Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: Block 2 St. John's Cemetery, Part IV

Block 2

St. John’s Cemetery

Part IV of IV

by Kathy O’Connor

 S. Boven – Real name is Phylias Bowin, who was born in 1861 and died in New Rockford, N.D. on January 25, 1933 at the age of 72. Not much information could be found on Phylias, as his death certificate did not list his birth date but just stated that he was 72 years old. No parents were listed or where he was born or if he was married or single. He is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 61 and his grave is unmarked.

 Anton Dietz – Born on October 19, 1901 in Romania to Fred and Mary Dietz. In the 1920 census, Anton was 18 years old and living at home in Superior Township, Eddy County, N.D. with his mother and father and five siblings – Jake, Gregory, Angeline, Frank and Joseph. Anton immigrated to the U.S. in 1915. His occupation was listed as farmer and he was single. He died on November 22, 1923 at Trinity Hospital in Minot, N.D. at the age of 22. Anton is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 10 and his grave does have a marker.

 John Coping or Kopseng – John Coping or Kopseng is a mystery person. The entry in the Catholic records state that Joe Romanoski bought a single grave for John Coping (Kopseng) on January 15, 1933. Notation was that Edward James Romanoski and John Coping (Kopseng) were in the same grave site in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 61. Edward James Romanoski was the son of Joe and Rose Romanoski who was born on January 20, 1933 and died on March 2, 1933. John Coping may have been Joe’s hired man at the time of his death. The family name Coping does not come up on any census in North Dakota but spelling it Kopseng does. There were Kopseng families in the Harvey, N.D. area but not one of them was a John Kopseng. He will just have to remain a mystery for now.

 Ray Schanhaar – Raymond Schanhaar was born on January 27, 1903 to John and Elizabeth Schanhaar. In the 1920 census, John and Elizabeth lived in the city of New Rockford, N.D. John’s occupation was listed as a shoemaker. Raymond and his wife Ethel were married when they were 21 in 1924. By the 1930 census they were living in Anoka, Minn. His occupation was listed as a bakery man. They had two children living with them– John, who was born in North Dakota in 1927 and Robert, who was born in Minnesota in 1929. It is a possibility that Raymond and Ethel lost a child while they were in North Dakota between 1924 and 1927. There is no marker for a Schanhaar baby. Raymond and Ethel are both buried in Anoka, Minnesota. John Schanhaar, Raymond’s father, is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 7, Lot 1 and his mother Elizabeth is buried in Wahpeton, N.D.

 Werlein Kurback (Huebschwerlen) –This name was misspelled in the Catholic record book. There is a notation in the year of 1922 that a single grave was purchased for a Huebschwerlen baby to be buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 10. A death certificate was issued for Francis Gerald Huebschwerlen who was born on February 20, 1922 and died on February 25, 1922 in New Rockford, N.D. His parents were Gerald and Marie Huebschwerlen of Sheyenne, N.D. There is no grave marker.

 Emma Dafoe – Born on January 17, 1866 (birthplace was unlisted) and died May 3, 1927 in New Rockford, N.D. Her parents were not listed on the death certificate. She had been living in Cherry Lake Township, Eddy County, N.D. for the last 25 years before her death. She was divorced from James Dafoe at the time of her death. Her informant on the death certificate was Mrs. James McDonald. Emma is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 62 and the grave is not marked.

 J. Pat Murphy – John Patrick Murphy was born around 1871 in Ireland. In the 1920 census he was living alone on a farm in Rosefield Township, Eddy County, N.D. His occupation was listed as farm laborer. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1884 and became a naturalized a citizen in 1899. He died on April 5, 1929 in the Donahue Hospital, New Rockford, N.D. after a brief illness. He was believed to be a single man. John is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 58 and his grave is unmarked.

 Frank Kuntz – Frank H. Kuntz was born in Odessa, Russia on November 17, 1885. He immigrated to the U.S. from Hamburg, Germany on the vessel Victoria and arrived at the port of New York in the state of New York on the 15th day of January, 1901. Frank’s World War I draft registration dated September 12, 1918 stated he was living in Pierce County, city of Selz, N.D. He petitioned for U.S. naturalization on June 20, 1929 in New Rockford, N.D. He stated he was a laborer for the Great Northern Railway section crew. In the 1920 census, Frank and his wife Mary (Lindle) lived in New Rockford Township, Eddy County, N.D. and they had no children. In the 1930 Census, Frank was widowed and was living alone on 3rd Ave. N. in New Rockford, N.D. His occupation was a second hand man for the Railroad. Frank died in the Donahue Hospital, New Rockford, N.D. on April 23, 1934, where he had been since July 1, 1933, at the age of 48 years, five months and six days. He had been a resident of New Rockford, N.D. for nine years. His wife, Mary, died in New Rockford, N.D. on March 11, 1929 at the age of 58 years, one month and zero days. Mary was born in Austria–Hungary on February 11, 1871. Frank and Mary are buried in St. John’s Cemetery, (Calvary Cemetery) in Block 2, Lot 58. Neither grave is marked with a stone.

 James Mulligan – James Mulligan was born in 1866 in north Ireland. In the 1930 census, he was a single man and boarding at the Maria McCabe farm in what is now Sheldon Township, Eddy County, N.D. and living with Maria’s son, Frank and another boarder. His occupation was listed as sheep herder. His death certificate stated that he died at home in the township of Tiffany, Eddy County, N.D. on November 16, 1934. He is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 8 and his grave is unmarked.

 John O’Keefe (1862 - 1923) – John O’Keefe was born in Wisconsin to Dennis and Catherine (O’Connor) O’Keefe. He grew up in Kandiyohi County, Minn. with his siblings, Honora, Mary, Ellen, Dennis, Daniel William (D.W.) and Kathyrn. By 1910, John, Dennis, D.W. and Kathryn had all moved to Munster township, Eddy County, N.D. John is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 61, but the headstone was moved to Lot 10 to make way for an access road.

 Baby Boy Gisi – According to a death certificate baby boy Gisi was born on February 10, 1922 and died on February 11, 1922 in the city of New Rockford, N.D. His parents were John and Fanny (Glaser) Gisi. Catholic records state there may have been a baby girl Gisi or Comer (Connor) baby in the same lot and grave. They are buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 39 and they are all unmarked.

 Andrew McAvoy – Born on June 30, 1908 to Pete and Anna (Jordstad) McAvoy in Tiffany Township, Eddy County, N.D. He died on August 6, 1927 in Tiffany Township, Eddy County, N.D. at the age of 19. It was stated on his death certificate that he was a farm laborer for his dad, Pete McAvoy. He is buried in St. John’s Cemetery (Calvary) in Block 2, Lot 59. His grave is unmarked.

 Clara Anton Gross – Born on July 18, 1931 and died on October 14, 1932. She was the first child and daughter of Andrew and Mary (Shell) Gross. Clara died in the township of Tiffany, Eddy County, N.D. In the 1930 census, Andrew and Mary were living in Tiffany Township, Eddy County, N.D. with four children. Andrew’s occupation was listed as general farmer. In the 1940 census they were living in the same place with five children. There is a stone marker for Clara.

 Baby Hallesy – Born and died on June 20, 1927 in New Rockford, N.D. The gender was not known. The parents were John and Lillian Hallesy. John and Lillian moved to Plentywood, Mont. in the 1930 census. They had two daughters, Jeanne M., age one, born in North Dakota and Irene, age one month, born in Montana. John’s occupation was a clerk in a butcher shop. Baby Hallesy is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, Block 2, Lot 62. No marker was found.

 Martin Lesmeister – There is an entry for a Martin Lesmeister (1888-1949) who lived in New Rockford Township, Eddy County, N.D. in the 1920, 1930 and 1940 censuses which states that a single grave was purchased on June 15, 1925. It was probably an infant. No death certificate could be found. Parents would have been Martin and Francis (Meier) Lesmeister. There is no known location for the burial in St. John’s Cemetery. No markers were found.

 Vincent Salem Nicolai –The seven-year-old son of Charles Nicolai and Stephanie Lynne (Adams) Nicolai. He was born on June 24, 2010 and died on May 18, 2018. He is buried beside his grandfather, Vincent Edward Nicolai in Block 2, Lot 16 of St. John’s Cemetery. There is a memorial for him on Find A Grave.

 Beverly Ehlers – Born on December 4, 1926 in McHenry, N.D. and died on November 3, 2019 in Fargo, N.D. She was the daughter of Anton and Dorothy Johanns. Her occupation was listed as Eddy County Treasurer for 15 years. She is buried beside her husband Russell Ehlers in Block 2, Lot 45 of St. John’s Cemetery. They had two children, Daniel and Diane. There is a memorial for her on Find a Grave.

 Eileen Schatz – Born on October 26, 1942 in Minot, N.D. and died on January 3, 2022 in Fargo, N.D. at the age of 79. She was the daughter of Chris and Barbara (Bachmeier) Schatz. She was never married. She is buried in St. John’s Cemetery in Block 2, Lot 34. No marker is present. There is a memorial for her on Find A Grave.

 There are approximately 176 graves in this Block. The earliest recorded burial is Thomas J. Conley in 1892. Family names in Block 2 are: Canning, Dugan, Butler, Stodolski, Mathews, Dolle, Johnson, Doherty, Gathman, Wenzel, Mulligan, Braaten, Turcotte, Klocke, Kubzik, Romanoski, O’Keefe, Dietz, Huebschwerlen, Petrosky, Davis, Helm, Lesmeister, Eisenzimmer, Risovi, Nicolai, Monson, Trudeau, Clavin, Lies, Sullivan, Laber, Seymour, Schatz, Munson, O’Connor, Coenen, Simon, Ulness, Nosbusch, McAllister, McGath, Gedrose, Troske, Rieder, Gisi, Sinkler, Schaefer, Ludwig, Indergaard, McEachern, Ehlers, Fautsch, Adamson, Geisinger, Jahnke, Kuntz, Murphy, McAvoy, Goldade, Gross, Hoffman, Schanhaar, Bowin, Hartman, Dafoe, Kujawa, Hallesy and Georgeson.