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QUICK LINKS
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More About Us
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Once Forgotten Souls
Of ELMWOOD
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HELENA BAUM
(1844 - 1866)
The first Jewish resident to be buried in Kansas City was 22
year old Helena Baum. She died from injuries she sustained in a railroad
accident. Helena was originally buried in the small Jewish burial ground at 18th
& Lydia. When the Congregation B'nai Jehudah purchased the two acres in the
southwest corner of Elmwood in 1873, Helena along with 16 others were moved.
Today, the marker on her grave is the original stone placed on her grave in
1866. It is the oldest Jewish gravestone in Kansas City.
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THE HOMES
Of ELMWOOD
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MANY of the homes of the
people buried in
Elmwood Cemetery
at the turn of the
20th century still stand
today as a testament
to life in Kansas City.
Some are grand,
some are modest,
but they all bear witness
to what life was like
in another era.
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5110 Cherry Street
Kansas City,
Missouri
The home of
Edwin W. & Martha
Shields
Edwin W. Shields was
president of the Simonds-Shields-Lonsdale Grain Company and a resident of
Kansas City for over forty years. He was known nationally as an authority on
grain. In 1910 he built his beautiful home "Oaklands" at 5110 Cherry Street in
Kansas City. It was among the first homes to be constructed in that part of the
city. It is Elizabethan in architectural style and contained many furnishing
and works of art from that period. Today the home is the administrative
headquarters for the Bloch School of Business and Public Administration on the
UMKC campus.
After the death of Mr. Shields in 1920, his
widow Martha resided in the home for another 30 years entertaining guests and
displaying he extensive art collection including the works of old masters and
17th century tapestries. Mrs. Shields was a trustee of the Kansas
City Art Institute, and a trustee of the Philharmonic Orchestra Association.
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BEAUTIFUL
ARMOUR CHAPEL
IS IN NEED OF REPAIR
AND RESTORATION
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CONTACT US
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IF YOU NEED HELP
with cemetery operations
or funeral arrangements,
please contact John Weilert
at 816-213-4750 or
john.weilert@sbcglobal.net
If you need help archives,
locating a grave site, family history or volunteering, please contact Bruce Mathews at 816-868-1392 or bmathews2@kc.rr.com
If you have a question for our board president, please contact Larry Williams
at 816-245-4850 or
larryw@spst.edu or you can leave a message at the Elmwood Cemetery Office, 816-231-0373.
CEMETERY ADDRESS:
4900 Truman Road
P.O. Box 270255
Kansas City, MO
64127-0255
www.ElmwoodCem-KC.org
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THE ELMWOOD
CEMETERY SOCIETY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Larry Williams
President
Paul Benson
Marilyn Bynum
Bob Denzel
Nancy Elder
Hal Lowenstein
Bill McCollum
D.J. Hyde Matheny
Ed Matheny
Bruce Mathews
Fred Truog
John Weilert
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ELMWOOD LAUNCHES
IMPROVED
WEBSITE
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IN AN EFFORT TO BETTER SERVE
the families and friends of Elmwood Cemetery,
the
Elmwood Cemetery Society has launched a new and
improved website, www.ElmwoodCem-KC.org. It is easier
to navigate, has more useful
information, and thanks to
Elmwood board member and web designer DJ Hyde Matheny,
has a wonderful new look
and feel. The content,
thanks to Elmwood board member Bruce Mathews,
addresses
the needs of families looking for information about
their ancestors, and
genealogists tracing their roots.
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Some
key elements of the website include:
which now contains information on more than 50,000 people. This
includes those buried in Elmwood along with their ancestors and descendants. As
you look at the project, those names appearing in all capital letters are
buried in the cemetery. Those appearing in upper & lower case are related,
but not buried in Elmwood. For those buried in Elmwood the block & lot
location are included. Also included is relevant genealogical data and in many
cases, extensive notes and fascinating stories.
A FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM
Please enjoy the opportunity to put faces to the names. This family
photo album is growing daily as new images are uncovered. If you have a photo
of your ancestors buried in Elmwood, and would like to have it posted, please
email your images to Bruce Mathews at bmathews2@kc.rr.com.
A BREAKDOWN OF BURIALS
BY OCCUPATION AND MILITARY SERVICE
You can get a quick glimpse at what
doctors, lawyers, teachers, are buried in Elmwood. You can also search the
listing of over 1,500 veterans and see in which war they served and their
branch of service. There are still
single gravesites available for purchase in Elmwood. Pricing and details are
outlined in the website. For further information, please contact board member
John Weilert at john.weilert@sbcglobal.net
The beautiful Armour
Chapel is available for rent for weddings and special events. The website contains rental information.
A LISTING OF UPCOMING EVENTS at Elmwood, and dates for the cemetery's monthly
volunteer work days on the Events tab.
HOW TO HELP
And finally, there
is a "How to Help" button which makes it even easier to make your charitable
donation to the cemetery utilizing PayPal.
We
invite you to check out the new site. We especially look forward to your
comments, questions, and input into making Elmwood a truly special place for families
and visitors.
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WHO'S WHO of ELMWOOD
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THERE
ARE SO MANY INTERESTING PEOPLE BURIED
IN ELMWOOD WHOSE LIFE STORIES
NEED
TO BE SHARED WITH FUTURE GENERATIONS.
MANY OF THESE PEOPLE PLAYED
A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN HOW KANSAS CITY GREW,
BOTH PHYSICALLY AND
CULTURALLY.
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ALFRED NEWTON GOSSETT
(1861-1943)
Alfred
Newton Gossett was a city council member in Kansas City, Missouri and was
elected to the 53rd General Assembly of the House of Representatives
in Missouri. He was a prominent member of the Kansas City Bar Association. In
1937, as mayor pro-tem, he participated in the dedication of the newly
constructed city hall in Kansas City. In the Council Chambers on the 26th
floor there is a quote from Mr. Gossett inscribed in the wall that reads: "In
these years A.D. 1936 and 1937, a century after its founding, the people of
Kansas City, Missouri, in spirit of worthy pride and devoted loyalty have
builded this City Hall as a stately edifice graced with beauty and
distinguished for utility. Let honor, truth and justice rule within these
walls."
ROY KAISER DIETRICH
(1889-1985)
Roy Kaiser Dietrich graduated from the Kansas City Law School. He
entered into practice with his father-in-law, Alfred Newton Gossett, which
became the law firm of Dietrich, Davis, Dicus, Rowlands, Schmitt & Gorman.
While serving as President of the Lawyers Association of Kansas City he was
appointed as the public defender for the kidnappers and murderers of little
Bobby Greenlease, Jr., the son of Kansas City car dealer Robert Cosgrove Greenlease,
Sr. It was not a role he sought. He was appointed because every citizen,
however reprehensible the crime, is entitled to justice. According to the
Journal of the American Judicature Society: "Dietrich served his profession in
the finest possible way, and made it possible to conclude one of America's
worst crime stories in the most American way."
Note: Roy Kaiser Dietrich was the son-in-law of Alfred Newton
Gossett, having married Gossett's daughter Gale.
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WHERE DID I COME FROM?
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IF YOU HAVE EVER PONDERED THAT QUESTION,
AND YOU ARE RELATEDTO SOMEONE BURIED
IN KANSAS CITY'S HISTORIC ELMWOOD CEMETERY,
YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN
LEARNING MORE ABOUT, AND CONTRIBUTING TO,
THE ELMWOOD CEMETERY
FAMILY HISTORY PROJECT._______________ Elmwood CemeteryFAMILY HISTORY PROJECT
To assist genealogists, family members and historians, the Elmwood Cemetery Society is compiling
a family history project. The project includes information
on the more than 36,000 individuals buried in Elmwood.
The family history project includes birth, marriage,
death and burial dates, biographies,
family genealogies, and sources of information.
It is, like all genealogical undertakings, a work in progress.
See www.ElmwoodCem-KC.org.If you have information, photos, etc. on family members buried in Elmwood, or their ancestors, and you would like
to have it included in this family history project, your participation will be greatly appreciated.To submit materials, or if you have any questions about this project, please call Elmwood Cemetery board member,
Bruce Mathews, at 816-868-1392, or email bmathews2@kc.rr.com. |
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HELP PRESERVE A KANSAS CITY LANDMARK
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ELMWOOD
CEMETERY safeguards the stories of many of Kansas City's early
founders. The cemetery is the final resting place for 36,000 souls
including twelve former Kansas City mayors, over 2,000 veterans
(including 800 from the Civil War), and scores of civic and business
leaders who were instrumental in making Kansas City what it is today.
Although it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Elmwood
receives no federal, state or local funding. The cemetery has no paid
staff and is kept open and cared for by dedicated volunteers, but
volunteers alone cannot preserve this rich piece of history. There are
many expenses necessary to maintain this beautiful landmark and to
honor those buried within with dignity and respect. The mowing alone
costs $60,000 a year and the chapel is in need of renovation.
We
hope you will share our belief that Elmwood Cemetery not only deserves
to be protected but honorably cultivated into its appropriate place in
the hearts and minds of all Kansas Citians. Your support will go a long
way in preserving this precious piece of our collective history for
generations to come.
Please
consider supporting Elmwood Cemetery with a contribution payable to the
Elmwood Cemetery Society, Post Office Box 270255, Kansas City, MO
64127-0225.
The Elmwood Cemetery Society is a non-profit 501(c)13 entity. Donations are tax deductible. Donations that must be made to a 501(c)3 can be made to the Greater Kansas City Foundation Elmwood Cemetery Preservation Fund.
PHOTO CREDIT: BRUCE MATHEWS
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WITH OUR GRATITUDE
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The Elmwood Cemetery
would like to publicly thank
the following individuals who have generously made
donations
to historic Elmwood Cemetery during 2009 and
the first quarter of
2010. Elmwood is totally dependent upon
volunteers and donations for its
preservation.
If it were not for the generous support of people like these
the
cemetery would not be the beautiful and tranquil spot
is today, in the heart of
Kansas City.
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Mark C. Agin
Betty J. Amos
Johanna R. & John E.
Baker
Joan & Charles W.
Battey
Eliot S. Berkley
Caroline Bliss-Kandel
Henry W. Bloch
The H&R Block
Foundaton
Boy Scott Troop No. 199 -
St. Michael & All Angels
Mary Shaw Branton
Mary Reed Brink
Judith P. & John H.
Brown, III
Patricia Burgess
The Aileen V. &
Redman Callaway Fund
Elsa C. Callen
Norma Jean & Leonard
E. Carr, Jr.
Katherine M. Chamberlin
Michael S. B. Churchman
Ann W. & Robert A.
Closser
Jan Cohen
Carol Collins
Delka A. Cooper
Karen K. Creel
Natasha L. Creel
Teresa DeForest
Dorothy & Don
Drinkwater
Hilary A. & Glen
Duderstadt
Pauline S. & Charles
E. Evans
Shirley M. & John H.
Felz
Bryce & Joanne Ferdig
Dorothy R. Gowgray
GFWC of Missouri, Second
District
Gayla Gaines
Justin Patrick Gardner
Suzanne Rae Gladney &
Alan Lubert
John Golden & Hollie
A. Siegel
The Grandview Study Club
Marsha R. & S. D.
Grant
Caralee L. Greene
Rosemarie & Forrest
Greer, Jr.
Z. Juanita & George
P. Hart
Jane N. Havens
Jerry Heinsheimer
Frances Hoffman &
William L. Ward
Shirley K. Howard
Mary Hunkler
Rosalyn & Howard
Jacobson
Lois Hutchins & Lawrence
P. Lehman
Joseph G. Jacobs, III
The Johnson County Young
Matrons
Merrill A. Joslin
Nancy L. & James B.
Judd
Carroll P. & Edward
M. Kaers
Charlis L. & Edward
L. Kerr
Mary K. Kerr
Regina M. & William
B. Kort
Lynda K. Knight
Jennifer & Tom Laming
Jennifer A. Lane
Rebecca S. Lenger
James R. Ferris &
Frances J. Leslie
Jeanell & Jerry Lopp
Wanda M. & Harold
Lowenstein
J. J. MacLaughlin
John E. Marshall
Patti M. & Richard E.
Marshall
Kay & Tom Martin
Ann S. & Edward T.
Matheny, Jr.
DJ & Edward T.
Matheny, III
Bruce & Melanie
Mathews
Ann E. & Sanford M.
Mazeau
Janice H. & Frank
B.W. McCollum
Mary K. McPhee &
William E. Pfeiffer, Sr.
Joan K. & William D.
Meeker
Stephen Metzler
Carolyn J. & Roy B.
Miller, Jr.
Margaret H. & Gerald
L. Miller
Helen & Richard Minteer
Daphne N. Muchnic, TTEE
Elizabeth J. Nace
Mary Eileen O'Hara &
Henry J. Fortunato
The Padgett Family
Foundation
Kathleen & Joseph
Palermo, Jr.
Heather Paxton
Dr. Shirley
Porter-Murdock
Beth R. & Fred A.
Prinz
Page & Bruce Reed
Nancy L. Reicher
K. Roberts
Albert Ross
David P. Ross
Lindsay Ryan
Gerald G. Scmidt
Karen W. & Jay R.
Shannon
Shawnee United Methodist
Women
Janice Sheeley
D. S. Shultz
Jane C. & Richard G.
Sinning
Sally C. Smart
Sharon M. Smart
Byron Spencer
Mina Steen
Katie Joan Stephenson
Barbara & Arthur L.
Stern
Nancy & Bancroft Tapp
The Tension Envelope
Foundation
Patricia A. Tice
Suzanne H. & Thomas
N. Trotter
Bill Ward
The Thomas Watson Family
Foundation
Karen & James Way
Sue A. & Robert D.
Wendel
Wesley Heights United
Methodist Church
Lorraine & Willis,
Wilcox, Jr., TTEE
Jeff T. Williams
Linda F. Wilson
Madalene O. & Thomas
H. Woodbury
Helen F. Wooster
Pamela S. Workman
Marcella & H. R.
Zellner
Eulalie B. & Hugh J.
Zimmer
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VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS SCHEDULED
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24 April | 22 May | 26 June
The first three volunteer work days for 2010,
run from 9:00 a.m. to noon
Community-wide volunteer work days are scheduled
for the 4th Saturday of every month, (with the exception of December
and January.) Volunteering at Elmwood is not only a great way to
help the physical appearance of the cemetery, it is a great way to make new
friends and learn more about this historic treasure. The life stories you will learn about the people buried in
Elmwood are often quite inspirational and need to be shared.
You will get back more than you put it. Volunteers can help out by re-setting
gravestones, trimming branches, removing weeds, raking leaves, cleaning around
gravestones, picking up trash, cleaning the beautiful Armour Chapel, or in many other ways.
Elmwood Cemetery has no paid staff and is
totally dependent upon volunteers and donations for its upkeep. If you, or your group, would like to
help out, please contact board member Bruce Mathews at 816-868-1392 or bmathews2@kc.rr.com.
PHOTO CREDIT: BRUCE MATHEWS
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