Who Is Buried in Biedler's Mausoleum?

In Mt. Pulaski Cemetery there is a brick mausoleum. It is unique in that it is the only mausoleum in the cemetery. It is not attractive. But it is more unique because it is sealed tightly. For years I thought it was an abandoned storage building, not realizing it was the mausoleum in my grandfather's story.



This is the mausoleum of Henry Beidler who died in December 1888. I know very little about Mr. Beidler. He escaped mention in the local histories, both contemporaneously with his life and the more recent ones. He comes from a family that married a daughter of Jabez Capps, one of the founders of Mt. Pulaski. Other members of his family were involved in publishing the local paper. He did marry and have heirs because one of them contacted me and basically wondered if I knew who is buried in Beidler's tomb.

All I could relate is a story my grandfather told me long ago. A man was buried in the mausoleum in a coffin containing alcohol. It was supposed to be a preservative. Someone broke into the mausoleum. Officials went into the structure, opened the coffin and noted that the body was well preserved, sealed the coffin and then sealed the mausoleum. Presumably relatives were involved. That was all I knew.

Only one coffin was mentioned. The story, and the mystery, is related on the the Logan County Genealogy blog. Maybe you know something that will help a descendant find the answers.

Photos by Jane DeWitt

Conrad and Eva Maus

This is the stone for Conrad and Eva Maus. They came to America from Germany in 1854 and to Mt. Pulaski, Illinois, soon after with their six children. The significance of the stone and urn is not known.

Photo by Jane DeWitt

A Real Stone

Photo by Jane DeWitt

This the stone, literally, for Henry Volle at Mt. Pulaski Cemetery. Henry was born September 7, 1874, and lived for 92 years until October 3, 1965. He and his wife Margaret Horn had three children. The children grew up and moved away. I have no idea why he chose this very large rock.

Old Clark Stones

This is the stone of Rev. David and Sarah "Sallie" Winans Clark in Mt. Pulaski Cemetery. No, I can't read it either anymore but back when you could it was read and it says:

Sally Wife of Rev. David Clark and Daugh. of Samuel and Hannah Woodruff died Dec 3, 1843 by the 54th year of her age
Also Rev. David Clark Born Aug 28, 1776 Died Jan 6, 1847 In the 72d year of his age

Nice of them to include the genealogy on the stone.

This stone is standing thanks to the work of Eagle Scouts from the area who, as a project, righted and stabilized stones in that old area of the cemetery.


There are other Clark stones in the area including this one for their son Rev. Richard Clark. It is only a seven years younger but it has survived better than the other stone.

I took these pictures but if you have an ancestor buried in the Mt. Pulaski Cemetery it is likely you can get Jane DeWitt of the Mt. Pulaski Township Historical Society to take a picture of their stone for you.

Symbolism in Stones

Mt. Pulaski Cemetery is a cemetery which spans the nearly 175 year history of the central Illinois town. WTVP, the public television station in Peoria, Illinois, recently aired a piece filmed in the cemetery discussing the symbolism of various stones.

The video can be seen online at http://www.illinoisadventuretv.org/index.asp?page=st&site=1006

South Logan Cemetery Database

The most exciting thing going on in the cemeteries of South Logan County is the cemetery database which Jane DeWitt has been working on for years. She compiled it from a variety of sources, using the names from the tombstone transcriptions posted on the Logan County ILGenWeb site. There are nearly 10,000 names. If a person is buried in the area they are likely listed.

Jane used the county history books, an old coffin maker's records, the "Green Book," the records of the cemetery district and other sources in compiling the information. It contains burial information, including location of the stone when available, as well social information using information on the stone and the books and everything else available.

It was years in the making and is now in editing, a slow and painful process as we check information and attempt to make everything consistent. Yours truly is handling that in her "spare" time. It helps that I am related to a very large chunk of those listed. Members of the Logan County mailing list were given a sneak peek and several corrections and additions have come forth from that. Visitors to the Mt. Pulaski Historical Society may also get a peek. Jane may be using it to answer a question.

The project is currently in spreadsheet format. We would like to eventually convert that to something where one could search for, say, all the War of 1812 vets buried at Steenbergen. Suggestions are welcome!