Jewell Cemetery
Jewell Cemetery is located on what was originally the farm of George Jewell,
George, his wife and their children first moved from Virginia to Kentucky, then
Franklin, Missouri, and finally Columbia in 1822. George, his son William,
and son-in-low Charles Hardin and William Hitt were all prominent in the
community. All served on road commissions and the county court, and helped
shape the early community. William Jewell became one of the founders of
the college in Liberty that bears his name and Charles Hardin became the 22nd
governor of Missouri. All are buried in the cemetery.
The first person buried in the cemetery was Cynthia Jewell, William's second
wife, in 1822. The cemetery was not officially set aside until June 1841,
only one month before George's death. At this time, there were four people
buried in the cemetery.
Many of the graves are elaborate and marked with head and foot stones
reflecting the person's standing in the community. The above-ground box
tombs mark the locations of graves; they do not contain human remains. The
last two rows of graves at the rear of the cemetery are believed to be those of
family slaves. The stone walls were apparently built between 1841 and
1852.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is responsible for the
maintenance of all graves of the state's former governors not in perpetual care
cemeteries. These include Jew Cemetery, Sappington Cemetery, and Dunklin's
Grave state historic sites.
C. H. Hardin
22nd Governor of Missouri
Charles Henry Hardin, Missouri's 22nd governor (1875-77) was widely
remembered for his proclamation of prayer invoked against the Rocky Mountain
grasshopper that came in "Egyptian multitude into Missouri," destroying all
vegetation in their path. Of greater importance however, was the
financial competence he brought to the office and the fiscal achievements of his
administration.
Though born in Kentucky in 1820, Hardin grew up in Columbia, Missouri, and
was educated at the University of Indiana and Miami University in Ohio. He
received his law degree from William Jewell College, which had been named for
his uncle, and, eventually, set up a law practice in Fulton, Missouri.
In the 1850s and '60s, he served in both houses of the state legislature.
During the Civil War, Hardin and his wife moved to Audrain County where they
remained for the duration of the conflict. Branded by some as a Southern
sympathizer, he moved just north of Mexico, Missouri, in 1865 and built a farm
home, which remained his residence for the rest of his life.
In addition to his service as governor, Hardin established the Mexico
Southern Bank, was president of the Missouri Baptist Ministerial Aid Society,
was a trustee of William Jewell College, and founder of both Hardin College and
Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Missouri. He was a well known
philanthropist. Initially buried at his farm home near Mexico, Missouri,
in 1894, his remains were later moved to Jewell Cemetery.
Dr. William Jewell
Dr. William Jewel, son of George Jewell, has been labeled the "Thomas
Jefferson of Boone County" by local historians acknowledging his diverse
interests in medicine, architecture, business, real estate, politics, and
education.
Jewel was born in Virginia in 1789 and moved to Kentucky at the age of ten.
He attended Transylvania College in Lexington, Kentucky, and studied medicine
under a practicing physician there. Though his career in Missouri started
in Franklin, by 1822 he established himself in Columbia.
His medical practice flourished, and he added to his wealth through land
speculation. As mayor of Columbia, he saw to the paving of city streets
and in the 1820's and 1830s served in both houses of the state legislature.
He was a generous contributor to the Baptist Church and the college at Liberty,
Missouri, which bears his name. He also helped design the old Boone County
courthouse, the columns of which remain standing today.
He was a champion of education and was a member of the board of trustees of
the Columbia Female Academy from 1833 until his death. As state senator
from 1830 to 1834, he voted for act establishing Columbia College and was
chairman of the committee to make Boone County the highest bidder for the state
university. He personally contributed $1,800 to his fund-raising effort.