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Honey Creek Cemetery

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Honey Creek cemetery was abandoned and the stones are not in any order. Probably, there are more unmarked graves in the area; burial list as read February 2002. Courtesy of Honey Creek Cemetery Association.  Cleanup efforts 2005

Honey Creek Cemetery, 2005 newspaper clipping with brief history of Honey Creek Cemetery

Location:  From Peru, NE, go south on NE 67 1.8m., turn east on CR ?? .7m., turn south on Cr. ?? .7m.  From Brownville, go west on US 136/NE 67, turn north on NE 67 3.2m., turn east on CR ?? .8m, turn north on CR ?? .4m.  The cemetery is east of the road.  Longitude: -95.42.03, Latitude: 40.26.33.

tombstone photos by Ed & Dori Chrisp

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Burial List

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Possible family for Maria Swan burial

Dwelling 172 Family 153 Swan, George H. 42 m Farmer 2000 650 Tennessee
Swan, Maria 41 f Virginia [born 1860-41=1819]
Swan, Timothy L. 15 m Illinois
Swan, Mary E. 13 f Illinios
Mellick, Sarah A. 2 f Nebraska
Ref: 1860 NE Census, page 3, Brownville Post Office

Dwelling 87 Family 82
Swan, John W. 48 m Farmer 4300 1000 Tennessee
Swan, Lucinda 50 f Kentucky
Swan, Maria E. 16 f Illinois [born 1860-16=1844]
Swan, Sarah A. 12 f Illinios
Swan, John W. 8 m Illinois
Millick, Mary E. 7 f Missouri
Metcalf, Sarah 17 f School teacher Illinois
Ref: 1860 NE Census, page 10, Brownville Post Office

Dwelling 303 Family 275
Swan, William L. 47 m Hotel Proprietor 1800  150 Tennessee
Swan, Elizabeth 17  f Illinois                      
Swan, Martha       9  f Illinois    
Swan, Mary E.      7 f Illinois    
Cole, Daniel       23 m Carpenter 50 New York
Ref: 1860 NE Census, page 38, Peru Post Office

Corrected family for Eva Harper (Infant)

This burial is  Eva Harper -  the daughter of Avin Walkup Harper and Margaret Ann Edwards Harper - she was born 4/3/1868 - she was a twin - am not sure how long she survived - but know that she was deceased prior to the June 1 census of 1870 - her twin brother Johnny lived till 1948 - they were my great grandfather's older half brother and sister - their mother died on May 31, 1869, and Avin married Joanna Edwards - (her father was cousin of first wife Margaret Edwards) and my great grandfather was their first child born in Brownville in 1872.  I have known about Eva forever but had no idea of where she was buried. Avin and Margaret should also have a daughter named Lennie Harper who was born in 1867 buried somewhere close by. I am positive this is Baby Eva Harper's gravesite and the name should reflect Harper.
-- Dianne Harsh (DIANNEH5250@aol.com) May 2010

William Vanderford obituary

William Vanderford (25 Feb 1838-1926)
William, the third child of John and Jane (Hobson) Vanderford, was born in Athens County, Ohio, February 25, 1838. His mother died soon afterward. John then married Urlinda Cox (a/k/a Euclinda or Erlinda), who was born in Jackson County, Ohio. They had nine children. At the age of 4, William and his family moved to Polk County, Missouri, where he lived until he was 18 years old. William's first marriage was to Mary Rains. Three children were born to this union before she passed away in 1864. On January 12, 1867, William married Sarah Hannah Rains, a sister of his first wife, Mary.  Sarah Hannah Rains was born on August 24, 1849, in Sonora, Missouri (now Watson, Missouri). She was the daughter of Jesse Rains and Margaret (Beason) Rains. Sarah Hannah's mother, Margaret, passed away when Sarah was very young. She was raised by her father's sister, Hanna (Rains) Clark and her husband, George Clark. For several years William and Sarah Hannah lived north of Brownville, Nebraska, near old Woodsiding. Here they raised and educated their children at the Walnut Grove School. In later years they moved to a 'farm southwest of Peru, Nebraska, where the youngest, a daughter, attended the District #66 school. William was instrumental in founding and laying out the first cemetery of the community, known as Honey Creek Cemetery. Upon his passing away on March 29, 1926, he was interred there in the midst of a snow storm, which brought back to his survivors some of the hardships which their ancestors had endured. William was survived by his wife Sarah Hannah; sons William Jesse, John Riley, Alvin Arthur, Melvin Clifton; daughters Carrie Belle Parriott, Ida Mae Conn and Katie Lenora Handley. Sarah Hannah passed away on July 10, 1930, and was also buried at Honey Creek Cemetery. William lived in Nebraska for 66 years, within 12 miles of his first pioneer home. Submitted by Lois Smith, Nemaha, Nebraska.

Possible possible father of George D. Winnehan

216 196 Tait, William 50 m Farmer 3000 750 Virginia
Tait, Mary A. 46 f Indiana
Tait, Joshua 23 m Farmer 800 250 Illinois
Tait, Mary A. 18 f Illinois
Tait, John B. 14 m Illinois
Tait, Illinois 8 f Illinois
Tait, Alonzo S. 6 m Illinois
Winneham, Michael 21 m Laborer 50 Illinois [possible father of George D. Winnehan]
Ref: 1860 NE Census, page 28, Peru Post Office

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Abandoned Nemaha County Honey Creek
Cemetery Uncovered by July 20, 2005 Workday

[original had a group photo showing 17 people at the cemetery, see names below]
Caption: "THE WORK CREW FOR. Honey Creek Cemetery took a moment to rest and have their photograph taken late Wednesday morning. The tombstones in front were hardly visible before the work began that day."

"By Darrell Wellman
  Abandoned Honey Creek Cemetery, southeast of Peru, was rescued from a heavy cover of growth thanks to the, help of descendents of those buried there and a crew from AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corp (NCCC) which is based out of Brownville for several weeks this summer.

"Very Productive Day
  District One Commissioner Bob Hutton said that in the course of one day (July 20, 2005), a tremendous amount of clean-up progress took place. "The people did an outstanding job last Wednesday. They cut brush, picked up dead trees, and cleaned up and repositioned grave markers which had fallen over." Hutton said. Approximately 30 people are thought to have been buried there.
  Hutton said the Americorps workers helped out a lot. "They are hard workers and did most everything," he said.

"Clean-up Participants
  The visitors, whose participation was coordinated through Martin Hansen and Jane Smith of Brownville, included Emily Grogg, Tina Spicer, Jenn Bowen, Bethany Haynes, Douglas Rathgeber, JuliAnna Arnett and Monica Owens. The young adults have come to Brownville from several states to work through the AmeriCorpsNCCC program (see sidebar story).
People with relatives buried in the cemetery who participated in the workday included Betty (Vanderford) Aue and Dale Aue, Jr. of Morrill, Kas.; Bonnie (Vanderford) Robbins and John Robbins of Lincoln; Sue (Vanderford) Hodges and Dan Hodges and Michael Hodges of Julian; and Stanley Vanderford of rural Auburn.
  Vern Fass of Peru hauled away much of the wood from the site and Sue Hodges provided lunch for the entire group. Hutton also participated in the clean-up as the abandoned cemetery is in his district.
The last burial in the cemetery took place in 1934. Some tombstones date back to mid 1800's."
Source: The Auburn Press-Tribune. Auburn, Nebraska, July 26, 2005, Volume 121, Number 48. Copyright © 2005

"AmeriCorps*NCCC Paints and
Restores Local Historic Landmarks
"BROWNVILLE—Nine members of AmeriCorps* National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) began working with the Meriwether Lewis Foundation on July 11 to restore numerous historical landmarks in Brownville.
  "Projects the team is working on include building a deck for the town's train depot, painting segments of the schoolhouse and the Historical Society's museum The Captain Bailey House,. beautifying a historic cemetery, helping with the Meriwether Lewis passport program Mondays from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m., restoring the Captain Meriwether Lewis Dredge, and giving tours of the boat.
  "The Captain Meriwether Lewis Dredge was built in 1939 by the Army Corps of Engineers to help narrow, straighten, and deepen the Missouri River for commercial use. The Meriwether Lewis Foundation works to help preserve the dredge and its history. In 1989, the Captain Meriwether Lewis Dredge was named a national historic landmark.
  "Involved community member, Jane Smith, said she is "delighted an AmeriCorps*NCCC team is here to help with the continued preservation and restoration of the Brownville National Historic District. They are wonderful community members and I could go on and on about how great the AmeriCorps team is to have in. Brownville."
  "Founded in 1994, AmeriCorps*NCCC is a full-time, residential, national service program in which 1,200 18- to 24-year-olds serve each year. During their 10-month term, Corps members work on teams of 8-12 on projects that address compelling, self-identified community needs. These projects, usually lasting six to eight weeks each, improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety, address unmet human needs, and assist with disaster relief. The Central Region campus in Denver, Colo., is one of five regional hubs in the United States and serves 17 states in the central part of the country. The other campuses are located in Perry Point, Md., Washington, D.C., Charleston, S.C., and Sacramento, Calif.
  "In exchange for their service, Corps Members receive $4,725 to help pay for college, or to pay back existing student loans. Other benefits include a small living stipend, leadership development, team building skills, increased self-confidence, and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, people can indeed make a difference. AmeriCorps*NCCC is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more information about AmeriCorps*NCCC, visit the website at www.americorps.org/"

[original had photo showing three of the Corp. members clearing undergrowth from the Honey Creek Cemetery]
Caption: "Some of the Americorps Members are pictured cleaning up the abandoned Honey Creek Cemetery, southeast of Peru.  See story above."
Source: The Auburn Press-Tribune. July 26, 2005, Volume 121, Number 48. Copyright © 2005.

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updated 7/31/2010 EEM Updated 06/03/2023 DFG