County of markers: Ray County
Location o markers: Thornton St. & Crispin St., Richmond
Markers erected by: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah & The City of Richmond
Date markers erected: 1949-50
Marker text: RICHMOND PIONEER CEMETERY
In this cemetery are the graves of a number of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) who were prominent in this section in the early days of Missouri. They include Oliver Cowdery, for a time a close friend and associate of Joseph Smith, founder through revelation, of that church. The large granite monument was dedicated November 22, 1911. More than two hundred people from Salt Lake City, headquarters of the church were present.
By agreement with the City of Richmond, after the cemetery had been abandoned for about seventy years, the church landscaped the area in 1949-50. Brush and rubbish were removed, headstones were restored where possible, new shrubbery, hardwood and evergreen trees were planted and the entire area sown to grass.
Marker text: RICHMOND PIONEER CEMETERY
The land for this cemetery, first called the "Public Burial Ground," was deeded by John C. Richardson, August 13, 1846, to Charles R. Morehead, James M. Lapsely and George A. Dunn, trustees in trust, for "the sole and exclusive use of the inhabitants of the town of Richmond as a public burial ground forever." The price was $80.00 for approximately one acre. Its location on high ground was prompted when disastrous spring floods washed away the grave of Mr. Richardson's wife's mother in the Missouri River lowlands in 1844.
Here were buried some of the early pioneers and other prominent citizens of Richmond and vicinity. A new and larger cemetery, west of the city, was established about 1875. Some of the bodies were transferred there.
Marker text (1): THE WHITMER LOT
In this section of the cemetery are the graves of Peter Whitmer in whose home, in Fayette, Seneca County, New York, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized, April 6, 1830; his wife, Mary Musselman Whitmer, his son, Jacob Whitmer (one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon), two daughters of Jacob Whitmer and other relatives. They were all residents of Richmond.
Marker text (2): BROKEN HEADSTONES
These headstones, some of which had been covered with earth, were gathered up when the cemetery was landscaped and beautified in 1949-50. All stones which could be identified as to persons and locations were replaced securely in there original positions. The others were placed here for permanent preservation.
"Out of all of the places we visited in Richmond, the neatest was Pioneer Cemetery. Here the church has bought the cemetery which was very rundown. They re-landscaped and took any broken headstones and cemented them into the ground. The headstones that couldn’t be placed with anyone, they made a little garden area surrounding the remaining broken pieces of headstones.
"There is the Monument for the Three Witnesses and also marks the grave for Oliver Cowdery. You can find Peter Jr. and Jacob Whitmer’s Graves are here also. It is a very beautiful cemetery. There is parking so people can come and walk through it, which you can do in minutes because it is very small.
"There is one thing we missed at Richmond that we had tried to get to. The Richmond County Museum has a Mormon room. I had read on the internet they had some things worth seeing, but I cannot verify that since we were not able to get in. The Museum closes at 4pm."
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