Cemeteries of
Geary County, Kansas

The map image below is from the Riley County Genealogical Society pamphlet, reproduced with permission.
The photos were taken by John Matthews, August of 1999.

Geary County is in north-central Kansas and is bounded on the west by Clay and Dickinson counties, on the south by Dickinson and Morris counties, on the east by Wabaunsee and Riley counties, and on the north by Riley county and the Fort Riley Military Reservation.

This map includes twenty-nine cemeteries of which five were relocated when Milford Reservoir was installed in 1964.

Members of the Geary County Family Researchers have read the inscriptions on the tombstones of all cemeteries in Geary County as of 2001 with the exception of St. Mary's Catholic and Highland, both in Junction City. The earliest of these is in the Barclay Farm Cemetery. Mary E. Barclay, daughter of C. M. and S. M. Barclay died 19 April 1857.

No doubt there are family graves on various farms. All members of a Kirkpatrick family on Davis Creek Road died of measles and reportedly are buried on a farm.

[Note from Robert W. Kirkpatrick:
I am most certain no Kirkpatrick's are buried in eastern Geary Co. My maternal Grandfather George Koepcke lived on Davis Creek Road as well as an Uncle by marriage by the name of Henry Rosey and my brother owned a farm on Davis Creek Road so I am somewhat familiar with the area. I believe the error has been caused by the fact my brother Hubert L. Kirkpatrick owned the farm until about the mid 1980's and there was a family cemetery in a field across Davis Creek Road and East of his house. This located approximately 1/2-3/4 mile south of the old Rosey school house which is now a community center or was until the mid 1980's. This is the same farm Uncle Henry Rosey lived on till his death in the early 1940's and remained Kirkpatrick in the family till the mid 1980's.
Hubert now (June 2002) lives in Junction City.]

Lyona Methodist and Alida-Upland cemeteries are in Dickinson County just across the Geary County line.

The Geary County Clerk can give the name and address of the sexton for most of the cemeteries.

If you believe you have a relative buried in the Post Cemetery at Fort Riley, write the Mortuary Officer, Department of the Army, Fort Riley, Kansas 66642 and they will check their records. Should you wish to obtain the grave location of a relative, include full name of decedent, rank (if applicable), and date of death.

Geary County Cemetery Map
(Click for 380kb Image)
(Click for 1600kb Image)
(Map of Geary County showing cemetery locations)

Highland Cemetery
(Click for Large Image - 92kb)
(Scene from Highland Cemetery)

From the earliest settlement, people of the Junction City area used as their burial ground a plot at the foot of a hill northwest of town. This area, owned by Streeter and Strickler, was never enclosed nor marked off in plots. The misuse of this unprotected area finally became a concern for citizens, and in an editorial written by George W. Martin, a proper location was urged.

April 4, 1870 the Highland Cemetery Association was incorporated. The motivating force was John A. Anderson, whose mother had died a short time before and was buried on the prairie in the old burying ground. He preached a sermon on the subject of starting a new cemetery and this got others interested enough to take action. Many bodies were moved to the new Highland Cemetery, but unknown members of graves still existed in this earlier cemetery.

The above from GARDEN OF EDEN: A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF GEARY COUNTY KANSAS compiled and edited by John B. and Irene Jeffries, Geary County Historical Society, 1978. p. xii

The information after each cemetery includes the legal description (Section, Township, Range), the earliest burial as indicated from the tombstones, and other pertinent information.

Township Index

MILFORD TOWNSHIP
SMOKY HILL TOWNSHIP
LYON TOWNSHIP
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP
BLAKELY TOWNSHIP
WINGFIELD TOWNSHIP
JACKSON TOWNSHIP
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP

MILFORD TOWNSHIP

1. MILFORD CEMETERY. SW 1/4 NW 1/4 S17 T10S R5E. Charley, son of J. C. & J. Kennett, 4 Dec 1859 - 18 Feb 1862. Includes the Original Milford, Rose Hill, Branscom, Montague and Shenck cemeteries.

2. ORIGINAL MILFORD CEMETERY. NW 1/4 S19 T10S R5E. Rhoda Humphrey 1783 - 1867. Formerly located on the outskirts of Milford, moved to Milford Cemetery.

3. BRANSCOM CEMETERY. SW 1/4 SE 1/4 S20 T10S R5E. Catherine, wife of E. C. Bartell, d 8 Sep 1860, ae 27y 8m 14d. This little cemetery had a stone fence around it and one walked to it by fording Farnham Creek, on through the timber and up on the side hill. It was moved to the present Milford Cemetery, however, not all graves were moved to that location.

4. VINTON CEMETERY. NE 1/4 SW 1/4 S35 T10S R5E. Nancy, daughter of J. M. & C. R. Harvey, 11 July 1862, ae 4m 12d. The cemetery is near the disbanded Vinton Baptist Church, which is now on the Fort Riley Reservation. The area was formerly a part of old Seven Mile Township in Riley County.

A. ROSE HILL CEMETERY. If one stand in Milford Cemetery and looks west and a little north, one will see a hill standing above Milford Reservoir with several trees on top. This was Rose Hill cemetery where Abraham barry, his wife Elizabeth V., and an unnamed child (daughter of a camper who stopped on the Barry farm) were buried. The three graves were moved to the Milford Cemetery in 1966. Mr. Barry died in 1873 and his wife in 1872. The Barrys had been buried in cast iron caskets shaped in the form of bodies. The casket of the baby girl contained the leather soles of her tiny shoes and some human bones.

B. SHENCK (SHANK, SCHENK) CEMETERY. Dora C, daughter of B. & A.(?) Carey, d 22 Jan 1862, ae 20d. This cemetery was located two miles north of the Vinton Church and many of the graves were moved to Milford Cemetery, but not all. It was originally in Riley County.

SMOKY HILL TOWNSHIP

5. ALIDA CEMETERY. NW 1/4 S14 T11S R4E. Sofia Hance, wife of C. Hance (Carl Hintz) d 18 Jan 1871, ae 32y, 6m. The cemetery lies just outside the Dickinson County line.

6. MONTAGUE CEMETERY. NE 1/4 SE 1/4 S19 T11S R5E. Jane, (Mrs. George) Montague, 31 Oct 1862. This cemetery, which was moved to the Milford Cemetery, was on the farm of George Montague, who settled on the Republican River in July 1855.

7. ST. JOHN'S EVANGELICAL CEMETERY. SW 1/4 SW 1/4 S23 T11S R4E. Elisabeth, child of R. & Chr. Wilmer, 19 Apr 1870 - 8 Mar 1871. William Raetz' tombstone read, This cemetery is a part of the original homestead on which he was born.

8. HIGHLAND CEMETERY, Junction City. S14 T12S.
703 West Ash Street, phone (785) 238-6431.

9. ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC, Junction City, S14 T12S.

LYON TOWNSHIP

10. WREFORD CEMETERY. NW 1/4 SE 1/4 S35 T12S R5E. John L. Morris, 7 Apr 1861 - 27 Apr 1862.

11. MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CEMETERY. SW 1/4 NW 1/4 S31 T13S R5E. Marie, wife of Emil H. Hoffman, 1845 - 1882. This cemetery is on a hill just before entering Dickinson County and formerly had a church adjoining it to the south. The house that stands to the south was formerly the paronage.

JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP

12. FAIRVIEW CEMETERY. SE 1/4 S27 T11S R6E. Laura, daughter of W. H. & S. A. McKinley, 10 Aug 1854 - 7 Sep 1860, ae 6y 28d. This cemetery overlooks Marshall Air Field and there appeared to be missing stones and much disarray when the inscriptions were read June 1981. Also known as Government Hill, Perry's Hill and Whiskey Point Cemetery.

13. ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CEMETERY. NE 1/4 S22 T12S R6E. Carl Potenberg, 3 Apr 1820 - 26 Jul 1870. The cemetery is behind the Missouri Synod Church on which is imprinted Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul's Kirche, U. A. G., 1883 - 1908. Also known as Clark's Creek Cemetery.

14. DAVIS CREEK METHODIST CEMETERY. SE 1/4 S34 T12S R6E. August Behrend d 30 Oct 1878, ae 51y 2m. Charles Boger and wife Katharina gave land on 12 May 1885 for this cemetery and a German Methodist Church built in 1872 and raised (sic) in 1980. A memorial structure include the chimney cap and dated doorway rocks of the original church. Also known as Rosey Cemetery.

DAVIS CREEK METHODIST CEMETERY

(Click for Large Image - 110kb)

BLAKELY TOWNSHIP

15. WETZEL CEMETERY. SE 1/4 S4 T13S R6E. Hanna Wilhelmine Maria Wetzel, 19 Mar 1869 - 12 Jun 1870. This cemetery is in the middle of a field, approximately 1/3 mile from the road. It has a rock wall and a metal gate.

16. SALCHOW CEMETERY. NW 1/4 S9 T13S R6E. Mary Elizabeth Hartung, daughter of Charles F. H. & Henryetta Salchow, 29 Dec 1867 - 28 Mar 1891. This cemetery is in a field, enclosed by a stone wall with a chimney-like erection upon which inscriptions are carved.

SALCHOW CEMETERY

(Click for Large Image - 90kb)

17. SKIDDY CEMETERY. SW 1/4 S30 T13S R6E. Franklin E. Atkins 6 Jan 1812 - 5 Jan 1882 (on same stone as Electa A. Scott).

17A. HARLOFF CEMETERY. (S2 T12S R6E, hand written in a copy of the list.)

WINGFIELD TOWNSHIP

18. BARCLAY FARM CEMETERY. NW 1/4 S27 T11S R7E. Mary E, daughter of C. M. & S. M. Barclay, d 19 Apr 1857. The cemetery is three stones under twin hackberry trees.

19. ST. JOSEPH'S CATHOLIC CEMETERY. NE 1/4 S34 T11S R7E. Bridget Dolan d 14 Aug 1871, ae 58y. James Ryan, an 1855 pioneer on McDowell Creek, donated 3+ acres in 1870 for the church and cemetery. Also known as McDowell Creek Cemetery.

20. GARANSSON FAMILY CEMETERY. SE 1/4 S12 T12S R7E. Johanna Nelson, 3 Oct 1880 - 25 Aug 1881. This is a private family cemetery in a field at the top of a hill. There are six stone posts with pipe railing around the four graves.

21. HUMBOLDT CREEK CEMETERY. SE 1/4 S17 T12S R7E. Samuel V., son of J. L. Wingfield, 13 Oct 1857 - 27 Nov 1861.

22. (A) 1st BRIGGS CEMETERY. (S1 T12S R7E, hand written in a copy of the list.)

JACKSON TOWNSHIP

22. (B) 2nd BRIGGS CEMETERY. Pt 15 S6 T12S R8E. Carl Adolph, son of Swen & Augusta Olson, d 1 Oct 1880, ae 1y 2m.

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP

23. UPPER HUMBOLDT CEMETERY. NW 1/4 S1 T13S R7E. James M. Hands, 28 Oct 1817 - 28 Oct 1863, ae 46y.

24. OLSON CEMETERY. NW 1/4 S19 T13S R7E. Children of Peter & Betty Swenson: Anna 1861 - 1870; Caroline 1866 - 1870; John 1869 - 1870. The cemetery is surrounded by a stone wall.

25. WELCOME CEMETERY. NE 1/4 NE 1/4 S8 T13S R8E. Solomon A., son of Joseph & Elizabeth Johnson, 25 Sep 1854 - 28 Sep 1878, ae 24y 3d.

26. DAMORIS CONSERVATIVE QUAKER CEMETERY. Pt8 S31 T13S R8E. Aaron Morris d 3 Dec 1886, ae 80y. This cemetery has but few stones and many are illegible. The records of Damoris Monthly Meeting of Friends are in the Quaker Collection in the Library at Friends University, Wichita, KS.

27. MOSS SPRINGS CEMETERY. SW 1/4 S28 T13S R8E. Zerelda E. Stewart, wife of Jasper H. Beagel, 1844 - 1874. Three children of E. John & Flora T. Allm died 16 Jul 1898.



Back

mailbox John Matthews
jkm@skypoint.com

This page was updated .