I guess this all started when Richard Boston contacted me about a volunteer photo I'd posted on Find A Grave web site of the abandoned Southfork precinct cemetery about 3 miles west of DuBois, which was but a small patch of brome grass with a few memorial stone pieces left.. one of the pieces is of their  Boston family. This is where his kin are buried, they cared. The Boston brothers got the ball rolling on getting the cemetery BACK as a pioneer cemetery, and doing all the necessary work to make that happen. They needed a petition signed by 35 adults to get it on the county commissioners agenda, so I figured I could handle that easily with no problem, more were collected in short order. Now came the hard part, he asked if I'd go to the meeting and speak for the them, I told him I'm just not much of a speaker, but would go. Thankfully Earl was able to talk by telespeaker and Jennifer Stehlik Ladman was there, so my speaking to them was unimportant thankfully.

The Boston Brothers had big plans for the cemetery, Richard searched old newspaper files and came up with burials there and discovered the name was PRAIRIE STAR! WOW! This is no longer just an abandoned cemetery, it is Prairie Star Pioneer Cemetery.

The Boston's did the planning and we're still working on getting it all accomplished. The corner stones were donated locally because they were thrilled about this project. Tony McAferty hauled them to the site where Doug Hinrichsen, stone mason, set them in place. Tom Ullman volunteered to do the seeding of the prairie grass, Doug Hinrichsen picked up the Taylor Junipers near Lincoln and the Boy Scouts Troop 322 of Pawnee City, Nebraska, Scout Master Alan Smith said they would be happy to help with the planting of the trees. As the existing grass is being killed out, more of the stones are showing up, They are carefully being checked and hopefully can be laid in a bed of gravel or some way preserved. There is still much work to be done, and other volunteers are helping where they can.

As for me, I'd like to stay “Unknown” like many that are buried at this site. If this was an Indian burial site, it would be sacred ground. Aren't our pioneer settlers just as sacred? My mother brought flowers to this cemetery each Memorial Day, not because she knew any of those buried here, but because she felt it was a disgrace that they desecrated the graves of those who were laid to rest here. This is for you Mom.

Written by Luella Hinrichsen of DuBois, NE - April 26, 2016

Prairie Star Cemetery, Southfork Township, Pawnee County, Nebraska

In April of 1864, after being discharged from the 53rd Regiment Illinois Infantry, James B. Boston, his wife Caroline, a civil war nurse, traveled to Southeast Nebraska with their four young children, George Oreen, Elsworth, Hattie, and Clarence. James found the perfect spot to settle down and July 1, 1864 he filed a Homestead claim (Application #392) for 160 acres in Southfork Township, in the northeast corner of Section 31. At that time the nearest communities were; Cincinnati first platted in 1857, just two miles to the east, Pawnee City, first settled in 1854, approximately 11 miles northwest and Seneca Kansas, founded in 1857, approximately 14 miles to the south. Seneca had been a stop on the Pony Express and was also on the California and Oregon Trails, and since 1870 was also on the St. Joseph and Grand Island Railroad line.

George W. Boston and his wife Christina, the parents of James, also moved from Illinois to that location. James built a 1 ½ story log cabin measuring 12’ by 18’. Cleared land and began farming. Father George eventually got into the coal business employing several miners to dig the precious material from the ground northeast of Cincinnati. In later life George and Christina had a house built in the new town of DuBois NE.

As more and more people moved to this part of Nebraska school districts were established. District 7 was called the Prairie Star District and the first school was held in a log cabin on the James Boston farm. John Osborne was the first teacher at the Prairie Star School in 1868, and another early teacher there included Loantha Young.

Alonzo Percival, age 21, homesteaded (#345) the southwest corner of section 31 April 4, 1864. Alonzo’s father, Stephen D. Percival homesteaded (#346) the northwest corner of section 30 the same day.

The Prairie Star Cemetery is located in the northwest corner of Section 29 on land originally owned by Samuel A. and Sarah Glaeford. In 1882 the Glaefords sold their land to William Dellenbach.

Stephen D. and Roxanna Percival’s daughter, Minnie M. Percival less than one year of age may have been the first person buried in Prairie Star. She died March 25th 1868. Sadly the second teacher at the Prairie Star School, Ms. Ida Loantha Young also came to an early death February 19th 1877 and is also buried there.

Christina Boston passed away May 5th, 1882 and was buried in the Prairie Star Cemetery. Stephen Percival died November 29th, 1882 and was buried there as well. Other known burials in the Prairie Star Cemetery include” Frank L. Percival, infant son of A. P. And L. A. Percival died August 28, 1887.

After Christina died George married, Christina’s sister, Sarah Jane Robinson. George Boston passed away March 8, 1890 and was also buried in the Prairie Star Cemetery.

In 1894 James, Caroline and the rest of the family moved to Smith Center Kansas where they remained for the rest of their lives, although several of the Boston family made their way back to the Pawnee City including Jay and wife Pearl Inez Boston. Jay was the grandson of James and Caroline and grandfather of the author.

At least 16 individuals are buried at Prairie Star Cemetery. Unfortunately the cemetery fell into disrepair and by 1978 all of the headstones had been discarded in the nearby roadside ditch. That is when Ruth Ann Hicks first documented the cemetery in her publication “Cemeteries of Pawnee County Nebraska.”

In 2001 while doing some family genealogy, another Great, Great, Grandson of James and Caroline and brother of the author, Earl Boston learned that George and Christina Boston were buried near DuBois Nebraska. Then in 2003 the author made a trip to Nebraska to visit relatives and made a swing through DuBois and drove by the place where the old Boston Homestead had once stood and then located the abandoned cemetery. Most of the cemetery was under cultivation except for a small grassy knoll perhaps 30’ by 60’ in size. In that grassy area the author found several headstones all lying on the ground and almost all broken and chipped. Among the stones found was that of Christina Boston.

At that time brother Earl who is the owner of West Point Monuments, made a new granite headstone for George and Christina to memorialize those two pioneers. Another dozen years passed and in September 2015 the author then researching a newly discovered Boston family Civil War quilt, ventured to the Pawnee City Library and then drove to the Prairie Star Cemetery to place the new headstone. The small grassy knoll the author had seen in 2003 had become much smaller and there were no headstones visible on the surface. After a few minutes a few stones were eventually located in the soybean field surrounding the grassy area. Not knowing what else to do, and not wanting to put the new stone in the field or even in the grassy area, for fear that it too would be plowed under, the author called the Pawnee County Sheriff. Unbelievably the Sheriff arrived a half hour later and after hearing the story of the neglected cemetery and about the new headstone offered to contact the farmer who was working the land. She also offered to take the new headstone until we could figure out what if anything could be done.

Later last fall the author back in Colorado continued researching the Civil War quilt. The quilt has been in the safe keeping of Gladys Kite who is also the Great, Great, Granddaughter of James and Caroline Boston. Gladys an avid quilter herself and a dedicated genealogist not only is helping to research the quilt but she got interested in the rehabilitation of Prairie Star and contributed a third of the costs to purchase supplies and to pay for some of the labor to accomplish the rehabilitation

The author got microfilm copies of all of the Pawnee Republican newspapers from 1872 through 1895, hoping to find any mention about the quilt that Caroline had made. The Pawnee Republican began printing in 1872 and reported on important events around the world and the nation. Also a regular part of those early issues of the Republican was a column titled “County Correspondence From Our Assistant Editors,” where residents of several of the early School Districts including the Prairie Star wrote about what was happening around the county. While reading those early newspapers the author discovered an article that appeared in the January 2, 1879 issue stating that the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Obenchain died on the previous Thursday and was buried at the Prairie Star Graveyard. A second article in the May 8, 1879 Pawnee Republican reported that, “Cal. and Ann Barklow buried their child, aged 4 years, in Prairie Star graveyard, las Saturday. Funeral Services at the school house by Rev. Pulleu.”

Although the author found no mention of the Civil War quilt he did learn that Caroline had been quilting while the family was in Nebraska.

“Zephyr acknowledges a polite invitation to a quilting party at Mrs. Jas. Boston’s last Wednesday, and is sorry that circumstances were such as to prevent attendance. Mrs. B gave the quilt to our fire suffers after she had completed it at her own expense. She well knows “that a friend in need is a friend indeed,” and was prompted in this act of charity passing through a similar ordeal in her life (Pawnee Republican April 24, 1879).”

Then he came across first one and then two more articles in the Prairie Star section of the Republican, mention of the death and burial of two small infants.

Some of the research the author had done last September while at the Pawnee County Court house was to copy a Warranty Deed that recorded the sale by the Glaefords of their land in Section 29. That document contained information that was essential to the eventual restoration of the Prairie Star Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Galeford had not sold the entire 160 acres to the Dellenbachs. The Deed included most of the northwest corner of the section but not all of it. The Warranty Deed reads: “with the exception of two acres in the North west corner of said described tract of land which is reserved for a graveyard.”

By Richard L. Boston - April 26, 2016