07/24/2026
THE CHERRY FAMILY
OAK HILL CEMETERY
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According to The Find A Grave website there are 19 interments in Oak Hill Cemetery with the surname CHERRY.
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This story is about JOHN GEORGE CHERRY and his family.
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John was born in Diddington, Huntingdonshire, England 18 Dec 1838.
In England he was apprenticed as a carpenter for 7 years, made two or three inventions. He also traveled with a string band, playing the violin. At 24 years of age he worked for a detective force.
On 19 May 1869 he immigrated to the United States. He ended up in Marion, Iowa. He then traveled to Troy Mills, about 25 miles north of Marion to meet his brother William.
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In Troy Mills, he opened the first saloon and was a shoemaker. He built the first hotel 1871 in Troy Mills. .
About 1878 he moved his family to Walker where he started the first creamery.
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He was naturalized in 1879.
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In 1879 John moved his family to Cedar Rapids, where he became a successful businessman. He became the chief buttermaker for the J.R. Morin Company. On his own, he began working on an idea for “jacketed” cream cans. These cans would insulate the product from extreme cold and heat. The first cans were made in 20 to 30 gallon sizes. His invention was so successful that his employer J.R. Morin demanded that John share the invention with him. John refused, resigning his position and formed the J.G. Cherry Company in 1880. When he made this move he was married and had four children.
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John married Clarissa Carson in 1870.
She died in 1871. She is buried in Buchanan, Iowa.
They had one child.
George William 1871, died 1953, married 1st Florence Peddycoard, 2nd Mary Welsh. They are buried in Colorado.
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John married 2nd Mary Miles 1872.
They had seven children.
Walter Lorraine 1874, died 1946, married Lara White. They are buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
Agatha Mary 1876, died 1961, never married. She is buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
Howard 1880, died 1970, married Neva Verbach. They are buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
Herbert 1877, died 1949, married Helen Henderson. They are buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
Nell Lousie 1881, died 1969, never married. She is buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
Mable Maude 1883, died 1977, married George Luterdeng. They are buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
Jerome Burgess 1885, died 1917, never married. He is buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
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JOHN GEORGE CHERRY died 1899 in Cedar Rapids.
WIFE MARY MILES died 1927.
Both are both buried in OAK HILL CEMETERY.
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OTHER CHERRY BURIALS AT OAK HILL CEMETERY.
Howard Cherry Jr (son of Howard Sr and Neva) and Howard Jr’s wife Betty.
Leonard Henderson Cherry (son of Hebert and Helen) and Leonard’s wife Frances.
Frederick Watts Cherry (nephew of John George Cherry).
Isabelle Cherry (daughter of Walter and Lara).
Gladys Cherry Elliot (daughter of Herbert and Helen).
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THE FOLLOWING IS FROM THE OAK HILL FACEBOOK GROUP.
John G. Cherry was born in Didington, Huntingtonshire, England, in 1838. He came to this country in 1869 located at Troy Mills where he remained for eight years, moving to Walker, where he lived nearly two years, located in Cedar Rapids in 1879.
He was chief butter maker at the creamery named the J. R. Morin Company, but had had to give up the job or give his boss part ownership of his invention. He established the J.G. Cherry Co. to manufacture what was described as “a round metal container encased in an insulating eight sided, wood jacket” for properly transporting cream.
The first few "Cherry" cans were made in a workshop, which he fitted up in his home. The demand for them grew so rapidly, however, that it became necessary to have larger quarters, which were provided in a small building on the home property that was located within half a block of the present manufacturing plant of J. G. Cherry Company at Tenth Avenue and Fourth Street.
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THE FOLLOWING IS THE ENGLISH 1851 CENSUS FOR JOHN GEORGE CHERRY AND HIS FAMILY.
Name - John Cherry Age 12
Estimated Birth Year - 1839
Father’s Name - William Cherry Age 40
Mother’s Name - Rebecca Age 37
Where Born - Diddington, Huntingdonshire, England
Registration District - St Neots
Siblings include:
Joseph Age 18
Ann Age 15
George Age 10
Arthur Age 8
William Age 6
Source: Ancestry
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Photos include obituaries of John and Mary Cherry, the Cherry family and the Cherry family plot.
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Ancestry, Find A Grave, Cherry Diary, Oak Hill Facebook, etc.
The above may not be 100% accurate.
