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 (about 1939-1940). The cemeteries below were
checked for veterans and although not all of these cemeteries had
veterans listed, there was a wealth of other information that a
genealogist might find useful. I often didn’t copy all of
the legal descriptions of the property as some were much too long and
drawn out. If you want that information, contact the Archives.
I listed veterans’ information from both typed sheets and work sheets.
The typed sheets’ information is in plain type and the work sheets are
in bold type. The work sheets with soldier information stated to
check these sources: burial plot, cemetery record, death certificate or
burial permit, patriotic organization (name), official U. S. records or
other. These sources would probably be good sources to check
still, today as we have no way of knowing how thorough the WPA workers
were. I generally tried to keep spelling as it was found in the
original record.
Yowell Cemetery
Shaws Point Township, Macoupin County, IL
NW ¼; NE ¼ of Section 3, T. 10 N; R 6 West of the Third P. M.
Two Miles East of Standard City
The Yowell Cemetery is a small private cemetery located on the Yowell
farm on Section 2 of Shaws Point Township. This cemetery was laid
out by Mr. J. Yowell in 1838 for the final resting place for his tiny
daughter.
Land records of Macoupin County have been searched for a deed to the
Yowell Cemetery but none has been found. The land on which the
cemetery is located is still in the Yowell estate and no exception can
be found.
The only description that we can give of the Yowell Cemetery is that
made by the fieldman and could read as follows:
1 acre more or less out of the NW ¼ of the NE ¼ of Section 3, T. 10 N.
R. 6, West of the Third Principal Meridian and measuring:
Commencing at the NW corner of the cemetery (as fenced in) and running
thence south 290 feet; thence west 160 feet; thence north 290 feet;
thence east 160 feet to the place of beginning, situated in the County
of Macoupin and State of Illinois.
There was never any trustees to the Yowell Cemetery.
There is no caretaker for the Yowell Cemetery. Lots are not sold
in this cemetery but are only used for the Yowell family and are
acquired by a custom deed whereby the relatives choose the lot of their
choice for burial purposes. Relatives of the deceased take care
of the burial grounds.
The Yowell Cemetery is in poor condition at the time of the field
check. The grass and weeds have grown very tall. 92 graves
have been counted in this cemetery and 53 of them need filling in or
leveling. 2 veterans graves do not have any markers. 39
tombstones are leaning and need resetting and 10 stones are
weather-worn and the inscriptions need recutting. This burial
grounds is enclosed with a woven-wire fence topped with 2 strands of
barb-wire on three sides which is attached to cement posts. To
the north, which is the entrance there is a tall hedge fence with a
large gate attached to cement posts. The gate is large enough for
a car to drive through but there is no signs of a driveway in the
cemetery. The land in the Yowell cemetery slopes to the north and
to the east giving it good drainage. This could be made into a
very neat cemetery.
To reach the Yowell Cemetery one travels 2 miles east from Standard
City on a graded road. Mrs. Elmer Yowell’s farm. The
cemetery is located along the road.
The graves of ____ Yowell and _____ Yowell do not have any markers.
The oldest grave that we can locate by the dates on the markers is that
of Marienne, Daughter of J. &. S. Yowell who died on August 27,
1838 at the age of 5 years, 5 months and 25 days.