German Evangelical Cemetery
Brookfield, Brookfield Township

Location

This inactive cemetery is located on the northwest corner of Calhoun Road and Capital Drive, in the southeast 1/4 of Section 4, Brookfield Township. It is at the foot of the Brookfield Water Tower.

History

The cemetery was established in 1863 with the last burial in 1855. The German Lutheran Church of Brookfield was organized before February 1863 when the trustees of the church, Ludwig Kloth, Henry Goetz, and Joseph Berkhardt purchased the land for $100 from Ferdinand Wall. In November 1863 when the cemetery was platted, the officers were listed as President, Jacob Howard; Treasurer, Henry Clasen; Clerk, Charles Fesenberken. It is not known when the congregation disbanded, but the church is not shown on the 1859 or the 1873 plat maps for Brookfield Township; however the cemetery is shown. In 1903 the land for the cemetery on it was sold to the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church for $1 by the Brookfield Cemetery Association and F.J. Clasen of Waukesha.

According to the Trinity United Church of Christ historian, the church was known as a German Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1869 until 1884 when the Lutheran affiliation was deleted and it just became a German Evangelical Church. The church is now affiliated with the United Church of Christ denomination.

Cemetery Records

Some of the cemetery records are kept at the Trinity United Church of Christ office. However the extent of the records is not known and there is no map of the cemetery. The records are available to the public for research during regular office hours, Monday-Friday. Call ahead for hours. 262-781-9378. The church will answer mail requests at no charge.

At the Waukesha Museum there are transcriptions from the tombstones, 1865-1927. Also M-800 papers, German Lutheran Church of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Papers, 1863 and 1980. These include photocopies of the plat of the church lot and cemetery and also of a land abstract of the property.

Transcriptions

The following transcriptions are from a walk done by myself and Rebecca M. in Sept. 2001.

OSSW= On the same stone with

BAACHE:
These two stones were in the far corner of the cemetery.
They were lying flat under a lilac tree.
Wilhelmina/Baache/partially illegible line, possibly a date with 18?9 at the end/
	???? Sept 1887, next to:
Friedrich(k?) Baache/date line partially illegible ??? Juni ????/date line partially
	illegible, ?? Marz ????/partially illegible line ends with 9 Mo.
Behind the lilac tree lies two footstones F.B., W.B.

CONLEY:
Conley/Frank H./1855-1922, ossw:
His Wife/Caroline/1856-1906 
4 cornerstones with the letter C

GERL:(also Gerls)
H. Gerl Family Stone, ossw:
Lewis Gerl/May 22, 1854/March 2, 1895, ossw:
George Gerl/Oct. 24, 1867/Nov. 11, 1895, ossw:
Father/Herny Gerl/Jan. 6, 1811/Feb. 9, 1875, ossw:
Mother/Caroline Gerl/March 10, 1826/March 6, 1916, next to:
Gerls/Henry W./Husband of Julia R. Gerls/May 16, 1863-Mar. 11, 1918, ossw:
Rest in Peace

KROPLIN:
Heir Ruhl/Joachim/Kroplin/Geb. 21 Aug. 1825/Gest. 26 Feb. 1899, ossw:
Heir Ruhl/Elizabeth/Kroplin/Geb. 18 Feb. 1838/GEst. 9 FEb. 1906

NEU:
Maria Neu/Geb. 29 Apr. 1922/Gest. 26 Apr. 1892, ossw:
Friedrich Neu/Geb. 20 Nov. 1816/Gest. 31 Jan. 1902, ossw:
Friedrich/Geb 19 Oct. 1854/Gest. 9 Jan. 1869, ossw:
Maria/Geb. 29 Nov. 1864/Gest. 24 Feb. 1865, ossw:
Julius/Geb. 7 Juni 1866/Gest. 12 Jan 1869, ossw:
Leonard/Geb. 28 Juni/Gest 18 Dez. 1869, next to:
leaning against the large stone above are three footstones
Leonard, next to:
Friedrich, next to:
Maria

REIMER:
Flat on ground only word legible was Reimer

SCHAELE:
Heir Ruhl/Dr. August/Schaele/Geb. 18 June 1811/Gest. 29 Marz. 1887/
	Followed by German Inscription, ossw:
Gottlieb/2 words illegible/Died Sept. 16, 1872/Aged 13 years/German
	Inscription follows

SCHNEIDER:
Schneider/Mother/Minnie/1868-1955, ossw:
Father/Richard/1861-1927, ossw:
Rest in Peace next to:
2 cornerstones R.S.
2 cornerstones S. H. next to:
World War Hero/Richard A. Schneider/1895-1919/
	141.00.Transportation/Corps Died in Service/
	France Feb. 6, 1919
F. Schneider, ossw:
Ferdinand Schneider/Geb. 13 marz 18?6/Gest 21 Juni 1896, next to:
Mother/In Memory of/Margaret Schneider/Died Mar. 17, 1867
(This stone leaning against Ferdinand stone above), next to:
2 Schneider Cornerstones

SHEETS:
Neola M./dau of/Mr. & Mrs. W.H. Sheets/1905-1906

STARK:
Fallen off of base and lying flat:
Stark/C.F./1865-1944, ossw:
Amelia A./His Wife/1869-1923, next to:
Fallen off of base and lying flat:
Arthur Henry Stark/Oct. 20, 1891/May 31, 1917, ossw:
Rest in Peace, next to:
Stark/John Stark/Apr. 1, 1852/Mar. 27, 1914

STORCH:
Frederick Albert/Son of Fred Storch/Nov. 1, 1897/July 9, 1904/
	Gone but not forgotten
	
STURCH:
Broken stone
Christoph Sturch/geb. 14 Nov. 1827, next to:
partial stone
First line illegible/Margaretha/rest illegible, next to:
Top Missing/1870/12 rest illegible, next to:
Illegible stone