Fishback Cemetery

Brushy Mound Township
Section 2
Latitude: 39.25422, Longitude: -89.83649
Located on the east side of Rt. 4, on the north side of the road, near Lake Williamson Road, across from the Assembly of God camp ground. It is in the front-side of the Tostberg farm, about fifty yards from the highway, in a small grove of trees.

Burials

Carrico, Alexander ~ born 1816; died 04 Sep 1874; 58y

Dixon, Benton Edward ~ born 30 Dec 1873; died 1880; 7y; son of Edward & SJ
Dixon, Edna Marie ~ born 20 Sep 1893; died 23 Jun 1904; 12y; dau of Edward & SJ
Dixon, Edward Nathan ~ born 10 Dec 1845; died 08 Jan 1908
Dixon, Sarah Jane ~ born 04 Jun 1849; died 13 Jul 1926; wife of Edward

Fishback, Charles ~ born 11 Feb 1783; died 15 Apr 1841
Fishback, Elizabeth Cosby (Overton) ~ born 1797; died 1871 Fishback, Jacob ~ born 04 May 1823; died 22 Dec 1850
Fishback, James Hite ~ died 04 Apr 1851; 2y7m20d; son of WH & ME
Fishback, Margarett Elizabeth (Black) ~ born 20 Jan 1822; died 17 Feb 1853; 32y; wife of William
Fishback, Martha L ~ born 31 Jan 1831; died 20 Sep 1844; dau of C & E
Fishback, William Harrison ~ born 16 Jun 1813; died 25 Aug 1872; 59y2m9d

Smith, Emma N ~ born May 1853; died 04 Jul 1870; 17y1m28d; dau of JM & P
Smith, Jeremiah M ~ died 04 Apr 1851; 51y1m18d
Smith, Jeremiah Moulton ~ born 25 Mar 1810; died 22 Jan 1870 Smith, Pervanie (Clark) ~ born 30 Jan 1810; died 17 Oct 1892; 83y9m16d; wife of JM

Sources: Macoupin County Illinois Brushy Mound, Shaws Point, Honey Point Township Cemeteries, compiled by Macoupin County Historical Society Committee, 1988, page 13 listed by Bill & Evelyn Frey

02 Aug 2014 Message

Alexander Carrico, the child of John Conley Carrico and Elizabeth Halbert, was born April 8, 1816, in Canaan Township, Athens, Athens County, Ohio, and married Cassandra Margaret Smith, September, 15, 1864, in Macoupin County, Illinois. It is not known that he was married prior to this or not, but it is suspected.

In 1860, Alexander Carrico is living with the Ransom family, along with Mary J. Carrico, who is apparently his child by an earlier marriage. When Alexander Carrico married Cassandra Margaret Smith in 1864, he had a child, Mary J. Carrico, born ca. 1857, in Illinois. We can tell from the 1870 census record that for a while both Mary J. and Laura Ann Carrico lived in the same household. There was a Josephine Carrico who married J. C. Rutherford on October 21, 1874. It is possible this is our missing Mary J. Carrico. Can anyone verify this?

According to the Carlinville Democrat for Thursday, September 10, 1874, "Mr. Alexander Carrico, who lived three miles east of town, after returning home from town Friday evening in getting out of his buggy stumbled over a can and fell to the ground striking on his head and breaking his spinal column. He died in a few hours. He was born in 1816."

There was no information available, so I thought, to tell me where Alexander Carrico was buried, but I felt that he was in all probability buried somewhere near where he died. On September 12, 1984, I had the opportunity of being in Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois, and went to the Carlinville Public Library. There, thanks to Mrs. Iris Zemmer, one of the librarians who has some interest in genealogy, the burial place was identified as the Fishback Place. This immediately rang a bell, for I had read in an obit that Grandmother Smith had been buried at the Fishback Place. I then asked Mrs. Zemmer if she could identify the location of the Fishback cemetery. This she done with no difficulty, and that afternoon I drove out to the location to see if there might be any headstones visible. It took about ten minutes to get there and her directions were excellent. I drove right to the spot, got out and walked to the first fallen headstone and it was marked Alexander Carrico. Next to it was one for Jeremiah M. Smith, his father-in-law. There were several other headstones, but the only ones which I could read had the name Fishback on them. There are several stones with only portions of the stone visible, the rest being buried. Someday I hope to be able to uncover the rest of them and make a record of each one of them. According to the headstone, Alexander Carrico died September 4, 1874, at age 58. [I have learned the stones have been moved and reset and fenced in since my visit.]

The location of the Fishback cemetery is about 3 or 4 miles southeast of Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois, on route 4, on the north side of the road, near Lake Williamson Road, across from the Assembly of God camp ground. Identified as Fishback Cemetery, section 2, Brushy Mound Township, it is located on the Joe Tostberg farm, in the front of the side yard, about fifty yards from the highway, in a small grove of trees. All of the stones were down. The place was owned by Mrs. Alice Tostberg. I took pictures of the stones which could be identified. No one was home at the time. GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 39.25422, Longitude: -89.83649

After Alexander Carrico died, his widow, Cassandra Margaret Smith Carrico married Josiah G. Harlan, on April 10, 1877, officiated at by Rev. Levin L. Harlan, a cousin of Josiah's. To this union was born Cassandra Josephine Harlan, November 16, 1879. She lived 3 months, and 4 days and died February 20, 1880, of acute bronchitis. Josiah G. Harlan died February 22, 1880, in Chesterfield Township, Macoupin County, Illinois. He, as well as his father and mother, were born in Kentucky. Josiah was 42 years old and had been a resident of Macoupin County for 24 years. He died of pulmonary consumption, stated Dr. C. H. Murphy.

John D. Sissom

18 Mar 2017 Message

On September 12, 1984, I had the opportunity of visiting Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois, where I went to the Carlinville Public Library. There, thanks to Mrs. Iris Zemmer, one of the librarians who has some interest in genealogy, the burial place was identified as the Fishback Place. This immediately rang a bell, for I had read in an obit that Grandmother Smith had been buried at the Fishback Place. I then asked Mrs. Zemmer if she could identify the location of the Fishback cemetery. This she done with no difficulty and that afternoon I drove out to the location to see if there might be any headstones visible. It took about ten minutes to get there and her directions were excellent. I drove right to the spot, got out and walked to the first fallen headstone and it was marked Alexander Carrico. Next to it was one for Jeremiah M. Smith, his father-in-law, both my grandparents. There were several other headstones, but the only ones which I could read had the name Fishback on them. There are several stones with only portions of the stone visible, the rest being buried. According to the headstone, Alexander Carrico died September 4, 1874, at age 58.

The location of the Fishback cemetery is about 3 or 4 miles southeast of Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois, on route 4, on the north side of the road, near Lake Williamson Road, across from the Assembly of God camp ground. Identified as Fishback Cemetery, section 2, Brushy Mound Township, it is located on the Joe Tostberg farm, in the front of the side yard, about fifty yards from the highway, in a small grove of trees. All of the stones were down. The place is presently owned by Mrs. Alice Tostberg. GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 39.25422, Longitude: -89.83649

I returned to the Fishback Cemetery several years later to find the headstones had been moved, reset and enclosed in a metal fence. The enclosure is located much closer to the highway than the position previously noticed. I do not know if the graves were actually moved.

Thank you for your interest,
John Sissom