Forest Lawn Cemetery (Omaha, Neb.) [RG0702.AM]

HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG0702.AM:  Forest Lawn Cemetery (Omaha, Nebraska)

Burial cards:  ca. 1886-1978
Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska:  Cemetery
Size:  12 reels of microfilm

HISTORICAL NOTE

In 1885, an act was passed by the Nebraska Legislature increasing the amount of land that could be owned by cemetery associations. In response to this act, the Forest Lawn Cemetery Association was formed August 13, 1885. Its first purchase, made by John H. Bracken, was for 320 acres of land. The cost of this land, which at that time was seven miles northwest of Omaha’s business district, was $32,000. Ironically, the first burial on September 1, 1886, was that of John H. Bracken who died soon after the initial purchase. His body was transferred from Prospect Hill Cemetery.

The G.A.R., the Freemasons, and the Omaha Typographical Union owned parts of Forest Lawn Cemetery. Part of its land was made into a national soldiers’ cemetery. Income from the land, as it is sold, continues to be used for protecting, preserving, and embellishing the cemetery.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of twelve reels of microfilm containing burial cards dating from 1886-1978.

This material provides information on individuals buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska.

The burial cards, ca.1886-1978, are arranged alphabetically on the first ten reels. The last two reels are chronologically arranged, September 1966-August 1978. The burial cards show the individual’s name, interment number, grave location, residence, marital status, race, age, cause and date of death, cremation date (if applicable), and nearest relative. Not all of this information appears for each individual, but these are the standard subject headings on each card.

This collection, already on microfilm, was loaned for duplication by Louise Baumann, December 1978, on behalf of the Cemetery Association.

Note: The Forest Lawn Cemetery Association maintains an updated, searchable database for interments on their website.

INVENTORY

Burial cards, ca. 1886-1978
Reel #

1. A-Brown, B.
2. Brown, C-Deuel, G.
3. Deuel, J-Greer
4. Gregerson-Iverson (Note: Blank space about one third of the way into reel – but it picks up again in sequence.)
5. Ivery-Loney (Note: The J’s and K’s appear after Lindquist; L’s resume again after Koory, beginning then with Lindsay.)
6. Long-Nelson, M. (Note: Blank space about half of the way into reel, but it picks up again in sequence.)
7. Nelson, N.-Russell, G.
8. Russell, H.-Stedry
9. Steel-Wenzel (Note: Blank space about half of the way into reel, but it picks up again in sequence.)
10. Werley-Z (Note: This reel begins with 21 cards filmed out of order and upside down. These cards should have been filmed on the other reels but were probably inadvertently left out.)
11. September 1966-September 1974
12. September 1974-August 1978 (Note: A few August 1978 “paid in full” cards appear at the beginning of this reel.)

Subject headings:

Cemeteries — Douglas County (Nebraska)
Douglas County (Nebraska) — Cemeteries
Forest Lawn Cemetery (Omaha, Nebraska)
Omaha (Nebraska) — Cemeteries
Prospect Hill Cemetery (Omaha, Nebraska)

Revised TMM       12-28-2006