This cemetery is located 0.75 miles east of the intersection of 68th and 'M' roads, on the south side of 'M' road. Note: 'M' road is a minimum maintenance road, and is very treacherous to try and navigate without a 4-wheel drive vehicle. It should be noted that there no longer any gravestones to view at this location, as they have all deteriorated, or have been removed.
"Ambrose H. Williams was living one mile west of Otoe City in Otoe Precinct in November 1863, when he took up a stray cow. Apparently he had come from Missouri where he seems to have lived thirty years or more. He was listed in the Otoe Precinct in the 1865 census as 65 years of age and a native of South Carolina. His name was given as Ambers H. Williams. He was evidently a widower and had one young lady living with him, Melinda A. Williams, twenty years of age and a native of Missouri. She must have been his daughter. Living nearby, judging by the order of visitation of the precinct assessor who took the census, was Thomas P. Patterson, whose wife, Mary W. Patterson, was almost certainly another daughter. Later records show that her father was born in South Carolina and her mother in Kentucky.
Ambrose H. Williams was assessed for personal property in March 1866 and appeared as a witness before the grand jury in December 1867. He died March 10, 1868, and Thomas Patterson was appointed administrator of his estate. James N. Williams, apparently not a resident of Otoe County, was mentioned as one of the heirs. There was no real estate but Mr. Williams’ personal property amounted to $1,150. After all debts had been paid there remained a balance of $807. For some reason this was not distributed to the heirs and the administrator had never been discharged. Thirty years after Mr. Williams’ death the sum due the heirs with interest amounted to $3500. During the interval, Mr. Patterson, the administrator, had died." (1)
"Ambrose Harden Williams was born in 1800 in South Carolina on the upper Enoree River on the boundary line of Spartanburg and Greenville, Counties; the son of Robert Williams born 1770. Ambrose married to Winifred Williams and they lived in St. Francois County, Missouri from 1830 to 1856 when they moved to Cedar County, Missouri and resided with his other brother, Robert, who had recently buried his wife. They had the following children born in Missouri: James Neville, Charlotte, Robert,, Mary Willhelma, Harden, Jane, John and Malinda. As noted in the Otoe County Genealogical Society research on the Ambrose Harden Williams Cemetery, Malinda was Ambrose's youngest daughter who married a Charles Watson and resided in Lincoln, Nebraska at a later date. Also noted was a neighbor Thomas P. Patterson whose wife was Mary Willhelma; another daughter of Ambrose and Winifred Williams.
The Civil War time frame was very difficult for families to keep in contact but I do know, for certain, that Ambrose's sons, Robert and Harden, were both killed in the Civil War a short time before Ambrose died. The Pattersons moved to Appleton, Washington where Mr. Patterson died and then Mary Willhelma moved to Oklahoma and died there in 1912. Mary Wilhellma Williams Patterson is not likely buried in the Williams Cemetery at the intersection of 68th and M Road. John married Cathern Patterson, probably the sister to John Patterson. It is possible that Cathern and John Patterson and some of their children are buried in the Williams Cemetery but this is not proven. Charlotte married a McCauley and she died in 1879 in Missouri. Her daughter, Mary Ann McCauley Streeter, resided in Lincoln, Nebraska and most likely died there. Melinda Williams married Charles Watson and they resided near Linwood, Nebraska.
The father of Ambrose Harden Williams and John Jefferson Williams was Robert Williams, b. May 7, 1770 in North Carolina, and married to Charlotte Scott. In 1806 they moved to South Carolina and then to Tennessee. Charlotte died near Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee on Nov. 14, 1828. They moved to Missouri in 1838. Robert died May 7, 1846 on his birthday. He was 76 years old. Robert and his son, Robert Jr., built the first grist mill in Cedar Co., Missouri." (2)
Burial Listing:A complete listing of burials has been compiled by the Otoe County Genealogical Society, and can be found in our 'Otoe County Cemeteries' CD-ROM, which is available for purchase on our Publications web page.
Point of Contact: If you desire more information about this cemetery, please contact the Otoe County Genealogical Society and we will try and provide you with as much information about the cemetery as possible. If you would like more information about the Williams Family themselves, please contact Clydene Williams Cannon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cemetery Photographs:
(1) Dale, Raymond Elmer. Otoe County Pioneers: a Biographical Dictionary. Lincoln, Neb.: [s.n.], 1961. 2778. Print.
(2) Williams Cannon, Clydene. "Biography of Ambrose Harden Williams." (2009). Print.