The news item solved a mystery for cemetery trust members who are working on identifying some of the 165 people buried in the cemetery as they had no record of the mother or baby's burial.
"Now we've managed to track down the details, with the information popping up out of the woodwork, we're starting to fit more pieces of the jigsaw together," Karen Glassford said.
This year is the 140th anniversary of the first burial in the cemetery, which is located 10km north of Omakau, and encompassed within Karen and Tony Glassford's farm.
Matakanui farmer Ross Naylor, who is also a member of the cemetery trust, plans to include the story in his book about the early settlers in the Matakanui, Drybread, Blacks and Lauder area.
He has been researching the book for several years and it will cover the area within the original Matakanui Station, bordered by the Manuherikia River, Chatto Creek, Lauder Creek and the Dunstan Range.
"Rather than it being a history of the area, I'll try and focus on the first families and maybe cover the first two generations of settlers," Mr Naylor said.
He has already completed a book on the history of schooling in the Manuherikia Valley which was finished in time for a reunion involving former pupils, staff and committee members from the schools at the start of this year.
"Now I can focus more intensely on this one, mostly working on it at night, fitting it in around working on the farm, of course.
"Writing is a sideline, although I'd love to be able to devote more time to it."
The cemetery was a good starting point for his research.
"So far we've uncovered some amazing stories from those early days. It's amazing how many men died in accidents on their way home from the pub, for example.
"Drownings and deaths from diptheria, Tb and hydatids also feature."
Descendants of some of the early settlers remain in the area, with the surnames Naylor, Glassford, Wilson and Moran still featuring.
Other families have been harder to trace, with farms being subdivided many times and people shifting out of the district.
Mr Naylor is hoping people can supply him with early photographs to include in the book, as well as information about the pioneering families.
"The more people that contact me, the more information I'll be able to record, which will be of benefit for everyone."
The tales about how and why people were attracted to the district would also make interesting reading.
Although gold was the lure for many, most of the early settlers were farmers.
Anyone with information about early families in the area or photos can contact Mr Naylor at (03) 447-3454, or email him at spennymoor@ruralinzone.net
