Place:Fairview-Dudley Cemetery, Syracuse, Otoe, Nebraska, United States

Fairview-Dudley Cemetery This cemetery is located 0.1 mile south of the intersection of 28th & 'M' Roads, on the west side of the road.

"Although the arch over its gate gave the name as Fairview, it is called Dudley Cemetery. The land for the cemetery (NE1/4 5-7-11) was given by William Dudley, who was a charter member of the Nursery Hill Congregational Church--the church which had held its early services in the schoolhouse in the next section to the north. How old this cemetery is, is not known now. The earliest marker is that of Jessie Gordon who died in 1865. In 1939 Bernard Lockhart was buried here beside his two infant children. This is the last grave. One little stone reads, 'Budded on earth to bloom in heaven.' (Infant children of W.A. and A.E. Ferguson).

Buried here is Josiah Rogers, who, when he was only 16, went to California in 1849 to prospect for gold. He came to Osage Precinct in 1872. He served in the Nebraska Constitutional Convention in 1875 and in the Nebraska Senate in 1883. The most unusual marker in the cemetery is a large stone of native rock on which are engraved the names of Thomas Ashton, born in 1797 when George Washington was president; Elizabeth, his wife; William, his brother; and his daughter and her family--George and Elizabeth (Ashton) Breckbill and their children, Mary, Florence, and Willie.

This flat stone, found in a sandpit on the Ashton farm (SE1/4 33-8-11), had originally been placed before the door of the Ashton cabin. When a new home was built by the Ashtons and their son-in-law, George Breckbill, the old stone was again placed before this door. After Lewis and Gertrude (Breckbill) Fallers remodeled the family home, the stone was moved to the entrance to their yard. Finally, the family left the farm, and the stone was removed to the cemetery to be used as a marker, complete with a bronze plaque which records all of the family members buried there." (1)

Burials Listings: A complete listing of burials has been compiled by the Otoe County Genealogical Society, and can be found in our 'Otoe County Cemeteries' CD-ROM, which is available for purchase on our Publications web page.

Gravestone Photographs: http://www.findagrave.com

Point of Contact: If you desire more information about this cemetery, please contact the Otoe County Genealogical Society and we will provide you with as much information about the cemetery as possible.