Nelson Leroy Ackerman
Born: 8 Aug 1878 in Kansas
Died: 23 May 1881
Nelson was the son of Theran and Augusta M. (Nobles) Ackerman and the brother of Myrtie.
Little Nelson died after being accidentally shot. The Ackerman family, being new to the area and not having yet built a home, shared a tent with the Duncan family. While both men were away one night doing their work as freighters, a man entered the tent intending to do harm. Mrs. Duncan grabbed a gun to protect the sleeping families. The gun discharged before she had it fully raised and a bullet tore into little Nelson’s leg. Nelson suffered excruciatingly until succumbing to death the following afternoon. After Nelson’s death, the family moved to Washington and then to Canada where descendants still reside today.
Durango, Colorado
Maude Austin
Born: 1854
Died: 15 Aug 1881
Maude was a prostitute, also known as Sarah Smith. She has no grave marker.
James Barrie
Born: 24 Apr 1837 in Canada
Died: 30 Oct 1891
James was the father of Mabel Barrie (buried beside him). He was the first husband of Teanie Barrie, who later married George W. Hafling after James’ death. James was a tinner (miner) in New Mexico before moving to Durango where he worked as a carpenter.
Mabel Barrie
Born: 21 Apr 1881 in Colorado
Died: 17 Oct 1881
Mabel was the daughter of James and Teanie Barrie, and the sister of Bertha, Minnie and a second Mabel Barrie. There is no indication that any of her sisters are buried in the Animas City Cemetery. (For additional information, see Teanie (Harpham) Barrie Hafling.)
Linda Kay Basey
Born: 1947
Died: 17 Oct 1952
Note: Linda is very likely NOT buried in the Animas City Cemetery as there is a headstone for her, alongside her parents, in Greenmount cemetery. Also, her funeral notice stated that she was going to be buried in Greenmount. The information about Linda Kay Basey being buried in the Animas City Cemetery comes from "The Animas City Story" published by the Durango Herald in 1978. On page 31, Retha Beebe Luzar talks about walking through the cemetery in 1965 and seeing a marker for Basey. There is no marker for her in the Animas City Cemetery at this time.
Robert Wesley Belmear
Born: 25 March 1827 in Missouri
Died: 26 Aug 1879
Robert also has a gravestone with his wife Mary Ann (Dale) at Greenmount Cemetery. It is likely that Robert's body was exhumed from the Animas City Cemetery and moved to Greenmount Cemetery before his wife Mary died. She is buried in Greenmount Cemetery and her obituary stated that "her body was laid to rest beside that of her husband's" meaning that Robert had possibly already been reinterred in Greenmount Cemetery. If this is the case, his headstone remains as a cenotaph at the Animas City Cemetery. However, recent information obtained from family descendents indicates that Robert's body was never exhumed and moved to Greenmount. Instead, they think his name was carved on the Greenmount headstone along with his wife's, but his body still rests in the Animas City Cemetery.
John Bergstadt
Born: Unknown
Died: Jun 1884
This burial is mentioned in 'History of Masonic Lodge No. 46.' There is no grave marker.
Richard R. Bridgeland
Born: abt 1833 in England
Died: 10 Jul 1881 in Animas City, CO
Richard emigrated from England in 1852. He enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was commissioned inCompany C,, 8th Infantry Regiment, Kansas on 20 Sep 1861. He was promoted to Full 1st Lieutenant on 19 Jun 1863, and then promoted to Full Captain on 8 Mar 1864. He resigned Company C, 8th Infantry Regiment Kansas on 12 Oct 1864. He was a carpenter in Pagosa Springs in 1880. He died of dropsy (congestive heart failure) in the County Hospital in Animas City. He was single at the time of his death and the county paid his hospital bill from the poor fund.
Michael Carroll
Born: Unknown
Died: Before 1883
Michael was a Civil War veteran, having served in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry. He was mentioned as being buried in the Animas City Cemetery in the 1883 and 1887 newspaper accounts of the Memorial Day ceremonies.
Hugh "Jacob" Emmett Casey
Born: 13 May 1837 in Wisconsin
Died: 20 Mar 1879
Jacob was in Co. H, 25th MO Infantry. During the Civil War, he was badly injured while trying to rob a person and was subsequently hospitalized. He was to be court marshaled for his crime, but before the hospital released him, he escaped. He ended up in Nevada and then Colorado. While living in Douglas County, CO, he married the widow Nancy J. (King) Nichols (also buried in the cemetery). It appears that Nancy gave birth to a son, just two months after Jacob died. This child was named Jacob. Sadly, he died at the age of only 10 months old in May 1880. It is very likely that his little body was laid to rest in the Animas City Cemetery, but there is no grave marker.
Shepard Clark
Born: abt 1837 in Ohio
Died: Sep 1877 outside of Pagosa Springs
Shepard worked for respected La Plata County sheep rancher, Isaac Doty. He and Isaac were moving a flock through the Pagosa Springs area when both of them were murdered. His body was brought back to Animas City for a medical examination to determine his cause of death, and was then likely buried in the Animas City Cemetery. In a newspaper account of a Memorial Day ceremony, it says his grave was decorated. He served in the Civil War in the Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Shepard Clark, along with Israel Doty, may be the two people mentioned in historical accounts as being the earliest burials in the cemetery along with a "Mr. Tilman."
Myrtle Helen Casey
Born: 24 Feb 1902 in Animas City, CO
Died: 4 Aug 1904, La Plata County, CO
Myrtle was the daughter of George W. and Minnie Casey, the granddaughter of Jacob and Nancy Casey, and the sister of George Washington Casey, who are all buried in the cemetery. Myrtle was a half-first cousin to Andrew A. Nichols. She died from peritonitis at 2 years and 4 months old. She does not have a grave marker.
George Washington Casey
Born: 23 Nov 1919 in Denver, CO
Died: 20 Jan 1920
George was the infant son of George W. and Minnie Casey, the grandson of Jacob and Nancy Casey, and the sister of Myrtle Casey, who are all buried in the cemetery. George died from meningitis at about 2 months old. His grave is not marked by a headstone.
George Washington Casey, Jr.
Born: 30 Aug 1874 in Denver, CO
Died: 1 May 1920
George was the father of George and Myrtle and the son of Hugh and Nancy Casey. He was the brother of Minnie (Casey) DeLuche. George was a flume foreman at the time of his death. He died of stomach cancer. His death certificate states that he is buried in the Animas City Cemetery. There is no headstone marking his grave.
Nancy Jane (King) Casey
Born: abt 1840 in Indiana
Died: 12 Apr 1897
Nancy was the wife of Hugh "Jacob" Emmett Casey and the mother of George Washington Casey, Jr., Minnie (Casey) DeLuche, and Andrew Nichols. She was the grandmother of Myrtle and George Casey. Nancy was an early pioneer settler in the Animas Valley in 1877. She died from rheumatism of the heart at 58 years old. Her grave does not have a headstone.
James Clements
Born: abt 1841 in Ireland
Died: 16 Jun 1883
James was one of the first pioneers on the Mancos, settling there in 1875 and running a ranch. His death came as a result of a broken arm that he received 20 years earlier in Ireland, the country of his birth. The bone had been gradually decaying, eventually caused his death. He was single, had a sizable estate, and had no family living in the area. Notice that his name was misspelled on his headstone.
Wadene (Folsom) Conway
Born: 5 Feb 1927 in Colorado
Died: 14 Jan 1955 in Colorado Springs, CO
Wadene was the daughter of Wade and Pearl (Dull) Folsom. Wadene is interred in the Folsom Family plot in the Animas City Cemetery, which is tucked in a shady grove of oak bushes. Wadene was married to Cyril Conway, who is buried in the Greenmount Cemetery.
Albert Amos Culver
Born: 1876 in New Mexico
Died: Dec 1880 in Animas City, CO
Albert was the son of Daniel and Belle (Gaines) Culver. He died of scarlet fever about the same time as his brother Clifford. The two brothers share a headstone.
Clifford Culver
Born: 1 Oct 1878 in Colorado
Died: 10 Dec 1880 in Animas City, CO
He was the son of Daniel and Belle Culver, and the brother of Albert. Clifford died from scarlet fever.
His obituary contained the following: “Bunny” is at rest? Ever in the flight of years some blossom must fall, some floweret fade. Even and forever as the Shadow creeps along the verge of our lives it must cling to the trailing light and beauty of some passing, momentary sunbeam. Forever and forever that White Silence! Perhaps the impulse of love grows stronger, more powerful, as grief, trembling, holds the chalice to our lips. “Bunny” is gone! And we listen in vain for the accustomed patter of the little feet and the musical prattle of the baby voice. The hillside is even echoless to our wish! He whose name was but half articulated in the delirium of pain, lays upon the white shrine the fairest flower that can be gathered by the hands of love.
Daniel Culver
Born: abt 1837 in Illinois
Died: 11 Dec 1881
Daniel was the husband of Permelian Arabella "Belle" Gaines Culver, and the father of Albert and Clifford. He moved to the Animas Valley in 1876, but was living in the area previous to that date. He was a successful businessman. In 1880 he was committed to the Pueblo insane asylum when he was stricken with “softening of the brain.” Newspaper accounts say that he was probably not even fully aware that his sons died of scarlet fever the same day that he was removed to the asylum.
Infant Culver
Born: Unknown
Died: 3 Dec 1881
This was the child of George and Nita E. Culver and is buried next to her sibling, Mabel Clare Culver.
Permelia Arabella “Belle” (Gaines) Culver
Born: 7 Nov 1850 in Cincinnati, OH
Died: 31 Jan 1921 in Animas City, CO
Belle was the wife of Daniel and the mother of Albert and Clifford. Belle Culver proudly received shipment of the first piano in Animas City in the late summer or early fall of 1877. Belle suffered great heartache early in life, first losing her little boys and then her husband in a very short period of time. Belle never remarried, but appeared to remain close to her daughter, Bessie Culver Dale, who is also buried in the cemetery. In late January 1921, Belle suffered a stroke from which she never recovered. Her obituary describes a lovely funeral at the Presbyterian church followed by burial in the Animas City Cemetery. There is no headstone marking her grave, but it is presumed that she is buried near her loved ones in the cemetery.
Mabel Clare Culver
Born: 1882
Died: 28 Feb 1883
Mabel was the daughter of George and Nita E. Culver and is buried next to her sibling, Infant Culver.
Bessie (Culver) Dale
Born: 1874 in New Mexico
Died: 1941
Bessie was the daughter of Daniel and Belle Culver. Her husband Robert and son Clifford are buried in Greenmount Cemetery.
Three Dale Infants
The Hood Mortuary records list three Dale infant burials in the Animas City Cemetery. The 1910 federal census for La Plata County shows that Bessie had given birth to seven children, only three of whom were living in 1910. The three infants buried in the cemetery were likely her children.
Elizabeth was the mother-in-law of Minnie (Casey) DeLuche and the great-grandmother of Harvey DeLuche, who are both buried in the Animas City Cemetery. There is no headstone marking her grave. (Photo courtesy Bruce and Vonita Bishop)
Elizabeth Ann (Van Dressen) DeLuche
Born: 10 Jan 1837 in Martinsburg, NY
Died: 19 Jan 1906
Harvey Lawrence DeLuche
Born: 16 Jun 1916 in New Mexico
Died: 1 Jan 1925
Harvey was the great-grandson of Elizabeth (Van Dressen) DeLuche. He died of diptheria at the age of eight. There is no headstone marking his grave.
Minnie Belle (Casey) DeLuche
Born: 27 Dec 1876 in Colorado
Died: 30 Apr 1916
Minnie was the daughter of Hugh and Nancy Casey and was married to Charles DeLuche. She died of peritonitis at the age of 39. Although there is no headstone marking her grave, her obituary said that she was laid to rest in the family plot in the Animas City Cemetery.
Israel Doty
Born: abt 1827
Died: abt Sep 1877
Israel was a respected La Plata County sheep rancher who was moving a flock through the Pagosa Springs area when he was murdered along with his employee Shepard Clark. In October of 1877, his body was brought back to Animas City so it could be examined for the cause of death, and was then likely buried in the Animas City Cemetery. Doty, along with Clark, may be the two people mentioned as being the earliest burials in the cemetery along with a "Mr. Tilman."
Emily Jane (Cowan) Stockton Estes
Born: abt 1852 in Texas
Died: 21 Apr 1893, Animas City, Colorado
Emily Jane Estes was the widow of William Porter "Port" Stockton who was killed by a posse outside his home in northern New Mexico. Emily Jane was injured in the shoot-out by wood splinters when her rifle stock was struck by a bullet. In 1882, Emily Jane married a man named Joel Estes and resided in Animas City. Joel was the son of the Joel Estes who founded Estes Park. Emily Jane was a well respected resident of Animas City. She was the sister-in-law and first cousin of Isaac "Ike" Stockton who is buried in the cemetery. There is no headstone for Mrs. Estes, but there is an empty headstone base near Isaac Stockton that might be marking her grave.
Melanie Faigle
Born: 1836 in France
Died: 29 Sep 1882
Melanie lived in Animas City and was a laundress. A few years after her death, her widower, Charles Faigle, moved to San Francisco and lived out his years in a county alms home. It appears that they never had any children.
Washington Findley
Born: abt 1833
Died: 19 May 1883
Washington served in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. He was a well respected early pioneer who settled in La Plata County in 1875. He served honorably as one of our county's first commissioners under the old territorial rule. In 1877, while building the Mansion House at Parrott City, he fell from a scaffold and severely injured his ankle. Eventually he had to undergo an amputation, later followed by another shortening of the limb to save his life. He suffered great pain for several years until finally succumbing to death. He was a well-loved pioneer and a large circle of friends surrounded his grave to bid him farewell.
Dora E. Firebaugh
Born: 19 Sep 1885 in Durango, Colorado
Died: 3 Jan 1899
Dora was the daughter of William Beard and Ineidella (Cuppy) Firebaugh. She died at the "Reid Ranch" which was in the southern part of the Animas Valley. Dora is buried beside her sister Pearl and her brother Stephen in a family plot.
Margaret Firebaugh
Born: Unknown
Died: Unknown
It is unknown who Margaret Firebaugh was. The only information known about her is that the Hood Mortuary index lists her as being buried in the Animas City Cemetery. There is no headstone for her.
Pearl Firebaugh
Born: 2 Dec 1895 in Durango, Colorado
Died: 9 Dec 1895
Pearl was the daughter of William Beard and Ineidella (Cuppy) Firebaugh and the sister of Dora and Stephen. All three siblings are buried together in a simply fenced family plot.
Click on image for larger view
Click on image for larger view
Stephen Emott Firebaugh
Born: 4 Nov 1882 in Durango, CO
Died: 19 Mar 1900 near Delta, CO
Stephen was the son of William Beard and Ineidella (Cuppy) Firebaugh. He died near Delta after a long illness. His mother accompanied his body back to Durango. Upon arriving at the Durango train depot, a funeral cortege immediately proceeded to the cemetery and he was laid to rest beside his sisters.
Charles Bailey Folsom
Born: 1822 in New England
Died: 20 May 1903
Charles was the husband of Emily and the father of Dr. William Henry Chas. Folsom. In the 1880s, Charles operated one of the earliest undertaking establishments in Durango. He was also one of La Plata County's earliest elected coroners, taking office in 1883. Charles was laid to rest in the family plot, tucked into a shady oak grove.
Emily (Pratt) Folsom
Born: 1829 in New England
Died: 16 Apr 1899
Emily was the wife of Charles Bailey and the mother of Dr. William Henry Chas. Folsom. She died of old age and was the second Folsom family member to be buried in the Animas City cemetery.
Frances Mary (Cowdy) Folsom
Born: May 1860 in Ireland
Died: 12 Apr 1919
Frances was married to Dr. William Henry Charles Folsom. She was the mother of Lila, William H.C., Jr., Wade and Ward.
Lottie Millard Folsom
Born: 1864 in Colorado
Died: 11 Jul 1885
Lottie was the first wife of Dr. William H.C. Folsom. She moved to Durango in the first year of its existence and did housekeeping while living in a tent, waiting for her home to be completed. She suffered from unspecified diseases and eventually the complications from those maladies along with a terrible brain fever wore her young life out. She left behind a husband and two little daughters, Ethel and Lottie. She was lovingly remembered as a good woman and a faithful wife and mother. She was the first Folsom family member to be laid to rest in the Animas City Cemetery. There is no marker for her grave.
Monty Lee Folsom
Born: 10 Nov 1954 in Durango, CO
Died: 10 Nov 1954 in Durango, CO
Monty was the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley W. Folsom, and the grandson of Wade and Pearl Folsom.
Robert Byron Folsom
Born: 4 Nov 1924 in Seattle, Washington
Died: 8 Dec 1955 in VA Hosptial in Denver, CO
Robert was the son of Wade and Pearl Folsom and the grandson of William H.C. and Frances Folsom. He was married to Sylvia Cherry. Robert resided in Durango for most of his life and was a WWII veteran. There is no grave marker for him in the Animas City Cemetery.
Dr. William Henry Chas. Folsom, Sr.
Born: 13 Sep 1857 in Maine
Died: 18 May 1945
William H.C. Folsom, Sr. was the son of Charles B. and Emily Folsom. He married Frances Mary Cowdy after his first wife, Lottie Millard, passed away. He was the father of Ethel, Lottie, Lila, William H.C., Jr., Wade and Ward. William was Durango's first practicing dentist and he later owned an undertaking establishment, "The La Plata Undertaking Co."
Rev. William Henry Chas. Folsom, Jr.
Born: 14 Aug 1891 in Durango, CO
Died: 8 April 1966 in Durango, CO
Rev. William H.C. Folsom, Jr. was the son of William H.C. and Frances Folsom. He was the minister of the Gospel at the Free Methodist Church in Durango. He was the last burial in the Animas City Cemetery. His body was exhumed in 1976, the same year his wife Bertha died, and was reinterred in Greenmount Cemetery. There is no longer a marker for him in the Animas City Cemetery.
Joseph Freed, Sr.
Born: June 1819 in Berks Co., PA
Died: 25 Oct 1905 in the Animas Valley, CO
Joseph Freed was the husband of Sarah (Moore) Freed and the father of Sarah Luella (Freed) Shaffer; both of these women are interred in the cemetery. Another family member buried in this cemetery is Rebecca Scott, who was the grandmother-in-law of Joseph Freed, Jr..
Joseph Sr. and his family came to La Plata County in the mid 1880s. He was an active and widely known community member. Although his grave isn't marked with an engraved headstone, it is possible that this informal arrangement of stones next to his wife Sarah's grave is where he rests.
Joseph and Sarah Freed
Photos courtesy Amy Lewis
Sarah (Moore) Freed
Born: 19 Jan 1828 in Pennsylvania
Died: 19 May 1888 in the Animas Valley, Colorado
Sarah Freed was the wife of Joseph Freed, Sr. and the mother of Sarah Luella (Freed) Shaffer, both of whom are interred in the cemetery. Through her son's marriage, Sarah is also related to Rebecca Elizabeth Scott (E. Scott), also buried in the cemetery.
Sarah and her family came to La Plata County in the mid 1880s. She died of heart disease and was laid to rest in a fenced cemetery plot. On the back of her headstone is inscribed, "A precious one from us has gone, A voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our house, which never can be filled. God in his wisdom has recalled, The boon his love had given. And though the body moulders here, The soul is safe in heaven."
Click on thumbnail for larger view.
Amanda Fulcher
Born: 1823 in Missouri
Died: 1911 in Colorado
Amanda was married to Silas Redmon Fulcher and moved to La Plata County in the 1880s. She was the mother of John Fulcher, who is also buried in this cemetery, and eight other children.
John W Fulcher
Born: Jan 1852 in Missouri
Died: 27 May 1886 in Animas City, CO
John was the son of Amanda Fulcher. He was a Mason and a rancher. John was killed by a gunshot after he threateningly accused a man of stealing his mule. The argument got so heated that the accused man's brother thought that his brother's life was in jeopardy, so he shot John. His widow, Lucinda, married Sam Nichols after John's death. John is buried in a fenced plot, between his mother and Sam Nichols.
The Fulcher Family Plot
From left to right: Amanda Fulcher, John W Fulcher, Samuel Nichols
Content copyright 2011. Julie Pickett. All rights reserved.
Content copyright 2011. Julie Pickett. All rights reserved.
Animas City Cemetery
