8, 1900/JUN 10, 1901 SON OF J.G. & G.M. WEIHS 6. UNMARKED 7. LOUISA SCHULTHEIS- JUL 17, 1834/OCT 12, 1904 WIFE OF JACOB SCHULTHEIS BORN IN GERMANY DIED IN OSYKA, MS 8. GEORGE H. ADIS- MAR 15, 1894--AGE 41 YRS. 4 MO., 22 DAYS 9. A. GOSS- FEB 14, 1807/APR 4, 1884 ROW 12 1. MINNIE IDA STEINWEY- AUG 1, 1894/SEPT 2, 1894 DAU. OF CHARLES AND GRACE STEINWEY 2. JOHN L. BRAUNINGER- AUG 15, 1815/JAN 22, 1884 3. THERESA HAURAY BRAUNINGER- NOV 16, 1830/SEPT 24, 1908 WIFE OF JOHN L. BRAUNINGER BORN IN BADEN, GERMANY 4. THERESA SMITHERS- APR 14, 1901/MAY 7, 1903 DAU. OF J.H. & MARY SMITHERS 5. JOHN H. SMITHERS- JAN 1, 1874/JAN 2, 1924 6. MARY B. SMITHERS- AUG 12, 1860/OCT 20, 1953 ROW 13 1. UNMARKED-LARGE PLOT 2. LARGE PLOT WITH STONE THAT SAYS: IN MEMORY OF FATHER, SISTER, AND BROTHER ERECTED BY JJ MILLER 1929 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OLD GERMANY CEMETERY SECTION 1. ERNESTINE GRUNAU YOUNG- MAY 8, 1861/OCT 5, 1900 BORN IN GERMANY 2. MOSES HEUMAN- 1827/1900 3. SARA HEUMAN- 1822/1899 4. HANNAH LEVY- 1851/1899 5. MINA WOLF- DIED AUG 31, 1896 WIFE OF LAZAR WOLF BORN IN LAMBSHEIM, BARVARIA, GERMANY DIED IN OSYKA, MS 6. LAZAR WOLF- FEB 11, 1826/AUG 14, 1900 7. UNMARKED- MARKER BROKEN 8. EMILE CAHN- DIED OCT 29, 1880-AGE 36 YRS. NATIVE OF BARVARIA, GERMANY 9. LENA CAHN- MAR 26, 1854/NOV 17, 1898 10.POLINA COHN- JAN 1, 1839/OCT 22, 1888 WIFE OF SIMON COHN BORN IN FORDON, PRUSSIA *****NOTICE THE SPELLING OF LAST NAME DIFFER FROM OTHER 11.MORITZ MUNDT- OCT 25, 1886--44 YRS. BORN IN POSEN, PRUSSIA 12.BUNNA MUNDT- 1808/DEC 12, 1881 BORN IN WITKOWO, PRUSSIA 13.JACOB LEVINE- SEPT 26, 1881--47 YRS. 14.MARKER BROKEN 15.MARY HART- DEC 20, 1828/SEPT 30, 1878 WIFE OF HYMAN HART BORN IN POWIDZ, PRUSSIA, DIED IN OSYKA, MS 16.ISAAC HEUMAN- JUL 11, 1861/SEPT 29, 1878 BORN IN OSYKA, MA SON OF MOSES AND SARAH HEUMAN 17.BLANCHE KEIFFER- APR 22, 1883/SEPT 7, 1883 DAU OF LEOPOLD AND CARRIE KEIFFER 18.JULES MOYSE- MAY 31, 1852/DEC 1, 1878 BORN LES ETANGS, FRANCE, DIED OSYKA, MS 19.SUSAN HART- DIED NOV 17, 1878--AGE 67 YRS. WIFE OF JOSEPH HART NATIVE OF WITKOWO, PRUSSIA, DIED IN OSYKA, MA 20.MYER WOLF- JAN 24, 1857/OCT 24, 1878 BORN IN AMITE COUNTY, MS SON OF SAMUEL & HARRIET WOLF 21.LEHMAN DRYFUSS- 1855/OCT 23, 1878 22.EMANUEL CERF- APR 10, 1854/OCT 15, 1878 BORN AND DIED IN AMITE COUNT, MS 23.HENRY WOLF- SEPT 19, 1873/OCT 10, 1878 SON ON SAMUEL AND HARRIET WOLF 24.ISAIAH CERF- MAY 15, 1828/OCT 7, 1878 BORN IN HAGUENAU, ALSACE DIED IN OSYKA, MS 25.ESTELLE CERF- MAY 18, 1820/JUN 8, 1902 26.SAMUEL WOLF- MAY 18, 1824/JUN 26, 1899 BORN IN BUCHSWEILER, ALSACE DIED IN OSYKA, MS 27.HARRIET MOCK WOLF- JUNE 28, 1829/MAR 23, 1906 BORN IN MERTZWEILER, ALSACE, DIED IN NEW ORLEANS, LA ------------------------------------------------------------ GERMAN Located in Ward 1, on the German Cemetery Road, just east of US Hwy 51, about 3 miles north of the city limits of Kentwood, and about 1/4 of a mile south of the LA/MS state line. Section 2, T1S, R7E. GNIS coordinates: 305952N 902825W Updated by Belford Carver, April 20, 2001 KIHNEMANN Ida Ricks, Jan 30, 1906 - Jul 10, 1998 (She is Row 1 No. 27 on the previous reading.) Donald H. Duncan Sep 12, 1922 - Oct 12, 1999 [A story was related to me by a former Kentwood resident, who was also visiting the cemetery, that (Row 8, No. 14 on previous list) Felix H. Varnado was assassinated by (Row 11 No. 9) A. Goss. The Goss stone has a Masonic symbol inscribed, along with "A sinner saved by grace". The Varnado site has a newer stone erected by his wife and son, L. F. (Bud) Varnado Aug 4, 1966. He also stated that many of the Germans died in 1878 of yellow fever in New Orleans and their bodies shipped in freight cars to this location.] Further research indicated that the above mentioned assassination was directed by a Joel Goss, not A. Goss. 5/4/01 **** This area was at one time called Kirksville, but it was destroyed by fire. The settlement grew with the construction of the railroad from New Orleans to Osyka, MS, in the early 1800s. The president of the German Cemetery Association is Frank A. Ricks, III of New Orleans. A new fence is being constructed by this association. He has family buried here, and his father at one time lived in Klutchville. 4/30/01 -BEC- Note: There is a Daily Star article on the cemetery. It is called: "Long-forgotten cemetery holds piece of area's history," by Craig Malisow, Monday August 7, 2000, page 1 and 2. Email address for the paper is: starcityed@i-55.com This cemetery has also been referred to as Osyka German-Jewish Cemetery. -BEC- ------------------------------------------------------------ The German Cemetery is located one-quarter mile south of the Louisiana/Mississippi state line on US Hwy 51, just south of the town of Osyka, MS. and four miles north of the town of Kentwood, Louisiana. The German Association was formed February 8, 1870 as a fraternal organization in the town of Kirksville, Louisiana / Osyka, Mississippi. The German Association was reformed in 1998, and is chartered as a non-profit organization in the State of Louisiana. The cemetery is private and is owned by the current members of the German Association who are all descendents of the original members of German Association. Donations are welcomed to help support the cemetery. The German Cemetery is Private Property! No -Trespassing! Signs are posted. Access to the cemetery is not allowed to the general public. Access by non-members is allowed only with permission from the German Association. The town of Osyka was started in the year 1853, at the "end of the line" of the first 100 miles of rail from New Orleans of the "New Orleans-Jackson and Great Northern Railroad" (later to become the Illinois-Central Railroad). The first train to Osyka was in 1854. The town grew rapidly in 1854 to 1858, as this was also the time when many German immigrants were arriving at New Orleans. Many of these immigrants found work on the railroad and many more took the new train north from New Orleans into St. Helena Parish (later Tangipahoa Parish after 1869) to settle the farming lands of southeast Louisiana. Because of the large number of newly arrived immigrants, Osyka extended its streets south across the state line into Louisiana onto land owned by Lawrence Alexander Kirk, a surveyor for the railroad. The area south of the state line became known as Kirksville, La. L.A. Kirk sold the land to J. Jacob Bergold who built a hotel at Railroad Avenue and subdivided the remainder into squares of 400ft, x 400ft. each square was divided into 16 lots of 50ft.x 200ft. Bergold sold many lots in Kirksville to German immigrants. Later, Bergold sold the remainder of his 80 acres to Edward Rickes (Ricks). The land for the cemetery was donated by Edward Ricks and his wife Barbara to the German Association on February 8th 1870. "To have and to hold, forever". The German Association was formed by a group of German immigrants of both Catholic and Jewish faith, who started their own cemetery in Kirksville, rather than use the town of Osyka cemetery. According to family history passed down through generations, the Catholic and Jewish people were not allowed to be buried in the Osyka town cemetery. Later in the early 1900's, both Irish and Italian Catholic immigrants moved to the area and also began to bury their dead at the German Cemetery. The cemetery is 200ft. x 200ft. Square. In the northeast corner there is a brick walled area of 75ft. x 75ft. known as the Jewish cemetery. The brick wall was built by the Jewish members, to separate their burial space in accordance with Jewish religious practice. The remainder of the cemetery was in use long before 1870. There are many very old graves that have no headstone or other identifying markers that were probably made of wood and did not survive the ages. The oldest graves that have markers are in the Catholic area and date from 1859 through 1875. It has been reported in error that the Jewish cemetery was the oldest portion, the first graves there are in 1878. The German Cemetery has the graves of many of the German immigrants, who died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1878. Osyka had 53 deaths recorded from this epidemic. "Yellow fever" and "small pox" struck again in 1905. The cemetery has always been in constant use over the years and is still in use today. There are two families that use the cemetery to bury; they are the Sassone family of Osyka and the Ricks family of New Orleans. The cemetery has recently recieved a facelift with a new fence and trimming back of the trees and brush. Of note: The Ricks family buried at the cemetery, are of German origin. The family name was spelled Rickes in Germany and changed to Ricks sometime after the Rickes family settled at Kirksville. There are many people of the name Ricks who live in the area since the early 1800's who are from English ancestors. Like many immigrants the Rickes family wanted to become Americanized to fit in the community. In 1861, just six years after the Rickes family arrived in Louisiana, marked the beginning of the Civil War. The four brothers, Edward 36, Albert 32, Ferdinand 24 and Adolph Gustave 20, joined Capt. T. C. Rhodes' Cavalry Company, Partisan Rangers, which was formed on July 18, 1862 at Osyka. The brothers all enlisted on August 6, 1862. Rhodes' Co. later became Company "F" of the Fourteenth Confederate Cavalry, Mississippi and Louisiana companies. The unit was formed under the Act of April 1862, to " fight a Guerrilla type of war and to be the "Home Guard" to defend the command post at Osyka. The unit was attached to Major W. H. Garland's Battalion on duty at Ponchatoula, La. in October 1862. In January 1863 it was stationed near Tangipohoa to guard the approaches from Baton Bouge. The unit was detached from Garland before April 7, 1863. Capt. Rhodes, with about thirty men was command of the post at Osyka at the time of Griersons Raid on May 1, 1863. The unit operated in the rear of Federal troops during the Port Hudson Siege (May-June 1863). All of the brothers survived the War and returned home to their families. Frank A. Ricks III St. Rose, Louisiana May 19 2001