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Prosper Cemetery
Williams, Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota

Lat: 48° 54' 37"N, Lon: 94° 56’ 22"W
Prosper Twp, T163N R33W Sec 30

Contributed by Marjorie Broten, Sep 11, 2009, last edited Dec 13, 2010 [mjbroten@wiktel.com] Total records = 9.

The cemetery directions at Williams MN from the Junction of State Highway #11 & County Road #2 turn North, drive approx 8 miles watch for junctions of #11 & #53, from this point drive 1 mile further North. There will be a road to your right (east) which is #MMR290, a minimum maintenance road drive 1 mile to corner, turn north (left) here for .07 miles. Look (west) for a clump of posts wired together about 100 feet out from the original fence line that follows along the north to south road. This is the only readable Marble headstone of John W. Davis for a marking of this cemetery.

The one acre of land for this cemetery was deeded to the Prosper Township for a cemetery by Adolph Sorenson year of 1918. This was the same year of the deadly Spanish Flu. This is the history left behind by our early struggling pioneer families. The cemetery never had a church and today no sign with the name of Prosper Cemetery.

This once beautiful fenced around cemetery could be soon known only by a paper trail. One visible Marble headstone stands readable. There are 2 cement bases with missing headstones, 1 larger pad of concrete. The other headstones are gone, the caved in grounds behind each marker appears to be those of burials. These 7 graves lay in a row next to the only part of original fence left which was built for the cemetery from north to south, the lone readable grave is west about 100 feet from the fence line. Other fence posts now without wire had been placed about 15 feet apart going east to west putting the line between the 7 graves & the lone grave to the west.

Years ago the township was disorganized the cemetery became the property of Lake of the Woods County (the owner) the 3 sides of fence posts & wire are gone around the cemetery. The many grazing farm animals will in time destroy this one time peaceful resting place of those that have gone on before us. The damage to this cemetery is far greater than the benefit of the grazing of grasses by the cattle. The condition of the cemetery is in indescribable words, tramping of animals over the graves, manure piles being dropped wherever.

A walk thru was completed, readings of the only visible headstone & grave markers. This is completed transcript as of Sep 11, 2009. A digital camera has been used for pictures.

- Marjorie Broten

Legend:

b. = born d. = died d/o = daughter of ( ) = author's comments

s/o = son of s/w = shares stone with w/o = wife of

Davis, John W., b. 16 Sep 1884, d. 30 Dec 1918, only complete headstone left readable in this cemetery (headstone is approx 100 feet west of the north & south fence line where the other 7 people are buried)
Druding, Bill, no dates, he was buried later by his wife Myrtle, known as a logger
Druding, Myrtle, b. 14 Dec 1891, d. 11 Nov 1918, w/o Bill
Marschalk, Moritz, d. c. 1926/1927, great-grandfather of Paul Moritz II (obituary)
McGuire, Baby Noreen, b. 4 Nov 1923, d. 4 Nov 1923, relative of the Knight Family
McGuire, Baby, b. 15 Apr 1922, d. 16 Apr 1922
Neumiller, Hans, b. 16 May 1901, d. 11 Nov 1918, b/o Lewis & Walter
Neumiller, Lewis Richard, b. 23 Apr 1891, d. 4 Nov 1918, b/o Hans & Walter
Neumiller, Walter, b. 10 Feb 1898, d. 20 Mar 1917, b/o Hans & Walter

Misc:
The lone grave of John W. Davis was placed to what appears to be in the southwest corner of the cemetery. There is no evidence of a marker in the northwest corner. Many lilac bushes were present around the lone headstone but now have been shredded down to ground level. The old wire netting from part of the original fence appears laying worthless on acre of school land. Still the long wild grasses move with the wind and the wild flowers will bloom too until there gone. I would take this rather than have grazing & stampeding over my resting bones.
Ref:
-Lake of the Woods County Historical Museum
-Lake of the Woods County Commissioner
-Lake of the Woods Court House
-Lake of the Woods County Map 2003
-MGS-Lake of the Woods County Cemetery Listing
-History of Prosper Cemetery-Prosper Twp
-Prosper Cemetery Listing-Prosper Twp
-Copy of Record No. 61, Beltrami County page 495
(Adolph Sorenson & Township of Prosper 1918)
-History gathered from Family relatives
- I interviewed with James R. Sorenson

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