FULL HISTORY
Updated on April 17, 2022.
​
NOTE: If you have any extra information to supplement this historical account or if you want to comment on this piece, do so below. We would love to hear from you.
​
Prior to 1876, a small Swedish cemetery rested about 1/2 mile north of the current cemetery site. The little gravesite sat atop a hill on the northern side of county road 16. In 1876, the community members of Rose Hill decided to move the cemetery to its present location - on the southeastern side of the intersection of county roads 16 and 19. They moved the cemetery, so it could be right next to the active church and school. Every single grave at the old site was moved to the present-day Rose Hill Cemetery site.
Originally, the cemetery was known as the Kirkley Cemetery, after a prominent community member; however, another prominent member, William Banks, who escaped the infamous Chicago Fire, suggested the cemetery be renamed Rose Hill. Long story short - in 1876, the first Rose Hill Board decided to name both their community and cemetery Rose Hill.
​
Our first recovered minutes from a Rose Hill Cemetery board meeting are dated June 12, 1888. The minutes read: "Meeting called to order by [Samuel] Spiker in the chair. Minutes of last meeting read and approved. On motion, William Sambiwas(?) be appointed a committee to purchase lumber to fence cemetery. The constitution was then read, and, after striking out the one-dollar clause, pertaining to membership fees from article four,, and adding a clause to article three - making the senior member of Trustees chairman of the association. This was all adopted. Motion carried that Elias Marsh be appointed a committee to hire someone to fence the cemetery grounds. Motion carried to adjourn. G.P. Hithcock. Clerk."
​
Whether it was gathering men and women to help build fence or to help burn the cemetery grass off for the new year of growth, it was clear that this community tight knit - a family. How could you not be close to your neighbors back then? Surviving Nebraska was the challenge - her brutal summers and her harsh winters. My ancestor, William M. Taylor, came to Rose Hill in the 1870s. His wife, Eliza, was the sister of Samuel Spiker's wife, Hattie. The two men were also best friends - and Civil War veterans. William brought his little family to Rose Hill and - well - year one wasn't the best. While opportunity can whet one's appetite and churn the engines of one's work ethic, it can't compete with Mother Nature. Grasshoppers destroyed his first crop, and he was forced to move his family to a nearby city and resorted to his trade (broom making) to support his family. He made it back to Rose Hill because he knew the little community would be his last stop - a community intent on conquering Nebraska and living a quiet but fulfilling life.
​
As the community of Rose Hill grew, so did their meeting minutes. From 1888, we move forward almost ten years to 1897, where more names are mentioned. I know they are just names, but to me, more names means the community was expanding. The minutes read: "The annual meeting of Rose Hill Cemetery Association. Meeting called to order by [Samuel] Spiker. Minutes of last meeting read and approved. Clerk reported since last meeting that association collected $15.00. Treasurer reported $6.60 on hand. The report was accepted, making a total of $21.60. The bill of [Samuel] Spiker for plowing in the cemetery, which was $5.00, was accepted. A motion was made and carried that we put up a hitching rack. W.C. Hastings and A.T. Allen appointed to build the same. William Lamb appointed to purchase clover seed to sow in cemetery. A motion was made and carried that the Clerk put notice in the papers. A motion was made and carried that the Clerk clean cemetery off. A motion was made and carried that [Samuel] Spiker be elected President of the association, William Lamb Vice present, and J.P. Lamb Second Vice President. On motion, A.T. Allen was elected Clerk. On motion, W.C. Hastings was elected Treasurer. A motion to adjourn. A.T. Allen. Clerk."
At our April 2022 board meeting, we discussed the very clover mentioned in these minutes - over a hundred years ago! Instead of sowing clover seed, though, we discussed ways of killing it. Times have changed.
As we moved into the early 20th Century, Rose Hill kids were attending school and church in the community. Some students - no doubt - started in Rose Hill school as a child and ended up at Rose Hill Cemetery. A little crass, but it is amazing how many people lived their entire lives in this area. If you know the land around Rose Hill, you'll understand that the skies are big, the fields are endless, and the sunsets are downright inspiring.
​
The names written in the very first minutes are the same names of descendants still living in the area - Spiker, Taylor, Lamb, Petersen, Allen, and Jensen. There are more, but some of our names have changed. On our current cemetery board, we have the descendants of the following charter members of the Rose Hill community - William Taylor, William Banks, and William Lamb.
Our cemetery board is still in contact with descendants of Elias Marsh, Rasmus Petersen, Gustav Kronberg, Smandel Cushman, Margaret McCowan, and George Love. This is proof that you can move your family out of Rose Hill, but you never really stop being a member of Rose Hill. Her petals and leaves reach farther than we could ever imagine.
​
As our cemetery board navigated the 20th Century, relatively few issues rose to a level of serious concern. The cost of mowing remained a popular topic, as did the annual clean up. One thing that is interesting is to note how the original names were no longer mentioned as officers but, instead, as recent burials. Our ancestors came, built, and moved on to their eternal home, and us descendants picked up the tools and record books. We continued the legacy.