Mr. Abram
Hershey, of Ridott, died on Sunday, and was buried in
Lancaster on Tuesday. The deceased was an old and highly respected citizen of
Stephenson county.
Freeport
Daily Bulletin - Oct. 2, 1878 p. 4 col. 1
Mrs. Elizabeth
Hershey died at her home with her son-in-law Mr. Joseph
Wagner, in Ridott Township, two miles east of the village, March 12, 1887, aged 78 years. 8 months and 18 days. Mrs. Hershey was an old settler of this county. She was buried on Tuesday the 15th, in the graveyard at the
Lancaster school house, the Rev. Mr. Menstreet, pastor of the M. E. church of Pecatonica, officiating. The river being very high, and not being able to cross with teams, arrangements were made to drive to Ridott and there put the casket on the "Dummy" and walk up the railroad track across the railroad bridge, where teams from the neighborhood of the burial place were in waiting to carry the friends to the graveyard. But Mr. Kuakenberg, the section boss, had quite a surprise in store, for when the procession came to the depot, he had the "dummy" and the hand car and some of his men to assist in carrying all up the track, across the bridge about two miles distance from the village, for which Mr. Krackenberg has the thanks of all the relatives and friends in attendance. Two sons of the deceased who live in the west were here - Abe
Hershey, from
Iowa, attended the funeral, but Allen
Hershey, from
Nebraska, came to late to attend.
Freeport
Daily Journal - March 23, 1887 p. 2 col. 2
The Freeport papers start in 1856 - and very few obits were printed before the 1870's, especially from the rural areas.
The
Lancaster Cemetery is small and has not been taken care of very well in the past. Many stones are broken or missing.