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Archiver > ILMAGA > 2001-11 > 1005703655


From: Mary Ann Kaylor <>
Subject: Re: [ILMAGA] Diamond Grove Cemetery
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 20:07:35 -0600
In-Reply-To: <010201c16cab$7f895a80$395a08d8@computer>


What brave souls these three are to tackle such a job......but now it can
be said that Diamond Grove is almost read and soon to be on line. Quite a
project, as was Jacksonville East. But if anyone can do, Shirley can <g>

Thanks to Shirley, her mother Ruth and Earl.


At 07:27 PM 11/13/2001 -0600, you wrote:
>Just a note to all of you who have asked and are interested - Thanks to
>my wonderful friend and your fellow lister, Earl Deatherage, and to my
>mother (each spent a week working with me), the reading of Diamond Grove
>Cemetery in Jacksonville is approximately 90% complete. Am fairly
>certain each of them wondered more than once what they had gotten
>themselves into and my husband just knew I was goofy after he made his
>first trip out there to find me (I think his words were something
>like "it'll take you a year!!!!!". By now, my car can find it's own way
>out there.....smile. The cemetery occupies approximately 40 acres - and
>my mother informed me that it is almost exactly 1/2 mile from the front
>gate to the western most drive in the cemetery.......
>
> I'm diligently working on typing the readings (have almost 9,000 names
> done so far and making more progress every day). I hope to have all of
> it online sometime during the next couple of weeks. If the weather
> holds, I intend to try and finish the reading this weekend - next week
> at the latest - no doubt I'm overly optimistic as usual - seems like it
> always takes longer than I think it will. The weather this week makes me
> really unhappy that I still work. At least I can see the light at the
> end of the tunnel. Without these two super troopers, it would have been
> impossible to finish the reading this fall and I couldn't have
> accomplished nearly as much alone - easy to see why it hadn't been done
> before...... I think Earl's last question was "Is this the last
> one? Told him there was one more (Memorial Lawn) and gave him a big
> smile. He helped me get started on Jacksonville East too so who
> knows....maybe next year....
>
>It's the help of others which gives me the needed incentive to get started
>on a project this size. I believe the effort is well worth it - the only
>published material I had seen on Diamond Grove was taken from cemetery
>records and included only burial dates - NONE of the really old burials
>were included since I'm sure the cemetery doesn't have them and there were
>very few records were included in the material after the early 1970s. The
>city purchased the cemetery in the mid 1860s I think and there were
>already a sizeable number of burials at that time. No doubt, like most
>old cemeteries, any records from the early days (if they existed at all)
>have long since vanished. Also discovered Sunday that some of the State
>Hospital burials (at least those for 1945 and 1946 - didn't check further)
>have name plates which include birth year, if known and death date so am
>looking forward to picking those up too - just really wish they were all
>marked.
>
>There are many many huge beautiful markers in this cemetery. It is well
>maintained though some of the oldest markers are starting to fall and
>there is never enough money to set them all back up. The cemetery
>personnel are most helpful so if you find it possible to visit and need
>find a grave I know you'll get all of the friendly help you need.
>
>At any rate, just wanted you all to know that I'm not retired.......just busy.
>
>
>
>
>==== ILMAGA Mailing List ====
>MAGA Web has many Biographies online for Central IL Counties of Morgan,
>Sangamon, Scott, Greene, Cass and Macoupin.

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