INTRODUCTION This index and general genealogy was focused on those who have been buried in the St. Gregory's Church Cemetery. The original focus was then broadened to include church members who are buried outside St. Gregory's Cemetery, this in light of the recent popularity of mausoleums such as those at the Knollwood Cemetery in the Town of Kossuth. In addition, so as to present an even broader view of the citizens of St. Nazianz, non-Catholic villagers are included if their vital records were easy to obtain. The list of non-Catholics is far from complete. It is hoped that in future years a more comprehensive list of those who have lived their lives in and near St. Nazianz might be obtained. The information presented in this index and general genealogy was gathered from church records, county vital records, Federal census records, newspaper obituaries and already existing presentations of family genealogies. Whenever there was a conflict in dates, the date shown in the county vital records was the date most often chosen. I would like to thank Marcella Baer for her previous work in many of these same areas. This current effort might be considered an update and expansion of what Marcella began in the mid-1970's. I would also like to thank Jerome (Iggy) Gnadt, Lucille Heinzen, Edward Olig, Mary Schnell Olig and Jane Pankratz Schaller for the many hours they gave in helping improve this project. This work is dedicated to Edward J. Olig and to the generations of caretakers before him who have given their time and energy to the preservation of this sacred resting place.
The process of restoring the monument st St. NazianzST. GREGORY'S CEMETERY: THE INDEX Each name in this index is listed alphabetically. Behind the genealogical information presented there are, for most names, three numbers separated by hyphens. The first of these three numbers gives the Cemetery Section where a particular person is buried. The six sections can be found on the cemetery map that accompanies this index. Following this section number, there is a number that indicates in what row of that particular section the person is to be found. These rows run east to west – and can be located on the cemetery map that accompanies this index. The last number, in the set of three, shows the individual lot within the particular row in which the person can be located. These lots run south to north – and, as with the section and row numbers, can be located on the cemetery map that comes with this index. Thus, if one is seeking the burial location of Rose Baumgartner, she is listed as "Baumgartner, Rose – 2-12-2". This means that Rose is located in Section 2, Row 12, Lot 2. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS SOCIETY Following the death of Fr. Ambrose Oschwald in 1873, the religious members of his association incorporated into The Roman Catholic Religious Society. The members of this society included, among others, all of the people who were Oschwald Brothers and Sisters – many of whom were among the first members of the colony, some of them members who emigrated along with Fr. Oschwald to St. Nazianz in 1854. Nearly all the members of this religious corporation are buried in Section Two of the St. Gregory's Cemetery. They rest in what is shown on the cemetery plat map as rows 7 through 9, though the actual area takes more space than that for three rows. Currently this part of the cemetery is open grass marked with a smattering of stones and centered by a large monument. This monument, one of the more remarkable in the cemetery, is dedicated to the people who were members of The Roman Catholic Religious Society. At one time this monument was surrounded by a thicket of wooden crosses. Many of the crosses bore the names of those below, while others were perhaps blank of any identification. These crosses have long ago perished to the elements of time. The bodies interred here are the bodies of those first people who established St. Nazianz and gave it the character that to this day sets St. Nazianz apart from other communities. These were the communal people who, with their skills and with their toil, created from a virgin forest St. Gregory's Church, the Pink Convent, the village orphanage and hospital, the Loretto Seminary and St. Ambrose Chapel, the Loretto Chapel and so much more. Of greater importance, it was they who carried on the spiritual will of Fr. Oschwald into the early years of the 1900's. They are now gone. Even the surnames of these celibate souls are lost to the current lexicon of village names. Not a splinter from a wooden cross remains to mark their spot on earth. Of the hundreds of faithful buried here, not one of them appears on the cemetery plat and, thus, it is impossible to locate the burial spot of any one individual from this community. Most have not their deaths recorded even within the county vital records. These first people have thus vanished, like mist on a summer morning, into the anonymity of their grassy hillside. And that is perhaps how they would wish. Despite many earthly accomplishments, it was not for note in this world that they lived. Within the index of village names, one will notice that certain names are marked with bold lettering. This bold lettering denotes those people for whom there is evidence of their belonging to The Roman Catholic Religious Society. In addition, there are names for which there is the symbol "#" before the name. This "#" symbol denotes those individuals for whom there is evidence that they came with Father Ambrose Oschwald to the St. Nazianz area in 1854 and were among his 112 followers to cross the Atlantic that summer. There are 61 such names in this index. ******** ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The Pink Convent was also know as The Holy Ghost Church. This was a large building in St. Nazianz where the Oschwald Sisters lived. At one time there were over 200 living here. When they died, they were buried at St. Gregory Catholic Cemetery in St. Nazianz. NONE OF THESE SISTERS (or any other Oschwald people) have markers. They are all buried in a large open area in the Cemetery with just one large marker dedicated to the members of the St. Nazianz Roman Catholic Religious Association (which was the named later used by the Oschwald people).
