Regarding the reference to the Mother Bickerdyke Cemetery, my guess is that it has to do with the Mother Bickerdyke Home that was in Ellsworth, a home for CW veterans, their widows and orphans. The home, in a sense, still exists today:

http://www.good-sam.com/communities/showLocation.asp?backlink=/communities/showState.asp?StateID=18&id=144