return to cemetery listing page
Audrain County Cemeteries
CLAYTON CEMETERY
Contact me to submit your
listings, one at time if needed
Note: I have misplaced the contributor's name of the information
below
I believe Clayton cemetery is what is known today as Fields-Fike Cemetery located in T 51N - Range 6W in the lower middle bottom quarter of section 25. There was a lady who did a listing for the cemetery in 1976, I believe, and claimed that it had been on V.J. Davis' land - actually, I believe she may have misread the plat book as it looks like it was on James R. Clayton's land (or at least right next to it).
After reviewing the 1877 and 1997 Audrain Co Plat Maps, it is obvious why they called it Clayton cemetery as it was located at the northern edge of Clayton's farm.
| Name | Age/Birth Date | Death Date | Date Reported | Newspaper |
| James R. Clayton | 1 Jun 1880 | Montgomery City Standard |
| Aliquot Parts |
Sec./ Block |
Township | Range | Fract. Section |
Meridian | State | Counties | Survey Nr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NW | 1/ | 51-N | 6-W | No | 5th PM | MO | Audrain | |
| SW | 36/ | 52-N | 6-W | No | 5th PM | MO | Audrain |
| Aliquot Parts |
Sec./ Block |
Township | Range | Fract. Section |
Meridian | State | Counties | Survey Nr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N½ | 36/ | 51-N | 7-W | No | 5th PM | MO | Audrain |
James R. Clayton died in 1880 and I believe his son, Charles, died about a year later. They are both buried in West Cuivre Baptist Cemetery. The family probably moved out of the area sometime thereafter and thus, the reason no one remembers the name Clayton as it apparently took on the name of the next largest landowner in the area, namely A. J. Fike.
It must not have been a baptist cemetery and thus the reason why the Clayton's were not buried there but rather at West Cuivre. I wish I could remember the lady's name who put together the Audrain Co Cemetery listing; however, in her first volume (A-F) the cemetery in question is located in F and she notes (in 1976 I believe) that the Fields-Fike cemetery is in bad shape, run down and stones turned after having had cattle running through it, etc. Apparently, her notes indicate burials since 1847. She recorded several of the stones she found; however, she noted that there were likely many more covered or overgrown from years of neglect. I do not know if anyone has tried to clean up or restore the cemetery since then; however, I would be interested in any info you have about that and/or if you have a listing of those buried there.
I did find a posting to a Audrain Co message board seeking the location of the "Clayton burial grounds" where a George Purdy had been buried in 1866.
Clara Elisabeth Cotlander died in 1912
Anyways, the Cotlanders who lived adjacent to the Clayton farm were apparently buried there as well - certainly, the mother who died in 1912 was but also most likely the father who died before 1900 as well as their oldest son who died as a child. Just thought you might want to update your cemetery info.
Let me know if I can provide you with any further info or if you have any questions. I might be able to scan my copies of the plat maps to show you my evidence.