The March 2015 meeting of the Madison County Genealogical Society was held at the Edwardsville Public Library on Thursday, March 12, at 7:00 pm.
President, Robert Ridenour, called the meeting to order.
The following is the Treasurer's report for the month of February:
Do you have a family member that
is interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy? A membership
in the Madison County Genealogical Society would be a very thoughtful
gift. A gift card will be sent to the recipient of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $20.00
Patron Annual Membership $30.00
Life Membership $250.00
Contact our Secretary, Petie Hunter, at [email protected],
about a gift membership.
On March 12, 2015, Mary Westerhold presented a program titled, Forgotten Cemeteries in Madison County. Mary Westerhold is the Archival Research Manager at the Madison County Historical Society Archival Library.
The USGS lists over 200 cemeteries
in Madison County. Many are small family cemeteries, and all have
stories to tell. Mary likes to research the people buried in these
cemeteries and find these stories.
Cemeteries Hidden in Plain Sight: Gruver-Gifford, Ballard,
Frickenstein, Sappington, Moller, Cook, and Gerke
Gruver-Gifford, Edwardsville Township - AKA Tetherington, Shaffer,
and Grover-Gifford.
This cemetery is behind the Bella Milano restaurant on IL 157.
It is surrounded by a white fence. From various sources, it appears
that the cemetery has at least six burials but only a few headstones
remain.
Inscriptions on headstones found:
In Memory of Henry Gruver, Died, Jan 8, 1826, Interred in Butler
Co. Ohio, Aged 36 years, 4 months, 25 days.
Catharine, Wife of the above, Died, July 15, 1841, Aged 41 years,
4 months, 8 days.
Sarah M, wife of D. N. Gifford, Died, Sept. 21, 1865, Aged 24
years, 2 months, 10 days.
Thus passes away the glory of this world.
Elizabeth F., wife of B. C. Clawson, Died June 16, 1868, Aged
38 years, 10 months.
No other stones are legible or complete.
Others possibly buried there are:
Walter B., son of R.L. and M.E. Sorrells - died November
1868, aged 7 months, 14 days; Joseph, son of B.C. and E. F. Clawson
- died October 1, 1868, aged 1 year, 10 days; Francis Jackson
Gruver, died 1881
Ballard Cemetery, Edwardsville Township
Three tombstones remain in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
These originally were lying flat, but are now enclosed by a fence.
While there are probably more burials here, the names and locations
are lost to history.
In the files of the Madison County Archival Library is a letter
from Bob Lange, whose family had at one time owned the farm where
the Ballard Cemetery is located. He stated that there were three
headstones visible, lying flat in the ground in a patch of wild
strawberries near a cornfield. He noted that four or five additional
graves were probably also there.
Frickenstein Cemetery, Edwardsville Township
Originally deeded to Madison County by Mary and Ignatius Riggin
in 1846 to be used "as a cemetery and burial ground forever."
In June 2005, Madison County transferred the maintenance of the
cemetery to the Gettysburg Homeowners Association.
Based on past inventories, the three stones that are still visible
are: F.W. Frickenstein 1800-1865; Eliza Varner, b. 19 Aug 185_,
d. 19 Oct 1860; Julia Varner, d. 20 Jul 1857. Both are thought
to be children of J. J. and N. Varner.
What is the connection between F. W. Frickenstein and the Varner
children?
Still not sure of the relationship, if any. Rudolph Frickenstein
owns the surrounding property. The parents of the two Varner children
are Joel J. and Nancy (Murphy) Varner who had married in April
1848. Nancy was the daughter of Hugh Murphy, who is buried in
Bartlett Cemetery. Nancy's sister, Eliza Murphy, married Ishom
Gillham. The Gillhams had one daughter, Mary, who married Ignatius
Riggin. And Mary and Ignatius Riggin deeded the ground in 1846
to Madison County to be used as a cemetery.
Sappington Cemetery, Edwardsville Township
This cemetery is located in the Sunset Hills Country Club Estates
off Route 157. It began on the property of Richard Sappington
and his wife, Elizabeth, who moved with their family from West
St. Louis County to Madison County, Illinois, in 1843. Those buried
here include the families who married into the Sappington family
such as Randle, Nix, and Dean families.
The Dean family Tombstone has names on three sides: Henry C.
Dean, Born May 12, 1822, Died Nov 1, 1883, He was the husband
of Margaret Sappington. Four of the children of Henry C. and Margaret
Sappington Dean: Harrison Dean, d 1847, Aged 11 months; Edward
Dean, d. 1850, Aged 1 year; Mary E. Dean, d. 1853, Aged 1 year,
4 months; Laura Dean, d 1876, Aged 20 years.
The Nix Family is represented by William H. and Virginia Sappington
Nix along with two sons: William T. Nix, d. 21 Aug 1856, Aged
2 years, 6 months, 11 days; Infant son, b. and d. April 8, 1859.
William Nix, d. 1876; Virginia Nix, d. 10 Apr 1859.
Andrew D. Payne, husband of Mary M. Sappington, d. 15 Apr 1892.
Randle stone, possibly Cheryl and Jemima based on a
previous inventory. Jemima Sappington married Henry Randle, possibly
their children.
Moller Cemetery, Pin Oak Township
This is a small, well kept family cemetery on Ridge View Road.
There are nine headstones and several footstones, all for members
of the Moller family. I found it interesting that the Umlaut over
the "O" is inscribed in the headstones. This is not
often seen as it is usually shown as either Moller or Moeller.
In the 1880 Census, this family is enumerated as Miller and descendants
later also used the Miller surname.
Rudolph Möller, Geb 15 Dec 1815, Gest 12 Mar 1890
Cook Cemetery, Collinsville Township
This cemetery is located near Anderson Hospital, across Route
162, surrounded by a low wall. In 1980, Bob Johnston and a team
of Collinsville High School Students cleaned up the neglected
cemetery. The burials are members of the John A. and Lucinda Lemen
Cook family and the Richard and Mary A. E. Cook Marshall family.
The families are related - John A. Cook and Mary A. E. Marshall
are siblings.
Lucinda Lemen was the daughter of Rev. James Lemen, Jr., who was
a prominent Baptist Minister. Her first husband, Samuel Bowman,
died in 1832 in the Black Hawk War. She and John A. Cook were
married April 16, 1836. The Cook family had lived in the area
since 1810. John and Lucinda were the parents of 12 children,
8 of whom are buried here, with 6 of them dying in infancy. Their
oldest surviving son, Cyrus L. Cook, served in the Civil War and
later became a judge in Madison County. Lucinda died in 1867 and
John was killed in an accident by a runaway team in 1869.
Gerke Cemetery, St. Jacob Township
Only two are buried here: Dr. Henry Christian Gerke d. 1842; and
his son J. Philip Gerke, d. 1847.
Family legend states that Henry's wife, Maria, did not want to
move from Germany to the U.S. Henry came to the U.S. with their
older son William in 1831 and moved "West" to Illinois.
Maria followed in 1834 with their youngest son Philip but lived
in New York for about 18 months before coming west.
Cemeteries That Are a Bit Harder to See: Whiteside, Hamilton,
Crosby, Ridgley, Crandall-Ellison, Virgin, and Dugger
Whiteside Cemetery, Edwardsville Township
In July 1979, the Youth Conservation Corps inventoried the cemetery
and erected a fence. One large monument and one small headstone
were found. The large monument contains the names of William Whiteside
(died in 1835), Elizabeth Claypoole (d, 1867), Sarah Whiteside
(d. 1833), and Sarah Swiggert (d. 1835). Both Elizabeth and Sarah
are daughters of William Whiteside.
The small tombstone is for an infant son of Wm. and C.C. Reddish,
d. 1866.
Hamilton Cemetery, Pin Oak Township
Janett Hamilton, mother of Ebenezer; Ebenezer and Rebecca Hamilton;
Rebecca (d. 1863) and William (d. 1860) Morris, children of David
and Mary Hamilton Morris. Mary is the daughter of Ebenezer and
Rebecca Hamilton. James Lockhart (relationship to Hamilton family
is unknown)
Crosby Cemetery, Edwardsville Township
This cemetery is located in a wooded area above the Nix-Judy (Pioneer)
Cemetery. There are four tombstones: John Crosby (d. 1871,
aged 69 years); Nancy Crosby (d. 1868, aged 17 years, 11 months)
daughter of J. and M. Crosby; Julia Ann Crosby (d. 1867, aged
31 years) daughter of J. and M. Crosby. A double stone with
Thomas B Welker, b. Jan 1861, d, Dec 1861) and John E. Welker,
born Sep 1865 and died May 1867. These are children of Laban
and Elizabeth Crosby Welker.
John Crosby married Mary Stallings in Aug 1835. They had at least
six other children besides Julia and Nancy, including Elizabeth
who is age 18 on the 1860 census.
Ridgley Cemetery, Moro Township
The remains of this cemetery are located near the intersection
of Highway 159 and Renken Road. It was the site of a Catholic
Church, a Christian Church, and a post office. The post office
was active from 1847 - 1867. The congregation of the Catholic
Church declined and eventually moved to Bunker Hill to form a
new congregation. Little is known of those buried here.
Crandall-Ellison Cemetery, Marine Township
In 1853, Daniel and Susannah Crandall deeded the ground in Section
3 of Marine Township as a public burying ground. Surnames of those
buried here whose headstones were found in 2006 include Aldrich,
Bise, Briggs, Buckles, Durller, Ellison, McCain, McKean, and Washburn.
In 2006, 17 markers were found. Several others are believed to
be buried there. A newspaper article from January 1901 stated
that C. M. Ellison removed the remains of Ellison family members
to a lot in the Marine Cemetery.
Virgin Cemetery, St. Jacob Township
Located in Section 29, St. Jacob Township on property owned by
Jefferson Virgin in 1860. Of the six graves, five are children
all aged four or younger listed as children of J. and A. Virgin.
The five children of Jefferson and Anna Lindley Van Hooser Virgin
buried here are John Whitfield, Sarah M., Perry, Nancy, and Madison.
John Whitfield Virgin, who died in 1851, aged 11 months, is listed
with his parents on the 1850 census of Madison county. Sarah M.
Virgin, who died in 1853, age 1 year, 5 days could not be found
on any record. Perry, Nancy, and Madison all died in 1859 between
Feb 10 and Feb 16. They are listed on the 1860 Mortality census
with the cause of death as "Putrid Sore Throat" which
in today's terms is scarlet fever. Perry was 4 years old, Nancy
was 3 years, 28 days and Madison was 1 year, 6 months. Jefferson
and Anna had four other children who lived to adulthood.
The sixth grave is for a Civil War soldier, Henry F. Van Hooser.
The 1850 Census also provided another answer. Listed with the
family of Jefferson and Anna Virgin are William and Henry Van
Hooser, Anna's sons by her first marriage to John Van Hooser.
William and Henry both served in Company G, 117th Illinois Infantry
Volunteers. William survived the war, but Henry died at Ft. Pickering,
Tennessee, in 1863.
Dugger Cemetery, St. Jacob Township
Located on private property in Section 3 of St. Jacob Township.
Originally associated with a local church, it is now under the
control of the Dugger Cemetery Association who maintain and repair
the stones. New stones are still being found: Nancy J., daughter
of F.T. and M. Hynes, Died Apr. 1, 1860, Aged 8 months, 3 days.
Note: Stone unearthed at Dugger Cemetery on 1 April 2014 - 154
years after her death
Mary asks that if you know of any cemeteries that you believe
are forgotten and or abandoned, you contact her at [email protected].
This program was interesting and well received. It generated quite
a few questions and responses.