Hess Cemetery
aka Crypt Von Hess

South Palmyra Township
30-11-8
Macoupin County, Illinois
1 1/2 Miles Northeast of Hettick

The Hess Cemetery is a small burial grounds which was laid out in 1895 for the benefit of the "Crypt Von Hess" Society and people of the vicinity within 1 mile of the burial grounds. This cemetery was used for a burial grounds for 22 years before it was deeded to the county.

Name of Cemetery Hess Van Kript
Location SE - SW of Sec. 30 in S. Palmyra T 11 N - R8 W
Number of lots One
Number of graves 10
Number of graves to be filled 2
Number of graves to be leveled 8
Number of Veterans graves that need stones No veterans
Number of stones in cemetery that need resetting 1
Number of stones that need recutting None
Rods of fence around cemetery No fence
Rods of fence to be replaced 40
Number of people interviewed 2

Notes: There are about 10 Graves the best we can tell but there is only one stone. This stone reads: Tina Druzilla, Dau. of Luvenia & John M. Hess; Born 10-3-1893; Died 5-5-1895. This cem. is Growed up in weeds & brier, but, could be fixed up into a fair cem. with a little work. We can't find out if any of the Trustees are living or Not.
George W. Hess owned the land at the time the cem. was started. The papers are all lost as we can't find out the book & page of the deed. Railroad owns land on N. & W. Cocklin owns land on S. Blackburn College owns land on E.

The Hess Cemetery is a small burial grounds which was laid out in 1895 for the benefit of the "Crypt Von Hess" Society and people of the vicinity within 1 mile of the burial grounds. This cemetery was used for a burial grounds for 22 years before it was deeded to the county.

In 1917 a deed was made by John Hess conveying the cemetery to the County for a public burying grounds.
The deed conveying the title to the land over to Macoupin County reads as follows: THE GRANTOR: John M. Hess, divorced and not since remarried, of the city of Chicago, in the County of Cook and State of Illinois for and in consideration of the sum of $1.00 and other good and valuable consideration in hand paid CONVEYS and WARRANTS to the County of Macoupin, one of the counties of the State of illinois the following described real estate,
to-wit:

All and entire that part of the SE. 1/4 of the NE. 1/4 of Section 30, T. 11 N. R. 8, West, lying South and East of the right-of-way of the Chicago, Peoria and St. Louis Railroad as the same is now located over and across said 40 acres of land, about 1/2 acre more or less to-wit. The SE corner of said 40 acres of land cut off therefrom by said railroad right-of-way as aforesaid, situated in the County of Macoupin, in the State of Illinois hereby releasing and waiving all rights under and by virtue of the Homestead exemption Laws of the State of Illinois for the sole purpose and intent of dedicating said lot of land which is less than 5 acres as a burying ground or place for interment of the dead for the use of the Society of "Crypt Von Hess" and the neighborhood of a circumference of one mile from te center of said cemetery or lot of land above described herein and hereby conveyed in perpetuity for uses and purpose herein set forth by and in accordance with the Statute in such case made and provided; The President of the Society, John M. Hess, Secretary Luva M. Hess, Treasurer J. Waitlock Hess, Office 3151 Washington Blvd. Chicago, Illinois.
(This deed is dated August 31, 1917 and was recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds for Macoupin County, Illinois on September 12, 1918 in Volume 297 of Deed Records at page 157).

The only description that we can give of the Hess Cemetery is that made by the fieldmen to include only the graves and reads as follows:

Commencing at the SW. comer of the Hess Cemetery and running thence north 50 feet feet; thence East 8 feet; thence South 50 feet; thence 8 feet West to the place of beginning, which includes 1 row of graves in the Hess Cemetery.

The Crypt Von Hess Cemetery is not incorporated.

Mr. John Hess, the President of the Society of "Crypt Von Hess" appointed the trustees to the cemetery.
The Last ones were appointed many years ago and were the following: John M. Hess - President; Duva M. Hess -  Secretary; J. Whitlock Hess - Treasurer; Wm. Sidney Wasp - Trustee.

The only living trustees of the Hess Cemetery are as follows: J. Whitlock Hess & Wm. Sidney Wasp.

There is no caretaker for the Hess Cemetery. Relatives of the deceased take care of the groundsoccasionally.

The Hess Cemetery is in bad condition. This cemetery is a large triangle with a railroad running diagonal on the north and west sides and a public road on the south and east sides. Only a small portion of the land deeded was used for cemetery purposes. There are 10 graves in the Hess Cemetery and they are covered with tall grass.
There is just 1 tombstone in the cemetery. There is no fence around this cemetery. The land slopes just a little to the southeast to give it good drainage.

To reach the Hess Cemetery one travels 1 1/2 mile northeast of Hettick on Route 111, then about 100 yards on a sideroad to the cemetery.

There are no soldiers buried in the Hess Cemetery.

The only grave that we can locate by the marker is that of "Tina Druzilla, Daughter of Luvenia and John M. Hess" who was born on October 3, 1893 and died on May 5, 1895.