memory of Frank and Ella Markus by Mrs. Markus. The parish first enjoyed the pipe organ music during Easter Holy Week of 1979. These bequests and donations, as well as many others of various styles, are appreciated and remembered by the parishioners of St. Peter's Church.

Currently active organizations include St. Peter's Parish Council of Catholic Women (P.C.C.W.), formerly called the Altar Society, and the St. Peter's Men's Club. C.C.D. classes are held throughout the school year for those students of St. Peter's attending Bellwood Public School.

100

   Before there was any town of Bellwood Church and Sunday School were held in the Girrard school house which was located 3/4 miles west of the farm home of Sadie Wagner. The first preacher there was B. S. Taylor (Sept. 22, 1875 to May 1877) followed by Rev. Nunnely, Cook, Fleharty, and Bristol, all of whom were on the Columbus Circuit. Leading church members were the Girrards, Lillies, Burchs, Hills, Warrens, Wilsons, Bells and others. C. W. Derby was prominent as an "exhorter" and leader in the meetings. J. D. Bell, Sr., was the teacher of the Bible class in this school house. (I have a Bible presented to my father at this school house on Dec. 24, 1879 by his class).
   In 1881 Bellwood got its first preacher, Rev. Alberry, followed in 1882 by L. C. Lemon and in 1883 by Rev. Redkey. After 1881 Church and Sunday School were held in "Bell's Hall," which was the hall over the Bell General Store recently torn down to make room for the present Oil Co. station.
   Among the Sunday School teachers in this hall were Matilda, Mary, and Ella Watson, Linnie Warren, J. D. Bell, Sr., Lena Bell, Ella Derby, Mrs. Hill and others. Many fine sessions of Sunday School and Church were held up in this hall and Christmas trees and programs never to be forgotten. It was not too easy for the older people to climb the many steps to get up there and besides the hall was not large enough to seat all the people.
   In 1884 Rev. J. D. M. Buckner was the new preacher sent to Bellwood. In early 1885, he, Thomas Wimberly and J. D. Bell were appointed a committee of three to raise money to build a church. The times were not good and most people were rather hard up. However, enough money was raised and the 30' x 50' church was erected that year on the lots which had been donated. A tall 12' x 12' tower was erected at the southeast corner of the building which provided the belfry for the new bell and an entry way into the church. The ladies of the church raised the money to purchase the bell.
   The largest increase in membership occurred during the pastorate of Rev. L. F. Smith from 1892 to 1896. Although there were poor crops, and hard times during the 90s many people joined the church who had not been interested before in such things. And it was during these hard times that the 16' x 30' south wing was added on the building. Nearly everyone helped with money, such as they had. Those who had no money worked day after day on the building as their contribution.
   The church was heated by stoves and lighted by large kerosene lamps. Later the lamps were replaced with acetylene gas, and now by electricity. It is now heated by a furnace fired by an automatic electric coal stoker.
   The old chairs were taken out years ago and replaced by the oak pews purchased with money left to the church in the will of Maria Williams.
   Up to the time of his death in 1889 J. D. Bell, Sr., was superintendent of the Sunday School. The early teachers were Mary and Ella Watson, Linnie Warren, Ada Taylor, George Simms, Mrs. Neely, Minnie French, Mrs. Austin, Jennie Hager and others.

   The Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) which began in the 1940s continued on as a strong program through the 1950s. This group carried out many projects that were beneficial to the church and the community.
   In the years 1961 and 1962 during the pastorate of Rev. Melvin Cammack much consideration was given to renovating the church and building on classrooms. An architect was engaged to draw up preliminary plans and cost estimates, for this work. It soon became evident that it might be more practical to build a new church than to spend a large sum on remodeling. On March 22, 1963 at the annual church meeting of the congregation it was voted to proceed on the plans for a new church. In June 1963 Rev. Lloyd Mohnkern

was assigned as pastor. In January 1964 a financial crusade was held and adequate money was pledged to proceed with construction. The ground breaking ceremonies were held on Aug. 9, 1964.
   The first service was held in the new church Oct. 10, 1965. The consecration service was held Nov. 7, 1965 with Bishop Copeland officiating and District Superintendent McCamley and Rev. Mohnkern participating. All indebtedness was paid by January 1970 and the dedication service was held on May 17, 1970.
   The present pastor is Kenneth Rood.

Methodist Church.

     Bellwood United Methodist Church erected in 1965.

   Although the earliest burials in the Bellwood cemetery date back to 1871, there was no formal organization until Sept. 1, 1881, when nine men organized the Bellwood Cemetery Association. This first meeting was held in the Bellwood Post Office after giving the required 20 day notice of their intention to form such an association. Present at this meeting were J. D. Bell, Charles W. Derby, J. H. Derby, Godfrey Marti, Fred Marti, John Kellogg, Frank Beard, C. S. Burch and E. F. Hutchison.

101

   At subsequent meetings, J. D. Bell was elected chairman, E. F. Hutchison, clerk, and Fred Marti, sexton. C. W. Derby later served as clerk for a short time and his brother, Joe H. Derby, served as clerk from 1894 to 1906.
   The original plot of the cemetery consisted of two acres which is the east half of the cemetery as it now is. This line was purchased from Adaline Finney for $45.00. In the fall of 1881 a surveyor was hired to lay out the lots and map it. The prices on these lots was set at $10.00 for the inside lots and $5.00 for the outside lots. In 1896 these prices were increased to $5.00, $7.50, $10.00, $15.00 and $25.00
   On Jan. 2, 1899 an additional two acres of land on the west was purchased from Dan Burch for $150.00. This addition was surveyed and laid out with a circular driveway which tied in to the driveway on the original cemetery.
   In 1905 Wilton Grant was employed to put down a well and erect a windmill and a water supply tank on a tower. At a later time a buried pipe line of 3/4 inch lead pipe was laid through the cemetery. Except for keeping the well in operation the tank and tower were dismantled in 1920 and the windmill sold to Joe Anderson in 1922.
   Because people frequently failed to latch the walk-through gate in the early years, a stile (a series of wooden steps up one side of the fence and down on the other) was built. The stile was replaced again with a gate in 1918.
   In 1919 an ornamental steel fence was built across the front of the cemetery at a cost of $223.59 for the materials. This fence is still in place and in very good condition.
   In May 1944 J. D. Bell, Jr., was elected to the cemetery board and given the responsibility of establishing a perpetual care fund. Prior to this time the cemetery was maintained by an annual assessment of $1.00 or $2.00. He served on the board for 21 years, most of these years as secretary-treasurer. He contacted all the families of lot holders that he could locate to pay the perpetual care assessment and succeeded in building the trust fund up to $12,000.00.
   In 1965 Robert M. Bell was elected secretary-treasurer. By this date this position involved not only the finances and records of the cemetery, but also the care and improvement of the grounds. By continuing to contact lot holders and because of several gifts to the cemetery the trust fund is now $39,000.00 which is all invested in U.S. Treasury bonds and notes. Among those making substantial gifts to the cemetery fund were Louise Moell, Hiram Davis, the Bell family, O. A. Brandenburgh and Edith Bell.
   In 1975, a new deep casing well was drilled and a high capacity automatic electric pump installed. Large buried pipelines run to all parts of the cemetery. With water readily available, new young trees have been planted almost every year. Most of them have been the hardy, longlived burr oak. Two mercury vapor lights keep the cemetery lighted brightly at night.
   In 1977 and 1979, the entire cemetery was re-surveyed by licensed engineers. Steel stakes mark the lot corners and with the accurate new maps, the grave spaces and gravestones can be correctly positioned. Also in 1979, the old concrete slab covers were removed from 40 graves, truckloads of top soil were hauled in to level these and other sunken graves, and the areas were seeded to bluegrass. Twenty leaning gravestones were reset in a plumb position.
   Much can be learned about the history of a community by browsing through the cemetery. Interesting stories lie back of many of the people buried there. In the Bellwood cemetery there is only one black person. This was Dorcas Callaway, a former slave born in 1818 who moved here from the south with her former owners. Or the story back of the two 14 year old girls, Merle Bressler and Rosa Hudson, who both drowned in the Platte River in 1900, one trying to save the other. The earliest birthdate in the cemetery is D. Conrad born in 1805. To date 929 people have been buried in the, Bellwood cemetery.
   The present cemetery board members are: Walter Hoshor, President; Robert M. Bell, Secretary-Treasurer; Robert Raric, Robert R. Bell and Eugene Napier.

Robert M. Bell, May 1980

   On April 23, 1878, John and Mary Sprunk gave a forty acre tract of land that was on the farm that they homesteaded. This 20 rods square of land was staked out and enclosed a cemetery for St. Mary's Congregation of Platte Valley. This congregation included all the territory in the parish of St. Peter's Church, Bellwood, Nebr. and Presentation Church of Luxemburg, Bellwood, Nebr.
   On Oct. 26, 1931, the original parish changed its name to Presentation Church of Luxemburg at Bellwood, Nebr. after St. Peter's Church was established. Both parishes and church organizations used this cemetery at all times. The two parishes cooperated as equals in ownership and control, also in the use and maintenance of said cemetery.
   Necessity required the enlargement of the cemetery and on May 22, 1907, an addition was acquired from Mr. and Mrs. Fred Henggler. This was approximately 400 foot square and for the exclusive use of the cemetery for St. Peter's Church and Presentation Church of Luxemburg.
   In 1935, Julia Adamy became the owner in fee, of this plot of ground. She and her husband Frank Adamy, confirmed that title to the two parishes in joint control.
   On May 17, 1935, the name of the cemetery was changed from St. Mary's and St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery to the Catholic Cemetery of Presentation Church and St. Peter's Church.
   Nov. 8, 1960 one one-hundredth acre of land along the edge of the cemetery was sold to the State of Nebr. for the purpose of widening and paving the road.
   The old enclosure fence was taken out in 1978 and a new one installed.
   The first burials recorded in the cemetery records are in 1874, namely Theo Meysenburg and the two infants, Jacob and Margaret Demuth.

     Catholic Cemetery of Presentation Church and St. Peter's Church in 1928.

102