Three members of the Zuel family account for three of the first four burials in North Cemetery, also called Brown Cemetery, north of Leon, Kansas.
Three of the Zuels died between 1885-1886 and were buried here.
Archibald “Archie” Zuel (Zuell) was born in Scotland and came to Kansas after the Civil War. He married Alice “Allie” Cross in his 30’s in 1871.
In 1880 they settled on a farm in Prospect Township near Leon with their three children – Eddie, Lizzie, Alice, and Cora.
Cora A. Zuel (1881-1885)
The oldest marked gravestone in North Cemetery is for Archie and Alice’s youngest child, Cora Zuel, who died at age 4 in 1885. If there were not photos of this gravestone taken in 2010 by Judy Mayfield, it would be impossible to tell who it belongs to today. Cora’s name has worn away.
It’s unknown exactly how Cora died, but it was reported shortly before her death that the Zuel children were recovering from an illness of some kind. It’s possible that they had smallpox, which was rampant in the area at the time.
It is unknown if her stone was placed at the time of her death, or at the time of her parents death. Either way, Cora’s gravestone has greatly deteriorated over time
Archibald Zuel (1840-1886) & Alice Zuel (1854-1886)
Not long after Cora died, it was reported that the entire family was once again suffering with an illness, this time typhoid pneumonia. Her parents Archie and Allie died within days of one another, leaving Eddie, Lizzie, and Alice orphans.
Archibald died of typhoid pneumonia. Allie probably did too, but her obituary called it hemorrhage of the lungs.
Only an inscription for Archie is visible on the fallen stone. It’s probable that Alice’s inscription is on the other side, but it’s impossible to see without disturbing the stone.
Eddie, Lizzie, and Alice were adopted. All lived to adulthood and are not buried here.
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