Fowlkes Cemetery
This private cemetery is located 3 miles SE of Nebraska City, on the SE corner of the intersection of 68th & 'K' roads. From the intersection, go SE on 68th road 0.1 of a mile, then east 0.1 of a mile across an open field. The cemetery is located on a large wooden knoll, and is abandoned.
The history of the cemetery derives from an article written by Dan Swanson of the Nebraska City News-Press:
"Bert Bowers of Scottsbluff renovated the cemetery in 1954, placing 14 headstones over graves and a marker that reads: 'This cemetery is located on land preempted in 1854 by Wm. C. Fowlkes, early day lawyer, doctor and neighbor to J. Sterling Morton.' Caroline C. Fowlkes, the wife of Wm. C. who died in childbirth, is the first white buried there. Her daughter, who died a few months after her birth, is buried beside her.
There are about 100 people buried at the cemetery, which is located on about two acres. Mrs. Ida Davidson told News-Press in 1954 that the first two people buried there were Indians. She said her father came here in 1854 from Iowa after having been mustered out of the Union Army at Fort Kearney. The last buried there was Grover Cleveland Fowlkes, who died in 1918 for influenza." (1)
Burial Listing: A listing of burials was submitted on 30 Nov 2005 by Veronica Anguiano, descendant of Julius Caesar Fowlkes and Jennie Belle Shellenberger. This information can be found at:
Gravestone Photographs: Numerous photographs were submitted by Ed and Dori Chrisp. These photographs can be found at:
Point of Contact: This cemetery is considered abandoned. If you desire any information about this cemetery, please contact the Otoe County Genealogical Society at ocgs.ne@gmail.com and we will try and provide you with as much information about the cemetery as possible.
Cemetery Photographs:
Works Cited:
(1) Swanson, Dan (10 Mar 2005). Nebraska City News-Press, Nebraska City, Otoe County, Nebraska. Pg. 7
