{"id":140656,"date":"1856-07-12T14:45:00","date_gmt":"1856-07-12T12:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oudaalten.nl\/niet-gecategoriseerd\/walvoord-cemetery\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T23:11:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:11:19","slug":"walvoord-cemetery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oudaalten.nl\/en\/emigration\/usa\/walvoord-cemetery\/","title":{"rendered":"Walvoord Cemetery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cedar Grove, Wisconsin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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\"Walvoord<\/span>
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On 11 July 1856, Hendrik Walvoord (1801\u20131865) lost his only son Gerrit Jan, who drowned in Lake Michigan at the age of 30. In his will, Henry reserved an acre of land (about 0.4 acres) for a family cemetery in section 26 of Holland Township. As the will stated: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“First, I give and bequeath to the children of my son Gerrit Jan Walvoord (deceased) and to their children who may be born and their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, in a word to the descendants of the said children of my son Gerrit Jan Walvoord (deceased), an acre of land lying and located in the County of Sheboygan and the State of Wisconsin, known and described as follows: …” (then the exact location is described).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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So according to Henry’s will, every descendant of Gerrit Jan Walvoord (“down to posterity”) could be buried on this family plot. Over time, Walvoord Cemetery was surrounded by Cedar Grove as the village grew. Today, the cemetery is located in downtown Cedar Grove<\/a> on Main Street. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, some families buried their deceased on this plot without formal rights, possibly because it was one of the few cemeteries at the time, next to an old indigenous cemetery near Amsterdam on Lake Michigan. A number of Sheboygan’s pioneers are buried here. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In the 1960s, Harriet Vollbrecht-Walvoord and her aunt Louise Walvoord counted more than a hundred marked graves. Today, barely half of that remains. According to Harriet, the city of Cedar Grove quietly removed tombstones for years. Where these have gone is unknown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Walvoord\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
Walvoord family section of Walvoord Cemetery, located in the middle of the cemetery, circa 1960.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Under Wisconsin state law, after five years of neglect, a cemetery becomes the responsibility of the local government. This law aims to protect old cemeteries without a maintenance fund. Cedar Grove was apparently unwilling to pay for the maintenance and approached family members with the request to deposit money in a trust for the maintenance. It is unknown how much was collected. The last burial before this action was Willard Anthony Walvoord<\/a> in 1986. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Cedar Grove forbade further burials by law, because of the original will, which laid down the right to perpetual burial, it was decided to allow burials of direct descendants of Gerrit Jan Walvoord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koreen Elizabeth Toutenhoofd<\/a> (daughter of Meta Marie Walvoord and Andrew Toutenhoofd) was buried at Walvoord Cemetery on 1 January 1996, as was Kathryn Louise Walvoord<\/a> (daughter of Anthony J. Walvoord and Ann Vogt), on 23 May 2002. Both were unmarried and were buried with their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Description of the site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n