The Dorning Family – Garfield Cemetery, Garfield, Pawnee, Kansas

The Dorning headstone in Garfield Cemetery has the names of the father, Robert, his wife, Barbara, and three of their children.

Robert E. Dorning was born in Lancashire, England in 1841. He was the fifth child out of ten born to Jonathan and Anne Dorning.

His parents came to America when Robert was three years old. The family settled in Racine, Wisconsin where he Barbara Allen Swartz on January 3, 1863. They were the parents of 14 children all of whom were born in Wisconsin.

The 1880 US Federal Census has the family living in Brown’s Grove, Garfield County. Later census’ has the family living in Jackson Twp., Edwards County. Barbara was a milliner and worked in Kinsley. Peter died on May 12, 1887, at the age of 15. Nettie died the following day at the age of 10. Their cause of death is unknown. Their oldest daughter, Ruby, married a gentleman with the surname Coats. He was a railroad conductor and died about 1896 in Colorado. His body was taken to Illinois where he was buried. Ruby came back to Kansas and unfortunately contracted pneumonia and died in 1897.

Barbara passed away in 1909 and Robert in 1918. They are all buried in Garfield Cemetery.

Note: A milliner is a person who makes or sells hats.