Jewell County Poor Farm
This tombstone for D. Kuipers (Richard Kuipers) is the only grave marked in the Jewell County Poor Farm for a resident of the facility. The Jewell County Poor Farm was located in Section 26 of Center Township.
Jewell County was organized on July 14, 1870. The U. S. Census for 1870 found 205 persons living in the county. By 1880, the population had grown to 17,475. A tremendous increase in population in a relatively short period of time.
Not all the residents of the county found prosperity, some found dire financial straits. It was not many years into the county history that Jewell County faced the necessity of caring for those in need. "Pauper" was the term used in those early days to identify someone without the means to care for themselves.
The Aug. 18, 1876 Jewell County Monitor in reporting the...
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