The Union Hall (or Shedd) Cemetery

The first of these two articles was written by Harry Ward in April, 1969 when he was asked to present his recollections of the Union Church and its cemetery to the Hamilton County Historical Society.  [From Goshen Trails; Vol. 5, #2; April, 1969]

The second article is a list of persons buried there as copied by Harriet B. Vaught in October 1963. [From: Goshen Trails; Vol. 6, #4; October, 1969]

Printed by permission.


DEAR FRIENDS and members of the Historical Society:

I guess the reason for my being asked to give you the history of the Union Hall Cemetery was the fact that I'm the oldest person living, who was at one time a member of Union Hall Church.  And if there had never been a Union Hall Church, we would never have had a Union Hall Cemetery.  Therefore, I think it well before entering into the history of the cemetery, to consider a few things concerning the history of the Union Hall Church.

Now the history of the church involves the congressional career of Judge Marshall of McLeansboro.  He made a speech in Congress one day quoting quite freely from the Bible, and when the Judge had finished--another congressman who was not very friendly with the Judge said: "The congressman from Illinois should be well versed in the Holy Scripture as he comes from a village that doesn't have a church in it!"  This being true, the Judge returned to McLeansboro and proceeded to build a church on South Washington Street, one and a half blocks from the square.

This church stood where the Doug Lockwood home is now (Lot 2, Heards Add.- Ed.), and was dedicated as the Old School Presbyterian Church.  So the Presbyterians enjoy the distinction of having built the first church building in McLeansboro.

In an early day a division arose all over the nation in the Presbyterian church, and quite a few left the mother church, forming a church known as the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which was more evangelistic that the mother church.

About the year 1850, Millage Miller and R. M. Davis organized a Cumberland Presbyterian Church two miles west of McLeansboro and erected a shed to hold services under.  Later the shed was replaced by a house and given the name Union Hall.  My parents were members of the church and in the year 1888, I joined the church.  In the year 1901, I was married to Mamie Daily and later she and our seven children became members of the church.  I served as Elder in the church from 1916 to 1945. 

Many years ago the union Hall Church and the church in town were united as one congregation, and the Union Hall church building is no longer in existence.

After recounting the history of the church, we will not turn to the history of the cemetery.

The ground for the cemetery was deeded to the church by Toliver Rice and his wife, Nancy Rice, and in that cemetery rests the bodies of the fathers and mothers of many McLeansboro citizens.  Although the name of the church was Union Hall many of our citizens tell us their father and mother are buried at the "Shed".

One of the first to be buried in the Union Hall Cemetery was my great-grandfather Edmond Anderson.  His father, John Anderson, was one of the first settlers in Hamilton County.  He built his home on what is now the bank of the city reservoir.

My great grandfather Edmond Anderson died during the Civil War; and he was the father of my grandmother, Permelia Anderson who married John Mangis.  His daughter Permelia and her husband John Mangis are also buried near his grave.

Another thing that endears the Union Hall Cemetery to me is the fact that the only brother I ever had was buried there in 1874.

But one thing that you may no approve of was the restriction made as to who could be buried there.  They didn't allow anyone living outside of Hamilton County to be buried there.  Now if you had been a member of the church there would you have approved of such a restriction as that?  What do you say? (Mr. Wards answer was that they didn't bury living people there - Ed.).

Now I have mentioned a few of my relatives who are buried in Union Hall Cemetery, and Mrs. Gholson tells me that her parents Tom Coker and Luella Coker are buried there.  Also her grandparents William Coker and Miriam Coker, and other members of the Coker family; namely Oscar, Arthur, Charles, John and Joseph.  I am sure there are many others if they were present who could tell us of friends of theirs that are buried there.  I am sure we are all proud of the Township organization that takes such fine care of the cemetery.

As we have been thinking and talking about Union Hall Cemetery which we sometimes speak of as the city of the dead, I would like to call your attention to the subject of "Death".

Death is thought of by the world as an awful thing.  But to the Christian it is a release from the suffering and trials and tribulations of this life on earth.  And he reward for accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior, is to hear his Lord say: "It is enough, come up higher."  And when he throws off this mortal body, and enters that heavenly realm prepared for all the righteous, and finds himself in the presence of his heavenly Father and his many friends who have gone on before, he then views that monster we call death as the most wonderful thing that could have happened to him.

Then he can truly say: "Oh, death where is they sting; Oh, grave where is thy victory?"  Now friends I beg your pardon for my feeble effort to give you a little of the History of the Union Hall Cemetery and I thank you.

Yours truly,
Harry Ward


Union Hall or Shedd Cemetery
McLeansboro Township, Section 17
Copied by Harriet B. Vaught, Carmi, Ill. October, 1963
Carol's note:  I have alphabetized this list for easier viewing.
*Notes in red are corrections to this list.

Name Birth Death Remarks
Adams, J. A. 1872 1901  
Adams, L. L. 1840 1895  
Adams, Maggie M. 1840 1902 w/o L. L.
Anderson, *Claiborne W.  (Photo)   1870 age 26
Anderson, *Edmund (Photo)   1864 age 58
Anderson, Nancy, (w/o Edmund)  1813 1876 (*Nancy Turrentine)
Anderson, Freddie
    
  1886 age 8; s/o J. L. & Grace L.
Anderson, John May 10, 1780 March 13, 1873 age 97yr/10m/9d
Anderson, John L. 1853 1920  
Anderson, Linda M. 1789 1878  
Anderson, Mary E.     Mother; d/o Edmund
Anderson, Martha A. 1820 1886  
Anderson, Thomas     s/o John Anderson
Anderson, Warner 1822 1905 s/o John Anderson
Anderson, William H.   1851 Father
Anderson, Sarah J.,  1871 1950  
Atchinson, Hiram
   
  1911 Sgt. 4th Cav. Co. I
Bond, Hattie 1856 1936  
Barker, Robert L.   1865 age 26
Barnett, A. A.   1855 age 3
Barnett, John T. 1850 1892  
Barnett, George W. 1882 1899  
Barnett, Mary A.   1864 age 20
Barnett, Sarah A.   1893 age 71
Barnett, William C. 1857 1887  
Burton, Mary C. 1863 1897  
Coker, Arthur 1880 1938  
Coker, Charles R.   1866 age 25
Coker, Harriet Richardson
    
1823 1876 w/o Joseph
Coker, John
    
  1862 age 24; Fell mortally
wounded with guerillas at Saltwater, Tenn.
Coker, Joseph
    
1818 1898 Capt. Co. G, 5th Ill. Cav.
Coker, Miriam
    
1812 1875 w/o William
Cocker, Oscar 1885 1913  
Coker, Sarah
    
1835 1882 w/o A. R.
Coker, Thomas 1850 1932  
Coker, William 1813 1896  
Coker, Willie
   
1875 1888 s/o M. A. & E. J.
Davis, John
    
  1892 age 65; Grand Army of the Republic
Davidson, Charles H. 1867 1868  
Dixon, James A.   1880 age 19; s/o A. & M. L
Douggan, Francis M.   1862 age 17; Co. A. 6th Ill. Cav.
Douggan, Mary Ann   1863 age 19
Duncan, Elbert
   
  1862 age 29; Co. A, 87th Ill. Inf., died at Shawneetown, IL.
Fry, Marion Irene 1861 1862 d/o W. T. M. & S. A.
Ghormly, D. A.   1864 age 33
Gibbs, William P.   1894  Pvt. 3 C Tenn.
Goodwin, W. L. 1827 1877  
Goodwin, Eliza (Upchurch) 1837 1905 w/o W. L.
    Children of W. L. & Eliza:      
    Goodwin, James H. 1871 1877  
    Goodwin, Preston 1874 1877  
    Goodwin, Eva 1876 1885  
Hammell, Rena G. 1871 1898 w/o J. E. 
Harrawood, Willis     Co. G, 23d Ill. Inf.
Harrawood, Freddie 1876 1877 s/o W. W. & J. A.
Haveter, Mary  1829 1872 wife of G. M. 
Hayter, Alice L. 1855 1876 d/o G. W. & M. A.
Heard, Lulu Lynn 1885 1942 Mother
Hendrix, William N. H.   1863 age 21
Holt, William B. 1814    
Holt, Harriet A. 1816 1896 w/o William B.
Hooker, George L. 1858 1888 G. W. & G. W.
Huffstutler, W. P.   1891  Co. A, 87 Ill. Inf. Civil War
Hunter, Sarah 1811 1896 w/o James
Judd, Lucinda 1869 1914  w/o C. C.
Lacewell, William 1783 1886  
Leslie, Thomas P. 1826 1914  
Leslie, Nancy 1827 1895 w/o Thomas P.
Leslie, Mevrina 1868 1923  
Lynn, John *John T.  *1862 1910  
Lynn, Robert E. 1844 1911  
Lynn, Sarah P. 1842 *1918 w/o Robert E.
Lynn, Thomas K
   
1821 1865 Co. E, 47th Ill. Regt. Civil War
Mangis, Everett 1893 1894 s/o E. A. & L. E.
Mangis, Polly Ann 1824 1868 w/o W. M
Mangis, Annie 1882 1882 Inf d/o E. A. & M. F.
Mangis, John (B.) May13, 1827 April 14, 1886  
Mangis, Nellie E.   1888 age 6 months
Mangis, Permelia (Anderson) Feb. 17, 1835 July 24, 1878 w/o John B.
Martin, Mattie 1855 1909  
Martin, Samuel L. 1850 1872  s/o Wm. & L.
McAdams, Samuel 1835 1875 m. S. K. Coker in 1867
Melton, F. M. 1830 1876  
Melton, W. J. 1802 1876  
Roberts, Effie R.  1898 1923  
Poulton, Mary E. 1898 1923  
Prichett, James B. 1800 1874  s/o J. L. & J
Smith, William H. 1848 1893  
Smith, Eliza E. 1854   w/o William H.
    Children of William & Eliza:      
    Laura E. Smith 1882 1893  
    Joseph W. Smith 1872 1873  
    J. Ernest Smith 1885 1906  
    Otis Smith 1891 1891  
Smith, Elbert 1849 1925  
Smith, Lydia 1837 1927 w/o Elbert
Smith, Mary Ann
     
1828 1874 w/o P. M. m. May 25, 1854
Snyder, Ernest
  
1888 1890  s/o J. R. & A. M.
Stephenson, J. W.   1861 age 72
Stephenson, Mary 1789   w/o J. W.
Sullinger, G. W.
    
  1887 Fell mortally wounded in a sham battle of G.A.R. at Enfield
Sullinger, Harriet
   
  1868 age 28; w/o G. W.
Taylor, Andrew J. 1850 1916  
Taylor, Almira V. 1854 1929 w/o Andrew J.
Taylor, Harry A. 1893 1956  
Taylor, Maude F. 1891   w/o Harry A.
Taylor, Mildred 1925 1926  
Taylor, Thomas O., 1875 1903  h/o Peachie
Turrentine, Eliza E. 1880 1919  
Turrentine, James W. 1808 1880  
Turrentine, Laurel 1903 1907  
Turrentine, Vernie 1831 1896 d/o B. F. & M. C.
Turrentine, Martha F. 1815 1880  
Ward, Emery
    
  1879 age 1; s/o S. A. & N. A.
Wilson, James A. P.
    
  1861 age 22; s/o J. G. & A. M.
Wilson, Robert L. 1836 1897  
Wilson, Lucinda G. (Redfern) 1838 1907 w/o Robert L.
Wilson, W. J. 1882 1921  
Young, G. W. 1817 1875  
Stones marked: J.T.L./ 
B.E.L./M.E.D./H.D./M.A.G.
     

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