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First Death in Linn County

History of Linn County, 1882

The first death in Linn County was that of James Copeland, who died in 1834: he lived on the west bank of Locust Creek, west of Linneus. The next death of record was that of Jubal Hurt: the administration of his estate in 1838 is among the first of record. A Mr. Weber died in 1839, adn was buried in Linneus graveyard. In December 1839, John D. Grant whoe surveyed the town of Linneus and made the first sale of lots, died, and was succeeded by Robert W. Foster. These are the early deaths noted.

Mrs. Elizabeth Holland, wife of John Holland, is claimed to have been the second burial in the Linneus Cemetery, which event occurred in 1841.

The Linneus Cemetery--In 1873 the cemetery was in a deplorable condition. The fence was down and briars and brambles grew rank among the graves. Two ladies, Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. McCormick, circulated a subscription paper and obtained funds sufficient to put Linneus's "God's acre" in a decent condition, for which action their memories deserve to be perpetuated.