*UNKNOWNS, (SAMPLE) - Lawrence County, South Dakota | (SAMPLE) *UNKNOWNS - South Dakota Gravestone Photos

(Sample) *UNKNOWNS

Terry Cemetery
Lawrence County,
South Dakota

There are a great number of graves marked only with metal "Unknown" markers like this one as well as depressions and other indications of unmarked graves. I was advised by more than one Terry Cemetery Association Member that there was a Smallpox outbreak in the late 1800's that resulted in numerous deaths and many quick and shallow burials. It was winter and many victims were buried the same day they died, some within a few hours. These quick burials, attempts to slow the spread of the disease, resulted in many being unmarked and shallow due the frozen ground. Records of these burials were all but non-existant and/or lost over the years.

Contributed on 5/30/12 by cjames202
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Record #: 162135

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Submitted: 5/30/12 • Approved: 5/31/12 • Last Updated: 8/13/15 • R162135-G0-S3

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