On January 12, 2008 our crew tackled the Vitt-Burchardt Family Cemetery near Campbellton. January was chosen because of the extreme overgrowth in the cemetery. We chose wisely. The weather couldn’t have been better, with sunshine and highs in the upper forties.
Our small but effective crew is certainly worth their weight in gold. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., they had removed nearly all of the brush and undergrowth by 11:00! Our biggest stumbling block was getting the rather wet brush pile to ignite. However, by lunch time, the fire was sufficient to roast the hotdog's that a couple provided for our midday snack.
A special thanks to our friends who live in the a historic limestone house nearby. It was at their suggestion, and with much of their help, that this workday was accomplished. I am confident that they will maintain the cemetery for many years to come. Also, a big thanks to the man who owns the field surrounding the cemetery. He readily agreed to the cleanup and allowed us to burn the brush in his field.
The last burial at Vitt-Burchardt was in 1945. That year saw the end of World War II and the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As Mrs. Ida Vitt’s casket was lowered into the earth, one can imagine the sorrow of her four surviving sons and her three grandchildren. Twenty-nine years earlier, Mrs. Vitt would have stood by the side of her husband’s grave. Julius Vitt was tragically killed when stepping over a fence with a loaded gun. The gun went off and Julius joined his relatives in the family graveyard.
A little place with a large amount of human tragedy. Infants and small children nearly outnumber the amount of adults buried here. Such was common a hundred and more years ago. As of yesterday, this sad place looks much brighter and so much better! We can hope that the scattered descendants of the Vitts and Burkhardts will appreciate what has been done. And, don’t we all feel a little better?
VITT-BURCHARDT FAMILY CEMETERY
GPS: 38º 32.916; W091º 08.302; Elevation 681
GPS: 38º 32.916; W091º 08.302; Elevation 681
This is a small family plot located on private property. The cemetery is in a field and is surrounded by an iron fence and when visited in the summer of 2002 and January 2008, it was extremely overgrown with multi-flora roses, poison ivy and other vegetation.
Vitt, Pauline Oct. 9, 1864 January 29, 1873
Vitt, Anna T., geb. Schmidt 19 Apr. 1841 4 Jan. 1912
Vitt, Henry 22 Oct. 1835 1 Mar. 1920
Vitt, Arthur W. Aug. 31, 1888 Oct. 28, 1888
Burchardt, Theckla March 11, 1885 Oct. 6, 1889
Burchardt, William July 4, 1859 Feb. 5, 1888
Burchardt, Ida A. B. Sept. 14, 1883 Oct. 3, 1889
Vitt, Adele C. May 4, 1900 Jan. 9, 1901
Vitt, Julius Oct. 10, 1860 Nov. 30, 1916
Vitt, Ida Sept. 15, 1864 March 31, 1945
2 comments:
I am crying as I read this. Thank you so much for cleaning up the grave. As a direct descendant of the Vitts, THANK YOU THANK YOU!
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