Levi Persinger was a native of Virginia. He moved to Ohio and then
to Indiana. He came with his family to Richland county in 1851
where he engaged in farming. From 1861 to 1883, he acted as mail
carrier on a stage route and got the mail through in spite of
floods, bad roads and sickness.
A number of the Buchanan family are here buried. Robert, a
native of Ireland, is one of them. From Ireland he went to Canada
and then to New York where he learned the trade of a stone mason;
later moving to Illinois and to the town of Richwood, Richland
county in 1864 where he engaged in farming. He was chairman of the
township at one time, also treasurer. He was married in 1838 to
Mary Shannon, a native of Ireland. Among their children was Robert
Jr., who was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1843. He enlisted in Co. C
95 Illinois regiment. Wounded at the battle of Vicksburg and again
a year later at Yellow Boyou. After the war he learned to be a
harness maker and established a business at Excelsior, being the
first person to be engaged in that business in the
village.
There is an unfilled grave here in the older part of the Haskins
cemetery. A tombstone and also a government marker is here for
Osborn Gamage, member of Co. I 16th Regt. Wisconsin Vol. According
to his marker he was 33 years old when he died on September 5,
1862. He is one of the "Boys in Blue" who never came back home from
the Civil War. According to the government record he was a resident
of Darlington when he enlisted September 30, 1861. In the battle of
Shiloh he was taken prisoner and died September 5, 1862, at
Nashville, Tennessee. His marker is on an Indian Mound, The grave
of his daughter Emma, is also in the Indian Mound; she died in 1878
at the age of 16 years.
Mary Haskins, wife of Rev. William H. Haskins, came to Richland
county with her husband in 1853. He is said to be the first or at
least one of the first, ministers of the gospel to settle in
Richwood. Their home was on Sand Prairie. Rev. Haskins was a United
Brethren minister and was known as a circuit rider, preaching at
Spring Green, Lone Rock, Sandusky and other points. His circuit was
60 miles in length; traveling on horseback he made each appointment
every two weeks. Rev. Haskins, was in fact, the first person to
live in what later became the village of Excelsior and erected a
saw mill.
B. F. Washburn, who had much to do with the village of Excelsior
in an early day. Mr. Washburn was born in Illinois, came with his
parents to Grant county in 1857. In 1864 he enlisted in Co. I, 17th
Wisconsin Volunteers and served until being mustered out. In 1869
he bought lots in Excelsior and later purchased a large amount of
farm land, being at one time the largest real estate owner in
Richwood township. He conducted a mercantile business at Excelsior
for some time, interested in the mills, owned a wagon shop, and
served as postmaster of Excelsior for several years. He also served
in the state legislature.
Buried here is John S. McKinney. Mr. McKinney was one of the
early comers to Richland county, born in Grant county, he came with
his parents to Richland county in 1842, when he was five years old,
when there were less than 20 white settlers in the county. In 1862
he married Maria Parish, bought a piece of land about a mile cast
of Excelsior, built a log house. Later a frame house was erected.
He was a good carpenter, built many of the houses still standing in
Excelsior as well as the school house there. Mr. McKinney also
conducted a furniture store and was called upon from time to time
to make coffins. He also was a pioneer undertaker and many of the
people in the Haskins cemetery were furnished coffins made by him
in his carpenter shop.
The WSQ in the title of this cache is an acronym for
Wisconsin Spirit Quest. Wisconsin geocachers have adopted this
acronym to designate their cemetery caches. As this is classified
as a cemetery cache please note it is NOT hidden on any grave
marker or site. If there is a service going on, or folks are
visiting their loved ones when you arrive please be respectful and
come back at a later time. Your understanding and compassion for
those folks will
be appreciated.
PLEASE FOLLOW ANY POSTED VISITING
HOURS, RESPECT THE RESIDENTS HERE, AND ONLY VISIT DURING DAYLIGHT
HOURS IF NO HOURS ARE POSTED
The cache is not located near a
grave...Do not disturb monuments. If you find a fallen US flag,
please stick it back in the ground. You must sign the cache log to
claim a find. As always, please be respectful, and cache in, trash
out.