Caldwell Cemetery

Caldwell Cemetery

Adopt-A-Cemetery Cemetery List Instructions Biography

Below you will find the initial cemetery index. Some information, mainly dates, is absent. This missing information will be added at a later date. Please check back from time to time.

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A Big Thanks to the City of Caldwell for Allowing Us to View the Cemetery Registers!

WARNING: Some of These Files Are Large, Please Be Patient.

Click Here for an alphabetical listing of Caldwell Cemetery. 

Take note of area and block/lot numbers; you will have the chance to view records sorted by location. It is possible that you can discover additional relatives just by learning who is buried near your ancestor. 

Click Here to view cemetery records listed by location.  

"Area" denotes the general section of the cemetery. "Block" refers to the smaller divisions within a certain "area". Many times a family owns an entire block. "Lot" refers to the individual burial spaces within the "block". Generally, there are six lots to the block. Information in this list is sorted in numerical order first by "area" then by "block-lot"

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The following is taken from Cemeteries in Sumner County, Kansas by Harvey and Ruth Swan (1983).

"Caldwell City Cemetery, Caldwell Twnsp, R 3 W, T 34, Sec 35, NW corner of the NW 1/4.  Location from Caldwell: 1/2 N.

This information copied from the records of the Caldwell City Clerk.  The latest date mentioned is 1947.

On October 4, 1879, J. U. Huff deeded the following described land to the Caldwell Cemetery Association, Isaac B. Gilmore, President.

"Beginning at a location stone on the NE corner of the West half of the NW quarter of Section 35 Tp 34 Range 3 West, West 500 feet, South 530 feet , East 500 feet, North 530 feet to the location stone containing 5 acres, more or less.

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Isaac B. Gilmore, President of the Caldwell Cemetery Association deeded the above described land to the City of Caldwell Dec 3, 1883.

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The first burial in the Caldwell Cemetery was Alonza Scribner in 1879 in section 1, lot 291.

Lots No1 to 12 inclusive lay in the Memorial Circle and are not sold.  Lots sold begin with number 13.

    The first selling price was $5.00 each.  Early records are not clear and evidence indicates that all lots sold were not paid for.

About 1888, records indicate the price was raised to $10.00 per lot.  Size of lots in above described plot is 12 by 18 feet, with a few exceptions.

Early records, as far as can be found, were kept in an Ordinance book, and the first records beginning with No. 1.  Apparently the earlier records were copied into the Ordinance book, from where, no one now knows.

Some time later, another record was started a few pages on from the first record, and the then information was transferred to the new record.

Page 2

The first addition to the cemetery was land land lying adjacent (here my photocopy is illegible)  described as being the North forty rods of Outlot Reserve.  It is (again illegible) feet N & S and 120 feet E & W.  See Ordinance 137 June 12, 1889.

Seven rows of lots were platted from this addition, size being 10 by 20 feet.

A record appears on the minute book page 491, dated June 3, 1901 saying, "The Cemetery Committee recommend that all unsold lots be rated at $10.00 each, with certain lots at $15.00 each.

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The Cemetery Committee named in 1926 was not a descendant in any way from the above mentioned Cemetery Committee.

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The City of Caldwell by vote, changed its form of government from the council form to the Commissioner form, in 1909, and on April 9, 1909, elected I. M. Horton, Mayor, and Wm. Dimke and E. A. Detrick, commissioners.

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The second addition was bought from Dan Dacy under the administration of Horton, Dimke and Detrick, city  commissioners, a plot 555 feet N & S and 400 feet E & W, lying East and adjacent to the first addition, containing 5.05 acres.  Purchased in 1911.  Laid in lots 10 by 20 feet, and the price of all lots was fixed at $25.00 for all lots abutting on roadways, and $20.00 for  all other lots.  55 feet of this purchase was incorporated in the public highway along the East side.

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In 1929, the County Commissioners decided to gravel the highway West from Caldwell on the section line bounding the Cemetery on the north, beginning where the road crosses the railroad in the north-west part of town.

On request it was decided to buy land from Henry Schmidt, the owner, and build a road angling past the Cemetery on the South-West.  The city to buy two triangles, the County to buy the roadway and the angle points.

The north-west triangle contains      2.02 acres

The south-east triangle contains       2.71 acres

                                    Total           4.73 acres @$175   $827.75 City

Roadway including the two points   2.73 acres @$175   $486.50 County

                                    Total            7.51 acres            $1314.25

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In 1926 a new plan of cemetery operation was installed, and a committed of three was named to handle the cemetery affairs.  To serve without pay.  The first committee named was E. A. Detrick, T.T. McKnight and E. V. Roe, terms of office to be three years, one to be appointed each year.  This committee formulated plans which were made effective in an ordinance No 484, adopted 8/23/1926.

An endowment plan was adopted at this time, the amount being $20.00 a lot, half for half lots. The endowment was made obligatory on all lots sold after adoption, and voluntary on all lots previously sold.

J.M. Doubleday deserves much credit for the adoption of the endowment plan, and he was the first to purchase endowment.

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In 1930, the entire cemetery was mowed for the first time.  The endowment fund at this time is more than $5,000.00 this includes $1,000.00 willed to this fund by Mrs. R.D. Metcalf.

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On December 8, 1930 Mr. John Hunter presented $1,000.00 in cash to the endowment fund.  Mr. Hunter is a civil war veteran, born in Rochester, N.Y. in May 14, 1842.  He is one of eight brothers and three sisters.  He moved to the Caldwell vicinity in an early date, and lived many years west of town.  Later moved into town.  He was not married.  He was a very fine gentleman.

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In the spring of 1931, 130 Chinese elms were planted in the cemetery, the cost was provided by popular subscription of $1.00 each by interested citizens.

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Nov. 16, 1932, the endowment fund amounted to $7,444.32

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In 1939, the endowment on all lots except in Section 8, was fixed at $30.00.

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From the beginning a certain portion in the South-west part of Section 2 had been known as the Potters Field.  In which burials had been made at no cost.  In Feb of 1931, this portion was plowed and leveled, and burials platted as near as could be judged by Jessee Stephens, R.R. McKnight and E.A. Detrick, the  then Cemetery Committee.  52 burials were platted.  It was decided to drop the name "Potters Field" and not make any more burials in it.

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July 22, 1930 County Surveyors established corners in section 7 and 8.

The East row of lots in section 7, 863-997, and in section 8, 1153-1367 are withdrawn from sale and incorporated in the roadway in present East side of the cemetery.

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The three rows of lots on the East beginning with numbers 1366, 1365, 1364, and running North thru sections 7 and 8 are reserved for Catholics.

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On October 20, 1947-On this date, there have been sold to Catholics three and a half lots in row D and none in rows B and
C.  There are only six and a half lots remaining for sale in section 8 to the "public".  The Rev. F.V. Barker of the Catholic Church in Caldwell release back for "public" sale all lots in D, C, and B, that lie North of the central alley, a total of 21 lots."

 

This page was created by Cindy Ball and is now maintained by the Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society