One street in the cemetery is known as “The Street of Graves,” and the legend goes that many unmarked graves are underneath the street. Should you let your imagination play, you can outline for yourself the dents in the earth that mean graves, as you drive down the street between the rows of modern lots.
Frank Schweers and his father, sextons for the Cemetery for two generations, have buried 9,000 citizens of Jefferson since 1870, when the older Schweers took charge. There are about 14,000 graves in the Cemetery, the oldest having for its inscription: “Rev. Benjamin Foscue—1798-1850” and which is still in a state of good preservation.
And so, through almost one hundred years, the history of old Jefferson and new Jefferson is written on the stones in the Cemetery, a valuable, beautiful, romantic history that we should keep intact—that we should value and preserve. ARE YOU DOING YOUR PART?
Rose and Robertson
When “old timers” are in a reminiscent mood you can hear many interesting incidents of the early days of Jefferson, and one that few remember, and often wonder about, is the story of two men whose graves are in Oakwood Cemetery, unmarked other than by two iron posts that were chained together.
Mr. J. E. Hasty knew the men and gives this information: Rose and Robertson let their hatred of each other and their love for a woman, cause them to take the life of each other, a most unusual coincidence.
Rose owned and operated a blacksmith shop on Polk Street near where the Jay Fort home stands. As he was working one day, Robertson, a gambler, came across the street and entered the shop. When Rose saw him coming he turned and started out the rear door, but Robertson had gone there with the determination to kill Rose, so without warning he fired the bullet that killed Rose, who as he went down aimed well and sent a bullet into the heart of his enemy. Robertson walked across the street and sat down upon the sidewalk saying, “that —— rascal has killed me,” and he too passed away.
As a fitting finish they were buried side by side, chained together and only iron posts to mark their resting place.
A few Epitaphs found on some of the stones in Oakwood Cemetery:
“Old Pop”