Thursday, November 26, 2009

Unearthed Tombstone Dated 1843

An article in The Daily Pantagrah (Bloomington, Illinois), dated 18 September 1926 talks about the discovery of a tombstone during the renovation of a cellar.

The discovery was made at the “old Al Loudon property at the southwest corner of Madison and Olive streets.”  Etched upon the stone is “Albert, son of W. & H. Gillespie, died March 7, 1843, aged 6 months and 11 days.”  They didn’t find any bones or a coffin.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

The discovery leads to the speculation whether or not there was a burying ground for the pioneers in that vicinity.  At the date mentioned, Bloomington was 12 years old, the city being organized in 1831.  The first setlers [sic.] reached here in 1822.

The first cemetery in the township of Bloomington was located in the Orendorff neighborhood, south of the city, where the first settlement was made.  The records show that this graveyard was established in 1825.  The next record shows a cemetery being opened at the south edge of Bloomington…which is now bounded on the north by the Big Four railroad.  This was opened in 1832, the firs burial being a Mrs. Remington.  There are no records of a burying ground at other points in the city or vicinity, although it is possible that a small group of the early residents buried their dead in the vicinity where the tombstone was found.  There is also a possibility that this corner was the site of a stone mason’s shop and that the stone just found was ordered and not delivered….

Was someone buried there?  Or is it the case of an undelivered stone as they suggested?  I haven’t been able to find a follow-up to this story.  Perhaps someone out there knows the answer to this story.

This article was written for the December 2009 edition of the Graveyard Rabbits Carnival.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday – 11/24/09

Sherman Ricker
Sgt US Army
World War I
Mar 18 1893  Nov 24 1972

Mable York Ricker
Beloved Wife and Mother
Aug 21 1893  Sept 9 1984

Sherman and Mable are buried in Park Hill Cemetery, Bloomington.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Diigo GYR Bookmarks (weekly)


Posted from Diigo. The rest of The Association of Graveyard Rabbits group favorite links are here.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday – 11/17/09

M. E. V. P.
Mary Eliz. Wight
Wife of
John F. Van Pelt
Oct. 3, 1829
June 10, 1903

Mary is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Bloomington (Section E, Lot 462).

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday – 11/10/09

Eliza E. Moore
1841-1913

Infant Son
1865

Eliza and her son are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Bloomington (Section E, Lot 470).

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday – 11/03/09

Sgt.
Henry C. Payne
Co.C
20 Ill. Inf.

Henry is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Bloomington.

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