Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri
Notes:
Credits: Kelly submitted the photographs for this cemetery, and her friend Amanda helped research this family. Phillip Sifers submitted additional photos of tombstones that he uncovered for Jesse, Lucy and Jackson Todd.
In February of 2025, Breana Gray got in touch to notify us that this cemetery had been destroyed, with the exception of the large monument that was, apparently, too large to plow. The remaining markers were in crushed, tiny fragments scattered in the field.
Destruction of a cemetery is criminal, but only a class A misdemeanor, which is probably why so many local farmers think nothing of plowing them up. The fact that they left the large monument shows that, even though abandoned and unkempt, it was still obvious there was a cemetery there. I bet that guy doesn’t put his shopping cart in the corral, either!
According to Revised Statues of Missouri 214.131: Tombstones, fences, destroying or mutilating in abandoned family or private cemetery, penalty — abandoned or private burying ground, defined. — Every person who shall knowingly destroy, mutilate, disfigure, deface, injure or remove any tomb, monument or gravestone, or other structure placed in any abandoned family cemetery or private burying ground, or any fence, railing, or other work for the protection or ornamentation of any such cemetery or place of burial of any human being, or tomb, monument or gravestone, memento, or memorial, or other structure aforesaid, or of any lot within such cemetery is guilty of a class A misdemeanor. For the purposes of this section and subsection 1 of section 214.132, an “abandoned family cemetery” or “private burying ground” shall include those cemeteries or burying grounds which have not been deeded to the public as provided in chapter 214, and in which no body has been interred for at least twenty-five years.
According to Revised Statues of Missouri 214.455: Destruction or defacing any cemetery property, penalty. — Every person who shall knowingly destroy, mutilate, disfigure, deface, injure, or remove any tomb, monument, or gravestone, or other structure placed in such cemetery or burial ground or place of burial of any human being, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
Latitude: 39.775293, Longitude: -94.577403Matches 1 to 7 of 7
Last Name, Given Name(s)  |
Burial  |
Person ID | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dalton, Effie | Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri | I19355 | |
| 2 | Dalton, Lucy Isabelle | Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri | I19359 | |
| 3 | Dalton, Martha Ann | Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri | I19356 | |
| 4 | Dalton, Simeon | Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri | I19350 | |
| 5 | Todd, Francis Merriam | 10 Jun 1910 | Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri | I19352 |
| 6 | Todd, Jackson | Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri | I19357 | |
| 7 | Todd, Jesse B. Sr. | Todd Cemetery, DeKalb County, Missouri | I19358 | |