Tombstone Tuesday - Wyuka Cemetery - improved search features

If you have not searched the online database of Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska in a while, now is the time to do so. The database includes names, dates of birth and death (when available), location of the grave and maps to assist in finding the location of the grave. This is a graveyard rabbit's dream come true.

Alva Retta McPherrin Laymon
Wyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska
wife of my great grand uncle

I've also discovered that some females will show up in results based on their maiden name search.

Wyuka's records that are available to the public are exemplary. Can we hope that more and more cemeteries follow Wyuka's lead and make such records available online?

Wyuka Funeral Home and Cemetery

Tombstone Tuesday - Sending My Stuff to the Technology Graveyard

The other day, Leland Meitzler of GenealogyBlog wrote about technology we use today that will be consigned to the rubbish heap in the near future - items like compact cameras, portable music players, CDs and DVDs, eBook readers, and everything else that seems to be incorporated into cell phones.

Confession time: My name is Susan and I am a gadgetaholic. However, my cell phone is just a cell phone. It makes and receives calls. That's all. I loathe cell phones. Especially those belonging to other people. Especially the ones with obnoxious ring tones.

That said, it brings me around to the topic of this post. I still have quite a bit of obsolete technology that was a "must have" when I started on the genealogy path in the 1970s and 1980s.

I got hooked on photography at a young age when a neighbor let me sit in her darkened bathroom while she printed photographs she had taken of our family. By the time I was in college, I worked and saved enough money to buy my first single lens reflex camera, a Minolta SRT 101. Then came the telephoto lens. Then the darkroom in my parent's basement. Then the Minolta SRT 102.

When I caught the genealogy bug, I needed something better than a copy machine at the library to copy the photographs I was borrowing from relatives. So I bought a set of close-up lenses for the camera and a copy stand. I would attach the camera to the adjustable pole, place the item I was copying on the base, set the lights for the best exposure, focus and snap. I had to copy my photos in batches of 36 because that was how Kodak Tri-X film was sold. Some of the photographs of my ancestors are still from those black and white negatives from more than 30 years ago.


I really started cooking when I bought an IBM Wheelwriter 3 typewriter. This was very VERY high tech since it had a one-line memory! If I made a mistake in that line, the correcting tape allowed me to make a very clean typeover. At the time, this typewriter was considered a "letter quality printer" and I thought it would work just fine until I could afford to purchase a computer that I would be able to hook it up to. Oh my, yes, I can actually remember a time when there was NOT a computer in every home.

Then I went through several different cassette tape recorders for interviews. I remember carrying this Panasonic model on road trips and playing music cassettes in the car - before cassette players were standard equipment in vehicles. That came after the 8-track tape players.

Next came the Sony camcorder. It was (still is!) about a foot long, cumbersome and heavy. But it was considered compact at the time. Next to my Flip video camera (not to be confused with my Flip-Pal mobile scanner), this thing is enormous. Handycam, it was called. Handy. Funny.

Then, in 1986, I really hit the big time when I bought my first computer - a Tandy T-1000 with not one, but TWO, five inch disk drives. Most computers did not come with hard drives at the time. Why would anyone need more storage capacity?

I immediately bought a very early version of Family Tree Maker software. And yes, I still have several three ring binders with descendant charts and family group sheets that were printed on my dot matrix printer. The IBM Wheelwriter wasn't compatible as a letter quality printer with the Tandy computer. Some things never change. So I still typed much of my correspondence and queries on the typewriter. And every time I got a new computer or new software, I had to re-enter all of the information in my family history database over and over again.

All of this was, of course, before the internet and email. That was back in the days when we used postage and enclosed SASEs with our queries. We sent letters through the post office before email or text messaging came along. You may recall there was once a U.S. Postal Service that was the main source of communication between family members. Handwritten letters were used for social networking and research.

Fast forward to 2011 - all of this technology, which added up to several thousand dollars when new, is still here. I checked eBay a couple years ago and these items were listed for about a $5.00 opening bid and had no bidders. I promise myself that I will do the right thing and have these once prized possessions recycled and disposed of properly - once I get used to the idea they have no value to me any longer.

Now I read that my mp3 player, tiny digital camera, my pocket size Flip video camera and my Kindle will soon be going down the same path as these once treasured essentials in my genealogy tool kit. All they need to do is add a scanner to a cell phone and that's going to be about all I'll need.

I did mention that I loathe cell phones, didn't I? But - I am beginning to see some value in upgrading - not quite yet, however. So don't rub this in my face if I eventually get a smartphone, ok?

Tombstone Tuesday - Jens Tinus Christensen

This week, I'm featuring two entries for Tombstone Tuesday. The quest to locate the tombstone shown here began with a mysterious photograph in an album that belonged to my grandmother in the early 1920s. There were a few photographs taken in a cemetery and I had no idea where the cemeteries were located, or if the tombstones had any connection to our family.

This photograph caught my eye, as you might imagine, because of the airplane propeller perched atop the stone. I couldn't even read the inscription on the stone in the photograph with the naked eye. I scanned the photo at 600 dpi so I could view it on my computer. I was then able to ascertain that it was a monument for someone named Tinus Christensen.

My first stop was FindAGrave.com. Fortunately, there was a memorial for this person. The memorial on that site states that Tinus Christensen was an air mail pilot who was killed in 1921. I needed to learn more and turned to Google. From that search, I discovered the Blair Historic Preservation Alliance web site which tells the story of how this brave pilot sacrificed his own life rather than risk the lives of others in an emergency landing in a street in Cleveland. Reports state that thousands of people attended his funeral in Blair, Nebraska.

Another recent photograph of his grave site my be viewed here. The propeller atop the stone in this more recent photograph is not the same one as in the photograph in my grandmother's album.

I know that members of the Petersen family lived in Blair. I am speculating that my grandparents went to visit sometime after the funeral once the monument was set and they took the photographs at that time. The pilot's mother's maiden name was Pedersen, but I'm not aware of any relation to my family.

Still, I think it turned out to be an interesting discovery, one based only on a photograph in an album. Hey, does that make me a History Detective!?! Not quite, but it was fun to look into this.

Tombstone Tuesday - Asa Loder

This week, Tombstone Tuesday returns to Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery, between Greenwood and Ashland, Nebraska.

Buried here is Asa Loder, who lived only five months and one day. Asa was born November 29, 1870 and died April 30, 1871. Asa was the son of Samuel Humes Loder and Mary Elizabeth Laughlin. His mother is also buried in Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday - Byron Atkinson and Lillie Jones Atkinson

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

Tombstone Tuesday - John and Ann Atkinson - Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery

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

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

Tombstone Tuesday - Nelson Atkinson - Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery

Nelson Atkinson
Sheffer Pioneer Cemetery - Greenwood, Nebraska

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.

Tombstone Tuesday - William Kelly and Sina Bellinger Kelly

This is the tombstone of my grandparents, William Leroy Kelly and Sina Harriet Bellinger Kelly. They are buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Greenwood, Cass county, Nebraska.

Unfortunately, the year of Bill Kelly's birth is incorrect on the stone. He was actually born in 1892, based on earlier contemporary records.

How does something like this happen? When asked his age, Grandpa Kelly always replied that he was "nine years older than the year it is." Well - that was true for half of the year. Since he was born July 7, for the rest of the year, he was eight years older than the year it was. When it came time to have the tombstones made, my mother and her siblings based the year of his birth based on his claim of "nine years older than the year it is," so, the tombstone is incorrect.

One of the funniest memories I have of my childhood was hanging out with Grandpa Kelly as he did work for the village of Greenwood. I was tagging along one time while he and a teenage helper were doing some work at the cemetery. I dragged along my life-sized "dancing doll." These were about three-feet tall and had elastic on their feet which you strapped around your feet to dance with the doll.

At some point, I must have gotten tired of carrying the doll around with me, so I sat her on top of a gravestone. Grandpa's young helper turned around and got a glimpse of the doll, immediately thinking he had just seen a ghost! He went running away as fast as his long, skinny legs would carry him. Grandpa laughed and laughed over that one!

Tombstone Tuesday - Ode Rector and Nellie Kelly Rector

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.

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.

Tombstone Tuesday - Mary Casey Kelly

Mary Casey Kelly was my great great grandmother. She was born in Ireland and married William D Kelly shortly after both arrived in the United States. The marriage probably took place in either New York or New Jersey. They then moved west to Elgin, Illinois, where their two oldest children were born. From there, they went to St. Paul in Ramsey county, Minnesota. In 1864, they were on the western expedition led by Captain James Fisk. After an altercation with native Indians in the Dakotas, the train came east again. William did not want to return to St. Paul, so the family settled in Omaha, Nebraska; later to Council Bluffs, Iowa and eventually to Greenwood, Nebraska in Cass county and the adjoining Mill Precinct in Lancaster county, Nebraska.

Kelly tombstone, Calvary Cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska

Finding Mary and William's tombstones was a turning point in my genealogical research. I discovered Mary's birth and death dates, her maiden name and confirmation that she was the wife of William.

Sadly, William does not have an inscription on the marker, however, his grave is marked by a stone reading "Papa" next to Mary's that reads "Mamma".

Tombstone Tuesday - honoring those who served

Honoring those who served - Soldiers' Circle at Wyuka Cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska
2010