Names on tombstones indicate that many people were named for heroes: Bible, Greek, Roman, explorers, presidents, Civil War, literature, family and outlaws. In our modern era when heroes were hard to come by, people turned to naming their children for soap opera stars and sports heroes.
It was common for a male child to be named for his father. If that namesake died, the next male child born would be given the same name in hopes that the family name would continue. In this cemetery there are instances when three children bore the Christian name of the father.
In early day Sterling many infants did not survive the rigors of birth without modern medicine and proper nutrition. Life on the prairie was harsh at best. A story is recorded that a young man came to Peace to live a year on his claim. He then went back east to find a bride to share his life. He was successful in his search, married and brought to Peace with him a twelve-year-old bride. She died in childbirth after four years of marriage but according to the story, “She served him well.” Many men married more than once as their wives died in childbirth and succumbed to the hard life of the prairie. It was not uncommon for there to be ten or more children in a family and the early cemetery lots had twelve plots. Many of these held the bodies of young children and mothers. Infants often were not given names until they had lived six months – a point at which survival seemed more likely.