Pleasant Hill Cemetery History, Knox County, Nebraska

DUKEVILLE

Herko "Duke" von Koster was a native of Prussia. He came to America in 1860 and in 1865 he entered the army. After several promotions he became the Commissary Sergeant. He was given command of a squad of soldiers on the Running Water (near Niobrara), placed there for the protection of settlers.

When the skirmishes quieted down, Duke contracted for mail routes. In December 8, 1975 a newly settled community established a post office. It was named Dukeville after its mail carrier, Duke von Koster. He hauled mail by stagecoach from Niobrara to Dukeville, ending at Pischelville, following the tracks of the Sawyers Wagon train Road No. 45.

The first postmaster for Dukeville was Wenzel Dietz and was discontinued August 31, 1911. Dukeville was located in Section 3 of Bohemia township about 14 miles west of Niobrara. The Dukeville school was established in 1885. The coming of the "iron horse" eventually stopped any further progression of this community.

Dukeville had all the criteria of a community, including a cemetery. In 1877 Charles and Sarah Bennett applied for a homestead in Section 5. On June 29, 1887, a deed was issued from Charles W. Bennett and wife to the Pleasant Hill Cemetery Association. It was a tract containing 2 ½ acres for the purpose of burials.

I recommend that you do not try to find this cemetery without a sure-footed mule, good hiking boots, a competent guide and an ample water supply. And don’t forget the compass. The cemetery is located a good three miles from any remote point of civilization.

When the cemetery was deeded, it was merely along side the main road. This was the stagecoach mail route referred to above. A bridge built across the Verdigris made a more direct route and in 1916 the road was vacated, leaving the cemetery in a remote area.

The cemetery holds only seven remaining stones. I’m sure there are other burials there, but unfortunately there are no known records for the Pleasant Hill cemetery. In reading various pre-1900 obituaries, it appears that some burials were later moved to Niobrara.

Time has taken its toll on the cemetery. The stones are deteriorating. Some have broken off and only a glimpse of white peeking through the dead grass gave me a clue to their location. A very large cedar tree has broken off about five feet above ground. It landed squarely between two of the remaining stones, leaving them untouched.

All of the graves seem to have taken place prior to 1900. In trying to research for descendants of the buried, it seems that the families must have given up trying to scratch out a living, and moved on to better country. I did find that most of the families were land owners in the area during that time period. The burials were: Hattie Jordan, 1885, aged 4 years; Nettie Newell, 1886, aged 20 years; Mima Briggs, 1887, aged 18 years; Augusta Levi, 1887, aged 40 years; Edgar Hunt, 1888, aged 7 months; Ebben Willson, 1888, aged 54 years; and Emeline Harding, 1889, aged 70 years.

Charles and Sarah Bennett, who deeded the cemetery, surely must have had a loved one buried there, although I didn’t find anything. Sadly, the Bennetts lost their farm in repossession in 1891. Life was not easy for the pioneers.

The stones are simple in style, indicating that the residents of the Dukeville community were not wealthy. As I brushed the pine needles and dirt from a sunken stone, I found the inscription: "Creighton Marble Works." I didn’t know that Creighton had a place that made tombstones. I guess that gives me something else to research…..