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Who, are “they” you ask? They are the sweet souls who are in their final resting place, buried in Clinton Cemetery. The cemetery is located in Clinton, Douglas County, Kansas very near to Kansas University in Lawrence.
My Personal Connection to Clinton, Kansas
My father, was born and raised on a farm in Lawrence, so I have several relatives in the cemetery. Because of this, I decided to create a spreadsheet to help with my genealogy research. Incredibly, there are over 1500 people buried in the cemetery, aged from 1 day old to over 100 years old.
How it All Came About
A few years ago, I had visited the Kansas Gen Web project site. I had pulled down their list of names which not only had the birth and death dates, but also the names of their family members; parents, siblings, etc. Since this spreadsheet had been created already, I decided to use it as a starting point, keeping the format the same.
Next, I began to merge my original spreadsheet with information I found on FindAGrave.com (FAG). Originally, I wanted to ensure that my list was complete but soon realized I had information to add to their site as well. As a FAG Volunteer, I was able to submit suggestions and corrections so that the information I had personally collected could be added to their memorials. (This part was a very fulfilling task by the way!)
One Small Idea – One Huge Project
Wow, and of course, as is typical for me, what started as a simple idea was quickly becoming a huge project. Not only that, it was unexpectedly an enormously emotional undertaking. And, those sweet souls (Whom I began to lovingly refer to as “my ghosts”) wouldn’t let me work on anything else until I finished the list. Thus, it’s been over a month since my last post!
How Did They Stop Me?
My Clinton ghosts wreaked havoc with my other computers, that’s how. They made the spinning ball appearance the norm, instead of an occasional issue. Surprisingly, the computer I was working on for this project, along with my iPad, worked like a charm whilst I was compiling the spreadsheet.
It’s a Sign
At this point, I realized this was a truly special project. That it was something I was meant to do, it was a cause bigger than me. And, it had to be completed as soon as possible. Each day I would report back to my loved ones, “I’m on D”, “I’m on L”, “I’m on T”, and on and on. I worked feverishly, focusing only on completing my task.
My family didn’t really understand what the project was about, but were supportive of my efforts because it was meaningful to me. My original goal was to finish the spreadsheet and upload it to my Genealogy Resource Page. I figured if it would be helpful to me, others researching their families would benefit as well.
A Power Larger than Myself
And again, the biggest thing I did not anticipate was the emotional state I was being thrown into as I was working my way through the names. Some days, I would be in tears over the loss of so many people, both young and old.
Several of their FindAGrave memorials had their portraits, along with their obituaries and headstones. Many had no pictures or very little information. Some had comments that there were no headstones to be found. Throughout the course of working through my list, I updated, corrected, and added several memorials to FAG’s website.
With all that in mind, and love in my heart, here are some of the folks who wanted me to share their stories.
John & Marie (Schwarz) Barben’s Quadruplets
The Barben family was originally from Spiez, Verwaltungskreis Frutigen-Niedersimmental, Bern, Switzerland. John’s parents, Samuel N & Marie Magdalena (Reuff) Barben brought the family to the Lawrence area sometime after 1873.
Per the article in the local newspaper titled “Newsy News Notes”, it read as follows: Four girl babies were born to Mrs. John Barben, wife of a farmer living near Lawrence, Kansas Saturday. One of the babies died after birth, but the three others will live. Sadly, that was not the case, and eventually they all four passed away.
The quadruplets were born on 26 Oct 1907: Angel died at birth; Opal and Pearl died in Nov 1907, and Ruby died Jan 1908. John was born 7 Sep 1873 and died 28 Mar 1962; aged 88 years. Marie was born 17 May 1872 and died 10 Feb 1945; aged 72 years. John and Marie are buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.
This family had endured a previous family tragedy in 1892, when John’s brother, Deacon Godfrey Barben drowned. He was born in 1869 and died 31 May 1892; aged 22-23 years.
Christopher Deskins
Christopher Deskins was born 10 Jun 1826 in Tazewell County Virginia and died 18 Dec 1904; aged 78 years. He was the son of Daniel & Margaret (Francisco) Deskins. He married twice; first to Sarah Onley and second to Mary Ann (Randolph) Boone.
Newspaper Accounts His Accident
I have rewritten this story from the original article which appeared in a local newspaper. Christopher was running a mowing machine in his meadow in the Kanawaka Township a few miles west of Lawrence. The machine was pulled by a team of horses.
A bot fly had been bothering his horses for a while, so Christopher attempted to step off the machine to kill the fly. Just as he went to step off, one of the horses kicked at the fly, causing a fright to all of the horses. Since the machine was in gear, he hung onto the tongue until the team ran about two hundred yards.
Unfortunately, when he tried to jump out on the side away from the knife, he was caught by the harness and thrown directly under the machine.
I was so saddened to read this. Although he suffered injuries that day, he lived another few years. It was so touching that at the end of the article, it said, “Mr. Deskins is an honest, hardworking man, highly esteemed by his neighbors.”
Bryce Eugene Olsen
Bryce was born in 1999 and died in 2006, aged 6 years. His picture posted on FAG clearly shows that this boy was a sweet, happy and bright young boy.
He was killed when he was hit by a minivan on his way to school one morning. Every time I see his little smiling face, it makes my heart break and tears well up. I can see him skipping and jumping on his way to school, just as my grandchildren do.
Sadder yet, is that his father, Bret Curtis Olsen, passed away nine years later. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering his wife endured losing both her son and then her husband.
The George & Amanda (Simpson) Washington Family
George Washington was an African American who bravely fought in the KS 1st Colored Infantry (KS 79th Infantry), Co F. He was the son of John & Mary (Grant) Washington. George and Amanda were married in 1868 and had several children.
Regretfully, many of them died too soon: 1- Infant son died in 1871; 2-child died in 1895; age unknown; 3-Lemuel born 1875 died 1894; aged 18 years; 4-Marion born 1880 died 1882; aged 1-2 years; 5-William born 1881 died 1882; aged 1 year.
George had another son with his second wife, Julia (Saunders). PFC (Private First Class) George Henry was born 18 May 1913 and died 24 Oct 1957; aged 44 years. He too fought bravely for our country in WW II. He was a PFC 1367 Engineer Dump Truck Co.
As I recorded the names and ages of these children, I was filled with sorrow and sadness for the loss this family experienced. There were four other Washington family members with memorials in the Clinton Cemetery.
George ordered two of their burials, but I don’t know how they are related: 1-Mrs. L Washington, was born 1848 and died 25 Mar 1902; aged 53-54 Years; 2-Lewis Washington, son of Marie was born and died on 18 Apr 1902.
The other two Washington memorials are: Albert Jr died 10 May 1943 and Alberta Eloise who died in 1945. I do not know if they are related, but suspect they may be.
The Reverend Diamond Richard Smith Family
A flower was bought for the Reverend on his memorial and included the the following comments: “The Smith family of Ottawa, Kansas all died within days of each other in 1918. The Reverend and their newborn child both died on Oct 19, and his wife, Lydia died on Oct. 27th.” The cause was not provided. The Rev. was born 2 Dec 1894 and died 19 Oct 1918; aged 23 years. Lydia’s full name: Lydia E (Buckhorn) Smith was born 31 Jan 1893 and died 27 Oct 1918; aged 25 years.
The Reverend’s parents, Phillip C & Nancy Jane Smith, had previously lost his two siblings, Ruby and Opal at birth. Ruby was born and died on 6 Jan 1903. Opal was born and died on 13 Dec 1904. Such a tragic and sad family story.
Charles Arthur Steele
I discovered a shocking and very sad story in my own family. I always knew we were related to the Steele family, but I wasn’t sure how. It is a little difficult to follow, so please bear with me.
It’s a Little Complicated
My grandmother’s maiden name was Belles. Her aunt, my 2nd great aunt, Rebecca Belles, married James Farnum Steele. His father was Ira Theophilus. Charles and Robert were the sons of Ira’s brother Robert.
Robert Alexander Steele Sr and his wife Isabella (Cummings) Steele had nine children. Robert Alexander Jr was born 24 Dec 1872 and Charles Arthur was born 2 Sep 1878.
They lived on farms that were near each other. Fred W and Edith Agnes (Steele) Lobb were living with Charles Steele, Edith’s brother at the time of the shooting. According to Fred, there had been an argument between Charles and his sister-in-law, Rilla, regarding the water supply.
“Belvoir Tragedy Takes Two Lives”
The water supply furnished both farms from a reservoir located on Robert & Rilla’s farm. Rilla had recently threatened to cut off Charles’s water supply because of the argument.
Although the reservoir had been filled Sunday, a spigot at a calf watering tank had been left running, ultimately draining the reservoir. When Charles discovered the reservoir was dry on that fateful morning, he assumed that Rilla had cut his access off as promised.
In a rage, he grabbed his gun and headed over to his brother’s house. Rilla was working in her garden, and their children were off at school. (thank goodness) Charles opened fire with a 32 caliber automatic gun and shot her twice in the head, killing her instantly. Both Robert and a friend, Cecil Humphreys, who was helping at the farm pumping water back into the reservoir, heard the shots, but did not see the shooting.
A Third Shot Was Fired
Shortly after they discovered Rilla’s body, they heard a third shot across the road and discovered that Charles had committed suicide. According to the Mr. and Mrs. Lobb, Charles entered the kitchen shortly after they heard the shots and remarked, “We won’t have to haul water any more.”
My guess is that when Charles returned to his house, the horror of what he had done must have hit him. He put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. What’s even more sad is that the string of events which led up to her murder, were not even Rilla’s fault.
Rilla left behind three children; Roberta 14, Jacquelean 11 and Bettie 7; along with her husband Robert. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Robert and his children experienced that day and for the rest of their years. Such a sad story.
Link to the Clinton Cemetery Index
I hope you understand why I felt the need to tell my lovely Ghost’s stories. We all need to remember that life is not always guaranteed and we must live each day to the fullest.
Respectfully,
Sherri
