MORSETT CEMETERY

(Royal, Nebraska, USA)

Written by LaVon Morsett-Dike, member #432

From left to right: Dorothy-Marie Morsett-Welsh, Fern Raff-Morsett and LaVon-Frances Morsett-Dike.


 
  • Morsett Cemetery is located about seven miles north of Royal. About a mile across the pasture land to the east of Ashfall Fossil Beds Historical Park. When visitors are at the cemetery, and look west, they can see the Ashfall barn. Which brings back memories to say that in the 1950s, Charley Fred Morsett Sr., and his cattle were in the pasture of where Ashfall is located. The land where Ashfall is located was then owned by Melvin Colson, of Royal, and he showed to our family the bones coming out of the soil in the wash outs. The Morsett Cemetery for years was just a piece of pasture land where there was a couple big cedar trees to mark the spot. Cattle roamed over the gravestones and therefore all the stones are in need of repair. The name for the cemetery we do not really know how it was established. But the cemetery was within a mile of the Charles Louis Morissette homestead just west of the cemetery. So we think that is why it was called Morsett Cemetery.

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  • The cemetery has been forgotten and Charley Fred Morsett Sr., wanted the landowners to fence it but no one would do that. Charley Fred Morsett Sr. died in 1956 and it was forgotten except by the Morsett family. Which the famaly visits several times a year. Charley Fred Morsett Sr. was born and lived in the area. He also raised five children in the area. Then in the 1970's, Alan Colson, of Royal. grandson of Melvin Colson who once owned the land where Ashfall stands, built a fence around the stones as an Eag1e scout program. With the help of Justin Jensen, Joe PettiJohn, Larry Colson, and Larry Coates, they cleaned up the dead branches, trimmed trees, erected a fence around the cemetery, and also put in a gate. Since then there has been nothing done to it, but the last few years the Morsett family got the county to mow it before Memorial Day each year. The Morsett family has not forgotten that their father wanted this cemetery taken care of. Charley Fred Morsett Sr. has two brothers and one sister buried there. One of the family that is buried there is Joseph, who was drug to death by a team of oxens, so the Morsett family are in the process of restoring the cemetery. A sign will be put up in the cemetery this spring stating that it is the Morsett Cemetery. They are working on repairing the stones, fixing fences, and getting a road up to it. As you can see below the first burial was in 1879. That would be 122 years ago.

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  • Some information on the stones includes the following names:
  • Church, Infant son of H. L. & L. J. Church, Died Oct. 19, 1885
  • Kibbee, J.D., age 27 years 10 months 4 days, Died Nov. 7, 1880
  • Kibbee, Lucius, age 64 years 11 months 21 days, Died Nov. 7, 1880
  • Loft, Jessie B., daughter of John and Lizzie Loft, age 8 years 5 months 11 days, Died Sept. 10, 1879
  • Morsett, Elizabeth J., daughter of C. L. & P. Morsett, born May 17, 1875, Died Dec. 25, 1983
  • Morsett, Julius L., son of C. L. & P. Morsett, born Aug. 1. 1875, Died July 30, 1884
  • Morsett, Joseph B., son of C. L. & P. Morsett, age 7 years 10 months, born Sept. 3, 1878, Died July 3. 1886
  • Owen, Siblle M., daughter of J.W. & M.A. Owen, age 1 year 6 months 3 days, Died February 18, 1882
  • Are any of these people ancestors of yours? Would like to hear from you if your are. Does anybody know who they are? Is there anybody that you know that is buried there which does not have a stone. If anyone knows information about the cemetery please get in touch with the Morsett family. We know there are more graves there, as when we first would go there with our father, Charley Fred Morsett Sr., there were wooden crosses showing. Now there is nothing but broken stones. So there were more graves there and without tombstones we are sure. The stones will have to be repaired and a better road getting to it. But the Morsett family would like help with this project. Anybody willing to help the Morsetts restore this, please contact the family. Also, any money donations would be helpful, as well as, labor in restoring the cemetery. It is not owned by the Morsett farnily, but we would like to see it kept up and not forgotten. They are part of our ancestors.

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  • Please contact any of the following:
  • Fern Raff-Morsett of Creighton at 402-358-3762;
  • Dorothy Morsett-Welsh of O'Neill at 402-336-1786;
  • LaVon Morsett-Dike of Norfolk at 402-371-3529;
  • Charlie Fred Morsett Jr. of West Point at 402-372-3992.

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