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Williams Cemetery
Williams Cemetery sometimes in later years referred to the Clay/Mosser Cemetery when in actuality it should have been named the Underwood Cemetery. Back in 1881 on the eighth day of February J. R. Williams and H. A. Williams saw fit when they owned the property to have Lot number, two (2) of the subdivision of the North West quarter of section thirty, 30, in Township Eleven North Range one East, being one hundred square rods of ground which is now fenced and used as a cemetery on said above described quarter. This plot of ground was used for a cemetery long before it was deeded to be a cemetery. from a listing I have and comparing with tombstones and such the first burial from the tombstones seems to be in the year of 1844; the son of A. R. & A. M. Halliwill aged 3years 5mo and 8days. They called him James Halliwill. The Grantor, J. R. Williams and H. A. Williams for the consideration of One Dollars convey and quit-claim to H. Ellis, C. A. Rheichard, and John L. Cone as Trustees to the Williams Cemetery Association all interest in the following described real estate: ----as stated above--- situated in the County of Knox in the State of Illinois, hereby releasing and waiving all rights under and by virtue of the Homestead Exemption Laws of this State. Dated this eight day of February A. D. 1881. J. R. Williams (Seal) H. A. Williams (Seal) In a later documentation of later years when the property had changed had it also states: 230.81 acres of land designated as Lot Number 8 of Revenue Plat of 1919 of the West half of Section 30, Township 11 North, Range 1 East of the Fourth Principal Meridian, Knox county, Illinois, recorded in Volume 8 of Plats, page 12, being the land described as the North 232.42 acres of the West Half of Section 30, in Township 11 North, Range 1 East of the Fourth Principal Meridian, Knox County, Illinois (except for seventy-four hundredths of an acre designated at Lot 2 and eighty-seven hundredths of an acre designated as Lot 7 on said Plat). This is where the Williams Cemetery sometimes called the Clay/Mosser Cemetery sits.
Many people are not aware that most cemeteries even older one might have a deed to them and people who own the property around them do not actually own the cemetery itself. Most People also do not know or realize that it is a state law that a person who has a cemetery no matter how big has to provide a right-of-way to get to the said cemetery. They can not tell you that you can not visit the cemetery or anything on that order. It's not done or suppose to be done and if it is the person who tells you that is in the wrong. So, go visit any cemetery you want. If you have to cross land owned by somebody else I always ask permission first. some of them don't realize the right-of-way that is suppose to be made available. So, to cause problems, I just stop and ask somebody about it first. I want people to know this. Also, if you have relatives buried here in this cemetery would like your support in a clean up of it. There tombstones down and over the fence and it also might need to be surveyed again to get the proper lineage back in place. While visiting the cemetery today and taking photos of all the tombstones that were visible. I spotted a tombstone over the fence in a pile of rail road ties. I crossed the fence and took photos of that tombstone also. All photos will be put online today or tomorrow with a link from this page. But like support and help from descendants of people buried here to put tombstones back upright and to set some in concrete. Thanks for your time. Feed my doggie emails he will love you.
Ted & Hilary have done more
research on the people buried here and have obituaries, and other info
on them. They are also in the process of putting the fence back to
the original location and including a tombstone that ended up in the hog
lot. Will be out that way later on in this summer and plan on taking
some newer photos with my camera as some of the ones taken before are
from and older camera and it was in Feb and I about froze to death that
day. Thanks!!!! and any help on more of these fine people buried here
would love to hear from you. Thanks! created February 10, 2006 |
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I had
an ancestor contact me about this cemetery and it's condition. The
condition has improved not a whole lot but some and still needs some
work since she was here and visited in 1991. She was drove out of
the Cemetery not being able by the person who holds the deed above to
enter this cemetery.
I want to apologize to her and any other
descendants that have tried through the years to visit this cemetery
only to be told they could not by the person who said he owned the land
when in fact
HE DOES NOT. Says so right in his deed. I'm sorry for
any in-convenience or hard feelings this gentleman may have caused
anyone or anybody.
This should never have happened to anyone and the
gentleman in question knew it. That what is so sad about this.
But I'm here to say sorry for his treatment of you.
Also, the lady
in question who contacted me knows more about this cemetery than anyone
in Knox County who I've talked to. I found the deed records at the
courthouse and have a copy of them here at my home if anyone is
interested in a copy just email me and I will send them to you. But I
had to put this on here. 
Also, want to say
thanks to the people or persons who are or who started
the clean up of this very old cemetery. 
It still needs some work
with the up righting of several very large tombstones. But thanks
for what you are doing and the people lying there would thank you too if
they could. It's always nice to be remembered.
Update-- A
distant cousin of mine is doing the clean up of this cemetery, I
recently found out. Their names are Ted & Hilary Hoffman. They can be
reached at 
Ted &
Hilary Hoffman
.