Walcott, August 27, 1881

According to notice given, the Trustees met at the church and offered the church building at public sale, which was sold for the sum of Seventy Five dollars to Philip Dietz.

No bid being offered for the south half of the church lot, a committee of the citizens of Walcott-vis. P. Dietz, Alex. Stockdale and H. H. Sindt offered to pay the Presbyterian Congregation the sum of Two Hundred dollars for the whole lot and bind themselves to improve and maintain the same as a cemetery, also to quit claim by deed all lots to any and all persons having their dead interred therein.

The trustees having no authority to sell the whole lot-the offer of said committee was to be held under consideration until a meeting of the congregation be held and actions taken thereon.

Adjourned, Geo. D. Barre, Pres;    J. F. Skiles, Sec’y.

Nolo School House, September 24, 1881

According to notice given, the members of Walcott Presbyterian Congregation met at Nolo School House and was organized by electing Geo. D. Baker, President and J. F. Skiles, Sec’y.

The object of the meeting being to elect trustees for the ensuing year and to take action in regard to the sale of the whole of church lot at Walcott.

1st      It being the regular time to elect trustees, the following persons were duly elected, vis. Thos. Brynes, Geo. D. Baker and J. F. Skiles.

2nd    The Trustees presented their report of the sale of the church building for the sum of $75.00 and also the sum of $12.00 for grass on said lot and presenting receipt for the payment thereof vis. $87.00 less exchange to the Board of Church Erection.  The report was accepted.

3rd     Trustees reported no bid for south half of the church lot but had rec’d an offer by a committee of citizens of Walcott to buy the whole lot for the purpose of making a cemetery of the whole lot.  Vis. That said committee will pay the Presbyterian Congregation Two Hundred ($200.) Dollars for said lot and bind themselves, their successors and assigns to make a cemetery of the whole lot, to improve and maintain the same in good order as a cemetery, also to quit claim by deed any lots to those having their dead buried thereon.

4th      Resolved that the acceptance of said offer and sale of said lot, be left to the discretion of the trustees.

5th      Resolved in case said lot is sold, that the proceeds thereof be paid to the Board of Church Erection.

Resolved we adjourn.  Geo. D. Baker, Pres     J. F. Skiles, Sec’y

(sale of the church building for the sum of $75.00-The church building was sold, moved to a lot in Walcott and remodeled into a home.  At that time, the church and cemetery were not in the Walcott town limits.)

Walcott, Feb’y 4, 1882

The trustees of the Presbyterian Congregation met at Dr. Thos. Byrnes in Walcott and completed sale of church lot-vis. Outlot No. 6 to Town of Walcott for the sum of Two Hundred ($200.) Dollars and executed deed to Walcott Cemetery Co.

Trustees:  Thos. Byrnes, Geo. D. Baker, J. F. Skiles

P.S.  The proceeds of said sale were paid to the Board of Church Erection.   J. F. Skiles

Walcott, March 7, 1882

On the 7th day of March, 1882, a Quit Claim Deed from the Presbyterian Church of Walcott was recorded at the Scott County Courthouse to the Walcott Cemetery Co. for Outlot No. Six (6) in the Lots Deed book #42 page 302

Incorporation of the Walcott, Iowa
Cemetery Company

March 7, 1882

I

We, citizens of the Village of Walcott in Scott County, Iowa do hereby associate ourselves together for the purpose of forming a body corporate under the general incorporation laws of the State of Iowa, as found in the first Chapter of Title Ninth Code of Iowa A.D. 1873.

II

The name of this Corporation shall be the Walcott Cemetery Company.

III

The business of the Corporation shall be to purchase and improve the Walcott burying ground and to maintain it suitably and exclusively as a place for the burial of the dead.

IV

The Capital Stock for the Company shall be eight hundred dollars divided into Eighty Shares of Ten Dollars each and the subscriptions shall be paid in as assessed from time to time by the Board of Directors.

V

The Officers of the corporation shall be a President, Vice President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Board of Directors, said Board of Directors shall consist of the four above mentioned officers and five other persons elected by the Company.  The first officers and directors shall be as follows:  For President, Dr. Thos. Byrnes;  Vicce President, Philip Dietz;  Secretary, Geo. E. Peck;  H. H. Sindt for Board of Directors.  Dr. Thos. Brynes, Philip Dietz, Geo. E. Peck, H. H. Sindt, B. Schwarting, John Stockdale, H. W. Behrens, Louis Hinz, John Kroeger, the above named individuals are to hold their offices until the regular meeting of the Company in March A. D. 1883, and until the officers there to be elected shall be chosen and duly qualified, all officers elected in March A. D. 1883  or thereafter shall hold their offices for a term of two years, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified.

VI

The Association shall hold a regular meeting annually at Walcott on the first Monday in March.  An election of officers shall take place at the regular meeting of 1883 and at every second annual meeting thereafter.

VII

At any regular or other meeting of the association every share holder shall be entitled to as many votes as he or she holds shares in the corporation.  Any candidate for office who shall receive a majority of all the votes cast shall be considered duly elected.

VIII

If any office shall become vacant, the Board of Directors are hereby empowered to fill such vacancy by appointment until the next regular election is held.  Five members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.

IX

The original conveyance of Lots from the Corporation to purchasers shall be by deed, signed by the President and Secretary and stamped with Corporation Seal.  Such deed shall vest in the purchaser, his heirs and assigns a right in fee simple to such lot or lots but only for the sole purpose of interment under the regulations of the Company.  All lots sold shall be paid for in cash before a deed for the same shall be delivered to the purchaser.  Each lot sold shall have placed upon it to designate it, a stone or stake distinctly bearing the number of such lot.  No lot owner shall transfer the title to any lot without the knowledge of the company and such transfer shall not be valid unless recorded in the company’s books.

X

All contracts or other evidence of debt and instruments of writing issued by this company shall be valid when signed by the President and Secretary andd stamped with the Corporation seal.

XI

The cemetery or part thereof shall be laid in Sections and lots and every section and lot shall be designated by number.  A plat showing the location of all such laid out sections and lots shall be made and recorded in the County Recorder’s office.  All such lots shall be acknowledged by the President and Secretary.  Copies of said plats and of the Articles of Incorporation, and of the rules and regulations of the Company shall be kept by the Secretary for the inspection and guidance of lot owners.

XII

The Board of Directors shall have power to make such improvements on the cemetery grounds as they may deem expedient but the Company shall not at anytime be under a greater total indebtedness than Two Hundred dollars, without the consent of a majority of the shareholders and in no case shall the Company contract a greater total indebtedness than Five Hundred dollars.

XIII

The private property of the members of this Corporation shall not be liable for the debts of the Corporation, except as provided in Section 1082 of the Code of Iowa of A. D. 1873.

XIV

This Corporation shall continue for Twenty-five years from the first day of January A. D. 1882.

Signed:  Thomas Byrnes, Philip Dietz, Geo. E. Peck. H. Sindt, B. Schwarting, H. W. Behrens, John Stockdale, Louis Hinz, John Kroeger, Alex Stockdale, Henry Boek, Henry Brugmann, Hans. A. Behrens, William Mann, Claus Ihms, C. H. Wickmann, State of Iowa.

The 25 years had passed and the Walcott Cemetery Company was reorganized on March 15, 1907, this time for a period of 50 years.  The capital stock was increased to 1000 dollars divided into one hundred (100) shares of ten dollars each.  The new Articles of Incorporation read:  “We, citizens of the town of Walcott, Scott County, State of Iowa” instead of “the Village of Walcott”.

The 1954 Walcott Centennial book shared this information:  “In 1908, the Ladies Cemetery Association was formed to provide assistance in maintaining the cemetery and caring for its needs.  The income from the sale of lots was becoming insufficient to meet increasing expenditures.  The affairs of the cemetery were reorganized, perpetual care instituted, and additions and improvements realized.”

On May 10th A. D., 1929, the ownership of the cemetery was again transferred and a new “Articles of Incorporation of the Walcott Cemetery Company” was recorded at the Scott County, Iowa Courthouse.  The corporation was now owned by the lot owners and as such the ownership of a lot now entitled that owner or owners thereof to one vote at all meetings, but no member would have more than one vote.