Graef Historical Group

Tomorrow, 8 November, would have been my grandmother Clara Cecilia Graef's birthday. She was born on 8 November 1889 and died on 23 April 1966. Clara Cecilia Graef Clara was the daughter of Jacob Graef and Emma Skrabal, and the wife of Peter Graef. She and Peter raised their family in Johnson County, Iowa, and they are buried together at Old Saint Joseph Cemetery in Iowa City. Clara is the grandmother of Bette Eberhardt, Beverly Graves and me. I made a remembrance page for her birthday with her portrait, the gravestone she shares with Peter, her children's birthdays and her years on the farm in Johnson County: Remembering Clara Cecilia Graef (remembrance page) Happy birthday, Grandma. Bob

I've been working on the Graef family history and have traced a new line back to a great-great-grandmother, Josephine Mezik (also spelled Meszik). She was born in Bohemia, married Albert Skrabal in Iowa City on 3 May 1865, and died in Nebraska in 1928. Her daughter Emma Skrabal married Jacob Graef. Family identification, not confirmed. The other two women are not identified; they may be her sisters. This is a copy of an old portrait of three young women, labeled “Josephine Meszik (1849-1928 b. in Bohemia) the one in the middle.” I'd love to include it in the family history, but first I want to be as sure as I can that the identification is right. Could anyone help with a few questions? Do you know who wrote that label, and what they based it on? Is there any writing, a name, or a photographer's stamp on the back of the original? Do you know who the other two women are? They may be her sisters. Do you remember how the photo came down in the family, and who had it be...

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On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Robert Graef, Bette Eberhardt, Marianne Eberhardt, and Margaret Eberhardt visited three family cemeteries in Keokuk County, Iowa: Dresden, Sixteen, and Sorden. Dresden Cemetery (near Deep River) Michael & Anna Fisch Sixteen Cemetery (near Thornburg) Rickey Family at Sixteen Cemetery William & Ida Rickey Line of Descent: James Shepherd to Robert Graef Sorden Cemetery (near Webster) Irons Family Burials at Sorden Cemetery John & Margaret Irons Charles Irons Verna Ione Irons Velda & Verna Irons, the Irons sisters

 This chart traces five generations of my family, from my great-great-grandparents James and Rebecca Ann (Coghlan) Shepherd, through Ida (Shepherd) Rickey, Lorin Rickey and my mother Grezelda Jean (Rickey) Graef, down to me. James, Rebecca, Ida and William Rickey are all buried at Sixteen Cemetery near Thornburg, Iowa. Sources for each date are listed in the notes at the bottom of the chart. © 2026 Robert Graef • Graef Family Legacy • Not to be reproduced without permission.

On Sunday afternoon, November 1, we're taking a family tour of three old country cemeteries in Poweshiek and Keokuk counties, where several of our Fisch, Rickey and Irons ancestors are buried. The plan 1:30–2:15 PM: Dresden Cemetery , south of Deep River 2:25–3:10 PM: Sixteen Cemetery , near Thornburg 3:30–4:15 PM: Sorden Cemetery , near Webster Who we'll visit Dresden: Michael Fisch (1831–1910) and Anna Maria Eva (Lang) Fisch (1830–1917) , parents of Christie Anna Fisch Irons. Sixteen: William Calvert Rickey (1868–1956) and Ida (Shepherd) Rickey (1875–1960) , parents of Lorin Rickey, and their son Kenneth Harvey Rickey (1913–1917). Sorden: John Irons (1810–1903) and Margaret (Powell) Irons (1813–1900) ; their son Charles Irons (1839–1905) , Civil War veteran, Co. H, 33rd Iowa Infantry; and granddaughters Velda May Irons (1904–1917) and Verna Ione Irons (1906–1966) . Good to know: Clocks fall back that morning, and sunset is around 5 PM. Some roads may be grav...

The Graef family legacy digital scrapbook (PDF) is available here: Graef family legacy digital scrapbook