Catholic Churches of NCC includes: Saint Patrick Parish Seneca WI; Saint Philip Parish Rolling Ground WI; Saint Mary Parish Gays Mills WI; St James Cemetery Rising Sun WI; Kneeland Cemetery Seneca WI catholicchurchesofncc.com

10) St PATRICK PARISH SENECA, WI. CENTENNIAL BOOK 1872-1972

“On May 10, 1872, the Most Reverend Michael Heiss, Bishop of Lacrosse, issued the decree that brought into existence the Saint Patrick parish of Seneca.
Almost twenty years before that time, the Catholic Church began to function throughout the immediate area. Father Lucien Galthier of Prairie du Chien preside at the first mass known to have e been celebrated within the township of Seneca, and the site was the home of Robert Garvey in November of 1855. (Mary Garvey, daughter of Robert, kept house for Father Galtier.)

Some time later, a meeting to organize a Mission Parish took place in the same Robert Garvey home. A part of the stone foundation can still be seen from County trunk E on the Mike Heiss farm.

Also in 1855, another congregation was formed in Copper Creek, where services were held in the home of Thomas Dagnon, again conducted by Father Galthier. A log church was built in this community during the year 1859 in section 31, Township 10, Range 5 West. The remains of the cemetery can still be seen. The property was donated by Lawrence Bird from part of his farmland, and the church was known as St. Mark’s.

In 1866 [a frame] building was built on the Garvey settlement, on ground now part of the Lawrence Kneeland farm. The site can still be pointed out by Lawrence who is the great grandson of Thomas Kneeland, donor of the three acres for the church and cemetery. The location is Southwest of Southwest Section 27, Township 9 North, Range 5 West. Efforts to restore this cemetery were begun in the fall of 1971. This church was known as St. Peter’s.

Though efforts of Father Galtier and other Missionary priest who resided at Prairie du Chien from time to time, the spiritual needs of these people were cared for. Ina addition, father Flasch, Father Peter O’Connor and Father Patrick Murphy of Rising Sun also served the Catholics of the community.

In the meantime, plans were being made for the present church building, and it is said the Father Murphy was active in the plans for a new church. The southern portion of the present parish [St. Patrick, Seneca] was purchased by Bishop Heiss from Michael and Mary Huard, and the date of the transaction was November 4, 1867. However, work on the proposed new church was delayed because of Father Murphy’s poor health. Father Murphy died in Milwaukee on October 16, 1874, and, according to his wishes he was buried here in St. Patrick Cemetery.

Burials at Kneeland Cemetery date back to as far back as 1862. 1862 burials included Mary (Keefe) Crowley, Elizabeth Crowley and Catherine Kneeland.

Neither St. Patrick Parish, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee nor the Archdiocese of Lacrosse has been able to locate burial records of the Kneeland Cemetery.  Consequently, the remaining stones, if legible, are the only source of names/dates of Kneeland interments. A number of the remaining stones on graves and other in a stone pile contain information beyond names and dates.  Many stones contain information on the county in Ireland where the deceased were born or lived.  Some stones contain interesting poems or sayings.  The remaining stones are of a marble or granite type stone that survives much longer than limestone or similar. Most of the stones are in various states of disrepair and significant deterioration.

The only record of burials know at Kneeland Cemetery is the list compiled by “Coberly” in February 10, 1999 for the USGenWeb. The 23 name list was compiled based on the names on headstones in the cemetery in 1999. The names on the list were burials from 1862 to 1886. The outstanding and dedicated work of Burdette Coberly of the USGenWeb Project organization has been very helpful.

The family names interred at Kneeland, based on the list, includes 6 (six) Crowley’s, 1 (one ) Donahue, 5 (five) Flanagan’s, 2 (two) Kneeland’s, 1 (one ) Lennahan, 1(one) Mathews, 2 (two) Mullaney’s, 1(one) Peasley and 4 (four) Smith’s.  Approximately 12 of the burials (nearly ½)  are children age 15 or younger.

The Kneeland Cemetery is in Eastman, Wisconsin off Wisconsin “E” just a mile or so east of Wisconsin Highway 27.  The Norman Rose family property currently ais adjacent to the west side of the cemetery. To reach the cemetery off “E” by car, one must travel on the county designated cemetery easement through the Rose property. The cemetery can be reached by foot walking north from “E”.

1939 aerial photography shows cemetery access from “E” prior to “E” being paved. 

Kneeland cemetery is located near Seneca, Wisconsin.

The town of Seneca was organized April 7, 1857. Changes were made in its boundaries from time to time; its present limits were fixed by the addition of Lynxville in 1868. The first town meeting of Seneca was held April 7, 1857, at the house of Samuel Langdon. Joseph U. Searle was elected chairman of the town board; Ansel C. Russell and Daniel L. Smethurst, supervisors; James Smethurst, clerk; D. Tichenor, George F. Millet, Oliver Langdon and Lemuel Green, justices of the peace; Elihu Daggett, treasurer; George D. Clark, constable.

The few landowners there were had obtained their property from the government Homestead Act or through government programs of value land pricing designed to encourage settlement and development.

The Kneeland family owned land adjacent to the little frame church named St. Peter. Kneeland’s had selected an area of their property for burials. As time went on, neighbors asked the Kneeland’s for burial space for their loved ones.

The first Catholic services held within the limits of the town were held at the house of Robert Garvey, on section 34, town 9, range 5 west, in November, 1855, by the Rev. L. Gaultier, a French priest from Prairie du Chien. A congregation was organized and a mission was established at that date. In the fall of the same year, another congregation was formed on Copper creek, where services were held at the house of Thomas Degnan, conducted by the priest above mentioned. After the community, outgrew the Robert Garvey log house, catholic services were held at the ”the little frame church” called St. Peter until the erection of the St. Patrick Church edifice near the village of Seneca, which was in 1875. St. Peter was built near the Robert Garvey home and adjacent to the Thomas Kneeland property. The church was located on a path near what today is County Highway E” that lead from Stueben to what is now Highway 27 near Seneca town. Soon after the church was built, Thomas Kneeland donated land for a cemetery  from the churches north side up through his property, an area of 3 acres.

Thomas Kneeland donated 3 acres to Bishop John Martin Henni of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1857 to be used as a cemetery.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee was the owner of the cemetery until the Archdiocese of Milwaukee deeded the property to Bishop Michael Heiss of the Archdiocese of Lacrosse on February 29, 1872 for the sum of $1.

The transfer is recorded as a “Quit Claim Deed” in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. J. Callaway, Recorder and W.L. Cleaver, Notary Public, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The “Received for Record” date as April 24th, 1872. The legal description of the cemetery property is recorded in Crawford county Vol. 27, p.12

Owners of the property adjacent to the cemetery and through whose property the cemetery is accessed  have included the family names of Kneeland, Foley, Borne, Boebel. 

Recorded documents detail the original Kneeland Cemetery to be a total of 3 acres. The cemetery is recorded in Vol.27 p. 124. Of the county records.

The cemetery shows on virtually all maps of the area dating back to the earliest of maps.  The cemetery is depicted by a “+” on the maps. On some maps,  “line art’ of a church structure shows next to the “+”.

While no record exists of the official name of the cemetery from the 1800’s, the cemetery became known as the Kneeland Cemetery (based on the land donation from Thomas Kneeland).

Records and research seem to suggest the cemetery was known originally as being part of “The Garvey Settlement”. This assumption is based on individual burial records of some of the individuals interred at Kneeland.  These burial records at the Diocese of Lacrosse Archives note he/she is being buried at  the catholic cemetery at “Garvey Settlement”. 

The cemetery became known as the Kneeland cemetery in later years. The state of Wisconsin Historical Society has the cemetery recorded as Kneeland Cemetery.

In the mid 1850’s, Robert Garvey owned the property adjacent to the Thomas Kneeland property. The 1^st catholic mass service in the area was held at the Robert Garvey log house.

  A “little frame church” know as St. Peters was subsequently built on, or very near the foundation of the original Robert Garvey house.  The Garvey property was directly adjacent and south of the property Thomas Kneeland donated to the church to be used a cemetery.

Some burials on the cemeterty property  are unmarked. 

When St. Patrick’s Church in Seneca was opened in 1875, the “little frame church” was closed, but not torn down,  and continued to be  used on "special occasions".  The church structure was sold in an auction to area resident Fred Wall who moved the structure to his property.

When St. Patrick’s Parish church and its adjoining cemetery was opened, Kneeland Cemetery was “abandoned” and subsequently fell into a state of disrepair.

In the 1930’s and again in the 1950’s, local Kneeland Cemetery area neighbors and residents “cleared” the Kneeland Cemetery of brush and trees.  Stories suggest the fenced of the cemetery was at times used for livestock.  It is also told; the cemetery area was a well-known rabbit hunting area due to growth of hazel-brush. That hunting and pasturing use, in addition to a lack of security and maintenance, likely resulted in headstones being removed and damaged.

There appears to be no documentation of exactly who was buried in the Kneeland cemetery or which burial graves had tombstones. What tombstones remain, most probably only represent a sampling of the stones that were originally in the cemetery.  

A relatively  few monument stones remain as of 2016. Virtually all of these are in various states of disrepair and deterioration. Many are virtually illegible.  Some  of the stones are gathered in stone piles that may or may not be directly above the actual grave.  The monuments of the family names include Crowley, Brady, Flanagan, Kneeland, Lennahan, Mathews, Mullaney, Peasley, and Smith.

The oldest stone dates back to 1862.  The stone monument marks the burial location of Mary (O'Keefe) Crowley who passed away Dec. 23, 1862. Her granddaughter Elizabeth passed away August 10, 1862 and was buried in adjacent to her grandmother Mary Crowley. 

Another 1862 burial was that of Catherine Donahue who passed away on October 4, 1862.

The last burial, based on tombstone dates, is that of Michael Peasley who passed away on May 22, 1878.

Virtually all of the tombstones that remain are individuals of Irish descent.  Many of the tombstones detail where in Ireland the deceased resided  prior to coming to Crawford County. Tombstones note County Kerry and County Clare. Mary Crowley was from County Waterford.

 

Some references to Kneeland Cemetery and “the little frame church” in historical documents include :

 From St. Gabriel’s Parish History:

…..Father Galtier….made regular visits…Similarly, at Seneca, in 1855, Mass was said in the home of a Robert Garvey. A frame church was built later on the site, and a cemetery-part of the present Kneeland farm-was subsequently added. The church has since been removed and the cemetery abandoned.”

 

From the St. Patrick, Seneca Centennial Booklet 1872-1972:

“In 1866, (a frame) building was built on the Garvey settlement, on ground now part of the Lawrence Kneeland farm. The site can still be pointed out by Lawrence who is the great grandson of Thomas Kneeland, donor of the three acres for the church and cemetery. The location is SW of SW Section 27, Township 9 north, Range 5 West. Efforts to restore the cemetery were begun in the fall of 1971. This church was known as St. Peter’s.”

“There are, at the present time (1884) six cemeteries…..one on Section 27, near the little frame church”…”

 

From the History of Crawford County Book:

 

“The Kneeland Cemetery is located in Section 27, Town 9, range 5 west. Records taken from the Register of deeds show that Thomas Kneeland deed the land in section 27, Town 9, Range 5 West to Milwaukee Diocese of the catholic church in 1870; and they in turn deeded the land to the Lacrosse Diocese in 1872. Apparently the cemetery and church site was in existence before 1862. As recorded on the tombstones still standing in the cemetery, there were burials from 1862 to as late as 1884. Many burials were reinterred in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Seneca.. names appearing on stones in this cemetery are Flanigan, Crowley, Smith. Mullaney, Kneeland, Lennahan and Brady. There is apparently no perpetual care on the 20 odd burials and the site might well receive some attention.”

 

From ????:

 “…the other(church)  located near Pine creek close to the Robert Garvey home in sight of which is seen God’s acre enclosed with large evergreen trees. Near the cemetery stood a frame church until it was removed after St. Patrick’s church was built in 1874 in the village of Seneca. It was to this church Bishop Heiss brought confirmation the very year Lacrosse became a diocese. The Garvey settlement known also as St. Mark’s attracted the Irish settlers.”

 

From the Doctor Scanlan papers at the UW-Platteville:

“The Garvey Settlement was visited and mass was said in a log house in 1855. A few years alter a frame church was erected on an adjoining farm and near it a small cemetery of about an acre is fence, and all around it a row of large evergreen trees. When Seneca built St. Patrick’s Church on the edge of the village and started a new cemetery, the church in the Garvey settlement was torn down..”

 

NOTE; Newspaper accounts of this differ from Dr. Scanlan’s writing as the Kickapoo Chief newspaper reports the building was auctioned and sold to Fred Wall who moved the church structure to his farm.

 

From the writing by Father James E. Noonan in march 5, 1956:

“St. Patrick’s Parish is located in the southwestern section of Crawford County. The first mass said in the area was offered by Father Lucien Galtier of prairie du Chien in November 1855. The home of Robert Garvey was the site of the mass. It was also the scene where the parish-organizing meeting took place.

In the same year, another mission was established in the Copper Creek area, and mass was said in the home of Thomas Degnan. During the next three years, two log churches were built. The church near the Garvey home was called St. peter’s, and that of Copper creek was named St. Marl\k’s. The land for the latter church was donated by Lawrence Bird, from part of his own farming land.

…some 10 years later, the year 1869, Father Patrick Murphy of Rising Sun met with the Catholics of the community to plan for the present (St. Patrick’s) church building. The site was chosen, but nothing further was done about it. Owing to ill health, Father Murphy, has to resign within a short time. He died in St. Mary’s Hospital, Milwaukee, October 16,1874. His last request was that his mortal remains be placed in some part of the cemetery of St. Patrick’s parish. This request was fulfilled.”

 

 

Research has now determined there are unmarked graves in the cemetery as well as approximately 22 headstones with the names of 27 burials. Virtually all of the stones are in poor condition, broken, moved and somewhat illegible.  It is possible that graves were around the St. Peter structure and on the grounds from the site of the church structure to where the remaining headstones are today.

The area where the headstones remain is at the far north of the 3 acre cemetery. Some graves on that part of the cemetery pre-date ”the little frame church”. 

Descendants of pioneer settlers were interviewed about the cemetery and reported that the barbed wire fencing was installed sometime in the 1920’ or 30’s for the purpose of fencing in pigs. That use of the cemetery was most certainly not approved by the owners of the cemetery, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. But, since the cemetery was “abandoned” in the 1870’s, there was likely little oversight or knowledge of what was done which resulted in no pushback by the church or civil authorities. When the fenced area was no longer used for pastuing, it became overgrown. It was known by area residents as a great place for rabbit hunting. In the 1950’s , community volunteers lead cleared the cemetery.

Highway work done on County Highway E may have impacted the southern end of the cemetery. “the little frame church” was just to the south of “E” which, when the church was built, was a dirt path from Stueben to Crowley Ridge and then west toward Seneca and the Mississippi River towns. The highway  work appears to have resulted in a steep bank at the south end of the cemetery . Doing  so, cut off direct access from where the church was, just south of “E”, to the cemetery. 

St. Peter , as the ” little frame church” was known, was the catholic community center until St. Patrick Church in Seneca was built in 1874. The cemetery around St. Patrick Church also opened that time. After the opening of St. Patrick Cemetery, there were only a few burials at Kneeland. The Kickapoo chief newspaper of the time, reported that some graves had been moved from Kneeland cemetery to St. Patrick cemetery.  Soon, the Kneeland cemetery was “abandoned” and became overgrown. The St. Peter structure remained and was occasionally used for special services after St. Patrick opened, the local Kickapoo newspaper had an article that the St. Peter structure was sold at auction to Fred Wall who rhen moved the church structure. 

A newspaper article of the time states,  that the remains in some of the graves in Kneeland Cemetery were "moved "to the cemetery at St. Patrick’s Church in Seneca when the St. Patrick’s cemetery was opened in 1875.

The distance between Kneeland Cemetery and St. Patrick Cemetery is approximately 2 miles. The graves would have been hand dug, remains exhumed and transported by horse and wagon. Of course, it is not known, what the definition of a “moving a  grave” was in the mid to late 1870’s.  “Moving a grave” could have ranged from transporting a representative shovel of dirt and the headstone to a full exhumation and movement of a headstone. Or perhaps, “moving’ could have been only the moving of the headstone.

No record of the names of the actual remains that were moved can be located in either the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and/or the Archdiocese of Lacrosse. No record of the names of the actual remains that were not moved can be located in either the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and/or the Archdiocese of Lacrosse. Consequently, it is not definite what remains, if any, are still interred at Kneeland Cemetery. At this time in history, it is unclear who would have had the authority to allow exhumations at Kneeland and subsequent re-interment at St. Patrick’s cemetery

To try to establish grave numbers and locations at Kneeland, a  Ground Penetrating Radar” (GPR) project was done in the Spring of 2016.  The project was limited to the south side of the fenced area of the cemetery.

The project was managed by an experienced Professor from a  University in Wisconsin.  The results showed unmarked (no headstone) graves.  The results also suggest that there were no graves “moved” in the area of the study as the radar showed no soil disturbance other than the soil disturbance from the original excavation.

Subsequent to the ground study, an Archeologist of the University of Wisconsin  toured the Kneeland Cemetery property.  The archeologist noted there were many additional grave areas likely in addition to the area where the GPR identified burial based on obvious soil depressions in the cemetery area.

In 2019, a professional survey and a professional title search were done to verify the size and legal owner of the cemetery. The results clearly showed the cemetery was 3 acres and the owner is the Archdiocese of Lacrosse.  The fenced area of the cemetery is only a part of the 3 acre cemetery.

 St. Patrick’s Parish manages the Kneeland Cemetery maintenance. The primary maintenance is mowing.

In the winter of 2016/2017, the Archdiocese Cemetery Director was informed of the study and other cemetery research.  In January 2017, the archivist of the Archdiocese was also informed of the study and research.

It was brought to the attention of the archdiocese that while the cemetery fenced area was less than an acre, the archdiocese did own 3 acres.

Other than the barbed wire fence surrounding approximately .57 acres of the cemetery, no signage or other perimeter was in place until signage at the cemetery and on Highway “E” was added in 2019.  There is an opening in the fenced area that allows freedom to enter and exit the cemetery. 

When the survey was done in 2019 2’ iron rods were planted at the  4 corners of the cemetery.

Much of the history of SW Wisconsin and the Seneca/Eastman areas of Crawford county has its beginning in Ireland in the mid 1800’s. So does the history of Kneeland Cemetery and “the little frame church” called St. Peter which became St. Patrick Parish.

 The Irish that settled in the Eastman/Seneca were devout Catholics. They found themselves in a new country with no church and no priest. Soon they secured a visiting priest and held services at the Robert Garvey log house until they outgrew the house and built a small “little frame church” named St. Peter.

No history of Crawford County and SW Wisconsin  is complete without the including the history of “the little frame church” and Kneeland Cemetery.  Kneeland Cemetery and the “little frame church” represent some of the earliest days of settlers and settlement in Crawford County.  Both are history and deserve preservation in history writing and in the area land preservation and designation.

When the little frame church and Kneeland Cemetery began, the area was a perfect wilderness, with abundant wild game of all kinds. Access to the are was limited and pioneer settlers were few. As land was cleared, corn, potato, grains farming and domestic animal farms grew. The timber that was harvested provided logs for house, fuel for heat and the sale of timer generated cash for living and farming expenses.

The growth in  population, prosperity and the advent of the railroads lead to the development of towns like Seneca, Eastman, Stueben, and more. Continued growth and development lead to the establishment of schools and multiple church parishes.

Maps from the 1800’s that showed the Kneeland Cemetery and "the little frame church "adjacent to each other.

There are mentions of the cemetery in various history books, St. Patrick historical publications and in period newspapers. The cemetery was referenced in documents as the " Catholic Cemetery", "Garvey Settlement" and the "cemetery near the little frame church".

 The “Scanlan Papers” at the University of Wisconsin Platteville were particularly helpful as they were written by Dr. Scanlan who had personal knowledge of the area. With the building of St. Patrick Church structure, St. Peter church structure was abandoned.  The congregation’s services were still held occasionally at the "little frame church." St. Peter Church structure was materially improved by Father J. J. Burns, who was their priest in 1884. The first resident pastor of this Church was Rev. Father Christian A. Verweyst, who was succeeded by the Rev. John G. Collins, and he by the Rev. J. J. Burns in 1880.

 

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wisconsin- Platteville

University of Wisconsin- Lacrosse

University of Wisconsin Historical Society

Lower Wisconsin Historical Society

Ancestry.com

St. Patrick Parish

Crawford County Recorder

Crawford County Highway department

Prairie du Chien Library

The Archdiocese of Lacrosse

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee

The Archdiocese of Lacrosse Archives

The Kickapoo Chief newspaper

The Scanlan papers

The History of Crawford County book

The St. Patrick Parish centennial Publication

The History of Stueben and Eastman Publication

University of Wisconsin Archeologist

"Find-a-Grave"

.........and other local residents and organizations