Nothing But Tombstones

Wednesday's Child - Baby Mocroft

2010-11-17T05:20:00.002-06:00

Baby Mocroft

1899

Rosehill Cemetery

Waverly, Nebraska

Wednesday's Child - John Fitzgerald Abbott

2010-11-03T05:47:00.002-05:00

John Fitzgerald Abbott

April 18, 1914 - May 2, 1914

Calvary Cemetery

Lincoln, Nebraska

The body of John Fitzgerald, two-weeks old son of Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey Abbott, Jr., who died Sunday at Schuyler arrived in Lincoln this morning. Funeral services were held at St. Theresa's church, Thirteenth and M street, immediately following the arrival in the city. Interment was made in Calvary cemetery.

Source: Lincoln Daily Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, May 4, 1914

Wednesday's Child - Maxine Dorothy Kelly

2010-10-27T05:51:00.000-05:00

Maxine Dorothy Kelly
August 6, 1914 - September 15, 1915
Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood, Nebraska

Little Maxine Kelly was my aunt, first-born child of William and Sina Kelly.

Vanishing Head Stones - Harry Laughlin

2010-08-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

HARRY LAUGHLIN

Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery
Greenwood, Nebraska

Association of Graveyard Rabbits

2010-08-03T19:06:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone at the Association of Graveyard Rabbits for featuring this blog, Nothing But Tombstones, in one of their member profiles. I really appreciate the tip of the hat. Thank you!

Tombstone Tuesday - Harriet E Bower

2010-08-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

Harriet E. Bower
Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

MOTHER

HARRIET E. BOWER
JAN. 6, 1851
SEPT 23, 1899

gone but not forgotten

Harold and Marie Pilfold

2010-07-26T20:03:00.000-05:00

Harold M. Pilfold and Marie E. Pilfold

Rosehill Cemetery - Waverly, Nebraska

PILFOLD

HAROLD M.

JULY 5, 1918 - Aug. 22, 2007

MARIE E.

DEC. 27, 1912 - MAY 19, 1999

Marie Pilfold was my Sunday School teacher when I was a young girl, about seven years old. Everyone knew Harold as "Shorty" and he ran the service station in Greenwood, Nebraska when I was a kid. I was wandering around Rosehill Cemetery one Sunday morning, walking up and down the rows of tombstones and came across Shorty and Marie's burial place.

Henry Clay Rector and Martha Hurst Rector

2010-07-26T19:46:00.000-05:00

Henry Clay Rector and Martha Hurst Rector
Wyuka Cemetery - Lincoln, Nebraska

HENRY CLAY RECTOR

FEB 10, 1833 - AUG. 21, 1906

MARTHA HURST RECTOR

AUG, 30, 1830 - JAN. 7, 1922

Henry Clay Rector and Martha Hurst Rector's inscriptions are on one side of this monument. The inscription for their son, Ode E. Rector, and his wife, Nellie Kelly Rector are on the opposite site of the monument.

Ode E Rector and Nellie Kelly Rector

2010-07-25T13:36:00.001-05:00

Ode E Rector and Nellie Kelly Rector

Wyuka Cemetery - Lincoln, Nebraska

RECTOR

ODE E. RECTOR

APR 10, 1863 - FEB. 29, 1832

NELLIE K. RECTOR

APR. 10, 1870 - JAN 4, 1935

This is the tombstone of Ode E Rector (Odin Ellis Rector), a long time pharmacist in Lincoln, Nebraska and his wife, Nellie Kelly Rector. They are buried at Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska.

On the other side of this marker are the inscriptions for Ode Rector's parents, Henry Clay Rector and Martha Hurst Rector. Each of their graves are marked by stones inscribed "Father" and "Mother."

I've never found any evidence that Ode and Nellie had any children, which is why I was really taken with the additional stones marking their individual graves. Instead of the usual "mother" and "father" these stones displayed their initials.

O.E.R. - Ode E Rector

N. K. R. - Nellie Kelly Rector

Nellie Kelly was a sister of my great grandfather, Daniel Kelly. Daniel, his wife Mary, his parents and other members of the Kelly family are buried at the Catholic cemetery across the street from Wyuka, Calvary Cemetery.

This post originally appeared on my other blog, LongLostRelatives.net on May 18, 2010.

Nelson Atkinson

2010-07-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Nelson Atkinson
Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

GOD
IS
LOVE

NELSON ATKINSON

DIED

JUNE 20, 1869

AGED

28 Years

Biographical

This is the first of my Tombstone Tuesdays featuring interments from Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery, north of Greenwood, Nebraska. Click here for my original post about this cemetery.

As I mentioned in my original blog post, none of those interred at this cemetery are my direct line ancestors, but many are what I call shirttail kin. Nelson Atkinson is one of those people, whose relationship to me is that he was the brother-in-law of my great grand aunt. You can't get more shirttail than that!

Nelson Atkinson was born in Rhode Island on June 20, 1841. He died June 20, 1869. According to the book, Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery: The Lives of Those Interred edited by Rose Anne Hockstra, Nelson operated a mill on Rock Creek, west of Greenwood. The book states, "There was a flood on June 20, 1869, and Nelson jumped into the water to try to dislodge a log jam. His brother Byde tried to jump in to save him, but he was held back by the other men there." Nelson left behind his widow, Lydia, and two daughters, Elcina and Matilda. A son, Nelson Jr., was born two months after his father's death. Lydia returned to Wisconsin, married and gave birth to eight more children. (source: Sheffer book).

Nelson's death is documented in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedule of persons who died during the year ending June 1, 1870. He died at the age of 28 from drowning in Lancaster county, Nebraska.

Nelson was the son of John Atkinson and Ann Grunshaw.

This post originally appeared on my other blog, LongLostRelatives.net on June 15, 2010.

John Atkinson and Ann Grunshaw Atkinson

2010-07-25T09:48:00.005-05:00

John Atkinson and Ann Grunshaw Atkinson
Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

JOHN ATKINSON

DIED

JAN. 14, 1892

AGED

91 YRS 8 M's. 16 D's.

ANN, WIFE OF

John Atkinson

DIED

AGED

This is the second in a series of posts about interments at Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery, north of Greenwood, Nebraska.

John Atkinson was born in Lancashire, England in 1800 and arrived in the United States sometime before 1832. He was married to Ann Grunshaw, also of Lancashire, England. Both names are on the tombstone, although no dates are listed for Ann. She died 10 years after her husband and presumed to be buried by her husband.

The Atkinsons lived in Rhode Island, where their third child, Nelson Atkinson, was born. Another son born in Rhode Island was Samuel. After the family moved to Wisconsin, they had two more children, Byron and Eunice.

The family then settled in Nebraska. By 1857, when Nebraska was still a territory, they moved to Rock Creek, west of Greenwood and erected a saw mill.

Reference: Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery: The Lives of Those Interred, fourth edition, edited by Rose Anne Hockstra

This post originally appeared on my other blog, LongLostRelatives.net on June 22, 2010

Byron Atkinson and Lillie Jones Atkinson

2010-07-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Byron Atkinson and Lillie Jones Atkinson
Greenwood Memorial Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

Biographical

Byron Atkinson and his wife, Lillie, are buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Greenwood, Nebraska.

Byron's parents, John Atkinson and Ann Grunshaw Atkinson, are buried at the Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery, a few miles away. Their tombstone was featured on Tombstone Tuesday last week.

The tombstone of Byron's brother, Nelson Atkinson, is also at Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery and was featured on Tombstone Tuesday two weeks ago.

Byron was born in Wisconsin on March 5, 1850. According to his obituary, the family moved to Nebraska circa 1865, two years prior to Nebraska statehood.

1870 census records show Byron, age 20, living with his parents and sister Eunice in Lancaster county, Nebraska. He married Lillie Jones on September 23, 1873, according to Lancaster county marriage records. [source: Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society database]

Census records show Byron and Lillie starting their family and living in Oak Creek, Butler county, Nebraska in 1880 and 1885. In 1900, they lived in Brainard Village in Butler county. Daughter Ollie had moved out of the family home by this time, but children Charlie and Minnie were living with Byron and Lillie. Also living with the Atkinsons were Lillie's father, William Jones, a niece, Carrie Jones, and a nephew, Elmer Jones.

The 1910 census shows Byron and Lillie again living in Oak Creek, Butler county, Nebraska and by 1920 they had moved to Greenwood, Cass county, today about 20 miles north of Lincoln.

The information reported on the census records is interesting to me because Byron's 1931 obituary states that he had resided in Greenwood for 16 years (probably accurate) and prior to that, he had lived in Lancaster county for 65 years. The census shows that he had lived in Nebraska for 65 years, but not in Lancaster county the entire time. Tip: Don't accept anything as fact without checking several sources!

Byron Atkinson
1850 -1931

Early Nebraska Pioneer

This post originally appeared in my other blog, LongLostRelatives.net, on June 29, 2010.

Edmund Franklin Landon

2010-07-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

Edmund Franklin Landon

Greenwood Memorial Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

"COLONEL"

E. F. LANDON

1879 - 1935

Biographical - Obituary

Edmund Franklin Landon was born October 11, 1879 at Nebraska City, Nebraska, and passed from this life at Logan, March 13, 1935, at the age of 55 years, five months and two days. His mother, America Montgomery Landon, died when he was but a babe. He was reared to the age of 11 years in the home of an aunt, Belle Montgomery, now of Fremont, Nebraska. He spent the remaining years of his boyhood with his father, Daniel Webster Landon and his stepmother Mary Landon.

Early in his youth he took upon himself the responsibility of making his own way. In 1908 he was married to Bertha Wedmore of Orson and established a home at Calhoun. The greater part of his life was spent in the vicinity of Calhoun and Magnolia. To this union three children were born, Gerald, Louise and Genevieve. With the exception of tow years the past 12 years of his life were spent near California Junction.

His father, Daniel Landon, died in 1911, and a sister, Mrs. Maude Cauliflower, in 1926. He leaves to mourn his death three children, Gerald of Calhoun, Mrs. Louise Hanson of Council Bluffs and Genevieve at the home of her mother in Council Bluffs, one grandson, Richard Landon, three half-brothers, Webster D., and Edgar E. of Oakland, California, and Mrs. Henrietta Curran of Council Bluffs, and his aged and devoted stepmother, Mrs. Mary Landon of Council Bluffs, and many other relatives and friends.

It can be truly said of Mr. Landon that he was honest and willing to do all in his power to help a friend in need. He was industrious and hardworking, faithful in all his duties. He was friendly and kind.

Funeral services were held Friday afternoon, March 15, at the Yeaman Funeral Home, conducted by Rev. O. K. Schlesselman of the Evangelical church of Magnolia. Mrs. Edward Kersten, Helen said, Ralph Richardson and Edward Kersten, with Mrs. Walter Reep at the piano, sang those beautiful hymns, "The Old Rugged Cross," "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere," and "Nearer My God To Thee."

Interment was in the cemetery at Greenwood, Nebraska, beside his parents.

Source: The Logan Observer, Logan, Iowa, March 21, 1934

Note: I've yet to learn how he was nicknamed "Colonel."

Daniel Webster Landon and Mary Jane Walling

2010-07-23T06:00:00.003-05:00

Daniel Webster Landon and Mary Jane Walling Landon
Greenwood Memorial Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

DANIEL WEBSTER

LANDON

BORN DEC. 28, 1856

DIED OCT 14, 1912

MARY JANE WALLING

WIFE OF DANIEL W. LANDON

BORN SEPT. 21, 1863

DIED APR. 27, 1943

TO KNOW HER WAS TO LOVE HER

Biographical

Daniel Webster Landon was the son of Daniel Landon and Anne Jane McVoy, making him the brother of my great grandmother, Emma Harriet Landon Bellinger. He was first married to America Montgomery and they had two children, Maudette and Edmund Franklin. After America's death, he married Mary Jane Walling and their children were Frank, Lenora Estell, Jennie, Hazel, Daniel Webster, Edgar, Henrietta, Tommy and Lawrence. Daniel was known as Webb Landon and he died in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Greenwood Memorial Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

2010-07-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

Greenwood Memorial Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

Many of my ancestors and other family members are buried at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, just south of Greenwood, Nebraska. Among my relatives who are buried here include my grandparents, Bill and Sina Kelly; Sina's parents, John and Emma Bellinger; Bill and Sina's first born child, Maxine, who died as an infant; another of Bill and Sina's daughters, my aunt, Helen "Jerry" Dulin; my great great grandparents (Emma's parents), Daniel Landon and Anne Jane McVoy.

Each time I walk through this little cemetery up on the windy hill, I see the names of the people whose lives were intertwined with those of my family. I see many of Bill and Sina's friends; I see names of people my Mom went to school with; and now, I even come across the names of the kids I went to school with during the five years I lived in Greenwood as a youngster. Every time I visit this cemetery, there are more names that are familiar to me. It's marked the final resting place for many of my family for nearly 150 years.

I remember that as a child, I accompanied my mother and Grandpa Kelly to decorate graves every Memorial Day. There were no tombstones for the Kellys and Bellingers at that time. It wasn't until after Grandpa Kelly's death in 1968 that Mom, her brother and sister decided to use what little money was left to put up markers for their parents and the Bellinger grandparents and little Maxine. I'm glad they did because now there are headstones that mark their graves. I still think the day will come that I will be able to place a marker for Aunt Jerry. Somehow, I feel like I owe that to the memory of our family.

As a seven or eight year old, decorating the graves didn't have much meaning for me, but I always tried to not step on a grave. Since my Dad was the commander of the American Legion in Greenwood, we were usually always at the cemetery for Memorial Day services which included the firing of guns and the playing of "Taps." So there are always memories for me whenever I visit.

I think I'm going to have to make a visit there again very soon.

Jess Carl Petersen

2010-07-18T08:04:00.002-05:00

Jess Carl Petersen
Wyuka Cemetery - Lincoln, Nebraska

JESS

CARL

PETERSEN

NEBRASKA

RM3

USNR

WORLD WAR II

NOVEMBER 13, 1915

SEPTEMBER 12, 1961

Biographical

Jess Carl Petersen was born in Hardy, Nebraska, the youngest son of Jens Christian Petersen and Karoline Hansen Petersen. He was married to Thelma Grow. He died in Lincoln, Nebraska.

FindAGrave memorial

John Theodore Petersen

2010-07-18T07:55:00.004-05:00

John Theodore Petersen
Baby Petersen
Spring Creek Cemetery - Ruskin, Nebraska

J. THEODORE PETERSON

APRIL 1, 1906

JUNE 15, 1924

BABY OCT. 10, 1908

Inscription Note: Last name is misspelled on the stone.

Biographical

John Theodore "Teddy" Petersen was the son of Jens Christian Petersen and Karoline Hansen Petersen. He was only 18 years old when he died. He lived in Nuckolls County, Nebraska in Ruskin and Nora.

Buried by Teddy is a sibling who died October 10, 1908.

FindAGrave memorials

John Theodore Petersen

Baby Petersen

Kathryn Loder

2010-07-17T12:30:00.002-05:00

Kathryn Loder
Rosehill Cemetery - Waverly, Nebraska

KATHRYN LODER

JUNE 23, 1940

OCT. 18, 1978

I-COR. 15: 35 - 58

Biographical

Kathryn (Frances Kay) Loder was born in Laramie, Wyoming, daughter of James Edwin Loder and Frances Elizabeth Goodhue. All three are buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Waverly, Nebraska.

Kathryn had a career in the theater and a few B films in the 1970s. In 1972, she staged a one woman show she had conceived called "Echoes from Gibran." One of her last credited roles was on the soap opera, Days of Our Lives, in 1978. She died of complications of diabetes and is buried next to her parents in Waverly.

Kay Loder's sophomore yearbook photo.
Source: The Comet, Stephen F. Austin High School, Austin, Texas, 1956

Read Kathryn's complete biography on the Internet Movie DataBase.

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Lewis J Loder and Alice Walker Loder

2010-07-17T11:33:00.002-05:00

Lewis J. Loder and Alice Walker Loder
Rosehill Cemetery - Waverly, Nebraska

LEWIS J. LODER

FEB. 13, 1835 - FEB 24, 1923

ALICE W. LODER

DEC 19, 1842 - JAN 2, 1913

GOD IS LOVE

FindAGrave memorials

Lewis J. Loder

Alice Walker Loder

Samuel Loder and Christiana Loder - siblings

2010-07-17T10:27:00.003-05:00

Samuel Loder and Christiana Loder
Rosehill Cemetery - Waverly, Nebraska

SAMUEL

Son of L.J. &

A. E. LODER

DIED

Sep 12 1870

AGED

17 days

CHRISTIANA M.

Daughter of L.J. &

A.E. LODER

DIED

Sep 10, 1870

AGED

1 year, 4 mos, 7 days

Biographical

This brother and sister, born about 16 months apart, died just two days apart. Samuel lived 17 days and Christiana lived one year, four months and seven days. Their parents were Lewis J. Loder and Alice Walker Loder.

FindAGrave memorials

Samuel Loder

Christiana Loder

Willie Kelly - Calvary Cemetery - Lincoln, Nebraska

2010-07-17T08:42:00.002-05:00

Willie Kelly
Calvary Cemetery - Lincoln, Nebraska

WILLIE

Son of

W. & M. KELLY

Born Mar. 4, 1886

Died Dec. 14, 1886

Biographical

Willie Kelly was the son of William D. Kelly Jr. and Mary/Mollie Kelleher Kelly. Mollie was the daughter of Patrick Kelleher and Nora Nestor Kelleher, who are buried in St. Andrew's Cemetery in Tecumseh, Nebraska. Willie was the first born of the couple's two children. His sister, Mary (Mayme) was born two years later.

William D. Kelly, Jr. died in 1899 at the age of 38. In 1901, Mollie married his brother, Michael Kelly. Mike and Mollie had one child together, Edward, born in 1903.

William, Mollie and Michael are all buried in the same section at Calvary Cemetery in Lincoln, however, there are no visible tombstones. Willie is buried next to his grandparents, William D. Kelly, Sr. and Mary Casey Kelly.

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Patrick Kelleher and Nora Nestor Kelleher - St Andrew's Cemetery - Tecumseh, Nebraska

2010-07-17T08:19:00.003-05:00

Patrick Kelleher and Nora Nestor Kelleher
St. Andrew's Cemetery - Tecumseh, Nebraska

The large stone in the center of the photograph is for Patrick Kelleher and Nora Nestor Kelleher, his wife. Patrick came from Limerick, Ireland and Nora was from County Clare, Ireland. Some of their children retained the surname spelling of Kelleher; others changed it to Keleher, dropping one L.

PATRICK KELLEHER

MAR 17, 1836 - FEB 28, 1905

NORA KELLEHER

MAY 12, 1843 - DEC 1, 1907

Lessons learned from this cemetery outing

Sunny days provide beautiful backdrops for photographing tombstones.
Sunny days make capturing tombstone inscriptions difficult.
Always sketch at least a rudimentary map of the area of the cemetery you are photographing.
Always transcribe each tombstone you photograph while on site.

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Patrick Kelleher

Nora Nestor Kelleher

St. Andrew's Cemetery - Tecumseh, Nebraska

2010-07-17T07:45:00.003-05:00

St. Andrew's Cemetery - Tecumseh, Nebraska

Entrance to St. Andrew's Cemetery

St. Andrew's Cemetery is located north of Tecumseh, Nebraska on "Old Highway 50." This highway is parallel to Highway 50, which is located to the East.

Cemetery Sign

My field trip to St. Andrew's Cemetery was to photograph tombstones for a fellow family history researcher who is related to the Kelleher and Nestor families who resided in Johnson County, Nebraska. We connected via Ancestry.com about a year ago when she contacted me regarding one of my Kellys who had married one of her Kellehers. Actually, her Kelleher had married TWO of my Kellys. After Mary/Mollie Kelleher's first husband, William, died, she married his brother, Michael Kelly. Both men were brothers of my great grandfather, Daniel Kelly.

A friend of mine grew up in Tecumseh, so one sunny Sunday afternoon late last summer we embarked on a field trip to Tecumseh to photograph the tombstones of the Kelleher and Nestor families.

List of interments from US Gen Web

Surnames A - C

Surnames D - G

Surnames H - L

Surnames M - R

Surnames S - Z

FindAGrave interments

Anna May Bell

2010-07-17T07:21:00.001-05:00

Anna May Bell
Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

ANNA MAY BELL

1870 - 1872

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William and Elizabeth Sheffer

2010-07-17T07:18:00.001-05:00

William and Elizabeth Sheffer
Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

Wm. Sheffer

ELIZABETH

Wife of

Wm. Sheffer

FindAGrave memorials

William Sheffer

Elizabeth Kehler Sheffer

Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

2010-07-11T12:19:00.002-05:00

Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

Entrance to Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery

SHEFFER CEMETERY

IN MEMORY OF

THE PIONEERS

ESTABLISHED 1860

I originally wrote about my field trip to Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery last month on my LongLostRelatives.net blog. It's rather secluded and you have to know where you're going to find it. Directions are at the bottom of this post.

I'm rather fascinated with this cemetery since it's one of the oldest in the area. Many of the earliest pioneers of Cass and Saunders county are buried here. None of my direct line ancestors are buried here, but several are shirt-tail kin. I believe there are less than 100 interments here and I attempted to photograph as many as I could. The growth was fairly heavy in some areas, so I did not wander through the poison ivy to get to a few of them. Perhaps on another day.

I was intrigued by the picnic grounds adjacent to the cemetery. Descendants of the pioneers still have an annual picnic celebration to honor their ancestors each year. The picnic tables are a permanent fixture at the cemetery.

The Loder Family tombstones

Each of the tombstones that I photographed at Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery will be posted on this Nothing But Tombstones blog in the coming weeks. I have about 70 photographs from this cemetery.

Directions: Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery is located halfway between Greenwood, Nebraska and Ashland, Nebraska. From Highway 6, turn north on 226th Street. Cross the railroad tracks and go about one mile to Country Club Road. The cemetery is located at the end of the minimum maintainance road beyond a private farm residence.

FindAGrave interments

LeRoy Pecht and Clara Laymon Pecht

2010-07-11T07:53:00.003-05:00

LeRoy Pecht and Clara Laymon Pecht
Rose Mound Cemetery - Republic County, Kansas

PECHT

Le ROY P.

1879 - 1932

CLARA R.

1876 - 1941

Biographical

LeRoy (Roy) Pecht was born on a farm near Hardy, Nebraska, possibly across the border in Republic county, Kansas. He farmed and for the last 16 years of his life was manager of the Farmers' Elevator in Holmesville, Nebraska. He married Clara Rosella Laymon on April 11, 1900. He was the son of John Crispin Pecht and Amanda Melvina Stover.

Clara Rosella Laymon was born October 2, 1876 in Grundy county, Illinois. She was the daughter of Civil War veteran John Laymon and his wife, Eliza Ann Olmstead. She died October 20, 1941 in Beatrice, Nebraska.

LeRoy and Clara had six children, two of whom died as infants. Those who grew to adulthood were Ruby (my grandmother), Clyde, Cecile Ann and Mildred.

FindAGrave memorials

LeRoy Pearl Pecht

Clara Rosella Laymon Pecht

William L Kelly, Sr and Sina Harriet Bellinger Kelly

2010-07-11T07:30:00.002-05:00

William L Kelly, Sr and Sina Harriet Bellinger Kelly
Greenwood Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

KELLY

WILLIAM L., SR

JULY 7, 1891

DEC. 31, 1968

SINA H.

APR. 3, 1889

NOV. 3, 1955

Tombstone Inscription

The year of birth for William is likely in error. More contemporary records from his younger years indicate his year of birth as 1892.

Biographical

William Leroy Kelly is the son of Daniel Kelly and Mary "Minnie" Janice Welch Kelly. His grandparents were both born in Ireland. He was born in and died in Greenwood, Nebraska.

Sina Harriet Bellinger was the daughter of John William Bellinger and Emma Harriet Landon. Her grandparents were Daniel Landon and Anne Jane McVoy. Sina's funeral card states she was born in Fremont, Nebraska, which is possible since the Bellingers lived in Fremont for a while. She may also have been born in Greenwood, Nebraska.

Sina and Bill grew up together in Greenwood and married August 10, 1913. They had five children: Maxine Dorothy, Margaret Janice, Helen Marcella, William Jr, and Patricia Landon, my mother.

Sina and Bill were my grandparents.

FindAGrave memorials

William L. Kelly, Sr

Sina Bellinger Kelly

Marion Baker and Ruby Pecht Baker

2010-07-11T07:17:00.004-05:00

Marion Baker and Ruby Pecht Baker
Lincoln Memorial Park - Lincoln, Nebraska

BAKER

MARION

1902 - 1985

BAKER

RUBY L

1905 - 1991

Biographical

Ruby Luella Pecht was born May 27, 1905 in Kansas, daughter of Leroy Pearl Pecht and Clara Rosella Laymon. Her first husband was Otto W. Petersen; she and Otto were my father's parents. They divorced before I was born.

Marion Baker was my step grandfather. He was born November 14, 1902 and spent most of his life in the area of Firth, Nebraska.

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Marion Baker

Ruby Pecht Petersen Baker

Otto W Petersen and Mabel Limbeck Petersen

2010-07-10T20:39:00.002-05:00

Otto William Petersen and Mabel Limbeck Petersen
Lincoln Memorial Park - Lincoln, Nebraska

PETERSEN

OTTO W.

FEB. 14, 1899

APR 28, 1977

PETERSEN
MABEL L.

DEC. 30, 1911
MAR. 10, 1995

Biographical

Otto Petersen was born on Valentine's Day in Waterloo, Black Hawk county, Iowa. His parents were Jens Petersen and Karoline Hansen Petersen, both natives of Denmark. His first wife, my grandmother, was Ruby Luella Pecht. They divorced.

Mabel Limbeck Petersen was my step-grandmother. Grandpa Pete and Mabel were married April 4, 1951.

I grew up with two sets of grandparents on my father's side of the family as Otto and Ruby had divorced before I was born - I never knew them as a couple.

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Otto Petersen

Mabel Petersen

Maxine Dorothy Kelly

2010-07-10T20:18:00.007-05:00

Maxine Dorothy Kelly
Greenwood Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

MAXINE DOROTHY

KELLY

AUG 6, 1914 - SEPT. 15, 1915

Biographical

Little Maxine Kelly only lived for 13 months. She was the first child born to my grandparents, William Leroy Kelly and Sina Harriet Bellinger Kelly. She died before any of her other siblings were born. She looks so happy in this photograph. Little Maxine is my aunt.

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Daniel Landon and Ann Jane McVoy

2010-07-10T17:05:00.003-05:00

Daniel Landon and his wife, Anne Jane McVoy Landon

Greenwood Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

Inscription:

DANIEL LANDON

AND WIFE

ANNE LANDON

AT REST

Biographical

Daniel and Anne Landon are my great-great grandparents. Their daughter, Emma Harriet Landon, married John William Bellinger. John and Emma's daughter, Sina Bellinger Kelly, was my grandmother. This is how my mother was bestowed her middle name, Landon, which she always hated. As a teenager, she called herself Patty Ann.

Anne McVoy was born July 11, 1816 in either New York or Connecticut (sources differ). She was the daughter of James Landon and Sarah Larvin. She died in Nebraska on January 15, 1904.

Daniel Landon was born in Tioga county, Pennsylvania on December 9, 1815 and died October 5, 1886 in Greenwood, Nebraska.

Daniel and Anne were married August 20, 1838 in Tioga county, Pennsylvania. By 1860, they had moved to Cass county, Nebraska where they remained for the rest of their years. They had ten children, including my great grandmother. Among the sons in the family were George Washington Landon, Daniel Webster Landon and Benjamin Franklin Landon.

FindAGrave memorials

Daniel Landon

Anne Jane McVoy Landon

Patricia Landon Kelly Petersen - Mom

2010-07-10T15:10:00.002-05:00

Lincoln Memorial Park - Lincoln, Nebraska

Inscription:

Patricia Landon

Petersen

1927 -1983

I prefer to remember her from her younger years, circa 1946.

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Soldier's Circle - Wyuka Cemetery

2010-07-10T14:50:00.002-05:00

Wyuka Cemetery - Lincoln, Nebraska

Mary Casey Kelly and William D Kelly

2010-07-10T11:14:00.005-05:00

Mary Casey Kelly and William D Kelly
Calvary Cemetery - Lincoln, Nebraska

It seems only fitting that my first post for Nothing But Tombstones be the tombstone of my great-great grandparents, Mary Casey Kelly and William D. Kelly. This tombstone was my first connection that took my family history back another generation.

This side of the monument reads:

Mary Casey

Wife of

William Kelly

Born Nov. 12, 1830

Died Nov. 6, 1886

May her soul rest

in peace. Amen.

The inscription on the front of the monument reads:

In Memory Of
MAMMA

Sacred heart of Jesus, have merry on her.

Holy heart of Mary, pray for her. Amen.

Unfortunately, there is no inscription for William on this tombstone. He is acknowledged by the stone reading Papa, next to Mary's, which reads Mamma.

Biographical

Mary was born in Tuam, Galway, Ireland on November 12, 1830. Her death notice in the Daily Nebraska State Journal of November 7, 1886 is the only source I have (so far) for the location of her birth.

William was from Kilkenny, Ireland according to the Illustrated History of Nebraska, Vol. 1, 1905, Morton, Watkins, Miller.

Mary and William were probably married in either New York or New Jersey, circa 1850 - 1852. They moved to Elgin, Illinois where the first of their two children, Mary and Michael, were born. The family then moved to St. Paul, Ramsey county, Minnesota. My great-grandfather, Daniel Kelly, was born there, as were his siblings Margaret and William. Their other three children were John, Thomas and Nellie.

William was a teamster and hauled freight between St. Paul and Denver. According to Morton, cited above, William went to Idaho and Walla Walla, Washington and mined for two years. After his return to St. Paul, the family went on the 1864 expedition of Captain James Fisk, which met with an ill-fated encounter with the tribal Indians. Many in the wagon train left the expedition and this was when the Kellys eventually came to the Omaha area and later put down roots in Greenwood, Nebraska and the Mill Precinct of eastern Lancaster County.

As stated on the tombstone, Mary died in 1886. William died ten years later on February 3, 1896.

FindAGrave memorials

Mary Casey Kelly

William D Kelly