Union Cemetery: A Legacy on the Big Blue River

Established: 1870

Location: 5 miles south of Shelby on Highway 69, Polk County, Nebraska

Governance: Union Cemetery Association (part of the Hackberry Cemetery Association)

Origins and Pioneer Heritage

Union Cemetery stands as a silent chronicler of the pioneer spirit in Polk County. Located along the Big Blue River, the grounds were known to early settlers as the Cemetery on the Blue, Patterson Cemetery, or Thelen Cemetery. The oldest known grave belongs to Joie Anderson, who was laid to rest in 1870, the same year the cemetery was established.

The cemetery is one of three historical burial grounds located within the Hackberry Precinct. While it is managed by the Union Cemetery Association, it is part of the larger Hackberry Cemetery Association, a collective formed to preserve the heritage of these local landmarks.

The Founding Families and Land Acquisitions

The physical grounds were established through a series of land donations and sales by the area's foundational families:

• Andrew and Henrietta Davis: Deeded the original two-acre tract on June 21, 1886, for one dollar.
• Hubert and Sibilla Thelen: Expanded the grounds by deeding an additional two acres on May 24, 1895.
• Herman and Bertha Thelen: Provided a further tract of land on August 29, 1927.

Early Leadership and Documentation

The association's first board of directors consisted of men who were instrumental in the development of the Shelby community:

• President: Hubert Thelen
• Clerk: James Patterson
• Treasurer: L.D. Smith
• Trustees: Herman Kunstman, Herman Schroeder, and Conrad Thelen

The physical layout we see today was meticulously documented in 1965 by draftsman Lee Henry Siford of Columbus. His work preserved the grid of 10x30-foot lots and identified the resting places of other prominent early families, including the Augustins, Carsons, Fosbenders, Hanshews, McMillens, and Stalnakers.

A Century of Service

In 1970, the Union Cemetery Association celebrated its centennial by erecting a permanent monument to honor the "patience and efforts" of the early settlers who built this agricultural community. Today, the association continues to manage the grounds, ensuring that the records of the pioneers and the generations that followed—

The Founding Hub: The Thelen Family Tree The Thelen presence at Union Cemetery is the most extensive, originating with the family patriarchs who also served as the cemetery's primary land donors and first officers.

• The Foundational Branch: Hubert Thelen (1842–1917), the first President of the Association, and his wife Sibilla (1845–1920) are central to the grounds. Their children and grandchildren, including John (1880–1928) and Eugene K. (1906–1948), occupy much of the Northeast and Southeast plats.
• The August Line: August Thelen (1851–1899) and his wife Cecelia (1878–1972) established another major branch, further cementing the family's footprint in the Northeast section.

Branches by Marriage: The Allied Families The other "major" families in the cemetery are almost entirely connected to the Thelens through marriage, turning the cemetery into a documented record of local genealogy:

• The Augustin Connection: This is perhaps the most significant merger. Ferdinand Augustin (1863–1931) married Mary Thelen (1873–1920), daughter of Hubert and Sibilla. Their descendants, like Hubert Herman Augustin (1891–1967), occupy the "Augustin Block" right next to the main Thelen plots.
• The Carson & Blevins Ties: Sadie Belle Blevins (1886–1973) married into the family to become a Thelen, while Susannah Mary Augustin (1895–1966)—already a Thelen descendant—married into the Carson family, linking the Carson plot directly back to the central trunk.
• The Hanshew & Siford Families: These families joined the tree through similar marriages, including Belle Susan Thelen (1906–1994) who married Lee Henry Siford, the man who eventually drafted the 1965 plat map.