Jersey County, Illinois GenWeb, © Mary Ann Kaylor 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, J. Griffin, 2001-2003. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data and images may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or for other presentation without express permission by the contributor(s).
Jersey County Page Cemetery Information Page
Old Jerseyville City Cemetery
also known as Hickory Grove Cemetery
In the Spring of 1993, an article written by Jean Gorman appeared in the Jersey County Democrat News concerning the old City cemetery, designated as the “Hickory Grove” cemetery.
JERSEYVILLE – Two Memorial Day services were held in Jerseyville, one by veterans organizations at Oak Grove Cemetery, and one at a two-acre cemetery established in 1830 near Lions Club Park. Local genealogist Bob French said Cleo Holmes and other members of the Jersey County Genealogical Society have been researching the first Jerseyville cemetery for some time. It is located on a knoll at the north edge of Lions Club Park. The research was started after a number of inquiries were made about ancestors buried in the cmetery and the discovery of a number of headstones there. French has one small stone for an infant, Laura A. Biggs, who was born Aug. 17, 1862 and died Dec. 3, 1862. It was recovered from a neighbor. He has three other stones. “I think there are others on the north bank,” French said. “It is just getting to them. The two acres of land belonged to one of Jerseyville’s early settlers. And is the final resting place for the pioneers settling on these fertile prairies.”
A committee of select citizens met in 1834 to choose a name for their community, which was then called Hickory Grove. The Red House, which was the gathering place for early settlers, was located on the property now belonging to the Cheney family, which is just west of a grove of hickory trees, thus the name. Alfred Carpenter, who lived in the Red House, was among those attending that meeting. Carpenter, an old soldier, wanted the community name Liberty but Dr. J. W. Lott, a native of New Jerseyville (sic)(Jersey), proposed the name Jerseyville. Carpenter had set aside the acreage for the cemetery on the knoll just east of the grove of hickory trees. In 1841, when he deeded the property to Arintha Conover, he stipulated that two acres be reserved for a public graveyard. The property now belongs to the city of Jerseyville.
It was never laid out in blocks or lots and there was some confusion as to just where people were buried. Sometimes a grave digger would strike a coffin when digging for another grave. French said it is believed that there were up to 200 pioneers and family members buried in the cemetery. He knows that at least one soldier, Uriah Downey, a veteran of the Black Hawk War, was buried in the small cemetery along with his wife, Mary Griswold Downey. Downey died of wounds suffered in that war. One of the inquiries about the cemetery was from Herb Downey of Mount Vernon, a great grandson of Uriah Downey. Downey, who migrated to Illinois in the 1820s, purchased property in English Township. Today the property is owned and farmed by another great-grandson, Harold E. Downey and his wife, Marjorie Krueger Downey. Later, when Oak Grove Cemetery was established, some of the remains were moved to the new city cemetery, which was established in 1856. French said he had found a number of them at Oak Grove Cemetery.
The historical society had been collecting names of persons believed to still by(sic) buried on the site. The list contains 33 names. French said the cros was dedicated Memorial Day to reinforce the covenant of Arintha Conover. “This is where our pioneers were buried and I think they need recognition,” French said. “We are planning a fund-raising campaign to purchase and place a suitable monument on the site.” View Hickory Grove Monument
The alphabetical list on the left was submitted by Marty Crull in 2002. The longer list on the right, sorted by date, was submitted by Bob French in 2003.
| ANDERSON, Mrs. Rev., 1844 BIGGS, Laura A. (?), 1862 BROWN, Jane, 1836 CARKUFF, Lena, 1852 CHRISTOPHER, E., 1846 COLBURN, Charlotte, 1847 COLEAN, Cora, 1855 COLEAN, Francis, 1846 COLEAN, Mary, 1855 COLEAN, May, 1849 COLLINS, Susan, 1837 COPE, John, 1852 COPE, Margaret Bostian CORY, Hannah, 1849 CORY, Harriet, 1849 CORY, Jane, 1839 CORY, Parkis, 1839 CORY, Serdenia, 1839 DOWNEY, Mary Griswold, 1854 DOWNEY, Uriah, 1841 ELY, Amy, 1846 EVERTS, Luther, 1848 GAYLORD, Walter, 1837 GURNSEY, Clarisa, 1847 HAMILTON, William, 1844 HARRIOTT, D. I., 1849 HARTWICK, John, 1854 HUTCHINSON, J. G., 1846 JARBOE, Catherine, 1850 KIMBALL, J., 1848 JEROME, Mrs. Rev., 1847 KIRBY, Mary, 1852 JEROME, Mrs. Rev., 1847 LANDON, Denman T., 14 Oct 1846 LANDON, Nancy Davis (Mrs. Alonzo H. Landon), 1847 PITTMAN, Mary, 1848 PITTMAN, Samuel, 1854 POTTS, Charles, 1835 POTTS, Franklin, 1835 POTTS, W. C., 1830 RIDGEWAY, Caleb, 1849 SHANK, John, 1850 SILLOWAY, Margaret, 1848 VAN LIEW, John, 1839 |
John Shanks, 1850 John Hartwick, 1854 Edward Vorhees 1853 Lena Carkuff 1852 Margaret Silloway1848 Mary Kirby1852 Luther Everts1848 Charlotte Colburn1847 Clarisa Collins1847 William Saddler Potts1839 W. C. Potts1830 Charles Potts1835 Franklin Potts1835 Phebe Hall Anderson1844 Jane Brown1836 Mary Cross1846 Serdenia Cory1839 Parkis Cory1839 Jane Cory1839 Harriet Cory1849 Hannah Cory1849 Amy Ely1846 John Van Liew1839 J. Kimball1848 D. Landon1846 Nancy Landon1847 Caleb Ridgeway1849 Cora Colean1855 Mary Colean1855 W. Hamilton1844 E. Christopher1846 Mary Pittman1846 Mrs. Rev. Jerome1847 Peter Beehman1846 George W. Bonnell1847 Mary C. Bonnell1849 Jane Cooper1849 Deborah A. Darby1854 Margaret F. Maclean1852 Elisha Mulford1854 Aachsah E. Perrine1854 Charles E. Wyckoff1846 Mary Alice ???1854 John Cope1852 Margaret Bostian Cope1852 Uriah Downey1841 Mary Griswold Downey1854 Buddy Potts1857 Lucy Potts1860 Jane Anderson1851 Joseph Bullard1839 Laura Biggs1862 Thomas Stanley1851 Mrs. Thomas Stanley1851 John D. Henry1855 Wm H. Ford Mary Ann Roady Ford |
Hickory Grove Monument
Photo from Marty Crull.
Recent Comments