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For years, I knew very little about my ancestors or where they came from. Consequently, I've spent many years researching, collecting, verifying, and yes, sometimes even discarding information from many sources.

Many people have helped and guided me along the way and to them, I am most grateful.

In addition to my own genealogy, I'm compiling the histories of families from my hometown of Clay County, Illinois and their extended families.

I'm also compiling the histories of our military veterans from Clay County, Illinois; Richland County, Illinois; and Wayne County, Illinois and their extended families. I salute them for their service and their many sacrifices

I'm converting all surnames from all UPPER CASE to Normal Case (This could take some time to complete).

I'm including Les Higgason's "Civil War Veterans, Buried in Clay County, Illinois (including Confederate)" to the website. Les was the Sexton for Elmwood Cemetery in Flora, Illinois for many years and has done extensive research on Clay County Illinois Veterans of all wars. I thank him for his hard work and dedication.

I will be including Les Higgason's "Spanish-American Veterans Buried in Clay County, Illinois."

I will be including Kaleb Beaver's "World War I Veterans buried in Richland County, Illinois."

The web-site is quickly approaching its allotted size limits. In order to gain back some space, I'll be converting my headstone photos to burial links on https://findagrave.com

My content comes from many different sources and surely contains some errors. I will correct those errors as they are discovered.

I'm constantly updating and adding new content, so I encourage you to become a regular user.

I'm a member of Clay County Genealogy Society (Louisville, Illinois) and Richland County Genealogy Society (Olney, Illinois).

This website is available in English, German, French, and Spanish.

Honoring Our Military Veterans

Military Veterans Buried Overseas

All Military Veterans

American Revolutionary War Veterans

War of 1812 Veterans

Mexican - American War Veterans

American Civil War Veterans

American Indian Wars Veterans

Spanish - American War Veterans

World War I Veterans

World War II Veterans

Korean War Veterans

Viet Nam War Veterans

Desert Shield-Desert Storm Veterans

Persian Gulf War Veterans

Enduring Freedom Veterans

Iraqi Freedom Veterans

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The Bones of My Bones

The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family. It goes to deep pride that the fathers fought and some died to make and keep us a nation. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. It is of equal pride and love that our mothers struggled to give us birth, without them we could not exist, and so we love each one, as far back as we can reach. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are they and they are the sum of who we are. So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take my place in the long line of family storytellers. That is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and restore the memory or greet those who we had never known before. It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. It is of equal pride and love that our mothers struggled to give us birth, without them we could not exist, and so we love each one, as far back as we can reach. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are they and they are the sum of who we are. So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take my place in the long line of family storytellers. That is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and restore the memory or greet those who we had never known before.
by Della M. Cummings Wright; Rewritten by her granddaughter Dell Jo Ann McGinnis Johnson; Edited and Reworded by Tom Dunn, 1943.

The Chosen

We are the chosen. In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors, "You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us.". How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who I am, and why I do the things I do. We are the chosen. In each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their bones and make them live again. To tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve. Doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called, as it were, by our genes. Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do. In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors, "You have a wonderful family; you would be proud of us.". How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say. It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who I am, and why I do the things I do.

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