Humboldt Cemetery

The community of Humboldt began to prosper when a caravan of families arrived from Tennessee in 1866. The first burial on this site probably was that of Katharine Rankin, the infant daughter of William J. and Mary Rankin, in 1868. The oldest marked grave is that of Mary Rankin's father, Adam E. Dinsmore, who died in 1876. The heirs of Adam and Mary (Davis) Dinsmore deeded this land as a burial ground in 1890. The presence of 38 marked infants' graves before 1932 is indicative of the hardships of pioneer life. One of the graves is that of Maggie C. Dinsmore, a teacher who died during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. Six graves are those of Civil War veterans. At the dawn of the 21st century, Humboldt Cemetery covers about four acres. (2000).