Spring Lake Methodist Church Cemetery

Nininger Township, Dakota County, Minnesota: T115N - R18W, section 23

The paper version of this cemetery transcription is not yet available for viewal.

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This cemetery has not had any regular care in a long time. The cemetery grounds are very overgrown with weeds and trees. At the time of our visit, in August 2000, much of the cemetery was covered by fallen trees from a wind storm. Judging by the condition of the trees, I would estimate the wind storm occurred a couple of years ago. Within this cemetery there is a separately fenced section for the Laidlaw family.  Unfortunately, much of this fencing was crushed by the fallen trees.

The poor condition of the cemetery made it very difficult to locate and transcribe the burial monuments. Although there are likely more burial monuments than what I have listed, we were able to locate and transcribe the following:

Julia, daughter of ? and ? Cobb (?), died 17 May 1861, age ??

Phebe, wife of W.D. Hosford, died 10 December 1862, age 52 years 8 months

W.D. Hosford, died 12 November ?, age 70 years 7 months 15 days

William T. Hosford, died 18 (?) August 1865

?? Laidlaw (?), died 25 October 1867, age 3 months - in fenced area

A.I. Laidlaw, died 17 January 1880, age 47 years 11 months - in fenced area

Sarah Laidlaw, wife of E.T. Laidlaw, died 27 November 1884, age 23 years - in fenced area

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The Dakota county cemetery compilation lists this cemetery as: Spring Lake Church Cemetery. Public Cemetery. Established March 4, 1861. 1 acre. Located SE 1/4 of Section 23. Highway 42 and 55. (Abandoned).

In the 1881 "History of Dakota County, Minnesota and the city of Hastings", by Rev. Edward D. Neill, he wrote: ‘...The Spring Lake Methodist church, the only one in the town of Nininger, is located on the south-east corner of section 23, at the intersection of the wagon roads leading westward from Hastings and Nininger. The church society was organized about 1857. ... The society held service regularly until 1880 ... There is a small cemetery near the place, used as a general burial ground by the community.’ (page 443).

One of the best sources for information about the former town of Nininger and Spring Lake Cemetery is: "The History of Nininger ... More Than Just A Dream", by Leslie A. Guelcher. On page 110 there is a listing of the burial monument transcriptions that were compiled in 1982 for the Nininger book. They listed the following:

Brooks, 1876

Minnie Clark 13 February 1862 - 18 April 1884

Daniel Contryman, died 20 March 1861, age 68 years

Edithe, daughter of H.D. and S. Contryman [Should be Countryman], died 1865, age 1 year 11 months

Mary, wife of Daniel Contryman, died 8 October 1855, age 61 years 5 months

William Crow, died 19 June 1859, age 15 years

Phebe, wife of W.D. Hosford, died 10 December 1862, age 52 years 8 months

W.D. Hosford, died 12 November 1869 (?), age 70 years 7 months 15 days

Wm. T., son of S. and A. Hosford, died (?) 18 August 1865, age 2 years 7 months 22 days

A.I. Laidlaw, died 17 January 1880, age 47 years 11 months

Sarah, wife of E.T. Laidlaw, died 27 November 1884, age 23 years

Winfield Scott, son of R.L. and S.S. Peake, died 9 October 1876, age 2 years 9 months

Gersham Truax, died 9 December 1867, age 80 years 5 months

Margery G., wife of G. Truax, died 1 February 1864, age 80 years 6 months

Charles W., son of R.J. and E.A. Truax, died 15 October 1868, age 3 months 15 days

Wm. Vincent, husband of Esther Vincent, died 18 June 1864, age 74 years 6 months 20 days

‘Our Bertie’ - in Laidlaw family plot

‘Our little Mary E.’ - near Hosford

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