Southwest IL ‘detectives’ honor Revolutionary War soldier, hunt for forgotten cemeteries

Ten descendants of a Revolutionary War soldier were on hand when local historical and civic groups honored Corp. Joseph Carr with a memorial marker at a St. Clair County cemetery.

Carr survived the Valley Forge winter quarters with then-Gen. George Washington as a Culpepper Minutemen. He later became an early Illinois pioneer.

His final resting place is in the Rider Cemetery off Greenmount Road, north of Greenmount Cemetery on Greenmount Trail. The address is 2670 Green Mount Trail, Belleville.

A plaque was dedicated in his honor.

The Belleville chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in conjunction with the O’Fallon Historical Society, the Lewis and Clark chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and the Six-Mile Prairie Chapter of the Children of the American Revolution, sponsored the event. The CAR was the color guard.

“We had a nice turnout,” said Thomas Schwartztrauber, chairman of the O’Fallon Cemetery Detectives and vice president of the O’Fallon Historical Society. “The flags were flying out beautifully.”

Schwartztrauber and his dedicated group of volunteers have been working on repairing this historical cemetery, including the team of Babe Papproth, Tim Ogle, Dan Fietsam, Vern Malare and Tom’s wife, Sharon, along with other team helpers.

“We have working to clean up and find many, many buried gravestones and repair, and re-set them upright again,” he said.

“The place looks fantastic from the point that we started. There is always a gentle breeze that keeps the flags flying,” he said.

Revolutionary War Soldiers

The O’Fallon Cemetery Detectives have placed markers for American Patriots Pvt. Larkin Rutherford and Lt. “Turkey Hill” Scott at the Shiloh Valley Cemetery in Shiloh Valley Cemetery, Shiloh and for Rev. John Mason Peck at the Rock Spring Cemetery, O’Fallon Township, St Clair County.

In November 2019, they dedicated a memorial cenotaph for American Patriot Drummer Boy Pvt. George Bridges North Carolina Militia, British Prisoner of War and Illinois Pioneer.

He is buried in the Bridges Cemetery on Hagemann Road. George Bridges is believed to be the only American Patriot buried in O’Fallon Township. There are six American patriots buried in the Shiloh Valley Cemetery.

Who Are the Cemetery Detectives?

All ardent history buffs with a fascination about genealogy, they traverse St. Clair, Madison, Monroe and Randolph counties, hunting for ancestral burial grounds and discovering local history on their excursions.

If it’s a sunny Wednesday or Saturday, people will find them digging in the dirt and getting things done. An overgrown patch of land with broken gravestones has often become a treasure trove.

“There is a never-ending list of cemeteries in need of clean up. We need more volunteers,” Schwartztrauber said.

He started the group as “Cousin” field trips. Schwartztrauber seems to be related to everyone, including as a distant cousin to this writer, on her paternal grandmother’s side. He will let you know the connection through genealogical records.

Finding historical, family cemeteries

All members of the O’Fallon Historical Society, they have targeted such historical and family cemeteries as the Sparks Cemetery — which is at the end of Taylor Road on private property — and the Simmons Cemetery — which is alongside Old Collinsville Road, College Hill, Shiloh Valley, Turkey Hill and other historic family cemeteries on private property, asking permission.

A few years ago, they discovered the Lemen Family Cemetery, and the oldest continuance Baptist cemetery in the state, Bethel Baptist.

They take care of the supplies and labor themselves, sometimes receiving donations. The group usually meets the fourth Wednesday of every month for their outings.

Schwarztrauber, a retired pharmacist who grew up in Belleville and now lives in St. Louis, lived for a time at a family farm in Shiloh.

“A few years back, I started visiting more and more local cemeteries, influenced greatly by cousins Dorothy Scott Falk and Babe Papproth. We would go visit a cemetery on Wednesday mornings, then have lunch. Afterwards we’d go to the O’Fallon Historical Society Museum for our Wednesday volunteer time from 1 to 4 p.m.,” he said.

Ogle, a retired firefighter in St. Louis, wanted to find out more about his relatives. He is related to O’Fallon’s first known resident, Capt. Joseph Ogle, a Revolutionary War veteran.

Donn Beedle, who lives in Columbia, helps. He is related to the same Beedle family that counts actor William Holden, born Beedle, in their ranks.

Visiting old cemeteries for many years

Though the Native American settlement dates back centuries, O’Fallon’s first modern-day settlement was made in 1802.

The area was settled by people drawn to the rich land well-suited to agriculture. John Mason Peck founded Rock Spring Seminary in 1827, the first college in Illinois. Coal mining began in the mid-19th century and the railroad was built, using the depot at O’Fallon Station.

Papproth, who was born and has lived on the same street in O’Fallon for 86 years, has been visiting old cemeteries for many years. She located them through old plat maps — cemeteries are marked with a little cross on the properties. For many years, she was accompanied by her grandson, affectionately known as “James #13,” to indicate he was her 13th grandchild.

‘There are lots of old cemeteries here’

A font of local history, Papproth has her old plat books at the ready.

“There are a lot of old cemeteries here. The old farmers are buried on their grounds,” she said.

“I don’t remember not seeing cemeteries and wanting to find out more,” she said. “When my kids were little, we didn’t have a car, so we would walk. We’d take a lunch, sit and talk. The kids would see the cemeteries and notice the gravestones. ‘He was in the Civil War!’ one would say,” she said.

Malare, a lifelong O’Fallon resident, started helping and put in more hours than any non-member, so he joined.

To help with their projects, one can call the O’Fallon Historical Society at 618-624-8409 or stop by the museum when it is open, from 1-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 101 W. State St. Email is: info@ofallonhistory.net and the website is: ofallonhistory.net.

Actress Mary Wickes

Schwartztrauber discovered a famous actress — Mary Wickes — buried among the tombstones in Shiloh Valley Cemetery last spring.

Perhaps she is best known as the tough ballet taskmaster who put Lucille Ball through a comical workout in a classic “I Love Lucy” episode, and Wickes was a familiar face for decades in movies and television, but she was a local girl.

Born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser, she is buried in the Shiloh Valley Cemetery. She was born June 13, 1910, in St. Louis and died Oct. 22, 1995, in Los Angeles. She never married. Her father was a prominent local banker. She grew up a debutante and attended Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in political science.

But a career on stage beckoned, and she rose to fame as a no-nonsense nurse, Miss Preen, on Broadway in Kaufman and Hart’s “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” reprising her role on film in 1942. Modern audiences would know her from “Sister Act” and “The Trouble with Angels.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2021 at 6:00 AM.