Cemeteries
Buffalo County Cemeteries
Every town has a cemetery
Elm Creek & Ravenna have two – Protestant
and Catholic
Miller – Still called Armada even though the town moved and changed its
name
Amherst – also has town’s former name – Old Stanley
Gibbon – Named Riverside but not the Platte, the Wood
Shelton – Its cemetery is located outside the county
Many other smaller cemeteries scattered
about the county
Most started beside rural churches which
are long gone
Poor Farm cemetery marked today only by a
monument in the center
Some deserted, overgrown, but cleaned up
in recent years
Some exceptionally well cared for and mapped –
Prairie Center, credit to Andy &
Nevabelle
A few private burial sites are still
preserved
Unknown how many are forgotten
First three Olivers – Sarah, son John, daughter all died in same year
Buried on farm – sheep pen
Rumors of one here in Kearney
Kearney Cemetery
First location – on north end of what became Kearney Lake
When dam was completed and water began to
fill the area, the graves would be covered
About 12 graves were moved to current cemetery
Site of burials is recorded – no names since names were unknown at time
of moving
Oldest Death Date – Feb. 23, 1861
We don’t just move houses; we also move
bodies
Lived in Kearney/Buffalo County – not here – shipped back “home” for
burial
Moved to Kearney – moved loved one from cemetery back home o Kearney
Hannah Jay’s husband, Evan
Birth: Jan.
28, 1811 Death: Feb. 23, 1861
Grave at Entrance – Mary Esty
Straight in from the entrance, this headstone is set apart from all the
others.
MARY F. ESTY
Born July 3, 1833
Died Jan. 18 1866
According to one Esty descendant:
[On an unknown date, possibly 1916] A
traveler found gravestone, knocked over “some miles from Kearney, Nebr.
on the line of the Oregon Trail.”
He reset the stone and wrote to
Boston Transcript to try to find out whose it was
Answer was she was wife of William A.
Esty.
DAR report of recent activity submitted
October 11,1916:
“Fort Kearney Chapter of Kearney Nebr.
has recently located the grave of an early pioneer woman who died July 3
1866 while crossing the plains bound supposedly for California or Oregon
The stone which was found lying in a swale is in a good state of
preservation and bears the inscription Mary F Esty born Jan 18 1833 died
July 3 1866….The chapter will reset the stone and wishes to locate
descendants of this Mary F Esty and would appreciate any publicity given
this subject to that end “
Who was Mary F. Esty?
July 3 (Jan 8), 1833 – Born in Ohio; maiden name unknown
Married ---Cloud, possibly in Indiana
Child born in
Indiana
Two more
children born in Iowa, possibly Sioux City
Divorced Cloud in Woodbury Co., Sioux
City, Iowa (first divorce in county)
May 22, 1861 – Married William Esty in Sioux City
Who Was William Esty?
1856 - William had come to Dakota Co., Nebraska – across the Missouri River
from Sioux City
Mary’s father owned land in Buffalo
County near the present town of Gibbon
Wm, Mary & her children settled
East of Ft. Kearney – on the south side of the Platte?
Near the present town of Gibbon – on the north side of the
Platte?
William was a scout for the Army during the Civil War
Jan 18, 1866 – Mary died and was apparently
buried on their property
William sent his stepchildren back to
Sioux City to Mary’s family
William was dispossessed of land by
Mary’s death
(It was her
father’s land, not hers for him to inherit.)
1868 – William married Margaret C. McCray Jones
This was a second marriage for
Margaret (Maggie) also
Who was Margaret McCray?
Born in Ohio, came west to Iowa
She had married Elam Jones about 10 years earlier in Iowa
Maggie, Elam & a daughter had come to Nebraska in 1861 (about time William
married Mary in Sioux City)
Dec. 3, 1861 - Son, Harry Judson Jones born in Nebraska
In her notes Margaret said she & Elam operated a stage depot near present
day Gibbon
1864 – Elam was killed (& scalped) by Indians
Maggie rode out, found him & buried him on bluff overlooking the Platte
1865 – Maggie’s 3rd child was born; died; buried the baby beside his father
Maggie hitched a ride with her uncle, a freighter, back to Iowa for awhile
Returned to Buffalo Co. to see if she could salvage anything ; Cattle were
gone
This brings us to 1868 when Maggie married William A. Esty
A marriage of convenience?
He no longer
had a place to live
She had two
children and a little land (squatted?)
Then they left for Saunders Co., presumably with proceeds of sale of her
land
Lived there for the rest of their lives in the eastern part of the county,
retiring to Leshara
Maggie had a total of 12 children, 3 with Elam and 9 with William
She told a daughter she began to
think there was no end to it
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