Crossley & Dove Hill Cemetery

From Buffalo Tales, February 1987, “The Farming Community of Buffalo County, 1886” (Columns in the Hub written by “Grand Curiosity” describing the area west and northwest of Kearney)

“A cemetery association has been formed at Dove Hill. A board of trustees was elected whose names are as follows: A. J. Crossley, John McConville, Geo. A. Mancer, E. Richards and James McKittrick, secretary. A. J. Crossley gave one acre of land for the purpose. . . .The spot is very desirable, being dry, upon the table land and six miles from Kearney.”

[Perhaps Crossley gave this acre of land because there were already three family members buried here.]

From a scrapbook donated by Wilma Crossley Anderson

Account book kept by her father, W. T. Crossley.
    Expenses when the family traveled. The first trip was taken in 1893.
    Also a page of family records in this book.
        Deaths and burials Dove Hill Cemetery.
            Before 1887 when cemetery was organized.
        These would be the earliest burials in the cemetery.

Andrew Jackson Crossley (W. T. Crossley’s father)
Born in 1835 (Andrew Jackson was President 1828-36) in Virginia
Father died when he was a child; mother, sister, and he lived with maternal grandparents
Went to Indiana in his early 20’s, married Jeanette

Children:
1. William, born 1860
2. Jesse, 1863
3. Annie, 1866
4. Delia, 1868 - 1880
5. James, b. 4 Jan. 1872, Boone County, Indiana but did not come to Neb.; died there

6. Andrew Jackson, b. 10 May 1874, Boone County, Indiana

7. Jeanette, aka Nettie (our daughter), b. 24 Jan 1879, Jackson Township, Boone County,
Indiana.
8. Daughter, b. 1883 (only one born in Nebraska)

Came to Buffalo County in 1880 [probably spring, before census in summer]

Deaths listed –
Crossley, Adelia Learning – 19 Oct 1880 – died at 4 a.m., daughter of A. J. & Jeanett Crossley [12 years old]
Crossley, infant daughter of A. J. & Jeanett Crossley – 2 Jan 1883 – stillborn
Crossley, Jeanett – 9 Apr 1883 – died at 4 a.m., wife of A. J. Crossley

 

In 1885 A. J. still on farm with Annie, Andrew, & Nettie [1885 Nebraska Census]

Moved to Kearney

1890 Veterans Schedule
Crossley, Andrew J., Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska [no military information]

1890-91 Kearney City Directory
    Crossley, Andrew J., carpenter, bookkeeper, real estate & insurance agent,
    business name C. J. Burke at 22 west 21st St., res. 1411 Ave. A

Died in 1893

Kearney Cemetery records show that when A. J. Crossley died in 1893 he was buried there and Adelia and Jeanett were moved to two other spaces in the same lot a month later. [dates not same]

Crossley, A. J., died 3-18-1893, age 57 yrs., 9 mo., 1 da.; cause pneumonia
Crossley, Mrs. J.; died 1-4-1889. age 45 yrs, 5 mo, 4 da.
Crossley, Adelia; died 10-19-1881, age 13 yrs, 10 mo, 8 da.

Also in another plot

Crossley, Mary; died 8-5-1888; age 2 yr., 9 mo., 25 days
Crossley, Maryann, died 10-1-1942, buried 10-5-1942; age 85 yrs., 9 da.; diabetic coma
Crossley, William, buried 9-30-1922; age not given; [62 or 65]

William Crossley
        Born in 1860 in Indiana (1880 Census age 20 – b. 1860) (1900 Census b. Apr 1857)
        Came with family to Buffalo County in 1880
        Married Mary and living in Kearney by 1885 (newly married)
                Daughter, Mary, born late in 1885; died in 1888
                Daughter, Wilma, born 1889

        1900 – living in Kearney with wife and daughter, carpenter
        Wm. Died in 1922 & Mary in 1942

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        A woman is buried in the Veteran’s section of Kearney cemetery but she was not a veteran.

        She was 74 years old and living at St. Lukes when she died in 2003.

        Her husband had been cremated and was placed in her casket.

        He was a veteran. He had died in 1996 and was buried at Ft. McPherson.

        When she died he was disinterred and brought back to Kearney.

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10 Generations of Grants by Myron Scott
 

        Mary Grant was a member of the Grant family which settled at Odessa. She taught school at Stanley and Stone. She operated a china shop in Kearney and some china painting herself. She served as president of the 19th Century club. She was “instrumental in having the public drinking cups in the town abolished.”
 

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Watch your language - Kearney Hub, July 27, 1889 [Boom Period]

        Charles Ross and Walter Woods used insulting language yesterday to Mrs. R. F. Francis and were surprised by being put under police protection. Spent night in jail and paid a fine if $7.50 each in police court.

[Charles Ross was 61 at time of this event
        Born Oct. 1828 in Pennsylvania, married in 1860, 9 children, 6 lived to adulthood.
        Pvt. in Ill. Infantry in last year of Civil War.
        Son Edwin, wife & granddaughter living with them in 1900.
            Edwin, was doing day labor

            14 year old daughter had been working 7 months in a laundry as a starcher.
        Charles was retired by 1900, he was 71.
        Died in 1906, buried in Kearney Cemetery]

Insane – Kearney Hub, August 7, 1889

        John Schackler [Sheckler] was taken to Lincoln by Deputy Sheriff W. H. Wilson and C. T. Weldin. One of the first settlers of this county. Who owns a large ranch on the Loup River and owns the only natural grove of large timber in this part of the state and has had the misfortune to become hopelessly insane which necessitated his removal to the asylumn. [sic]

[1876 - homesteaded in
1880 – Living in Loup Township, age 48, single, hired hand living with him.
1881 and 1882 - listed in the school census records as living in Dist. 33]

No Divorce – Buffalo County Sun, December 28, 1895

        Jennie Smith from Henry Smith. Judge Sinclair denied the request and refused to sever the tie that galls but binds.

 – Buffalo County Sun, February 22, 1896
    City of Kearney – S.L. Shadrick of Kearney County and Lil Truesdale of Pittsburg, Pa. married Thursday evening, the young lady having arrived during the day from the east.
        Wedding was to have been Tuesday, but bride missed connection at Chicago

        During the 2 day wait the bridegroom naturally got a little nervous and Rev. Cook must have caught part of it
        When he married them he didn’t notice that the license was issued in Kearney County.

        After the couple were well on their way to their home in Missouri, the parson discovered the error and telegraphed the happy couple that they were not yet man & wife. They have no doubt ere this, had the nuptial knot tied again, mindful that the course of true love never did run smoothly.

From Marriage Records

Attached to marriage application - “I do not allow this marriage and I have my reasons.” The marriage certificate was not completed.

Kearney Hub, Friday, April 5, 1912

Objection to marriage made.
Father wants marriage annulled.

        Thursday the court house wedding of Ron S. Line, 19 years, and Mrs. Mable Slux, 31, both of north Eddyville, created a little bit of sensation at the court house but not half the sensation as did the arrival Friday morning of William Line. The boy’s father after having police arrest and hold the couple over night.
        The woman is a divorcee, her former husband being the man who so heroically threw himself in front of a train at Fremont a year ago to save a little child. He lives at Aurora, is married again.
        Definite action as to annulment at this time has not been taken.

1900 Federal Census – Loup Township, Custer County, Nebraska
Line, William, head, b. July 1865, 34, married 12 years, farmer
        Carrie, wife, b. Oct. 1864, 35, 8 children, 6 living
        Arthur W., b. Sept. 1890, 9
        Ronnie S., b. Mar. 1892, 8
        Claude, b. Mar 1895, 5
        Ivan J., b. Apr. 1896, 4
        Laura, b. Feb. 1898, 2
        Alva, b. Apr. 1900, 2/12
Waronder, Sarah, 69, mother-in-law

1920 Federal Census – 3rd Ward, Kearney, Buffalo county, Nebraska
Line, William, 54, no occupation listed
        Carrie, 55
        Claude T., 23
        Eva M., 18
        Dennis B., 16
        Blanche, 11

4 Items of Interest

        1. Shelton – 1894 – The livery stable closed due to dull business.

        2. Kearney Daily Hub – May 7, 1909 - Woman died of wasting away of the stomach tissues.

        3. Kearney Hub, Friday, February 4, 1913 - John Stahl, a nomadic German, taken before insanity board.

                [no census or cemetery records]

        4.  [Every Boy’s Dream] - 19 Mar 1894 Kearney Semi Weekly Hub
                William Waples went to Omaha yesterday to join Cole Bros circus as a trapeze performer.