Niles a.k.a. Granny Sprague CemeteryIowa County, IowaUploaded 3/3/2003 by
Garylillis
[Email]At the edge of Brush Run, between Iowa Highway No. 6 and the Rock Island Railroad, lies a lonely grave that has been cared for by the railroad for many years. There has been much speculation regarding the identity of the person buried there. There is a marker on the grave with the inscription:
"Mary E., daughter of N.W. and Mary Wright
Died August 19, 1865.
Age 6 yrs."
D. Moershell of Homestead thinks that the parents of Mary E. Wright were pioneers traveling west on the old trail in 1865. Others believe that she was the daughter of Newell Wright, an early settler near Homestead who owned land, purchased by the Amana Society.
Dr. Moershel also related his belief, formed from listening to old timers' tales, that there was a small pioneer graveyard at this location, with only the Wright child marked. When the Rock Island built the present road bed, they consented to care for the grave rather then move it from the right of way.
Pioneer Recollections, by Harley Ransom
Published by The Historical Publishing Company, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1941