County Origins Rest In Peace
Cemeteries are more than burial places. They verify movement of people across the continent, growth in American technology and transportation, family and community ties, high mortality rates, and continuity — and change — in religious beliefs. They also offer places for meditation.
There are about forty cemeteries in Johnson County, not all open or accessible, but those that are have beauty to share and stories to tell. A walk through the properties reveals who the first settlers were, when they were here, and possibly where they came from or their occupations.
The county’s growth is evident through cemeteries of different time periods. The two earliest sites date from the missions. Shawnee Indian Cemetery, often called Blue Jacket Cemetery, is almost hidden on 59th Terrace east of Nieman Road in Shawnee. It commemorates Shawnees and others affiliated with both the Methodist and Quaker missions.
The Shawnee Methodist Mission Cemetery in Fairway is the final resting place of people associated with that mission, including the county’s namesake, Reverend Thomas Johnson, and Sarah Cessna Berryman, a missionary’s wife, who died in 1845. Berryman was later re-entombed when the highway, now Shawnee Mission Parkway, was expanded to four lanes.
After the county opened for settlement in 1855, farms often served for family burials. Occasionally a family would donate adjacent acreage or sell it for a small fee, as with Murphy Cemetery south of 83rd and Mize Road. In 1871 the Murphys deeded a tract to Monticello Township.
Churches, townships, cities, and private citizens formed cemetery associations to meet their needs. Among the early burial grounds are DeSoto, Edgerton, Spring Hill, and Pleasant Ridge on 135th Street west of Quivira. In 1870 Lenexa Cemetery and Tomahawk Cemetery at 135th Street and Metcalf were established.
New settlers to Johnson County included Americans from eastern states and immigrants looking for opportunity. Corinth Cemetery on 83rd Street east of Mission Road reflects this development. Multiple generations of some of the county’s earliest prominent families lie here, such as the Hoges, Jameses, and Porters. Other markers commemorate immigrants who also succeeded, notably the land-rich Voights and Reinhardts.
Corinth began as a traditional churchyard cemetery in 1874 by the Corinth Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Today hedges form an outline of the original church. Dates on the marble and granite monuments and recent benches and sculptures confirm Corinth Cemetery’s cherished, historical status.
Since Antioch and Corinth churches shared a minister, the Antioch Cemetery might be called a sister churchyard. Founded in 1873, the property at 75th Street and Antioch has a replica of the original chapel that served for decades. Many descendants of Ezra Cornell Chase lie here. Chase came west in 1859 to locate a suitable site for Cornell College. He married a Quaker, however, and stayed to teach at the Quaker Mission. (note: see addendum below for correction)
Linwood Pioneer Cemetery, at 95th and Mission Road, is another 1873 graveyard. Because the Methodist Episcopal Church was given land for “perpetual use for a church and cemetery,” this resting place has been the focus of preservation lawsuits. The congregation disbanded after fifty years and the church was razed. The cemetery, with many unreadable markers, remains as a tribute to those souls.
Three adjacent cemeteries on Quivira Road in Shawnee offer a wonderful chance to learn places of origin and to find many interesting markers. Many of the town’s pioneers and first leaders are buried in Shawnee Cemetery, founded 1868, including Earnshaw, Hollenbeck, Allen, and Archer.
St. Joseph Cemetery right next door reflects church doctrine that Catholics should be buried in Catholic cemeteries. Many Catholic immigrants brought their faith with them and are buried here. Seven countries are named on markers in St. Joseph’s, especially Belgium and Germany, with some epitaphs in the immigrant’s language. Seven counties of Ireland are engraved, some with the townland and civil parish, a genealogist’s boon.
Pleasant View Cemetery, far north on Quivira, began in 1895 primarily to serve second generation Shawnee residents. Many names from these three cemeteries are now carried on street signs or residential area. Caenen, Pflumm, McAnany, and Renner are just a few.
Intimate Settings
It is still possible to experience being in a small country graveyard in a few locations. One is Edgerton Cemetery at 207th and Sunflower Road. Another is Aubry Cemetery just west of Old Metcalf on 191st Street.
The city of Gardner has signs along Highway 56 (Main Street) at Poplar to show the way to its cemetery. Although Gardner is growing rapidly, the burial ground keeps its feeling of yesterdays. It is also one of the few very old cemeteries that has black top roads.
When the U.S. government created Sunflower Ordnance Works near DeSoto in 1942, they removed 160 human remains from the old Lexington Cemetery and placed them in the DeSoto Cemetery. Although burials took place there in the 1850s, the formal association was not formed until 1871. This property has sometimes been called “Silent City.”
Besides large formal cemeteries two small memorials deserve mention: the graves of pioneers Washington Cross (1809-1872) and Nancy Cross (1810-1886) have been carefully enclosed at the busy intersection of Johnson Drive at Lamar. Conversely, a solitary grave in what had been a rather remote area of Johnson County has been the object of speculation and affection. Asa Smith was born November 1856 and died August 30, 1857. He lies on the west side of Highway 7, three miles south of Highway 10. People speculate that he died as his family was traveling west. Fresh flowers are often placed there by caring individuals.
A family’s heartbreak can be read by the deaths of children, sometimes as many as three under the age of five. The most common causes of death were diphtheria and typhoid. Measles, whooping cough, and scarlet fever were deadly, too. If a child lived past age five, the chance of dying young was greatly diminished.
It is very moving to see how close the dates of death for spouses are. Some lead to speculation whether the survivor could have died of a broken heart, a romantic Victorian belief.
Cemetery Designs Also Tell Stories
Seeing the beauty and workmanship in markers and how styles changed is one of the joys of visiting cemeteries. Early markers were made of materials at hand: metal, wood, or limestone. An increase in railroads brought an increase in marble and granite monuments, and artisans to create them.
Commonly Used Symbols and Designs
Accorn, Anchor, Arch/Gate, Crown, Dove, Ivy, Lamb, Lamp, Lily, Phoenix, Shell, Rose, Violets, Wheat, Willow, Strength, Hope, Entry to Heaven, Heavenly Reward, Peace, Holy Spirit, Remembrance, Purity, Child, Knowledge of God, Purity, Resurrection, Pilgrimage, Love, Sweetness, Humility, Gathered by God, Grief
Top engravers sometimes placed initials discreetly on their work, just as canvas artists do. Engravers’ names can be found on the marker for John Judy, a Quantrill victim in the Olathe Cemetery, and on the Cook family stone in Corinth.
Open Bibles, laurel leaves, angels, crosses, and flowers were common motifs for markers. And hands! Hands folded, hands reaching or pointing upward, and handshakes indicating a reunion in Heaven.
Elks, Masons, Eastern Star, Odd Fellows, and other group emblems are prominent on headstones. The Woodmen of the World (WOW) monuments, however, always draw attention. The WOW fraternal organization provided a monument or contribution as a member benefit. There are several variations on the designs but the most common is a cut off tree trunk with the name on a scroll or where bark is missing. Ivy or flowers on the trunk expressed a belief in renewal of life. This design became widely copied.
Rounded, horizontal pillow markers were popular from 1880 to 1930, probably to reflect the meaning of “cemetery,” a Greek word for a resting place. Almost unobtainable since World War II, they are labor-intensive. Those who want them for a matched look in a family plot often wait a year for them. They can be seen at St. Joseph’s and Gardner Cemeteries.
Distinctive Features Make Olathe Cemetery Notable
For a host of reasons, Olathe Memorial Cemetery at Harold and Woodland Avenues is very significant.
Cemetery Design: The two earliest sections are rectangles, reflecting the old, traditional plan. The curved roads and triangles in the last addition were influenced by the Garden Cemetery movement of the Victorian period.
Rare Distinction: Two Kansas governors are buried near each other: John P. St. John, governor 1878-1882 and Prohibition Party presidential candidate 1884; and George H. Hodges, governor 1913-1915.
Military: Features include the Civil War Circle with two victims of Quantrill’s Olathe raid of 1862, and a statue given by the Grand Army of the Republic, sometime after 1893. The World War Circle honors victims of World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam. The cemetery also has a 1921 Doughboy statue.
Markers: There is an enormous variety—cast metal, etched concrete (find the reversed number!), and anvil for a blacksmith, and a name written in gravel in concrete. It is easy to see trends in epitaphs, symbols, materials, and stone-curbed family plots.
Names: Mahaffie, Nichols, Hyer, Ott, Ogg, and Parker were all prominent in early Olathe and members of the families rest in peace here.
There are only a few mausoleums in the county, probably due to its early rural nature. During the Depression, family mausoleums went out of vogue. The Strang mausoleum in St. John’s Cemetery in Lenexa is the most distinguished of the few here.
There are a number of monuments where descendants have recently replaced weathered portions, preserving their forebears’ presence. This particularly seen in Olathe and Gardner. As one sage states, a person is still alive as long as someone remembers and cares.
Space prohibits mention of many other notable county cemeteries but interested individuals can seek them out. Johnson County Genealogical Society deserves accolades for their Bi-Centennial project, an index to county cemeteries. It is a permanent record and a good place to start.
--ALBUM, vol. 10, no. 4 (fall 1997)
A reader recently brought to light some errors in this essay. To wit:
"On this page, most of the following information is incorrect:
Since Antioch and Corinth churches shared a minister, the Antioch Cemetery might be called a sister churchyard. Founded in 1873, the property at 75th Street and Antioch has a replica of the original chapel that served for decades. Many descendants of Ezra Cornell Chase lie here. Chase came west in 1859 to locate a suitable site for Cornell College. He married a Quaker, however, and stayed to teach at the Quaker Mission.
First, Ezra Cornell Chase should be Elijah Cornell Chase. Ezra was Elijah's son, and as Ezra had no children, it would be difficult for anyone to be his descendant. Second, Ezra did not come west in 1859, his father Elijah did. Third, Elijah did not come looking for "a suitable site for Cornell College." Elijah came west looking for opportunity for himself to be a farmer, and his uncle, Ezra Cornell, asked him to look for land in which the Morrill Land Grant scrip could be invested, NOT on which to build the school. Furthermore, Elijah's connection was to Cornell University through is uncle, and not to Cornell College which is in Iowa and has nothing to do with Cornell University. Finally, Ezra Cornell Chase and Abigail Ellis married in Oskloosa, not Kansas, and Ezra did not stay to teach at the Quaker Mission, he came to Shawnee from Oskaloosa in order to teach at the Mission.
...If you are interested in more information about Elijah or the early Chace/Chase families of Shawnee...you may be interested in perusing my website at http://www.chace.demon.nl."
January, 2007
