Rozel Hisitory, Pawnee County, Kansas

PAWNEE COUNTY, KANSAS

Selig Cemetery
By Clara Maude Preston Smith

When this country was being “settled up,” small school houses were a common sight, as were the community cemeteries. One such cemetery is located on the Robert Hammeke property, on the north bank of the Pawnee. It is about one-half mile south and a little west of the Charles Reece home.

I visited this long since abandoned burying place, first, with my parents, Lester and Lena Mather Preston, and my grandmother, Maud Deaton Mather, when I was very young, and I heard the story of my family’s interest in it.

It seems that my great great grandparents, James and Jane Goodpasture Deaton “proved up” on a quarter of land about three miles west of the cemetery, probably in the very early 1870s. (Mrs. C.B. Lewis and her daughter, Mrs. Jack Elmore are the present owners.) Grandfather James passed away and Grandmother Jane’s son and wife, Abram B. and Filena Deaton and family came to live with her. Together they built a rock house on the place, living meanwhile in a dugout, a common practice in those days.

Abram’s children were Maud (born in 1868), George (born in 1870), Bertie (born in 1873), James (born in 1875), and Nellie (born in 1877). When the diphtheria epidemic swept through the country in 1879, the Deaton family lost their three sons, ages nine, five and three years, over a period of just two weeks from May 28 to June 11. These brothers are buried in the old cemetery. This same year, on June 30, great grandmother Filena gave birth to another son, and subsequently to three more sons.

Ten years later, in 1889, Jane Goodpasture Deaton died, at age 80, and was laid to rest beside her three grandsons.

After her death, great grandfather Deaton took his family, along with three neighboring families, each. The oldest tombstone is the one in the foreground with the inscription “Little Budd, son of W.L. and M.M. Butts” who died Oct. 25, 1876. The Deaton stones are the two in the background.

With two covered wagons and driving their stock, to Missouri to live. By this time, Maud had become Mrs. Elmer Mather so she stayed behind but they took with them one daughter and four sons. I might add that Abram lived to be nearly 74 years old and Filena died at well past 89 years.

The oldest tombstone is the one with the inscription "Little Bud, son of W.L. and M.M. Butts" who died Oct. 25, 1876. Another stone reads "Eunice A. Wilson, wife of C.E. Wilson, died Aug 5, 1880.

People in our area can well be proud of the hardy pioneers from whom we came.

Rozel Cemetery

North of Rozel one mile are three graves that are no longer visible. Rumors that are unconfirmed, say the children of a family named Van Winkle, lost the children by diphtheria or smallpox or some other equally fatal disease, and as they were an itinerant family, they were buried where it was convenient.

The Rozel cemetery is situated one-half mile north of the city. The earliest grave, according to tombstones, are infants of A.C. and R.F. Miller, who died May 13 and 14, 1904.

In 1937, a meeting was held in the high school auditorium for the cemetery. A board of directors were elected: A.E. Laths, F.R. Balman, Otto Josefiak, H.W. Scott and Golden Smith.

A new well was dug and a windmill erected last spring, so there now will be a way to water the trees. Last spring, J.E. Drake was employed as caretaker. (From the March 21, 1940, Tiller & Toiler.)

Money was donated from the 46 Quilting Club when it disbanded to be used for trees. Bill Rosner and family also donated trees.

Name
Birth

Death
Notes

Jennie Elizabeth (Barker) Herndon
18 June 1877

29 Aug 1906
Wife of 1st Asbury McMillan; 2nd Daniel C. Herndon (submitted by Dave Ogle)

Golden Shuck Smith
18 Aug 1888

Jun 1980
Son of Theodore Smith and Catharine Shuck Smith

Clara Evelyn Norman Smith
15 Sep 1893

15 Sep 1893
Wife of Golden Smith, daughter of Edward and Rosalie Norman

Theodore Smith
13 Mar 1851

22 Apr 1912
Husband of Catharine Shuck and son of John and Malinda Smith

Catharine Shuck
01 Jul 1848

25 Nov 1921
Wife of Theodore Smith daughter of Frederick and Nancy Shuck

Yuill Winchester Smith
05 Dec 1886

17 Oct 1918
Son of Theodore Smith and Catharine Shuck Smith

Velvet Laura Florence Smith
11 Jan 1894

14 Oct 1989
Daughter of Theodore Smith and Catharine Shuck Smith

Source: Rozel Kansas 1886-1986 written by residents - transcribed & submitted by Barbara Ziegenmeyer