The Story of Bertie
FIRST BURIAL IN GREENWOOD CEMETERY
Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri
The Williams Family Plot
in Greenwood Cemetery
In 1887 Bertie Williams was the
first person buried in Greenwood Cemetery. His grave was
never marked. . . until now. Through the generosity of many,
a stone was placed on his grave in Greenwood Cemetery and
dedicated on May 21, 2006.
FAMILY
HISTORY
|| LIVING
HISTORY TOUR || DEDICATION
FAMILY
HISTORY
James W. Williams was the son of Presley Wellington
Williams and Jemima Sallee.
James was born 1848 in Kentucky and later moved with his
family to Polk Co., MO.
Louella
Langston was the daughter of Patrick Langston and Adelia
Drake.
She was born 1862 in Illinois and moved soon after to Polk
Co., MO with her family.
James
and Louella were married on December 25, 1878 in Polk Co., MO.
Almost one year later, their only son Cyrus Bertie Williams
was born.
He was named after Louella's brother, Cyrus B. Langston.
Sadly,
on July 18, 1887, little Bertie Williams died of "a spinal
affection."
He was the only child of his parents at that time. He was
buried without a gravestone in the
brand new Greenwood Cemetery in Bolivar, MO. Bertie was the
first person to be buried there.
Three years after Bertie's death, James and Louella were blessed with the birth of a daughter, Lois A., born July 16, 1890. Tragedy hit the family again on September 30, 1891 when Lois died of the "flux" (intestinal disease). She was buried next to the big brother she had never known, also without a gravestone.
A
third child was born to James and Louella, named Lela. She was
born 1894
and died 1982 in Polk Co., MO. She married Harry Petty late in
life and they were
both buried in the Williams family plot at Greenwood Cemetery.
James
(died 1918) and Louella (died 1941) were buried next to their
two young
children in the family plot at the cemetery, also without
gravestones.
Louella's parents, Patrick and Adelia Langston, were also
buried in the family plot.
Patrick Langston was a Civil War veteran, Union side.
As
of 2005, the family plot filled with eight graves held only
two monuments,
a small military stone for Patrick Langston and a double stone
for Lela and Harry Petty.
Louella Langston Williams and her daughter Lela Williams Petty.
LIVING
HISTORY TOUR 2005
While
making plans
for the first Living History Tour of Greenwood Cemetery,
members of the Polk County Genealogical Society discovered
that the first burial in Greenwood Cemetery was unmarked.
Once further research revealed that the first burial was
Bertie Williams, an almost eight-year-old boy, the idea of
placing a monument on his grave was formed. It was decided
that any donations received at the Living History Tour would
go toward the purchase of a monument for Bertie
Williams--nothing big or fancy, but just something to make
sure that he was never forgotten. Genealogical research on
the Williams family revealed that no direct descendants of
James and Louella Williams, besides their three children,
were ever born. Descendants of Martha Williams Eidson,
James's sister, were found to be living in Polk County in
2005. They graciously gave their permission for a stone to
be placed in memory of Bertie.
Pitts
Chapel-Greenlawn Funeral Home and Monument Company read
about Bertie in the newspaper and graciously offered to
donate a stone for Bertie's grave. Members of the Williams
family and other caring individuals had already donated
money to the cause. Therefore, thanks to the generosity of
everyone involved, PCGS was able to purchase a stone to mark
the grave of Bertie's little sister, Lois, also. Because of
spacial constraints in the plot, Bertie's stone and Lois's
stone were combined into a small, double stone. Below is a
computer-generated drawing of what the monument looks like:
Drawing of the monument placed in Greenwood Cemetery, May 2006.
(More pictures coming soon!)
DEDICATION
*****
Dedication
of the First Burial
in Greenwood Cemetery
May 21, 2006,
2:00 p.m., Bolivar, MO
Opening Music-Mist Covered Mountains
Welcome and Introductions
Invocation--Chaplain Virgil Kearney
Closing Remarks
Go
to PCGS
Home Page
Copyright 2003-2020, Polk County Genealogical Society, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Last revised: January 1, 2018
Located on the southeast corner of the courthouse square in Bolivar, MO