NAMES OF PERSONS BURIED IN McGRAW CEMETERY
Dewitt County, Illinois
From Researcher jrblack at core.com, January 2007
"I grew up by this site, although I have been gone from the area for 50 years.
My sister still lives in the home place near the cemetery. I noted some things in the listing that prompted me
to e-mail some of the information I knew about the cemetery.
The cemetery does lie to the East of Coon Creek and the old Intra Urban (electric rail train) ran between the creek
and the cemetery. The old farm house they mentioned in the listing was owned by a Cathrine Reid who is deceased.
Ms. Mae Vise, a 4th and 5th grade school teacher at Lincoln School in Clinton also resided in the home. She is
also deceased. The last person I knew that lived there was a daughter named Virginia. Her married name was Gentry
and she may still be alive. There was a hatchery on the property where the sign from the old cemetery was stored
after it collapsed. It was rod iron and had the name of the cemetery, The sign was over the entry to the site.
The hatchery has since been torn down. I have no idea what may have happened to the sign. The entrance to the
cemetery from Madison street was adjacent to the entry for this farm home. If you were standing on Madison Street
at the entry to the farm home, you will notice (if it is still there) another culvert to the south of the farm
house fence line that was the entrance road to the cemetery. Today, there has been a subdivision built over this
easement. In the 40's and 50's, the Legion or VFW used to place an American Flag at that entrance on Memorial
Day to honor the war dead that were buried in the cemetery. My Mother, Dorothy Marie Black, and a neighbor lady,
Thelma Burger worked with State officials to get the cemetery cleaned up during the 70's. This was done because
many of the graves were being disturbed and actually opened. An article in the Clinton Journal with my Mother
and Thelma pointing out the site of a grave that had been opened should be available. They also found headstones
being used for a sidewalk at a nearby residence. The State had the Conservation Department (now the IDNR) clean
the site. The staff from the Weldon Springs State Park actually performed the work. I believe the Ranger at the
time was Woodrow Fatheree and his son was on staff at the time. Woody is now deceased, but his son is the Site
Superintendent of Weldon Springs and could possibly provide some information about the clean up. I am relatively
certain that there is far more than 52 grave sites in this cemetery and the date posted as the last burial date
is definitely in error. I know my Mother worked very hard contacting every local and state official she could
to get help in restoring this cemetery. It is sad to see that it has been ignored for so many years. The fact
that they allowed homes to be constructed on the easement to the cemetery illustrates the neglect for maintaining
these important sites. I have been in that cemetery many times as a boy and remember the site very well. I am
glad that at least it hasn't been completely forgotten. There are definitely veterans buried there. I hope these
notes help someone that may be researching the history of the site."
Inscriptions by Roy E. Getz and Roy V. Terneus
Read July 27, 1970
Originally posted in the Central Illinois Genealogical Quarterly
pub. by the Decatur Genealogical Society, Vol. VII, #2, May 1971
[Transcribed by K. Torp, 2006]
This cemetery lies in DeWitt County about one mile south of Clinton on the first road east of Route 51, back in a wooded area about one-fourth mile west of the road. A large empty farm house is on the north of the ground leading to the cemetery. A stubble field is to the east. The rear of the cemetery lies along Coon Creek. This forgotten resting place is in very bad condition. You walk in this cemetery bent over, due to fallen trees and young trees growing so close together, along with brush and weeds. The earliest legible stone dates 1842. No doubt there are other covered stones which were missed. Several stones were fallen from their bases. No doubt vandals have wrecked this once beautiful place. It is so dark in this wooded area you cannot see the sun most of the time. The last burial took place in March of 1880.
Sylvanus Percy
Dr. Robert S. Boyd
Louis P.
son of P. & C. Clark
Sarah A.
wife of A. G. Williams
Charley L.
son of W.C. & A.M. Campbell
Anna M.
wife of W.C. Campbell
Susanna
wife of J.F. Martin
W.C. Campbell?
Helen C.
dau of J.J. & S.C. Campbell
Christiann
dau of D. & R. Campbell
Wm. C.
son of J. J. & H.S. Flynn
Elizabeth S.
wife of G.W. Lafetra
Thos. J.
son of G.W. & E. Knadler
William Gary
son of W.M. (or M.W?) Boyd
Almira
wife of W.M. ( or M. W? ) Boyd
Margaret
dau of J.C. & Z. Bennett
Alice
dau of Rev. E.L. & C. Waller
Elizabeth
wife of James Steele
[Names not legible]
sons of E.L. & C. Waller
Gurency? G.
son of J. & S.A. Miller
George D.
son of J.C. & Z. (no last name given)
Mary Ann
wife of S.L. Swords
Clara
dau. of I. & M.J.? Bidwell?
Mertis?
dau of T.W. & Z.A. Smith
Frankie E.
dau of A. & T. Gandy
John T. Bird
Sarah Jane
wife of James S. Brown
Wm. Greenville
son of J.S. & S. J. Brown
Brown
? Brown
(oldest stone)
Jane
wife of Henry Brown
Andrew J. Back
George R.
son of D. H. & S. Hampleman
Sarah A.
wife of F.S. Hood
Isaac Carlock
Mary Carlock
Alexander Williams
Sidney
wife of A. Williams
Corp. S. B.M. Murray
Elizabeth
wife of Caswell Hall
Patricia (last name gone)
Thomas Carroll
Jno. Costello
Caroline
dau of S. & E. Miles
Zimri C.
son of J. & K. Delay
Freddie H.
son of M.A. & M. Acon (or Acom or McAboy???)
Maggie H. (rest illegible - possibly same as above)
John T.
son of J. & S. McAboy
Mary M.
dau of J. & M. McAboy
Jane
wife of J. Fisher
Martha
wife of D .W . Garton
A. A. Row
son of E. E. & M. Rathburn
Since there were no stones for any of the McGraw family there was a question on the name, but a letter from Pullun
& Boos Funeral Home in Clinton to Mr. Getz gives this as the name of this forgotten cemetery.