Donated by Jennifer LeBar, 12-July-2000
On June 10, 1858, a group of men with the leadership of Jonas Wolman, Joseph Ringolsky, and Simon Abeles organized the Society of the Sons of Truth, which was to be a society for the benefit of a cemetery. The Constitution and Bylaws of the Society of the B’nai Ameth or the "Sons of Truth" was adopted on June 1, 1919. The original Charter of the Articles of Incorporation of the Society was filed on June 24, 1941 with the Office of the Secretary of State, Topeka, Kansas.
In 1859, Jonas Wolman donated 36 acres of land on R.R. 4 in Leavenworth County, Kansas for a Jewish Cemetery. This cemetery was named Mt. Zion
In 1902, Julius Abeles donated more land on this acreage for cemetery use.
In 1911, through the munificence of Henry Ettenson and Al Rothenberg, Ben Haas, B. B. Wolfe and Abe Rosenfield built a Chapel, walls, gates and stone tablets for the cemetery. The current concrete and stone Mausoleum was built in September, 1931 with proceeds from the Estate of Ernest Salinger of California, in memory of his parents. Ernest Salinger who died December 27, 1929 is buried with his parents in this Mausoleum.
This cemetery was used by the congregation of the Temple B’nai Jeshurun, located at 6th & Osage in Leavenworth, Kansas. The oldest grave in Mt. Zion is marked 1860. The first recorded death in the Cemetery Register is 1858. Records are somewhat incomplete for what was considered the "Old Graves". Some of the records that were kept at the old caretaker's house adjacent to the cemetery were destroyed by fire in 1931. Information provided in the Cemetery Register include: Name, Place of Birth, Late Residence, Age, Date of Death, Date of Interment, Disease, Kindred, Block Number, Lot Number, and Remarks. This cemetery remains active with the latest burial being June 14, 2000.
On August 27, 1974, the Leavenworth National Bank & Trust Company was appointed Trustee of the Society of the Sons of Truth Trust. Now known as MidAmerican Bank & Trust Company, the Trustee oversees the management of the cemetery assets and appoints the caretaker and ground maintenance personnel.
Recent inquires about the cemetery for genealogical research and burial purposes have prompted an effort by MidAmerican Bank & Trust Company to document all graves in the cemetery and bring the records up to date.
Records available for review at MidAmerican Bank include:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Current Ownership: Sons of Truth Society Irrevocable Trust,
MidAmerican Bank & Trust Company, n.a., Trustee
401 Delaware, P.O. Box 330
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Phone (913) 682-0001 x 264 Fax (913) 682-0124
e-mail: jlebar@midamericanbank.com
Caretaker: Theresa Holt
30525 172nd Street
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Home (913) 682-8641 Work (913) 682-3491 x 4430