NSGS Ancestree

Nebraska State Genealogical Society Journals

DUST TO DUST (continued from Vol 18 #3)
Ghost Towns of Eastern Nebraska by Lowell Greunke

CEDAR COUNTY

ATEN--This little village was situated on high land, just at the edge of the Missouri bottom, a mile back from the river, and about three miles above the old site of Green Island. It was started in 1881 after the flood waters had subsided and was named for John ATEN, a former State Senator from Cedar County, and postmaster of the town. A store was opened in July of 1881 and by 1882 there was also a blacksmith shop, a hotel, and about fifty inhabitants.

ST. JAMES--St. James was located in the Bow Valley, about three miles from the Missouri River and eight miles southeast from St. Helena, in precinct 5. It was first laid out and settled in 1856 and in 1857 twenty families moved in from Harrison County, Iowa. The first habitation in the town was a cavern dug into the hillside. Later, log houses were constructed. In 1857 the territorial legislature made St. James the county seat. A two-story court house was built, along with a saw mill. Later, a general store and blacksmith shop were added. By 1860 there were about fifty inhabitants. In 1882 it contained two general stores, one drug store, one blacksmith shop, a school house, two doctors, two hotels, a Methodist Church, a mill and about one hundred inhabitants. About a mile and a half below St. James was a large three story flouring mill.

ST. PETER--St. Peter was situated in the valley of East Bow Creek, about twelve miles nearly south of St. James. It was named for John Peter ABTS, who was the first settler in the vicinity in 1870. A schoolhouse was built in 1873 and the post office was established in 1875.

COLFAX COUNTY

BENTON--This was a station containing a post office and a few families, situated eight miles southwest of Schuyier. It was formerly called Richland, the town being laid out on the north side of the railroad tracks and comprising a tract of forty acres. In the early l870s its fortunes looked bright but opportunity passed Benton by. By 1882 it had a post office, general store, train station and a small population.

CUMING COUNTY

MONTEREY--Monterey was primarily a post office located on Section 14 of Monterey Township in 1882. A general store was put in at this point a few months prior to the establishment of the post office. The peak population of Monterey was 32 in the l890 census. The post office was discontinued in June 1905. The town was probably named for the battle of Monterey, Mexico.

DAKOTA COUNTY

COVINGTON--Situated on the banks of the Missouri River, opposite Sioux City, Iowa, Covington was at the head of the Covington, Columbus, & Black Hills Railroad and for a time improved very rapidly under the partonage of that corporation. It was settled in 1856, originally called Harney City, next Newport, then Covington. For a while Covington seemed to be destined to be a leading city and business center of Dakota County. By 1882 it had a hand shingle factory, a steam mill for grinding corn, a grocery store, drug store, two hotels, a church and about 175 inhabitants. Covington later consolidated with South Sioux City in May, 1893

LOGAN--Logan was surveyed in 1856. The town grew very rapidly and soon became the rival of Omadi and other towns of the county. Two stores were established and a large hotel was built. A blacksmith shop was opened, a physician opened an office, a subscription school was begun and the future looked bright. During 1858 Logan reached the height of its prosperity, numbering at that time more than twenty-five houses. Then the Missouri River began to gnaw away its northern portion and its inhabitants commenced to move their houses to Dakota City and adjacent farms. By 1860 the town was entirely deserted.

OMADI--Omadi was located on the Missouri River at the mouth of the Omaha Creek, five miles south of Dakota City. A saw mill was constructed nearby in 1855, the first in the county. The town itself was started in 1856 and before long it had two saw mills, a schoolhouse, a store, and by 1857, 400 inhabitants. Omadi also had the first newspaper in the county, the "Enterprise", established in July 1857. It also had a shingle mill and a boarding house. The factor which doomed Omadi was that in the spring of 11858 the waters of the Missouri River began to wash away its west bank. and undermine the town site. So, the town buildings had to be moved and the population scattered. By 1865 every house was gone and the Missouri River claimed the site completely.

PACIFIC CITY--This was another of the deserted cities of Dakota County. Its site was one mile south of Covington. In 1857 the town contained about ten good frame buildings, but its inhabitants became dissaatisfied (sic) with the location and moved away.

ST. JOHNS--St. Johns, also called St. Patrick's Colony, was located on the Missouri River, about one mile north of Jackson, in Township 29, Range 8. It was surveyed in 1856 and incorporated in January 1857. In 1856 a Catholic colony from Dubuque, Iowa, numbering about 60, came to St. Johns. In 1857 a steam saw mill was built, a log schoolhouse was erected, stores were established and two physicians started parctice (sic). In 1858, at the town's zenith, the population numbered nearly two hundred. The people became dissatisfied with the location of St. Johns and its gradual demise began, until every resident had moved away. By 1866 St. Johns was only a memory.

Editor's Note: Volume 18 No. 3 pg 121--It was brought to my attention by a reader of our NEBRASKA ANCESTREE that Loma, NE is located in Butler county, not Lancaster. Volume 15 No. 3 pg 113 --Tekamah is located in Burt County not Polk County. The Weekly Burtonian was a newspaper from Burt County. This error has appeared in earlier publications.

[Continued on page 140]

ROSEDALE CEMETERY

Hall County,

Nebraska

Legal Description
N.E. Corner N.E. Quarter, Sec. 33

Compiled by Lucille J. Williams Ôø‡

Submitted by: Herbert L Andrews, Lava Hot Springs, ID

Source: ROSEDALE CEMETERY Book
Compiled by: Lucille J Williams, Hastings, NE

Legal Description: N. E. Corner N. E. Quarter, Sec 33 hall Counly, Nebraska

Preface: ROSEDALE Cemetery was established about 1879 and was called HIGHLAND Cemetery. The name was changed in 1929 to ROSEDALE. In 1902 an acre of land was added.

The first or earliest records have been lost. The records that exist are in the care of Mr. & Mrs Ralph Brown of Doniphan, NE and they date back to about 1923. With the help of Mrs Brown and my daughter, I have gathered record dates and names from the cemetery stones and a date or two from the Rosedale United Methodist Church records and compiled all of these to come up with this book.

There probably are mistakes, but I have checked and rechecked and have tried to make this as accurate as possible. In my research I found the date the lot was bought, the day the person died or was buried. So if you are doing family research, this may give you some clues for further research.

My hopes in compiling this book was to give you a home reference of family, friends, and their birth and death dates and a few marriage dales, plus the enjoyment I had of doing it.

Mrs (Rolland) Lucilk J Williams
Hastings, Nebraska

ROSEDALE CEMETERY - Lot Map

INDEX FOR ROSEDALE CEMETERY
Hall County, Nebraska

ROSEDALE CEMETERY INDEX
(continued)

ROSEDALE CEMETERY INTERMENTS
(Editor's Note: At present I do not have the burials for Lots I through 46. If I can get a copy of these, I will publish them in a later edition of the Ancestree.)

Lot #47 UNDERWOOD, Newton

ROSEDALE CEMETERY
(continued)

ROSEDALE CEMETERY
(continued)

Lot #71 BUCHANON

Lot # 73 WIFTFANG, Aleck R. b. 8 Oct 1894 d. 17_ 1898 (stone hard to read)

Lot # 77 1/2 WINN, Dan (Lot bought 9 Sep 1940)

(Editor's Note: Some of the lots list different purchase dates for the same lot. I wonder if that date listed could b the death date instead of purchase date.)

*RosedaIe Cemetery to be continued in Vol 19 No. 1