This information comes from my personal experience, as well as from newspaper articles. Refer to the end of this story for a list of specific sources. One of these newspaper articles featured a list of people buried in the Mausoleum for whom Robert Wolber, Carroll County Circuit Clerk, was unable to find living descendants. This list was published in the Mirror Democrat in March 1977. I have written short bios of most of these people, based on research I’ve completed as of September 1, 2010. Please email me with any subsequent information. Exterior of the Lincoln Mausoleum I’ve often wondered how many people return to Oak Hill Cemetery in Mount Carroll after decades away, only to discover that the big mausoleum their ancestors were buried in has totally disappeared and they have no idea where those people’s graves are now. It must seem impossible. Few people probably ever consider how a mausoleum is maintained or even who owns it. I don’t think our family knew when we buried my grandfather, Harvey Loomer Downing, in the Lincoln Mausoleum in November 1953. This mausoleum was located at what was then the rear of Oak Hill cemetery, in the south east part. This is the area which is on top of the big hill, far above the picnic shelter in Point Rock Park. As far as we knew, the mausoleum had always been there, and was owned by the city of Mount Carroll. Other members of the Harvey Loomer Downing family were buried in the Mausoleum, including his parents and his wife. Loomer’s children and their families had visited their crypts in the mausoleum regularly over the years. But by the time of my grandfather’s burial the Mausoleum was in evident disrepair, and it appeared to not just be poorly kept up but in actual decay. People were cautioned not to lean against the ledges where vases of flowers were placed. I was seven years old at the time and just thought they were trying to keep the kids from knocking things down. But there was more to it than that. As the years passed, the condition got worse. First it was broken skylights, with pigeons swooping in and leaving evidence of their visits. Then it progressed to large visible cracks in the outside of the building and what appeared to be heavy dust inside, which was actually the crumbling walls and ceiling. Eventually, there was frequent breakage of larger pieces of marble inside, and the crumbling of major parts of the ledges. By the mid-1960s, we cringed every time we went there. Unknown to us, or probably to most people, the problem of the Lincoln Mausoleum (I didn’t know until recently it even had a name) had been going on for decades. According to the January 12, 1977 Mirror Democrat article, there had been no legal owner since 1930. A company calling itself the Lincoln Mausoleum Company was incorporated in 1910 and according to Fay Christian, the longtime Mount Carroll funeral director, this company had built the structure in the winter months of 1911-1912. “When the company was originally formed, they sold 200 stocks at $100 a share to a total of 16 people. There were 200 crypts, 100 on each side (of a wide center aisle). Many of them were sold in the early days of the company,” according to the Mirror Democrat article written in January 12, 1977. However, in November 1928, the Lincoln Mausoleum Company was charged by the State of Illinois with failure to comply with state statutes. A decree was entered in Sangamon County Court which officially dissolved the Lincoln Mausoleum Company corporation as of May 1930. No one was declared the owner of the Lincoln Mausoleum at that time, or obligated to repair or maintain the building. Even if it had been maintained, the building suffered from fatal construction flaws. Fay Christian’s letter to the editor of the Mirror Democrat, written sometime in January 1977, sums up the source of the problem. “Your article stated it was built of cinder-blocks, somewhat over-stretched however. The blocks were not specified to be of genuine Portland cement, and the sand and gravel mix was not specified to be washed and cleaned of clay, as it should have been. In my honest opinion, the Mausoleum was constructed without a careful inspection by a certified architect. It was built for eye appeal and profit, but not for durability to be a lasting credit to the community.” After the newspaper articles came out in 1977 (and possibly before), it was evident the Mausoleum could not be repaired, that it was a major health and safety hazard, and would have to be torn down immediately. People whose descendants were buried in the Mausoleum began buying new lots and tombstones and had their loved ones reburied, usually in other parts of Oak Hill Cemetery. I believe letters were sent to those persons the cemetery board knew to be descendants . The problem was that there were 43 deceased persons without known descendants. Some of these people died very early on. But regardless of when they died, nearly all of them no longer had descendants living anywhere near Mount Carroll by 1977, and many had no living descendants at all. A list of these people was printed in the Mirror Democrat, probably in March 1977; this list appears below. The City of Mount Carroll had petitioned the Carroll County Circuit Court, which on Tuesday, May 24, 1977 granted the city the right to disinter and rebury those deceased who remained in the Mausoleum because they were without known descendants, and to demolish the building. Money was appropriated for this purpose. The original piece of marble with the deceased’s name and dates of birth and death inscribed onto it was taken from the opening of each crypt in the Mausoleum. It was laid flat and encased in cement and used as a marker for each of these new graves. The markers are readily identifiable because the style of each is the same, and most of these new graves are near where the Mausoleum had been. The marble was probably not originally cut to be used outside, because the markers were white or very light grey when they were in the Mausoleum, but now almost slate colored after over 3 decades outside. There are several photos of these grave markers on this website, including those of Mary and Simon Bowman, David and Anna Iler, David Irwin, and Delia Smith. There may be more. These are the names printed from the Mirror Democrat newspaper in March 1977. I don’t know how many of them may have been claimed by descendants who saw the names in the newspaper and buried their ancestors using conventional tombstones. Della Babcock Roswell Barber Eva Beardsley J. Mark Bickley Henry Bitner Mrs. Henry Bitner Simon Bowman Mrs. Simon Bowman Bush (first name unknown) Dr. W. E. Clay Mrs. W. E. Clay Henry Egeere Mrs. Henry Egeere J. H. Frazer Mrs. George S. Fulrath Hiram C. George Mrs. Hiram C. George Graham (unknown first name) Rudolph Gust Charles Hanna Rhoda Hoffman D. L. Humbert Mrs. D. L. Humbert David Iler Mrs. David Iler David Irwin Mrs. David Irwin W. H. James W. H. Melendy W. H. Melendy (infant or child) A. H. Nyman, or Wyman Mrs. A. H. Nyman, or Wyman Mrs. Oscar (Bessie) Poorman Delia Smith Fred Smith Mary E. Snyder L. H. Tomkins D. W. Troxell Mrs. E. Vanderhyden F. M. Wherritt Wildey (first name unknown) J. B. Williams Jessie Williams Who Were These 43 Men & Women? The information in these short bios comes from my research, and it is not complete. I was unable to go to Oak Hill Cemetery and discover any dates of birth or death on these people’s tombstones, except for the few already photographed on this website. None of these people were close relatives of mine, and some of the information I’ve provided may not be correct. I have noted the level of belief I have in the accuracy of the information. Della Babcock is probably the Della M. Melendy who married Charles S. Babcock on September 9, 1890 in Carroll County. She was born July 28, 1865 in Carroll County, the daughter of Nathaniel H. and Abigail Amelia (Brown) Melendy. Della’s name is Clara D. Melendy on the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900. Charles S. Babcock was a lawyer and they were living in Chicago and appear there on the 1900 US Federal Census. I don’t show her date of death. Roswell Barber was born in 1850 in New York, probably in Canton, St. Lawrence County, New York. His parents were Luman Foot and Angeline (Bradley) Barber. (I have to think Luman is a typo and Lyman is the correct given name, but I have no proof of this.) Roswell Barber died in Mount Carroll on December 6, 1921 according to the Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950. Eva Beardsley was a single woman who supported herself as a milliner (hat maker) and dress maker. She lived and worked in Lanark in 1870 and in Mount Carroll in 1880 and afterwards, at least according to the censuses. She was born on October 2, 1845 in Le Raysville, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Andrew Bostwick and Caroline (Benham) Beardsley. Eva died in 1914. J. Mark Bickley; I worked on him one afternoon and got absolutely nowhere. Henry Bitner, according to “Carroll County, A Goodly Heritage” published in 1968 states “Henry Bitner, early teacher, merchant in Mount Carroll, lived on a farm just across the creek. The lovely brick home where he often entertained his friends still stands east of the old Emmert stone house. He was elected as a Democrat for one term in 1880, jointly served in the House with Rep. Stover. He died in 1917.” He was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania on April 16, 1829 and arrived in Carroll County, Illinois in April 1851. He was first a teacher and in the picture business, then was in the drug business 8 years. (He was a druggist on the 1870 census.) By 1878, when Kett published the History of Carroll County, he was a farmer and stock raiser. He married Eliza E. Goes on May 8, 1856 in Carroll County. They had two children, Clayton G, who was born in February 1859 and Harry, born in November 1869. Henry Bitner had retired by June 1900; he died in Mount Carroll on May 19, 1917. Clayton Bitner also died in 1917 but he’s not in the Illinois Statewide Death Index. He’s also buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Mrs. Henry Bitner was Eliza E. Goes, who was from Bradford County, Pennsylvania. She was also born in 1829, November 1829 according to the 1900 census. She died in 1915, if she is the Emma Eliza Bitner who was born in 1829 and is listed in this website’s Oak Hill Cemetery listings. Simon Bowman was born in Pennsylvania in October 1851, to John and Hannah (unknown maiden name) Bowman. He married Adeline M. Green on February 21, 1884 in Carroll County. He died in Mount Carroll on January 19, 1941. Mrs. Simon Bowman was Adeline M. Green. She was born November 23, 1853 in Carroll County, the daughter of Uriah and Almeda (Herrington) Green. She died October 16, 1942 in Mount Carroll. Simon and Adeline (Green) Bowman had no children. Bush (first name unknown). There isn’t enough information to work with. Dr. W. E. Clay was Dr. Walter Elbert Clay, who was born May 14, 1869 in Willow, Jo Daviess County, Illinois. His parents were Daniel Reuben and Christiann (Bruce) Clay. He married Grace Drapier on August 18, 1899 in Valparaiso, Wells County, Indiana. He died February 26, 1922 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Mrs. W. E. Clay was Grace Drapier, who was born June 30, 1872 in Valparaiso, Wells County, Indiana. I don’t know the names of her parents. She died June 27, 1967 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. They had at least three children: Charlotte, William H., and Lois. Henry Egeere. His name is actually spelled Egererre. He was born about 1863 in Wisconsin. His father was Peter Egererre; I don’t have his mother’s name. Henry Egererre first married Margaret Wentz, on September 1, 1887 in Carroll County, Illinois. She died May 27, 1919 in Mount Carroll and is probably also buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, but probably was not first buried in the Mausoleum. His second wife was Lulu Viola Bucher, who was the Mrs. Henry Egererre on the list. He married her November 3, 1919. Henry Egererre was a butcher in Mount Carroll, Illinois. He died April 21, 1939 in Carroll County, Illinois. Mrs. Henry Egeere was Lula Viola Bucher Egererre, who was born March 21, 1889 in Berreman Township, Jo Daviess County, Illinois. Her parents were Jacob and Margaret (Frazier) Bucher. She died May 8, 1926 and was buried next to her husband in Oak Hill Cemetery. J. H. Frazer is James H. Frazer (sometimes spelled James H. Frazier) whose parents were James and Charlotte (unknown maiden name) Frazer. Two of his sisters are on this list. The first is the Margaret (Frazier) Bucher named in the previous bio, who was the mother of Lula Viola Bucher Egererre. (Margaret Frazier Bucher was not buried in the Mausoleum.) The other sister was Matilda Frazer, whose husband was the J. B. Williams (James B. Williams) at the end of this list. Matilda and James B. Williams son Jesse (spelled Jessie here) is also at the end of the list. James H. Frazer was born in August 1855, probably in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. He married Sarah J. Morrow on February 16, 1888 in Jo Daviess County. He was a farmer. It doesn’t look like they had any children. James H. Frazer died December 27, 1927 in Mount Carroll; his wife Sarah died March 25, 1941, also in Mount Carroll. Mrs. George S. Fulrath was Nellie Alice Hibarger, who was born August 23, 1862 in Carroll County. Her parents were Adam and Mary (unknown maiden name) Hibarger. She married George S. Fulrath on September 3, 1891 in Carroll County. She died on August 26, 1939 in Freeport, Stephenson County, Illinois. George S. Fulrath died March 3, 1930 in Mount Carroll, and is also buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Hiram C. George was born in Illinois in 1870, the son of Jeremiah G. and Joanna R. (Mitchell) George. He married Anne Mary Geesey on January 19, 1898 in Carroll County. He was a farmer who owned 124 acres in Section 7, Fair Haven Township. He died December 26, 1935 in Chadwick. Mrs. Hiram C. George was born Anne Mary Geesey on December 1, 1866 in Frankstown Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Michael and Sarah A. (Weaver) Geesey. She died June 12, 1950 in Carroll County. Graham (unknown first name). There isn’t enough information to work with. Rudolph Gust was born December 28, 1860 in Germany, the son of Ferdinand and Ernestina (unknown maiden name) Gust. They immigrated in 1869, settling first in Wisconsin. He was the owner of two meat markets, one in Lanark until 1893 and then one in Mount Carroll. He married Mary Egererre in 1882, probably in Wisconsin. She was the daughter of Peter Egererre; I don’t have her mother’s name. She was born in October 1858 in Ohio. (She was the sister of Henry Egererre, also on this list.) She died December 16, 1923 in Mount Carroll, and was also buried in Lincoln Mausoleum, according to Rudolph Gust’s will in his probate file. He died May 25, 1935 in East Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois. Charles Hanna is probably the same Charles Hanna the Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950 states died in Mount Carroll on March 29, 1921. I haven’t been very successful in my research here. His probate file in the Carroll County Courthouse shows among his nieces and nephews were Lizzie Bowers and Nettie Fickes. They were Lizzie Mae Harris and Nettie Harris, daughters of John and Eliza (unknown maiden name) Harris, a couple born in Ireland. But whether Charles Hanna was a sibling of Eliza or of the husband of a sister of John Harris I don’t know. The only date of birth I could find comes from the 1900 US Federal Census for Salem Township, Carroll County. It has him born in August 1852 in New York but it also shows him as 37 years old in 1900, an obvious mathematical error by the census taker. There’s an obvious generational split on their ages; John Harris was born in 1829 and his wife Eliza in 1834, whereas Charles Hanna was born in 1852, if we can believe the census. Of course many people had huge families in that era, so it’s possible if John and Eliza were the earliest born in their respective families and Charles was the last born. The same 1900 census show Charles Hanna living as a servant in the Andrew Adams household. Andrew Adams wife Cora’s maiden name was Cora Harris; she was another child of John and Eliza Harris. The census shows Charles Hanna as a widower, and in Charles Hanna’s will it provides money to Lizzie and Nettie because of the care they provided to his ”now deceased son” who was frequently ill. His marriage and the birth and perhaps death of his son appear to have happened between 1880 and 1900, a period not covered by any available census of Carroll County. There is also no Charles Hanna who married anyone in Carroll County, Illinois or anywhere near it, in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900. I’m probably nearly as closely related to Charles Hanna as anyone is now. Lizzie Mae Harris’ husband was John H. Bowers, who married Sadie Miller in 1928 (after Lizzie Mae died in 1927), and then my aunt, Etta Horner, in 1944 (after Sadie died in 1943). Both Etta and John Bowers were dead well before the Mausoleum was torn down in 1977. Rhoda Hoffman, I don’t know too much about. It looks like she was the wife of Harry J. Hoffman, a car repairman for a steam railroad in Savanna. They appear to have married about 1907, and it doesn’t look from the censuses like they had any children. She was born about 1885 in Iowa. He was born in Illinois about 1882 and died March 13, 1933 in Savanna. He’s buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, increasing the likelihood that this same Rhoda Hoffman is his wife and she’s buried there too. I could find no date of birth or death for her, or their parents’ names. D. L. Humbert is almost assuredly David Luther Humbert, who was born July 4, 1830 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania to Frederick and Harriett Esther (Sisler) Humbert. He married Lillie Drucilla Jackson on October 11, 1864 in Carroll County. He died July 24, 1916; an online tree states that it was in Mount Carroll, but I could find no confirmation of that on the Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950. Mrs. D. L. Humbert. Mrs. D. L. Humbert would have been Lillie Jackson, daughter of Alexis and Mary (Harmon) Jackson. She was born in February 1842 in Illinois. I do not have her date of death. David Iler was born March 16, 1851 in Carroll County, Illinois, the son of John and Elizabeth (Myers) Iler. He married Sarah Annie Smith. He died April 14, 1928. Mrs. David Iler was Sarah Annie Smith; Anna is inscribed on her headstone. I don’t know who her parents were. She was born in July 1857 and died in 1920. I couldn’t find her full date of death in the Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950. David Irwin was born in Illinois in November 1858, the son of Alexander and Margaret (unknown maiden name) Irwin. He married Margaret Law on September 8, 1881 in Carroll County. They farmed near Zion in Woodland Township, Carroll County until 1907. David Irwin died in 1914. Mrs. David Irwin was Margaret Law, a daughter of Andrew and Ann (Carothers) Law. She was born on January 27, 1854 in Washington Township, Carroll County. She died in Mount Carroll on October 18, 1927. W. H. James is probably William Henry James, who was born April 17, 1874 in Mifflin, Pennsylvania. His parents were Harry and Sarah E. (Vincent) James. He first married Anna Millett in 1895; I don’t know her parents names. She died in 1897. He then married Minnie Kathryn James, daughter of Richard C. and Mary Martha (Treloar) James. Minnie was born on April 6, 1878 in Cornwall, England; she died September 16, 1956 in Mount Carroll. William was a farmer; he owned 200 acres in Section 23, Mount Carroll Township, Carroll County. William Henry James died on September 1, 1957 in Savanna, Carroll County, Illinois. W. H. Melendy is most assuredly N. H. Melendy, the name Nathaniel H. Melendy used. He was born January 27, 1828 in Cambridge, La Moille County, Vermont. He settled in Carroll County in the spring of 1853. His parents were Josiah Newell and (Lucy P. Arbuckle) Melendy. He married Abigail Amelia Brown on September 9, 1855. He died in Kansas on September 21, 1911. His wife Abigail died May 4, 1921 in Mount Carroll. W. H. Melendy (infant or child). Nathaniel Melendy and his wife Abigail had two children die young. Edith May Melendy was born April 15, 1861 in Carroll County, and she died June 2, 1863, also in Carroll County. I assume she is the infant referred to. Her sister Ada L. Melendy was born November 6, 1856 in Carroll County and died March 20, 1881 in Mount Carroll. Their third child, Della Melendy Babcock, is at the top of this list. A. H. Nyman, or Wyman was Albert H. Nyman, who was born in Maryland about 1845. I don’t know who his parents were. He married Anna M. Swaggart on November 22, 1866 in Carroll County. Albert H. Nyman was a farmer, although the History of Carroll County, Illinois published by Kett in 1878 shows him as a shoemaker. It doesn’t appear that they had any children. Albert H. Nyman died January 28, 1924 in Mount Carroll. Mrs. A. H. Nyman or Wyman was Anna M. Swaggart, and she was born in April 1845, in Carroll County, Illinois. Her parents were George and Sarah (Whiteside) Swaggart; her father was one of the very earliest settlers in Carroll County, arriving in 1835. Anna was a music teacher at Frances Shimer College in Mount Carroll. In 1880 they appear to have lived on the campus because they are listed on the census with the other teachers and students. They were still living in Mount Carroll in 1920, with Albert at age 75 doing “general work at a private school,” which would have had to have been Frances Shimer College. Annie died April 19, 1922 in East Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois. Mrs. Oscar (Bessie) Poorman was born in Illinois, probably Savanna on December 25, 1883. Her parents were William D. and Sophia (Spangler) McElheney. Bessie McElheney married Henry Oscar Poorman (known as Oscar Poorman) in 1903. Oscar died on April 2, 1926 in Mount Carroll. They had moved to Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois by 1918, when Oscar signed his World War I draft registration card, and Bessie and her son William were living there in April 1930, when the 1930 census was taken. According to the Social Security Death Index, Bessie Poorman died in June 1969; it shows her last residence was in Rockford. Her son William died in March 1973 according to the Social Security Death Index. Delia Smith was born in Maryland about January 1859. I couldn’t find any information about her parents, nor could I find when she moved to Carroll County. She never married, and was working as a servant in the John Ditsworth household in Salem Township, Carroll County, in 1900. In 1920, she worked as a housekeeper for Otto Jensen, a 75-year-old proprietor of a notions store in Mount Carroll. The death date on her tombstone is 1926, but I could find no entry for her on the Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950. Fred Smith, I couldn’t find at all. I’m fairly certain he isn’t the Fred S. Smith who died in 1953 and was a prominent attorney in Mount Carroll. Fred S. Smith is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, but I don’t think he was buried in the Lincoln Mausoleum first. Mary E. Snyder was probably Mary E. Haynes. She was born in Ohio, probably Circleville, on June 26, 1844, the daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Bechtel) Haynes. She married John A. Smith on January 12, 1865 in Carroll County; he died before June 1880 (when the census was taken). She married John Snyder on November 12, 1882 in Carroll County. There is a John Snyder who died about October 1, 1892 whose funeral was held in Sabula, Iowa; this John Snyder may have been the same John Snyder who was married to Mary E. Haynes. In any case, Mary E. (Haynes) Snyder appears on the 1910 US Federal Census for Mount Carroll as a 65 year old widow who was a housekeeper. The Illinois Statewide Death Index, 1916-1950 shows a Mary Elizabeth Snyder dying May 20, 1918 in Mount Carroll. I don’t have a photograph of her headstone, so at present I cannot confirm this. L. H. Tomkins is possibly Lewis Hunt Tomkins, who parents R. J. and Julia (Hunt) Tomkins settled in Carroll County in 1846. Lewis was born in Carroll County about 1849 and joined his father’s mercantile business at an early age. But by 1891 and probably before he had moved to Colorado, also establishing a mercantile business there. He married Alexandra Avery on September 14, 1898 in Jo Daviess County, Illinois and I found them on the 1900 and 1910 censuses for Pitkin County, Colorado. But I can’t find them after that, and I have no idea when Lewis H. Tomkins died. Nor do I know whether his body was sent back to Carroll County to be buried. D. W. Troxell is very illusive. I have many Troxell family members on my tree, but after an extensive search I can find nothing on this person. Mrs. E. Vanderhyden is Emma Jane (Eaton) Vanderheyden, whose obituary even states that she was to be buried in the mausoleum at Oak Hill Cemetery. Emma Jane Eaton was born June 7, 1867 at Elmoville, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, the daughter of Amos Daniel and Susan Maria (Bruce) Eaton. She married Winn (Hirm) Vanderheyden on June 10, 1886 in Carroll County; his father was John D. Vanderheyden. He died March 24, 1923 in Mount Carroll. Emma died January 19, 1940 northeast of Mount Carroll; the roads were so snowy her body had to be taken to the mortuary by bobsled. F. M. Wherritt is probably Joseph M. Wherritt, not F. M. Merritt. He was born in Carroll County about 1849; his parents were Joseph M. and Caroline (Flook) Wherritt. I don’t think he ever married. He worked as a druggist and other jobs. He died January 19, 1937 in Mount Carroll and his short death announcement states that he was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. Wildey (first name unknown). Wildey is assuredly William H. Wildey, his wife or his daughter May, or all three of them. His probate file in the Carroll County Courthouse names as one of his assets his 10 shares of Capital Stock of the Lincoln Mausoleum Company. When he died at 102 on October 23, 1941, he had been one of the last remaining Civil War veterans in Illinois. He was also thought to have been the oldest living Mason in Illinois and probably in the United States. He had operated a grocery store (Strong & Wildey, Groceries and Provisions) in Mount Carroll for 59 years, until he retired in 1925 at 86 years old. He was born April 19, 1839 in Springville, Erie County, New York, a child of Griffin and Emily (unknown maiden name) Wildey. He married Emily Vale on April 24, 1867. Emily Vale Wildey was born in England on April 20, 1843 to Samuel and Elizabeth (unknown maiden name) Vale. She was living in Chicago at the time of her marriage. She died in Mount Carroll on November 18, 1934. Their daughter, Emily May Wildey, known as May Wildey, was born in April 1868 and died September 8, 1950 in Mount Carroll. She did not marry, and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. J. B. Williams was James B. Williams, whose father was George W. Williams; I don’t know his mother’s name. He was born in Elizabeth, Jo Daviess County on December 10, 1858. He married Matilda Frazer (often written as Matilda Frazier) on March 9, 1880. Her parents were James and Charlotte (unknown maiden name) Frazer (or Frazier); she is a sister to J. H. Frazer listed above. James B. Williams was a farmer all his life, in Carroll County and Jo Daviess County, except for 3 years in Kansas. He died January 23, 1941 in Mount Carroll. Matilda died August 14, 1942, also in Mount Carroll. Jessie Williams’ full name was Jesse James Williams, and he was a son of James B. and Matilda (Frazer) Williams listed above. He was born in July 1882 in Illinois, undoubtedly either in Carroll or Jo Daviess counties. He married Irene Iona Hartman on December 30, 1914 near Lena, in Stephenson County, Illinois. Her parents were William and Arlie (Straw) Hartman. Jesse and Irene (Hartman) Williams had a son named Ross Williams, but later separated. Jesse Williams died May 26, 1927 in Mount Carroll. Sources for this story are: Circuit Court Notice, written by Robert Wolber, Circuit Clerk, Carroll County, Illinois, in unknown and undated newspaper. The dates March 31, April 7 and April 14 are written at the end of the article; I assume they’re from 1977. January 12, 1977 Mirror Democrat clipping. Headline: End May Be In Sight For Old Mausoleum. The two photos in this article came from this article. Letter from Fay Christian, Mount Carroll Funeral Director, to Paul Strukhoff, editor of the Mirror Democrat, probably written just after January 12, 1977. Undated clipping probably published in March 1977. It was written by Robert Wolber, Carroll County, Illinois Circuit Clerk, and lists the 43 deceased persons for whom descendants could not be found. It also provides legal information about the pending destruction of the Lincoln Mausoleum. May 25, 1977 Freeport Journal Standard, no byline. Headline: Mt. Carroll Mausoleum To Go. Undated clipping from unknown newspaper. Headline: Lincoln Mausoleum Demolition gets court OK; 50 to be buried. Information contributed by Alice Horner - See her websites -- The Downing, Bickelhaupt, and Preston Families Of Carroll County, Illinois The Horner Family Website