Kansas Death Records

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Tomahawk Cemetery
Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas

133rd St and Metcalf Ave
Overland Park KS

Lat: 38° 53' 13"N, Lon: 94° 40' 02"W
T12S R25W Sec 29

Contributed by Linda Lewis, Aug 14, 2005, last edited Nov 11, 2005 [webmaster@cottonhills.com]. Total records = 33.

In Overland Park, drive south on US-69/Metcalf Ave to 135 St. Turn left or east, going under the highway to the next intersection and turn north onto Old Metcalf Ave. Continue turning right at 133rd St. The cemetery is located in the NE corner, atop a fairly steep hill.

This cemetery is located on top of a hill on Old Metcalf Ave and has a beautiful view. Entrance to the cemetery is off of 133rd Street. The Old Metcalf Street side is fronted by a high rock retaining wall.

The cemetery grounds are well maintained. The original stones that remain are quite well worn. There are 10 graves where only the setting remains. In the east portion of the cemetery, in several neat full rows, are 65 granite stones that simply state Unknown and there are large empty areas with no visible signs of markers.

The land where Tomahawk cemetery lies was first owned by the Shawnee tribes in 1853 as part of the settlement for Ohio and Missouri. By the late 1860s, the tribes moved to Oklahoma and this land was opened up to the Pioneers. In 1870, Daniel and Agnes Murdock donated this � acre of land to the Public, to establish Tomahawk Cemetery on Sep 22, 1870. In 1991 it was ruled that because the land was unincorporated at the time, it belonged to Johnson Co, however now it was part of the class 1 incorporated city of Overland Park, and thereby belonged to them. At that time the City declared the cemetery closed for new burials.

The City identified 30 obvious graves that would have to be relocated. At this time, many graves were obviously missing headstones and many stones were illegible. The Johnson County Historical Society provided an earlier reading of the cemetery, and the City placed notices in newspapers and tried to find descendents. The City had a service with minister at the cemetery before any graves were moved. Some of the graves identified had headstones that would be moved, and for those missing headstones, new Unknown flat granite markers would be placed. While moving the graves, another 35 unmarked graves were uncovered, moved, and also marked for a total of 65 Unknown markers.

I have transcribed all existing and legible markers or stones from my first visit on Jul 29, 2005, and supplemented my transcription with the research contained in the City records.

- Linda Lewis

+ = Grave moved from original location in 1991
# = Partially legible stone supplemented from transcription by Connie Foster, Kansas Historical Society.
* = No stone. Information obtained from the transcription by Connie Foster, Kansas Historical Society, and/or from the City's list of graves to be moved.

Arrasmith, Elizabeth, b. 10 Apr 1840, d. 31 Jan 1868, Wife of Abner Arrasmith
Blythe, Mary M, d. 18 Oct 1877, age: 25y 9m 27d, Dau of R and J Greenwell
Bower, Infant, d. 10 Mar 1824 *
Buchanan, John O, d. 17 Aug 1875, age: 63y 10m 14d +
Buchanan, Ulysses, b. 11 Apr 1864, d. 06 Nov 1864, Son of S B and Ollie Buchanan +
Coburn, Bertha F, d. 05 Mar 1883, Child of W A and F F Coburn, Gone to Mama, s/w Fennie F Coburn
Coburn, Fennie F, d. 11 Feb 1883, age: 24y 1m 24d, Wife of W A Coburn, s/w Bertha F Coburn
Davidson, Baby, b. 8 Oct 1895, d. 9 Oct 1895, Son of Will and Bessie +
Davidson, Wm N, d. 5 Apr 1900, age: 33yr +
Fita, Nancy, b. 19 Mar 1794, Beverly Mass, Wife of A J Fita *
Fletcher, Edmond C, b. 1868, d. 1959, Son
Fletcher, Emily J, b. 25 Feb 1842, d. 27 Mar 1871, Wife of Irvin Fletcher Footstone Emily J Fletcher
Fletcher, Irvin, b. 04 Mar 1836, d. 30 Sep 1878, 86th Regt Ill Vol Inf Footstone Irvin Fletcher
Franklin, John Tyler, b. 17 Aug 1840, d. 8 Dec 1903 +
Greenwell, James, d. 28 Feb 1878, age: 16y 7m 22d, Son of R and J Greenwell
Greenwell, Joel T, d. 02 Dec 1877, age: 24y 6m 2d, Son of R and J Greenwell +
Hancock, Elizabeth J, d. 01 Dec 1876, age: 22y 6m 27d, Daughter of Wm and E Hancock
Johnson, Lymon Stoart, d. 29 Sep 1891, Son of H H and E M Johnson #
Kearney, Berdie, d. 10 Mar 1888, age: 5y 8m 9d, s/w Lora M Kearney
Kearney, Lora M, d. 05 Aug 1891, Age: 34 y 10 m 1 d, Wife of J A Kearney, s/w Berdie Kearney
Kellogg, Lydia M, b. 13 Feb 1841, d. 06 Jan 1871, Wife of Sherman Kellogg
Kershner, Maria M, b. 20 Sep 1796, d. 22 Oct 1877, age: 81y 1m 20d, Wife of Michael Kirshner #
Lindsey, Christiana, b. 1825, d. 1876, Mother +
McClure, Nathaniel, d. 21 Oct 1881, age: 5y 6m 12d
Newton, Harriet A, d. 03 Oct 1869, age: 44y 10m 22d, Wife of A G Newton, footstone H A N +
Nuckols, Ida I, d. 17 Feb 1877, 4y 7m 11d, Dau of J H and M Nuckols *
Nuckols, James M, d. 23 Sep 1874, 48y 7m 12d *
Pettit, S J, d. 08 Apr 1873, age: 17y 2m 8d, ? and J Pettit, Top of headstone gone #+
Porter, Little Eunice, d. no date *
Rogers, David, b. 02 Aug 1834, d. 20 May 1896, s/w Sarah Rogers +
Rogers, Irvin D, b. 1861, d. 1944, Father, s/w Mary Anna Rogers +
Rogers, Mary Anna, b. 1861, d. 1942, Mother, s/w Irvin D Rogers +
Rogers, Sarah, b. 27 Jun 1834, d. ?? Jan 1904, His Wife, s/w David Rogers +
Scott, Josephine Greenwell, b. 1870, d. ????, Wife of W W Scott +
Scott, Wm W Jr, b. 1899, d. 1928 +
Smith, Bonnie J, b. 28 Apr 1889 d. 06 Aug 1889 #+
Thompson, Charles L, d. 01 Sep 1869, age: 1y 7m 10d, Son of A and M Thompson
Thompson, Cyrus, no dates +
Wesley, John, d. 04 1870, age: 31yr 27d +
Zimmerman, Emma, d. 29 Oct 1870, 2y 5m 26d, Dau of W H and S J Zimmerman *

Misc:
A E P, Footstone placed as grave marker
H E P, Footstone used as grave marker
N F, Footstone placed with ruined headstone next to Fletchers +
N M Y, Footstone placed as grave marker