Hessen Cassel Cemetery, Fairfield Township, Indiana

The Hessen Cassel Cemetery is located on the south side of County Road 20, 1353 ft. west of the northeast corner of Section 35, Township 35N., Range 12E. in Fairfield Township, DeKalb County, Indiana. It is also known by the name of Rice Cemetery. This transcription contains a total of 3 stones, likely the only burials in the small family cemetery.

I obtained a plat map from the county surveyor’s office and found that it was laid out for 2 plots, each 10 ft. east and west and 20 ft. north and south. It is a 20-foot square cemetery. It is located just off the road right —of-way and has a 4-foot ornamental wire fence partially erected on the west and south sides. I believe at one time the fence may have encompassed the entire cemetery. The graves are sunken considerably from level and the cemetery is not maintained in any way. There are 3 stones on the site. The farthest south stone is small and says, John W., son of R.R. Rice, died May 3, 1860, aged 8 mos. 7 dys. The center stone is flat on the ground and says only R.R.R. The other side may have something on it but at the time I was there, the ground was frozen and | did not tum it over. The north Headstone is the larger and says R.R. Rice died Nov. 23, 1862, age 36 yrs., | mo., 12 da. This stone was not easily all legible, but I determined the figures as best I could. The R.R. Rice and date of death were quite legible. The R.R. stands for Richard R. as found in the courthouse deed transfers. Richard R. Rice’s wife’s name was Hannah, according to court deed records. This Richard R. Rice name appears quite often in the land deed records. At one place I noticed the courts issued a judgment against Richard Rice. He may have been a “wheeler and dealer.” The 1987 DeKalb County History says, about the Hessen Cassel Cemetery: It is rumored that a father and son were hung and then buried here as horse thieves. There may be others buried in this cemetery but do not have Headstones.

Paul Reinoehl

Since Paul’s enumeration a second addition has been added to this cemetery, and the daughter of Richard Randall and Hanna Rice was buried there, one Emma Loveland, who died on 2 Feb 1937.

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