Hope

Smoky Hill Cemetery - McPherson Co., KS

The anchor is a symbol of HOPE.

Pioneers

and a little dust.

My cemetery buddy Kathleen and I haven't been on an outing this year due to many reasons. So, last week we made a day of it...ignoring, or trying to, the Kansas winds. Hard to do, but we visited 6 cemeteries in the county next door.

Today at lunch we laughed at how desperate we must of been.

In the photo below you can see the dust being blown from the empty field beside the cemetery.

Lutheran Cemetery
McPherson Co., KS

I found two stones that noted the family as pioneers for the area.

Erickson Stone

Ingman Stone

Tombstone Photo of the Week

McPherson Cemetery

Tombstone Photo of the Week

Rural Kansas - Groveland Cemetery

Have they always been there?

Why am I just noticing all the "rabbits" in the cemetery? Not the real ones but those left behind by family. Did my joining the GYR make me more aware of rabbits? Why did each person choose a rabbit?

Never doubt the will of one wanting to take a cemetery walk. If you have ever visited my neck of the woods you know how much the wind blows here. The gusts were over 30 mph today. All day! That is how I wound up one county over!

Will it survive?

On my journey today to find cemeteries marked on a Kansas DOT county map I discovered 2 were probably homestead burials that are now disappearing into the changing landscape around them.

This burial location is located in the middle of a section of land. The only access is on a private drive. Upon arriving I was shocked to see how close the new highway will be to these 2 graves. It will most likely find itself in the "ditch" area. Right now this little grove of trees and the only 2 headstones I could find are surrounded by a chain. I will certainly check on it as the highway progresses.

Buried here are Jacob and Maria Peters and Anna and Gerhard Peters.

The location is north of Arrowhead road between 6th and 7th streets. It is the private drive just west of the new highway 61 under construction. Arrowhead, 6th and 7th streets are unpaved roads.

Some things don't apply...

...when you are searching for a rural cemetery.

Do they?

All I could find were 2 visible headstones. Both were broken. One had the name Nettie Irons and the other looks like it might be for a Heinrich. It's in German.

These headstones are located on 7th Street about a 1/4 mile south of Arrowhead Road, on the east side of the road. They are right off the road.

Father's Grave

Today I took a few cemetery walks. I found it interesting that someone would carve "father's grave" onto a headstone. This was found in the McPherson Cemetery.

Headstone for Thomas Marquis

I also visited the N. Inman Cemetery and came across this headstone that has "Father and Mother's Grave" on the headstone.

Has anyone ever seen this on a headstone?

Headstone for John & Ruhamah Bridgens

Windom Cemetery Walk

Take a walk - see more photos online.

S. Inman Cemetery Walk

This may not be the proper name of the cemetery. There is another one North of town called "North Inman Cemetery". There isn't a sign at this location. It sits at the corner of Buckskin Road and 8th Ave [Buhler Road]. My husband's Warkentine ancestors are buried here.

Take a walk - see more photos online.

Killed by lightning

John Ellwood

Windom Cemetery

Another cause of death listed on the headstone.

Windom Cemetery

Windom Cemetery
McPherson Co., KS

Select photos uploaded.
Partially photographed cemetery.

His face is hid under the coffin lid

Charlie Troy rests at Bean Cemetery. Three sides of his headstone were inscribed.

.

(1) Charlie, son of B. F. & Anna Troy. Died Dec. 10, 1885, Aged 17 Yrs. 8 Mos. 10 Ds

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(2) In blooming youth he was snatched away. In him we took pride.

Gone before us, oh our brother to the spirit land.

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(3) I know his face is hid

under the coffin lid

closed are his eyes

cold is his forehead fair

my hand that marble felt

o're it in prayer I knelt

yet my heart whispers

that he is not there

.

If you Google "his face is hid under the coffin lid" you will find reference to a poem entitled "My Child". I also found it recorded in the book "The Home Book of Verse, American and English, 1580 - 1918."

.

A quick check on Ancestry.com revealed a family tree with Charlie listed. It gave his birth date as 3/30/1868 and his parents as Benjamin Franklin and Anne Ramsey Troy.

Peaceful Views

2 photos from my recent adventure.


Smoky Hill Cemetery
McPherson Co., KS


Indian Hill Cemetery
Dickinson Co., KS

Stillborn

This little stone is located in South Inman Cemetery, McPherson County, Kansas.