A  view of  the Melhus Church that was destroyed by a tornado in 1944

The Melhus Evangelical Lutheran Church in Turner County was formed in the 1870's by a group of Norwegian settlers that had homesteaded in the area of Davis, Turner, Hooker, and Centerville.  It was associated with the Hauge Synod named after Norwegian revivalist lay preacher Hans Nielsen Hauge who de-emphasized formal worship and stressed personal faith.  Melhus associated with the Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Hooker and the Scandia Lutheran Church of Centerville to engage pastors.

A portion of Martin Erickson's homestead was identified as the location for a church ground and in 1892 a church was built and a cemetery was laid out in 1903.  There were apparently a few burials in the 1890's and there are several unknown graves some of which likely date before 1903.  The church building was destroyed by a tornado in 1944.  Shortly afterward the Melhus congregation merged with the Scandia Lutheran Church in Centerville. 

The very active Norwegian community stayed close together and their lives focused around their churches and related activities.  The church cemetery was an important part of their heritage and these rural cemeteries are still cared for by local family members with origins connecting them to the first settlers.

The Melhus Cemetery information database consists of 3 parts.

This information was prepared by Ken Tiahrt ([email protected]) with the generous assistance of the cemetery secretary
and may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use.  A special thank you is given to Charlotte Hoyt for taking the photos.  Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires written approval.

1.  A Cemetery Map

An approximate map of the cemetery showing the lots in relationship to the adjacent Turner County Roadways, 287 Street
& 447 Avenue, gives the user a physical setting.   Locations for a given burial plot are usually satisfactory for most genealogy purposes.

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2.  A List of Burials

A listing of the burials at Baptist Cemetery – Section 13 – Turner Township – Turner County, gives the individual names of persons buried.  This listing also gives the date of birth and date of death when available. 

3.  Photos of Grave Monuments

Each photo is matched to the individual listed on a given line entry.  The accuracy available with the records in this document 
is acceptable for most genealogical purposes.  Use your browser return icon to exit from a photo and go back to this page.