Our original listing of this cemetery came from research at the Musser Public Library in Muscatine and the old WPA Cemetery surveys of the 1930's.  It was resurveyed recently by Eleanor B. McCleary & Charlene Nichols Hixon, who prepared and submitted the following description and listing.  Items in red on the burial listing are from our original research and may or may not appear in the book Pike Township Cemetery Records, Muscatine County, IA  March 1836 - March  2001 by Eleanor B. McCleary & Charlene Nichols Hixon.  The book contains more information than we have available online (click the link to the book to see its table of contents and ordering information)

We thank Eleanor for all of her help with the Pike Township cemeteries.

Tucked away in wooded area is a small pioneer cemetery known as the old Wesson Cemetery. While studying the
1865 map of Muscatine County, we realized that the cemetery stands close to the property line between G. Olds, of
Section 23, Pike Township, and Joseph Wesson of Section 24. We learned that Gamaliel Olds was among the first
early settlers who staked a claim back in 1838. A few years later Joseph Wesson and his family became his neighbors when they bought three hundred acres from Isaac Carothers. The Warranty Deed dated 18 April 1842 is on file at the Muscatine County Recorder's Office.

In later years, the land was acquired by the Hollenbeck/Rogers family. The cemetery was labeled as Rogers Cemetery by the US Geographic Names Information System, (GNIS) State of Iowa. The name still may be found on some plat maps today.

Directions to the cemetery: Off Highway 22, one mile east of Nichols, turn south on Elder Avenue. Travel down
gravel road until you reach a Y in the road. Make a left onto 195th Street. Road will take a sharp right curve. Just on that bend is a house on the right. Directly across from the house is a path leading into an wooded area. It is just a
short walk.

This cemetery is no longer in use. The Wesson family grave markers are surrounded by a waist-high cement wall,
while the others are on the outside, in two short rows.
 
 

Last Name	First Name	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Notes
Olds	Mark A. H.	na	20 May 1841	son of G.  & H.H. Olds age 10 yr. 10 mos. (according to "Fork of the Rivers" by M.E. Brown Mark was the son of Gamaliel & Minerva H. Olds)
Purinton	John	14 Oct 1810	1 Aug 1843	Born in Colrain, MA
Purinton	Joseph	28 Dec 1812	19 May 1845	Foot stone reads " J.P." Born in Colrain, MA
Purinton	Rhoda M.	na	28 Jul 1845	Wife of Jesse A. Purinton  age 21 yrs. 9 mos. 9 dys.
Wesson	Joseph	na	16 Aug 1845	age 58 yrs. 8 mos. 20 dys.
Wesson	Louisa S.	na	28 Mar 1846	dau/of  J.  & A. Wesson age 10 yrs. 11 mos. 2 dys.
Wesson	Olive	na	5 Apr 1846	dau/of J. & A. Wesson  age 24 yrs. 2 mos. 1 dy.
Purinton	Marion	21 Mar 1848	6 Apr 1848	Twin, son of Jesse A & Mary A
Purinton	Miriam	21 Mar 1848	11 Apr 1848	Twin, dau of Jesse A & Mary A. Foot stone reads "M.A.P."
Cone	Chauncey Arthur	na	29 Sep 1859	son of  P.S. Cone & M.H. (Phillip S. & Minerva H.) Fed. Census Mortality Schedule 1860 Pike Twp.,  persons died during the year ending 1st Jun 1860 Charles A. Cone age 9 mos. b. IA
Purinton	Henry A.	na	4 Mar 1862	son of  J.A.  & M.A. Purinton  age 12 yrs. 3 mos. 1 dy.  Foot stone reads "H.A.P."
Wesson	Abigail	na	23 Apr. 1875	Wife of Joseph Wesson  age 81 yrs. 3 mos. 24 dys.
Unknown	initials G.A.R.	na	na	Headstone is gone, only foot stone remains.
Braynard	Debbie E.		25 Dec 1880	WPA only, not on McCleary rewalk  age 9 yr.

Cemetery history and excerpts from Pike Township Cemetery Records, Muscatine County, IA  March 1836-March 2001  copyrighted by Eleanor B. McCleary & Charlene Nichols Hixon.  Used by permission.  Other data copyright Rootbound Genealogy.