Virginia Cemetery

Cherry County NEGenWeb Project © 2000-2011
Virginia Cemetery

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© 2000-2011 DJH
Virginia Cemetery
Located in Goose Creek Precinct south east of Valentine, NE Section 18, Range 31, Township 25. This cemetery is located on a rolling hillside on the east part of the late Stephen James valley northeast of Mullen, NE. This ranch is now owned and operated by Eugene James, a grandson of Stephen.

On January 3,1923, a county surveyor, A.J.Antwerp of Broken Bow, Ne., surveyed and made plate and a blueprint for a tract 250' by 166'. A.G. Humphrey issued the deed.

On April 9,1925, Articles of Incorporation were drawn for the Cemetery Association. Members who signed the Articles were: Virginia James, Loy R. James, Pearl James, Fielden S. Boyer, Mary E. Boyer, C.N. Boyer, Cora Boyer, Fay B. James. By 1976 all were deceased except Loy and Pearl James.

At this meeting, Virginia Boyer James donated a parcel of land on the northwest quarter of Section 18, Township 25 which ws to consist of not more than two acres for cemetery purposes.

Loy James, C.N.Boyer and Fielden Boyer were elected trustees and it was decided that annual meetings would be held in April at the Virginia School house(District 176, Reeves Precinct). At the present time there is no school building in the district.

Article V reads: "Members of this association shall sonsist of the persons signing these articles, their heirs or assignees."

The cemetery was so named because most of the residents of the commuity had originally come from Grayson County, Virginia.

In a letter to C. N. Boyer, the sureyor stated that he thought an appropriate name for the cemetery would be "Blizzard Cemetery", as it was the first he had attempted to plat during a blizzard. It has also been suggested to name it "Tragic Cemetery", because many of the burials were the result of a tragedy. James Murray and his pregnant wife, Lee, were killed in a tornado which struck a few miles east of the cemetery on September 28, 1923. The next morning, Lester Parsons rode to the top of a hill and found the buildings demolished and the bodies lying in a field. Lee was still alive, but died shortly afterward while the two little boys, still alive were huddled by their mother's side. These may have been the only deaths in Cherry County caused by a tornado.

Another tragedy occured in December 1923 when Bill Smith, a good neighbor in the west end of the valley was murdered at his home. His wife, Lottie and a hired man, Clinton Smith,(no relation) were found guilty and served time in the State Pennitentiary.

Vera James, a sweet young school teacher drowned in the Loup River north of Mullen in 1933 and was buried in the Virginia Cemetery.

One will find graves of several infants who died at birth, or in early childhood. There are three sets of twins buried here also. There are 60 lots, and the following person are interred in this cemetery:

Name	Birth	Death	Lot Number
Boyer, Dennis	08-05-1842	02-27-1919	lot 43
Boyer, Sarah E.	09-24-1843	01-08-1924	lot 43
Boyer, Veva(dau of Fielden & Eunice Boyer)	09-09-1909	03-22-1910	lot 44
Bullington, Charles(son of Elmer)	?	1933	lot 51
Downing, twins	?	?	lot 51
James, Stephen Lee(hus of Virginia Boyer m.07-29-1877)(son of James Yont & Elizabeth Scott James)	09-10-1853	03-29-1917	lot 43	Grayson county, VA
James, Vera(dau of Fay & Sallie James)	03-11-1908	05-29-1933	lot 56
James, Virginia Boyer	03-17-1847	04-04-1926	lot 43
Little, Carl Berson	04-25-1889	03-24-1929	lot 47
Little, Claude E.(son of Carl)	10-09-1922	04-01-1975	lot 47
Little, Tennie Lee Ulrich(wife of Carl)	03-01-1895	04-01-1975	lot 47
Miller, Eliza Pearman	12-15-1880	02-02-1923	lot 52
Miller, Zenna(dau of Ernest & HazelPearman)	07-13-1921	09-16-1923	lot 52
Mink, Glen Eugene(son of Clarence & Bessie)	?	09-19-1940	lot 44
Mink, Donald Dwayne	?	05-19-1938	lot 44
Murray, Baby infant(tornado)	1923	1923	lot 45
Murray, Billy(son of Rose & Ross)	1922	1923	Lot 45
Murray, James(tornado)	1885	1923	lot 45
Murray, Lee(wife of James)(tornado)	1895	1823	lot 45
Murray, Neil(son of Charles & Winnie Murray)	11-23-1917	06-14-1919	lot 45
Murray, Rosalie(dau of Rose & Ross Murray)	1917	1920	Lot 45
Murray, Twins(of Rose & Ross)	1913	1913	lot 45
Smith, Infant	?	?	lot 46
Smith, Infant	?	?	lot 46
Smith, W.F.(Bill) (murdered)	?	12-20-1923	Lot 46
Weber, Bonnie June(dau of Elva(James) & Erwin Webber)	?	06-30-1935	lot 57
Weber, Vonnie Jean(dau of Elva(James) & Erwin Webber)	?	06-30-1935	lot 57

Information gathered and written by Gussie Boyer Osborne in 1977. We apologize for any errors in reading or transcribing of information. For corrections, please contact the Cherry County Coordinator.

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02-2005