Rosewood History

CEMETERIES

The word cemetery is derived from the Greek word Koimeterion, which means ‘sleeping place.‘ The term implies that the land has been set aside as a burial ground, a place of rest where the deceased are considered to be sleeping.

Information from the City of Ipswich.
The website Discover Ever After allows you to easily search burial information for the following Ipswich cemeteries, for free:

Haigslea Cemetery
Ipswich General Cemetery
Stone Quarry Cemetery
Tallegalla Cemetery
Warrill Park Lawn Cemetery

Tallegalla Pioneer Cemetery (1876)

Marburg Rd, Tallegalla, Queensland

This burial ground is situated on a hill overlooking the Marburg Valley and the hills of Tallegalla and has beautiful panoramic views. The cemetery will have been there for 150 years come May 2026.

Ten acres of land for the cemetery and church site were donated (2nd May 1876) by Charles Freeman who is buried there with his family. It was originally known as the Walloon Cemetery, then by 1886 it was known as the Rosewood General Cemetery. In 1902 it was known as the Rosewood Cemetery and around 1920 it was called the Tallegalla Cemetery.

The first burial there was Samuel Smith Dart (7th February 1877), son of John & Amy Dart.
A promising boy of ten years of age, named Samuel Dart, son of Mr. John Dart, postmaster at the Rosewood Scrub, died yesterday. The cause of death is supposed to have been sunstroke, received on Friday last. Much sympathy is felt for the bereaved parent. [Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Thursday 8 February 1877, page 3]

A public meeting was held in the Rosewood Scrub on Tuesday evening 22nd May 1877, for the purpose of electing trustees for the Rosewood cemetery. The names of nine persons were submitted to the meeting and approved, and the following resolution was proposed by Mr. L. Smallbones: — That it is the opinion of this meeting that John William Vance, Luke Ulrich, James Ponting, Patrick O’Donnel, William Ward, Christopher Eitel, Charles Freeman, John Dart, and Charles Cowell, should be appointed trustees of the Rosewood cemetery. The motion was seconded by Mr. James Harris, and carried unanimously.

At a meeting of the Rosewood Shire Council in July 1927, it was reported that Tallegalla Cemetery was in a deplorable state. Weeds and rubbish covered the graves, the road and paths were overgrown with buffalo grass and the fence along the road was in a bad state of repair. The Works Committee recommended that an 6ft. pathway should be cleared from the gate into the cemetery, and a good fence should to be built along the road. Cr. Heiner, who submitted the report, said that the committee had discovered that the control of the cemetery being vested in trustees had been proven unsatisfactory previously. Mr. Lucas pointed out that the council did not have an actual plan of the cemetery. In fact, the only plan existing was one drawn and owned by the Sexton, Mr. Moses Freeman. He suggested that the council should have enlarged copies of Mr. Freeman’s map made by a draughtsman. A copy could be used then for marking the graves. As it was there was no order about them at all and the council was entirely dependent on the memory of Moses Freeman. “If he died tomorrow, goodness knows what we would do.” he said, “We would not know where people were buried.” The Works Committee’s recommendations were adopted.

Tallegalla Cemetery has both monumental and lawn graves, as well as a columbarium wall and memorial gardens. The ashes of Frederick Sidney Cotton, Spy and Aviator, are buried there.

The burial records for the Cemetery were lost in the 1974 flood and the locations of several graves still cannot be identified today.

An article in the Queensland Times (24th February 1982) by staff reporter Shane Rodgers, informed the reader that a Rosewood resident had expressed her opposition to the Moreton Shire Council’s plans to tidy up overgrown graves, and those deemed beyond repair, at the Tallegalla Cemetery. Council had employed a multi purpose end loader to complete the task, and the resident claimed that considerable damage had been done to headstones, iron railings and grave markers. The positions of graves where headstones were removed were not recorded. It was reported that intact, removed headstones would be placed in one area to make other graves easier to maintain. This event caused community outrage, and was allegedly done before anyone knew, causing distress to the families of loved ones interred in the disturbed graves.

In mid 2015, ten grave sites were upgraded under a $6500 pilot program by Ipswich City Council, with retrofitting of a lawn beam to graves along Row 21. Concrete desks were also fitted offering an improved viewing angle along with two spaces for memorial items.

In October 2024 expansion work began at the cemetery and was completed by July 2025. Ipswich City Council completed extensive upgrades at a cost of $2.3 million. A new burial area (311 new burial plots, 156 ashes inurnment plots) was created and the existing roads and car parking were upgraded. Additional seating, shelters, an amenities block, retaining walls, paths and fencing were added and landscaping and drainage works were carried out.

Tallegalla Pioneer Catholic Cemetery

146–170 Two Tree Hill Tallegalla, Queensland (Corner of Berlin Rd and Two Tree Hill Rd)
A small bush cemetery with approximately twelve graves (some with headstones) are visible. The last burial was in the 1940’s. The church that was formerly located on this site was removed to Woodlands, Marburg in 1901 and used for a wedding chapel. (Catholic Church of St Boniface, Marburg) There is a small cemetery there.

23rd January 1910 – Mr. Patrick O’Donnell, an old and respected resident of Ashwell, was interred the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Tallegalla.The ceremony at the graveside being conducted by the Rev. A. Wright, of St. Mary’s Presbytery, Ipswich. The funeral was the largest ever seen at Rosewood, and a large number of wreaths, sent by sympathising friends, were laid on the grave.

Queensland Times (Ipswich), Thursday 16 September 1937, page 1
FUNERAL NOTICES.
HAGEMANN.—The Relatives and Friends of the late HEINRICH HAGEMANN are invited to attend his Funeral, to leave his late Residence, Marburg, at 3 o’clock THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON for the Tallegalla Catholic Cemetery. O. BOETTCHER & SON, Funeral Directors.
HAGEMANN.—St. BRIGID’S HIBERNIAN SOCIETY, No. 397. Officers and Members of the above are invited to attend the Funeral of their late Brother (HEINRICH HAGEMANN), to leave his late Residence, Marburg, at 3 o’clock THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON for the Tallegalla Catholic Cemetery. W. L. COLLINGWOOD, Secretary.

Muller Family Private Cemetery

Berlin Road, Tallegalla, Queensland
Rosewood Scrub Historical Society has a list of the burials in this private cemetery.

Queensland Times (Ipswich) Monday, 21 January 1924, page 4
MULLER.—On December 29, at her late residence, Tallegalla, Emilie Muller, relict of the late Charles L. Muller, aged 76 years. Interment, private; no flowers, by request.

Queensland Times (Ipswich) Monday, 20 November 1933, page 8
The death occurred at Tallegalla on Wednesday of Mr. Martin Quintel at the age of 90 years. Born at Neckarhausen (Germany), he arrived at Brisbane at the age of 11 with his parents, who settled in the Dalby district. About 30 years ago he came to Tallegalla. The remains were interred in the private cemetery at Tallegalla. Pastor Noack, of Nobby, conducted the service. The late Mr. Quintel leaves a brother-in-law, a sister, and a number of nephews and nieces.

FUNERAL NOTICE. QUINTEL—The Relatives and Friends of the MULLER FAMILY are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral of their beloved Uncle (MARTIN QUINTEL), to move from his late Residence (Tallegalla), for their Private Cemetery, at 2 o’clock THIS (WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON.
O. BOETTCHER, Funeral Director.

Rosewood Columbarium Wall (1968)

Uniting Church, 19 John St Rosewood, Queensland
A Columbarium wall was erected in the Church grounds for the use of the community. It was a gift from Mr. Gordon Yarrow and family, as a memorial to his wife Iris Brenda May nee Evans who passed away in 1966.

Family members laid the concrete base and engaged a brick layer to build the wall. The Dedication Service was held on Sunday, 18th August.

The family handled the bookings. A niche cost $20. Later the family approached the church to take it over and another section was added.

Stone Quarry Cemetery (1875)

207 Stone Quarry Road, Jeebropilly, Queensland
Originally known as Seven Mile Creek Cemetery.

Mount Walker Historic Cemetery (1898)

Formerly Mount Walker Public Cemetery (near the Mount Walker School)
Rosewood-Warrill View Road, Mount Walker, Queensland
On 7th May 1898, at a meeting of the Mutdapilly Divisional Board held at the office at Mount Walker, a proclamation was received giving the outlines of the new cemetery near the Mount Walker School.

St Patrick’s Catholic Church and Graveyard (1889)

766 Rosevale Road, Rosevale, Queensland (Cnr Rosevale and Dawson Rds)

Rosevale Church of Christ Cemetery (1896)

Tarome Road, Rosevale, Queensland

Rosevale Methodist Cemetery

The Methodist Church opened in November 1887 and stood on the corner of C Zahnow Road and Rosevale Rd. The cemetery was located on the same block of land as the church. Because of the dwindling congregation, the church closed in 1960 and the building was demolished. The church decided to sell the land and the original donor of the half acre block (Mr Christen Christensen) was given the chance to buy it back. He offered to fence off the cemetery and install a pathway to protect the graves, but his offer was rejected. When the church sold the land, only five headstones were relocated to the Rosevale Pioneer park approx 800m up the road. Some broken headstones were disposed of. The graves themselves however, were left in situ. A residence was built on the old church site.

St Paul Lutheran Cemetery (c.1881)

197 Sellars Rd, Rosevale, Queensland
The cemetery marks the site on which St Laurentius Lutheran church stood for nearly 50 years. (1881 – 1928)

Grandchester Cemetery (1896)

87-105 Sippels Rd, Grandchester, Queensland

A meeting was held at 7.30p.m. at the school house on Saturday 20th April 1895, when trustees were appointed for the cemetery at Grandchester. It was decided that Messrs. T. R. L. Andrews, P. Rafter, J. Mullis, J. Backer. and J. Collins, should act in that capacity, subject to the approval of the Minister.

The first burial was that of Henry Collins on 19th November 1895, as reported in the Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser on Saturday, 23 November 1895 on page 5
Death at Grandchester. It is my painful duy to chronicle the death of Master Henry Collins, a most clever youth of fourteen summers only. It appears that about six or seven months ago he contracted some ailment, and was taken for treatment to several of the best medical men in Ipswich. He was also an inmate of the Hospital, but the hopes held out of his ultimate recovery were slender, and during the last sixteen weeks he has been at home, sightless and bedridden, receiving, of course, all the attention possible. On Sunday evening last he became very low, and ultimately succumbed at about 4 a.m. on Monday. He was a very clever schoolboy, having taken a first-class certificate at the show held at Ipswich, some three or four years ago, for some school-work, and he was much thought of by his playmates. The funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon last, when about 140 persons followed the deceased’s remains to their last resting- place, which was our local cemetery, only recently gazetted as such. As the cortege left his father’s residence, the order was – altar boys from the Roman Catholic chapel, chief mourners, pedestrians, vehicles, and horsemen, but, later on, the deceased’s school-mates joined the procession, which, on nearing the cemetery, was really a most imposing sight. As this was the first person interred at Grandchester, many persons took much interest in the proceedings, especially some of the younger persons, some of whom had never seen a grave, and so visited this one during the time it was being dug. At the graveside it was a very distressing sight when the last solemn rites were being performed, followed, as they were, immediately by a heavy storm, accompanied by a little rain. The deceased lad was the second son of Mr. John Collins, for some time ganger on the Grandchester length of repairs on the railway line, and I am sure I am recording the sentiments of all the residents and the aequaintances of the grief stricken parents and relatives when I say that we all sympathise with them in their sad bereavement. Nov. 21.

Mt Mort Historical Cemetery (1928)

cnr Hodges Rd and Grandchester-Mt Mort Rd, Queensland

The need for a cemetery reserve was first discussed at a meeting of the Mt Mort L.P.A on 9th February 1925. The secretary wrote to the authorities asking if it was possible to secure ground for cemetery purposes from one of the reserves. In 1928 the cemetery was finally established and subsequent to a LP.A meeting, a public meeting was held in March to elect trustees for cemetery. Messrs. J. W. Despardino, A. Clarke, and E. G. H. Cutler were appointed. The grounds were fenced in April 1930.

Purga Aboriginal Cemetery

Carmichaels Rd, Purga, Queensland
This old burial ground was associated with the Deebing Creek and Purga Aboriginal Missions since about 1887. It was formally resumed for Aboriginal Cemetery purposes and gazetted in March 1968 but was in use from the earliest days of the mission.

The Purga Aboriginal Cemetery was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 16th September 2008.

Queensland Heritage Register – Deebing Creek Mission

Woodlands Private Burial Ground

Woodlands, Seminary Rd, Marburg.
Doctor Euchariste Sirois who built the Marburg Private Hospital in 1912 is buried here with his wife.

Trinity Lutheran Cemetery (by 1901)

Edmond St, Marburg, Queensland

All Saints Anglican Cemetery (1892)

Seminary Rd, Marburg, Queensland