GRAY CEMETERY
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Gray Cemetery is located on the northwest corner of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 12. The town purchased the cemetery on Friday, Sept. 8, 1905 and members of the town were invited to come and help clean up the cemetery the following Wednesday (Sept. 13).
Audubon Advocate, June 14, 1901: "Since the graveyard west of town has been burned, considerable trouble has been experienced with snakes by the farmers living in that proximity. It also compelled the quails that had been living there to up and move."
Audubon Advocate, May 10, 1907: "The cemetery commission are at work and had the graveyard surveyed and every lot numbered and everything cleaned up. This is indeed a good move to have a respectful looking place for the dead."
The Audubon Advocate, Nov. 26, 1909 indicates citizens had a tool house was built in the cemetery the previous week.
The cemetery book could not be found at the time of the Gray Centennial, but committee members used "various records" to compile a list of burials, transcribed below. Approximately 65 people were known to be buried in the cemetery, and many graves were unmarked prior to the Centennial.
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| NAME | DATE OF DEATH | AGE | MISC |
| Antioni, Florence Lena | Oct. 16, 1897 | 13 yrs. | Born in Nebraska; died from appendicitis. |
| Audas, Amanda | May 13, 1889 | | Wife of Pete Audas; died after contracting measles & pneumonia, leaving behind a baby daughter, Dollie (raised by aunt and uncle) |
| Audas, Francis | 1885 | | |
| Barrack, Harvey E. | Aug. 25, 1882 | 16 yrs. | Came from Polk County, farmer by trade; died of diphtheria. |
| Barrick, Bessie | July 20, 1892 | 11 mos. | Daughter of J.E. & E.A. Barrick. |
| Benson, Lyman Harrison | Nov. 1, 1901 | 72 yrs. | Born Dec. 17, 1828; came from New York state, mechanic by trade. |
| Buckmeister, Baby Boy | Feb. 1909 | | Believed to have frozen to death at home because parents too poor to afford proper heat for the apartment. |
| Campbell, Infant | Dec. 18, 1909 | | Child of J.B. & Mary Anderson Campbell; father was a blacksmith in Gray & they later moved to Nebraska. |
| Cooms, Baby Daughter | Dec. 3, 1896 | | Infant daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Albert Cooms |
| Corner, Bertha | Feb. 11, 1882 | 12 yrs. | |
| Dustin, Anna Jean | Approx. 1917 | | Stillborn daughter of Chet & Florence Dustin. |
| Dustin, Carol Sue | Apr. 27, 1972 | | Born July 14, 1953; daughter of Bill & Jean Dustin. Struck by car, along with sister Shirley, and died. |
| Dustin, Maxwell | Dec. 12, 1912 | | Born Nov. 26, 1912; son of Chet & Florence Dustin. |
| Dustin, Shirley Jean | May 4, 1972 | | Born June 2, 1955; daughter of Bill & Jean Dustin. Struck by car along with sister, Carol, and died. |
| Dustin, Susan Kay | May 13, 1952 | | Born Apr. 26, 1952; daughter of Bill & Jean Dustin, and twin sister of Mary Jo. |
| Farner, Georgie | Feb. 5, 1882 | 6 Mos. | Child of G.W. & A. Farner; died after illness lasting 5 days. |
| Farner, Grace | Dec. 2, 1882 | 33 yrs. | Died of diphtheria, complicated by pneumonia the last 10 days of her life. |
| Farner, Isaac | Dec. 3, 1882 | 3 yrs. | Son of G.W. & A. Farner. |
| Gifford, Lora A. | Feb. 28, 1882 | 2 yrs., 11 mos. | Daughter of S. & A.A. Gifford; died of spinal meningitis. |
| Gray, Fannie | Nov. 8, 1888 | | Born Aug. 6, 1843, wife of George Gray; died after being stricken with a form of epileptic seizure. |
| Gray, George | 1915 | | Born in Vermont in 1835, came west & settled in Gray, platting and founding the town in 1881. Prominent businessman in Gray for many years. Suffered stroke a few years prior to death & passed away in Chesterville, Texas in 1915. |
| Groosman, Sylvia | Mar. 22, 1894 | | Died of scarlet fever with complications of pneumonia. |
| Hepp, Clark | April 4, 1890?? | | Born Sept. 7, 1887, son of F.C. & E. Hepp. Died on April 4, year of death unknown, possibly 1890. |
| Hepp, John | Feb. 12, 1896 | | Came from Germany, farmer by trade; died due to a bowel obstruction. |
| Hepp, Mrs. John | June 4, 1882 | | Came from Germany; wife of John Hepp; died of pneumonia. |
| Heuss, Maria Spillman | Dec. 1894 | 20 yrs. | Born May 15, 1874, Oberbayern, Germany; first wife of Karl Heuss. Died in childbirth delivering twins, Charlie & Ferdinand. |
| Heuss, Rosina Barbara Spilllman | Nov. 1907 | | Born Mar. 7, 1877 in Oberbayern, Germany; second wife of Karl Heuss and also sister of his first wife. Died in childbirth. |
| Heuss, Rosine Pfanshilling | 1899 | | Born 1846, Germany; first wife of Andrew Karl Heuss. Came to Iowa with husband via Galveston, Tex. circa 1889 and they farmed in Gray area. |
| Lambros, Daisy | 1958 | | Born in 1897. Wife of Pete Lambros, who was a section boss for the railroad. |
| Lamp, Stillborn Child | May 12, 1907 | | Child of Harry & Amanda Wiese Lamp. |
| Lamp, Wayne | May 23, 1909 | 1 yr. | Born May 20, 1908, son of Harry & Amanda Wiese Lamp; died of whooping cough. Father (Harry) managed Green Bay Lumber Yard in Gray. Parents divorced after Wayne's death; Harry moved to California & Amanda moved to Westside. |
| Linn, Austin | 1919 | Approx. 65 yrs. | Father of Charlie, Donnie, & Orvilla, who was married to B.A. Swart. Also father of Cassandra (Cassie) Linn, who died in infancy. |
| Martinson, Peter | Apr. 26, 1888 | 9 mos. | Died of pneumonia. |
| McCullough, Addie | Jan. 26, 1895 | | Born Nov. 20, 1892, daughter of R.F. & C.C. McCullough. |
| McCullough, Lloyd | Feb. 22, 1897 | | Born in 1895, Carroll County; died of lung fever. |
| McCully, Ettie | Jan. 24, 1894 | | Died of pneumonia |
| Meislahn, Anna Dreher | Oct. 25, 1965 | | Born in 1887; wife of Barney Meislahn. |
| Meislahn, Barney | Dec. 20, 1964 | | Born Dec. 20, 1887 in Effingham County, Illinois. Came to Audubon County as young man; married Anna Dreher in 1915. Farmed near Gray, moving into town in 1946. |
| Meislahn, Gertrude | Jan. 31, 1976 | | Born Oct. 18, 1922; daughter of Barney & Anna Meislahn. |
| Meislahn, Pete | 1952 | | Born in 1870 in Illinois. Half brother of Barney Meislahn & lived with Barney for some years. |
| Meluan, Francis E. | Sept. 29, 1888 | 2 yrs. | Daughter of P.L. & G.F. Meluan. |
| Mortensen, Bodil Marie Schmidt | Unknown
1882-1888?? | | Came from Denmark in 1882 and lived with her sons until her death (death date unknown). A grandmother of Peter Mortensen & of the 3 infant sons of Hans and Hannah, also buried in Gray Cem. |
| Mortensen, Infant Sons (3) | Unknown | | 3 Infant sons of Hans and Hannah (Spirup) Mortensen; Hans worked on the section in Gray. Hannah was the daughter of Mary Spirup. |
| Mortensen, Peter | Jan. 23, 1884 | | Born May 25, 1882; names of parents unknown. |
| Nielsen, JoAnna | May 22, 1909 | | Born Dec. 23, 1822; died of whooping cough. |
| Pace, Freddie | Mar. 25, 1889 | 1 year | Son of J.W. & L.M. Pace. |
| Pace, James P. | Nov. 20, 1888 | 1 year | Son of J.W. & L.M. Pace. |
| Pace, Martha | 1885 | | Wife of George Pace. |
| Robinson, George Edward | Feb. 27, 1923 | | Born Sept. 1, 1922; son of Jesse & Elsie Robinson. Died of pneumonia. |
| Rutherford, Bertha M. | Aug. 21, 1882 | 9 yrs. | Native of Kansas; died of diphtheria. |
| Shingledecker, Dollie | 1953 | | Born in 1889, the daughter of Pete & Amanda Audas. Raised by her aunt and uncle, Jenny & Walter Audas after her mother (Amanda) died the year she was born and her father left. Graduated from Gray HS. Wife of Lewis Shingledecker. Lived in Gray and also in North and South Dakota. |
| Shingledecker, Lewis | 1961 | | Born in 1885, the son of Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Shingledecker. Married Dollie Audas. Brother, Clarence Shingledecker, ran general store in Gray. |
| Spirup, Mary | 1888 | | Immigrated to Gray from Denmark after death of husband, kept house for sons until her death; gr-grandmother of Milo Nissen, a Gray area farmer. |
| Stewart, Baby | May 9, 1885 | 9 days | Parents unknown; died of convulsions. |
| Swanson, Elmer | Nov. 1, 1892 | 5 yrs. | Son of L. & A.B. Swanson. |
| Thompson, Isaac | May 11, 1884 | | Son of S.T. & M.M. Thompson. |
| Tuton, Essie | Mar. 2, 1901 | 8 yrs. | Daughter of Walter Tuton & wife; died from diphtheria. |
| Tuton, Walter W. | Mar. 20, 1901 | 33 yrs. | Carpenter, came to Audubon Co. from Illinois; died from diphtheria. |
| Welch, Myrtle | Apr. 21, 1893 | 12 yrs. | Died of measles complicated by pneumonia. |
| Werner, William John (Tickle) | Aug. 1, 1946 | 47 yrs. | Born Aug. 15, 1898 in Dedham; married to Fay Jensen. Cause of death: suicide by shotgun. |
| Wiederstein, A. G. (Anna) | 1882 | | Born in 1807; sailed to US from Germany with husband Anton & settled in Gray area. |
| Wiederstein, Anton (J.A.) | 1889 | | Born in Germany in 1806; sailed to US with wife Anna & settled in Gray area as farmers. Gr-Grandfather of Edward J. Wiederstein. |
| Wiederstein, Jakobina | 1906 | | Born in Germany, 1848; first wife of Ferdinand Wiederstein, a son of Anna & Anton. |
Transcribed by Cheryl Siebrass, April, 2013, from Gray Community History, 1881-1981, pg. 164-166.
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