WPA - Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Virden Township, Macoupin County IL


A Transcription of the WPA Record in Macoupin County Archives, Carlinville, Illinois
Indexed about 1939-1940
by Mary McKenzie


Pleasant Hill Cemetery


Virden Township
Macoupin County
NE ¼ of the SE ¼ Section 18 T12N R6W Illinois


The Macoupin County Archives has in its files, indexes/listings of many veterans buried in numerous Macoupin County cemeteries.  WPA workers compiled the indexes during the Depression Era. Pleasant Hill Cemetery listing is found in Box 2 at the Macoupin County Archives.

The following list of veterans is made up of just one source, which is the original work sheets that the WPA workers filed.  The instructions stated to check these sources:  burial plot, cemetery record, death certificate or burial permit, patriotic organization (name), official U. S. records or other.    This information will give you an idea of where to begin.  The history and deed information has been edited but I tried to keep spellings and grammar as it was originally written..

Location:  Two miles N. of Girard, West one mile off # 4, ¼ N. to graveyard on W. side of road. 
The graveyard has a caretaker.

Oldest grave:  Chas Kent – October 7, 1865 Age 28 das
Number of lots: 2126 or 525 (info. as is)
Number of graves:  930
Number of graves to be filled:  None
Number of graves to be leveled:  None
Number of veterans graves that need stones:  None
Number of stones in cemetery that need resetting:  105
Number of stones that need recutting:  14
Rods of fence around cemetery:  100
Condition of fence:  Good
Rods of fence to be repaired:  None
Rods of fence to be replaced:  None
Number of people interviewed:  5
Veterans graves with no marker:  None

The Certificate for a Charter for Pleasant Hill Cemetery was filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, Cornelius J. Doyle, on September 27th, 1912 to establish a Cemetery Association of Pleasant Hill.  Those presenting the certificate with their signatures affixed were:  H. C. Kable, E. E. Vaniman, A. J. Brubaker, G. W. Gibson, A. B. Gibbel, and E. A. Gibson, citizens of the United States.  They stated in writing:

I.  The name of such corporation is Cemetery Association of Pleasant Hill

II. The object for which it is formed is: 

(1) The care and management of the cemetery
(2) The purchasing of the Church building and grounds adjacent thereto, which are to be used for    funeral services and such other religious and social purposes as the directors shall permit.
(3)  The management of the aforesaid cemetery association shall be vested in a board of five directors who are to be elected as our bylaws shall provide.
(4)  The following persons are hereby selected as directors to control and manage said corporation for the first yr. of its corporate existence, viz: H. C. Kable, E. E. Vaniman, G. W. Gibson,E. C. Harrison, E. A. Gibson.
(5)  The location is in the Town of Virden, Co. of Macoupin, in the State of Ill., and the post office address of its business office is at No. G. W. Gibson’s Grocery (building not numbered),Center St, in the said City of Girard, Ill.

Signed:  H. C. Kable, E. E. Vaniman, A. J. Brubaker, G. W. Gibson, A. B. Gibbel, and E. A.Gibson.

Filed for Record nov. 23 A.D. 1912 at one o’clock p.m.  Book 259 – Page 584


Purchasing of the Pleasant Hill Church Adjacent to the Cemetery
Deed of Church to Cemetery Trustees


Know all men by these presents, that “Pleasant Hill Church of the Brethren, in the town of Virden, in Co. of Mac., State of Ill., successor in ownership to “Pleasant Hill German Baptist Church of the Town of Virden, in the Co. of Mac. State of Ill., and Otter Creek Church of German Baptist of Mac. Co. Ill., by David C. Variman, Samuel S. Brubaker, Abram B. Gibble, Daniel W. Wagoner, Henry McKenzie, John F. Snell, _(?)__ J. Brubaker, Edward S. Snell, and Jonas E. Bowman, for and in consideration of the sum of one thousand ($1,000) dollars in hand paid and for other good and valuable considerations, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged and confessed, convey said warrants to the director of Cemetery Association of Pleasant Hill of the town of Virden, in the County of Mac., State of Ill. and their successors in office the following described real-estate.  [Here begins a long legal description which I will not include here, but you can read in the original file at Macoupin County Archives, WPA Records, Box 2, Pleasant Hill Cemetery].  
_ _ _ _ containing three (3) acres being the property heretofore used by such church as location for its church house and conveyed to the deacons of the Otter Creek Church of German Baptists of Mac. Co. Ill., and their successors in office on the six (6) day of Feb. AD. 1866 by Blatchley Wright and Jane Wright – his wife all of the above premises lying, being and situated in Co. of Mac. State of Ill.  the above conveyance is made subject to the rights of any and all persons who may have heretofore, either died on contract, acquired title to such land or any part there of for burial purposes.

And also subject to coal & mineral rights thereunder.
    Heretofore conveyed.  Dated Oct. 29, A.D. 1912

David C. Vaniman        Samuel S. Brubaker        Abram B. Gibble
Daniel W. Wagoner        Henry McKenzie            John F. Snell

__(?)__ J. Brubaker        Edward S. Snell            Jonas E. Bowman


Deacons of “Pleasant Hill Church of the Brethern”

Filed for record: Nov. 23 A.D. 1912 at one o’clock p.m.                 Book 259 – Page 585 – 586

Additional Transaction for Sale of Land for Pleasant Hill Cemetery – Virden, IL

The Grantors John H. Brubaker & his wife Elizabeth Howe Brubaker of the town of Virden in the county of Macoupin and State of Illinois, for & in consideration of $300 in hand paid, convey & warrant to the Board of trustees of the Cemetery Association of Pleasant Hill and their successors in office of the town of Girard, County of Macoupin, State of Illinois the following described real estate:  [Another long legal description that I didn’t copy.  Please check the Macoupin Co. Archives in Carlinville, IL if you need it].

Dated:  December 23, 1912

                    John H. Brubaker
                    Elizabeth Howe Brubaker


Recorded December 28, 1912        Deed Record 258  -- Page 458


Veterans Interred


There was no typed list of names for this cemetery, but I did find five work sheets, which I include below.


Name:  Samuel E. Cripe
Field Check:  Grave No. 6, Lot No. 1213, upright marker
Information on Marker:  (Gov. Stone) Sam’l E. Cripe, Co. E. 74th Ind. Inf.
                       (Pvt. Stone) Samuel E. Cripe, June 9, 1843 – June 21, 1910   
Cemetery Record Data:  Grave No. 6, Lot. No. 1213
Death Certificate Data:  Born:  6-9-1843 – Died: 6-21-1910
Service Record:  Ind. Inf.; Rank Pvt., Co. E. 74 Ind. Inf.
Inspection of Burial Plot: Good

Name:  Henry N. Frantz
Field Check:  Grave No. 1, Lot No. 910, upright marker
Information on Marker:  (Pvt. Stone) Henry N. Frantz, Dec. 14, 1847 – Aug. 14, 1927
Cemetery Record Data:  Grave No. 1, Lot. No. 910
Death Certificate Data:  Born 12-14-1847 – Died 08-14-1927
Service Record:  Ohio Cav.  Rank – Pvt.; Co. C. 8th Ohio Cav.  (War C)
Inspection of Burial Plot:  Good

Jacob S. Frey
Field Check:  Grave No. 1, Lot No. 711
Death Certificate Data:  Died 8-27-1927
Service Record:  Penn Mil.; Rank – Pvt., Co. G 166 Penn Mil  (War C)
Inspection of Burial Plot:  Good

Name:  John W. Harrison
Field Check:  Grave No. 1, Lot No. 212, upright marker
Information on Marker:  (Gov. Stone)  John W. Harrison, Co. K. 20 Ohio Inf.;
               (Pvt. Stone) John W.  Harrison, 1844 – 1922
Cemetery Record Date:  Grave No. 1; Lot No. 212
Death Certificate Data:  Died  1-8-1922
Service Record:      Ohio Inf., Rank – Pvt.; Co. K. 20 Ohio Inf.
Inspection of Burial Lot:  Good

Jeremirah M. Lair
Field Check:  Grave No. 4, Lot No. 519, upright marker
Information on Marker:  (Gov. Stone) J. M. Lair, Co. E  122 Ill Inf.
            (Pvt. Stone)  Jeremirah M. Lair; Born Jan., 25, 1838 – Died Sept. 5, 1914
Cemetery Record Dada:  Grave No. 4, Lot. No. 519
Death Certificate Data:  Born 1-25-1838 – Died 9-5-1914
Service Record:  Ill. Inf., Rank – Pvt.  Co. E. 122 Ill. Inf.
Inspection of Burial Plot:  Good


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