About the trust
The Nugen Cemetery Trust is an incorporated non-profit organization in the state of West Virginia. The organization consists of four officers and a board of directors. All heirs of John & Malissa Nugen are eligible to serve as officers or board members.
All members of the Trust are unpaid volunteers serving the Nugen Family with caring hearts.
An Annual Meeting is held the night before the Annual Reunion for the purpose of electing board members to serve one, two or three-year terms. Other meetings are held as necessary.
The Trust's fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on the following June 30. Copies of the Trust's federal tax return are available upon request to the Treasurer.
Every voice in the Nugen Family counts.
Everyone is encouraged to attend the Trust business meetings. There is a time for discussion about every issue brought before the board. The next generation of family members are encouraged to participate. The Trust really needs you! While only officers and board members can vote, remember that your voice can greatly influence that vote!
Our Board
Officers
Karen Hinkler
President
Granddaughter of Fannie J McKinney
Lisa McKinney Jackson
Vice-President
Granddaughter of Fannie J McKinney
Michelle McKinney Harris
Secretary
Granddaughter of Fannie J McKinney
Linda Dunn Standley
Treasurer
Granddaughter of Fannie J McKinney
Board Members
Steven Nugen
Grandson of Archie Nugen
Jessie Bland
Granddaughter of Janet McKinney Hunt
Tyler McKinney
Grandson of David McKinney
Lauren Hinkler
Granddaughter of Janet McKinney Hunt
The Trust Begins
The Nugen Cemetery Trust, Inc. was created for the purpose of maintaining the half-acre John Nugen Family Cemetery.
It was born by the wishes of a caring family wanting the cemetery to be maintained for many years to come. Here are some important dates in Trust history.
May 18, 1982
May 18, 1982
May 18, 1982
The Nugen Cemetery Trust Inc. is incorporated in the state of West Virgina. During a family reunion, donations are collected and a bank account established with a starting sum of $310.
Summer 1982
May 18, 1982
May 18, 1982
A backhoe is hired to fill in sunken graves, move trees, and level the ground so it can be mowed more easily. A cemetery mowing schedule is established and labor is donated by caring hearts. The first year, Scott and Lisa McKinney mow the cemetery and are paid $4 for their efforts.
Summer 1983
May 18, 1982
1982 to 1995
The Trust installs a fence around the half-acre property using $700 donated by the family. Fannie Nugen McKinney, David McKinney and Bert Nugen perform the work.
1982 to 1995
1996 to Present
1982 to 1995
David, Pat, Scott and Lisa McKinney faithfully mow the cemetery every summer.
1996 to Present
1996 to Present
1996 to Present
Jason Randolph diligently mows the cemetery every summer without fail. Jason worked alongside his father Roger until Roger's passing in 2002.
2000
1996 to Present
1996 to Present
The Trust installs headstones on graves that could be identified that were marked previously with just field stones. This work is led by Les McKinney and Mae and Larry Lilly.
2005
Summer 2005
Summer 2005
The Trust buys Bert Nugen's 92% interest in the Nugen Farm through generous donations, with Jim Nugen contributing $10,000.
Summer 2005
Summer 2005
Summer 2005
Family Work Days are established to clean up and maintain the property. Don Nugen, Fred McKinney and John Dunn cut brush several times using Don's tractor and bush hog.
2006
Summer 2005
2006
A paved blacktop road is installed thanks to the caring work of Jim Nugen. The new road is named Jim Nugen Drive.
2007
2007
2006
The Trust obtains 100% ownership of the Nugen Farm, thanks to the tireless work of Joyce McKinney Dunn and Clifford Nugen to bring the property out of heirship.
2008
2007
2008
The house trailer on the property is removed by John Dunn, Don Nugen and Fred McKinney, marking a major step toward the return of the property to the way it had been.
2009
2007
2008
Grave markers are installed in the cemetery delineating the exact location of each gravesite, a major improvement in the planning future of the cemetery.
Summer 2009
Summer 2009
Summer 2009
A sign naming Jim Nugen Drive is set at the bottom of the road. Betty Lane provides a tractor and Rick Nugen and Fred McKinney mow the fields.
2010
Summer 2009
Summer 2009
The cemetery is expanded to include two acres of burial space, a parking lot and a buffer zone. This action brings the cemetery to 4.8 acres total. A plat is made and recorded it at the Fayetteville County Courthouse. Jim Nugen enlarges the cemetery fence to one acre.
2011
Summer 2009
2011
Archie Nugen directs the installation of a storage building donated by Katherine Nugen, wife of Nathan Nugen. This building houses work tools and materials used during the annual reunions.
2012
2012
2011
Archie Nugen directs the installation of electricity to the Nugen Farm by Appalachian Power. This improvement allows the use of fans, slow-cookers, and other appliances during the annual reunions.
2013
2012
2013
Through a generous donation from Katherine Nugen's estate, a picnic shelter is constructed by the families of Archie Nugen, Rick Nugen, Joyce Dunn, and Fred McKinney.
2014
2012
2013
Donations from Fred McKinney pay for the installation of a well pump. Archie Nugen and his son-in-law Nathan Riddick build a new outhouse. Funds raised at the annual reunion pay for repairs to the pond's dam.
2015
2015
2015
Joyce Dunn donates the money to lay a cement floor in the picnic shelter, replacing the uneven gravel with a more stable surface for chairs and tables.
2016
2015
2015
Rick Nugen, Archie Nugen and Nathan Riddick work to run water and electricity to the picnic shelter for easier access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at wvnugenfamily@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
We raise money through the donations of our family members! At our Reunion each year, after we're done eating, we hold an auction of items folks donate. We have a lot of fun trying to outbid our relatives for the things we want most! Family members also give us direct donations or volunteer to pay for various expenses, as well as remember us in their wills, which is always welcome.
The Trust has a short list of annual expenses. They consist of property taxes, tax return preparation, mowing, electricity, annual WV State fees, and liability insurance.
The Trust has multiple financial goals. First and foremost, the Trust seeks to meet the financial obligations we experience each year to keep the family cemetery, family farm, and shared road in good repair.
Second, the Trust seeks to raise enough money to create a perpetual care fund whereby the expenses we incur to maintain the cemetery, farm, and road are paid for by the interest earned by the fund, removing the need to rely on continuous family donations.
Finally, the Trust seeks to raise sufficient money to restore the original 1860 Nugen log cabin and maintain it for generations to come.
Through the generous donations of the heirs of John and Malissa Nugen, the Trust is able to meet its yearly financial obligations to keep the family cemetery, family farm and shared road in good repair. These costs include electricity, mowing, liability insurance, and property taxes on the land.
A perpetual care fund is what we call our investment account. The goal of this account is to keep enough principal in the account so that the interest earned each year on the principal is enough to pay our annual expenses.
If we achieve this goal, the Trust won't need to raise money to pay the farm and cemetery's annual expenses, but could raise money to improve the property for the enjoyment of the entire family. We think we might be close to this goal, but aren't certain as of yet due to the swings of the stock market.
The Trust maintains an account that is collecting donations to restore the original 1860 log cabin back to its original integrity. Talks with Barnwood Living, located about an hour east of Fayetteville, have begun to dismantle the cabin, obtain replacement logs and rebuild the cabin on a new foundation.
Stay tuned for more details about the cabin restoration project! We are praying it gets started soon!
Due to the generous donations of the heirs of John and Malissa, the Trust has positive balances in the Perpetual Care Fund and Cabin Restoration Fund.
For specific details about the Trust's finances, get in touch by sending an email to wvnugenfamily@gmail.com. We are an open book and are happy to share the details with the extended Nugen Family!
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