FAIRMONT - For nearly 40 years, the little graveyard was forgotten. But on Tuesday, every seat in the Martin County commissioners' board room was filled with descendants worried about what would become of the resting place of their ancestors.
The 60-foot by 100-foot plot of land on the northeast corner of Herb Tietje's farm south of Wilbert was caught up in controversy when Tietje and son-in-law Bruce Eisenmenger removed the remaining two headstones and plowed the land for farming. The move caused outrage among the surviving relatives.
"They were surprised by the uproar," said Martin County Attorney Terry Viesselman of Tietje and Eisenmenger. "They didn't realize they were committing a crime."
With the cemetery still in the name of the disbanded German Evangelical Church, and the last burial taking place more than 100 years ago, it is considered abandoned and falls under the authority of the county.
Following an investigation by the Martin County Sheriff's Department, Viesselman stated he would not file charges if the matter was resolved by returning the cemetery patch back to its original state within the next 30 days.
But Viesselman also suggested the possibility of relocating the cemetery.
But most of the relatives at the meeting wanted to leave the graves undisturbed.
Karen Basset Hendren, who came from Farmington for the meeting, is related to Johanna Basset, an infant who died from whooping cough.
"Her mother moved to Ceylon and lived there until her death in 1965," she read from a prepared statement. "I feel her desire was to have Johanna remain buried in Wilbert Cemetery, as she made no attempts to have Johanna's remains moved to another cemetery."
Along with keeping the cemetery in place, there was a desire for Tietje and Eisenmenger to return the cemetery to its proper state rather than face any criminal charges.
"I'm sorry if I caused anyone here any heartache," Tietje said to the group during the commission meeting Tuesday. "That wasn't our intention. We were told by a funeral director that once it was 100 years old, we could remove the headstones."
Several of the commissioners were originally in favor of relocating the cemetery and its remains, but after hearing some of the public input, an easier solution was reached.
"(The cemetery) could be reached from the blacktop," Tietje said. "If a culvert was put in, and some dirt build-up could make a pathway right to the cemetery."
Officials from the Highway Department and the Sheriff's Office also indicated that was a reasonable solution.
"I would like to see an interest in the upkeep," said Commissioner Jack Potter. "You all want this, or else you wouldn't be here today. I hope you will make this motion worthwhile."
Potter motioned to restore the cemetery with an access point from the blacktop road. The motion passed unanimously.
Other family members have contacted the Martin County Historical Society about putting up a historical marker for the burial ground, and mentioned a possible trust fund for the cemetery's upkeep.