The number of named or known cemeteries has increased in the past twenty-five years. A number of publications have recorded tombstone inscriptions and other burial records that are cemetery specific. Cemetery and burial information is often available but can sometimes be difficult to find. This book was produced to offer a readily available guide, first to record all of the known cemeteries, and secondly to reference publications that are available to those interested in finding burial sites or are researching names of those interred in them.
Perhaps a third objective exists, that of motivation for “cemetery walkers.” That is, for those interested in enhancing our knowledge of those buried in sites that have not yet been recorded, to research the local histories and land records and provide the missing names. Perhaps this publication would provide an incentive for those interested in doing this kind of research and publishing their findings.
Cemetery Names
An attempt was made to provide all known names of cemeteries in Colorado. Names seem to change over time as new information about the residents of a small cemetery or grave becomes known. Once a “XYZ Ranch Cemetery” or “Rural Cemetery No 09”, now becomes known for the family that was buried at the location. It may now become the “Jones Family Cemetery”. Or, maybe an “Unknown Grave” may become the grave of “Booger Red” as more information becomes known. Whenever possible, the also known as (aka) names are provided. But, many of the names of burial sites have been lost, perhaps forever, as is indicated by the long list of “Rural Cemeteries” and “Unknown Graves” still remaining.
Names used in this publication attempted to be consistent with the names used in the Colorado Cemetery Directory. Much of the work done on cemeteries since 1985 has also used the names in this Directory. Many of the more recent publications have found the original names of some of the unknown graves and cemeteries and have been incorporated. However, some names can be confusing, and to make matters worse, some publications, provide tombstone or burial information without properly identifying the cemetery they came from. Particularly the periodicals referenced are prone to just say “cemetery near Lamar” or “cemetery north of Kiowa”, leading to further confusion. Also, this publication refers to periodicals by name, but not by issue. Example: Pinon Whispers by Southeast Colorado Genealogical Society. The researcher will have to consult this periodical’s indexes or PERSI to locate the issue with the cemetery they seek. But even then because of lacking precise names, it will take an innovative approach for the periodical search.
Location Information:
Location for each cemetery is provided in the form of section, township and range to the extent that information is known. More recently, as we move into the world of Geodetic Positioning Systems (GPS), latitude and longitude information has allowed more precise locations to be recorded. Even altitude (feet above sea level) information is available and is included. All of this data is provided for each cemetery, when known or could be ascertained from available maps or published information. On occasion there is a conflict in section, township and range. This could be the result of erroneous recording or from changes in mapping. Mapping changes are particularly likely to be encountered in the land grant areas of southern Colorado. Much of the latitude and longitude information was taken from the National Geographic USGS Topo Maps on CD-ROM. The accuracy of the readings is not good; it can often be one-half mile off due to the methods used or the procedures used. Readings taken at the burial site by GPS units should be more accurate.
Directions:
Information is also included, again when it is available, on how to find cemeteries by providing directions from known towns or other prominent sites. This information was generally taken from the Colorado Cemetery Directory. New information from other publications was then incorporated to provide for increased precision. When possible this information was updated from the USGS 7.5 Topographic (TOPO) maps when a cemetery or other burial site has been plotted on the TOPO maps. Appendix C lists the TOPO maps of the 7.5 series maps using the basic numbers on the USGS Colorado Map List, revised March 1999. In the Reference column the map numbers are preceded with a “t” to designate TOPO maps for Colorado for these sites. See Abbreviations, page xv for TOPO maps for other states bordering Colorado.
The directions from the referenced publications are occasionally in conflict, often not being very precise or consistent in format. Often every turn, direction and distance is provided on known roads. Other times directions consist of “the way the crow flies”, meaning just giving a direction and the approximate number of miles in that direction. When possible, usually when the sites are plotted on TOPO maps, the author has tried to clarify and standardize the directions. In other cases, it was not possible to do so, particularly when precise locations are not known or provided. The researcher will have to adapt, but more importantly, should go to the referenced publications where more directions might be available.
The direction information is included in the “Notes” section for each cemetery. On occasion other information relative to the cemetery or its residents is added in this section. Comments by the author are enclosed in brackets, i.e. “[ ]”.
Referenced Publications:
There are four categories of referenced documents in the publication.
Cataloged Documents are listed in Appendix A
Periodicals are listed in Appendix B
USGS 7.5 Topographic (TOPO) maps are listed in Appendix C
Other References, not specific to cemeteries but containing burials, are listed in Appendix D
In the Reference Column in the main section of the publication are a series of numbers that refer to listed references. Refer to Abbreviations, page xi, but in general the numbers refer to the cataloged documents. The numbers preceded by a “p” refer to periodicals. The numbers preceded by a “t” refer to the 7.5 TOPO maps and the “u” means that information was found that has not been cataloged but may be available in local library collections. Many of these documents may become available in upcoming publications.
The references for each cemetery listed are probably the most important information that this publication provides: The pointer to references about the cemeteries and their residents should lead the researcher to the information they seek. This is particularly important because often publications include information that you would not expect to find there such as place of birth or origin, marriage and spouse or disinterments. Often individuals recording the names on tombstones supplement their work with data taken from obituaries and other death records. Also, information may be included in publications that are primarily about marriage, wills, bible or church records.
General:
The cemeteries are listed alphabetically by county. Following Yuma County is a list of cemeteries from adjoining states where Colorado residents may have been interred. An index of cemeteries is also provided.