The proprietors of the Town of Louisiana have given and granted for the public use and benefit all the streets and alleys as laid off according to the plat of the said Town, the west half of Block 21 for the use of a church, seminary and public burying ground, the whole right of property to said west half of said block 21 to be vested in the trusties of the Louisiana School Society and their successors forever -- the whole of Block 24 granted to the commissioners of Pike County and their successors forever for the use of the public buildings and the right of ferriage to the said town is reserved solely and exclusively to the proper use and benefit of Samuel K. Caldwell one of the proprietors of the said Town in the same manner as if the said Town had never been laid off.
Dec. 10, 1819 - Jan. 4, 1820  Sam'l K. Caldwell.

NOTE: Page 202 of Book A has a double page layout of the James Jones survey for the original town of Louisiana. 1875 Plat Map of the county shows Louisiana, page 64, and shows the location of Block 21 with west half on Fourth Street between Kentucky and Virginia Streets. The burials at this location apparently removed after 1850 to the lower part of the cemetery now knows as Riverview.

Copied and submitted by Bowen A. Rogers, 1 Oct 2006

First Cemetery, Louisiana, MO

Originally interred in Louisiana Cemetery and re-interred in Riverview Cemetery was Ratliff Boone (1781-1844) of Warrick Co., IN (cousin of Daniel Boone), b. 18 Jan 1781 in Franklin Co., NC. Ratliff came to Pike County in 1836. He fought in the war of 1812, served in numerous congressional offices and was Lt. Governor of Indiana from 1819-1824 with a brief stint as Governor in 1822. He died in Louisiana, Pike Co., MO on 20 Nov 1844.

NOTE: A son of Ratliff Boone, Bailey H., married Elizabeth Caldwell who was the daughter of Samuel K. Caldwell, one of the co-founders of the Town of Louisiana. The will of Ratliff Boone is shown in Pike County Probate, Vol. 3, page 259. The wife of Ratliff Boone was Delilah Bailey. You can read a brief political bio and see a picture of him here.

Submitted by Bowen A. Rogers, 1 Oct 2006

Written 8 Oct 1845 and proved 15 Oct 1845
Found in Probate records Vol. 3, Pages 337-341
Found in Pike County Deed Book 1, Page 433

"It is my wish that he [John E. Allen Jr., her son-in-law] should carry on the brick yard that I now have in operation until they can make and until a sufficient quantity of brick is made to put a good substantial brick wall around the family burying ground at the end of the garden on the home farm where I now reside and also install monuments to the memory of the deceased members of our family who are interred or buried there. My father [William Nash, Sr.] is buried there, his father [John Allen, Sr.] and mother [Sarah Allen] are buried there and I expect to be buried there myself."

NOTE: The italicized names surrounded by parentheses were added by the researcher/submitter. William Nash, Sr. died in early 1820's. John Allen, Sr. died before 17 Nov 1830 and Sarah Allen died before 23 Sept 1833. 
     It is not possible to place with certainty just where exactly this garden was or the location of the home. She was the owner of the NW Section 18, Township 54N, Range 1W. Her home farm was in this section. She also owned much of the SW Section of T54NR1W for a total of 246 acres at her death. She arranged that it be transferred to her grandson, Marshall S. Allen, at her death. Pike County Plat map of 1875, page 64 shows practically all this land a part of the Town of Louisiana by 1875, through the five M. S. Allen additions and other additions through land purchases by the developer from M. S. Allen.
     There is no evidence that a brick wall or tombstones were ever erected in compliance with her wishes. Her son-in-law, John E. Allen, was the owner of all the 246 acres, but got into financial trouble and was bailed out by Betty Parry, his mother-in-law. She took possession of all his assets 24 Dec 1824 and paid off much of his indebtedness and continued that endeavor the rest of her life. They continued to live together in the same house.
     John E. Allen died 4 Dec 1864
     Pamela Parry Allen, his wife, died 25 Jul 1861
     Marshall Sanders Allen, their son, died about 1880, probably in Shelby Co., MO
     Betty Parry died between the 8^th and 15^th of Oct 1845

Researched, copied and submitted by Bowen A. Rogers, 2 Oct 2006

Know all men by these presents that Mr. Marshall S. Allen and Delphia Allen the wife of the said Marshall S. Allen of the County of Pike and State of Missouri have this day for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars to the said Marshall S. Allen in hand paid by the City of Louisiana granted bargained and sold and by these presents do grant bargain and sell unto the said City of Louisiana the following described tract of land situate within the corporate limits of the said City and in the County and State aforesaid that is to say that certain parcel of ground described by metes and bounds as following to wit: Beginning at a post on the west bank of a small branch at a point ten feet westward from William Klings line and Seventy-five feet Southward from said Klings Northwest corner, thence South eighty two and 3/4 degrees west five chains to a post thence North Seven and 1/4 degrees West ten chains to a post thence North eighty two and 3/4 degrees East five chains to a post to the point of beginning containing five acres being a part of the Northwest 1/4 of Section eighteen (18) township fifty four (54) North Range West including the relinquishment of the right of way for a road forty feet wide extending from the Southeast corner of the cemetery Southward along the West line of William Klings land to the Northeast line of the Louisiana and Frankford plank road. The above described parcel of land being identical the same that is now enclosed and occupied by the City of Louisiana as a cemetery ground this deed of conveyance being made in lieu of a deed made by the said grantor about the year 1850 to the said City of Louisiana to the above described premises and which said deed has been lost and never recorded. To have and to hold the premises hereby conveyed with all the rights privileges and appwitenances there to belonging or in anywise appertaining unto the said City of Louisiana and its legal representatives forever. I the said Marshall S. Allen hereby covenanting to and with the said City of Louisiana its assigns successors and legal representatives for the said City and its legal representatives to warrant and defend the title to the premises hereby conveyed against the claim of any person whatsoever. In witness there of we have here with subscribed our names and affixed our Seals the 17th day of February AD 1860.
                                                                                Marshall S. Allen               "seal"
                                                                                Delphia Allen                     "seal"

Filed for record 21st February AD 1860
                                                                                  J. M. Martin, Recorder

Copied and submitted by Bowen A. Roger, 2 Oct 2006

The stones bearing the oldest death dates I am aware of are: 

Mary Stone who died September 1821 aged about 61 years. She was the widow of Samuel Small and a daughter of Joel Shaw, the co-founder of the Town of Louisiana. She was also the mother of Nancy Kelly.

Nancy Kelly died March 22, 1822 aged 27 years 1 month. Nancy Small Kelly was the first wife of Moses Kelly, marrying 15 Mar 1821. 

This mother and daughter are buried, according to the placement of the stones, next to each other and are in the large Moses Kelly lot which is raised within a concrete wall of about 8 inches. There are about 16 burials in this lot including Moses Kelly who died 24 Mar 1869. Many of these stones must have come from the old cemetery on 4th Street.

The above is in conflict with the D.A.R. findings in their publication of 1991. It is stated that cemetery records show a Fleece who died 1 April 1813 and probably is shown on an illegible sandstone slab on Lot 307. First, bear in mind this date is 2 days after the report6ed Indian slaying of Robert and James Jordan out of Buffalo Fort. The Town of Louisiana did not then exist. All settlers in the area were in the confines of Buffalo Fort. Second, there was a Sarah Martha Cole who married James Fleece 29 Nov 1857. Her father, husband and two infant children are buried in Riverview Cemetery. Sarah M. Fleece is buried at Fairview Grassy Creek Cemetery. Her stone reads "1838 - 1913" which is 100 years after the date on the Riveriew stone. Two of her adult children are also buried at Fairview.

The second most ancient burial as reported by the D.A.R. is of Thomas J. Baird, taken from a stone in poor condition. It was copied as born 1802 and died 13 Dec 1816, aged 14 years 5 months 4 days. Again the date of 1816 is before Louisiana existed. Pike County Mo. Probate Records contain a will of Thomas J. Baird written 8 Dec 1846 and proved 22 Dec. 1846. With this information at hand, I was able to decipher his stone as follows:

SACRED TO THE
MEMORY OF
THOMAS J. BAIRD
BORN JULY 9TH 1802 AND
DEPARTED THIS LIFE
DEC 13TH 1846
AGED 44 YEARS 5 MONTHS AND 4 DAYS

The D.A.R. misread the "4" in two places as a "1". Pike County Missouri People, Places and Pikers (1981) page 307 has a biography of Thomas J. Baird. The other Thomas Baird with a burial date of March 23, 1854 is the grandson of this Thomas Baird and died as a child.

Researched and submitted by Bowen A. Rogers, 2 Oct 2006 

© 2000 Rhonda Stolte Darnell