Hidden Cemetery: Teel Family Uncovers Ancestral Grounds
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A family whose roots are in Du Quoin with descendants all across the country is reclaiming and restoring its ancestral cemetery northeast of St. Johns.
David Teel of Texas, who years ago had relatives (and still has cousins) in Du Quoin, said work has been done in earnest to clear the overgrown 60-by-60 foot Teel Cemetery.
Another relative, Owen Teel, of Michigan, has the same goal.
"As Owen originally mentioned, the old family cemetery has been abandoned for at least 40 years and has fallen into disrepair. I first visited the cemetery with my folks back in 1992. Even at that time it was in bad shape," David said.
"This past October, I made a trip to Southern Illinois with the intention of: 1. Making a minimal clean up effort. 2. Researching the cemetery and local records in a continuation of my father's genealogy research, and 3. Beginning documentation of the cemetery as recommended by the Illinois Historical Preservation Society," David said.
"While in town, I met some distant cousins still living there in Du Quoin. It was hard to believe that some had lived there their entire lives and had never visited the cemetery. I encouraged them to visit it with me and the effort to make a minimal clean up spread like wild fire. Within weeks, these folks had completely cleared the undesirable growth from the cemetery. As news of the clean up spread, a rejuvenated interest also spread throughout the family."
"Because the cemetery is land locked in a farmer's field, work needs to be coordinated around planting and harvesting. Therefore, we have scheduled a family reunion/clean up trip this coming March (March 13th through the 18th). There is family coming in from Texas (Houston, Austin and Dallas Area), Illinois (Champaign, Danville, Du Quoin, Christopher, Mulkeytown and possibly Peoria), Kentucky (Lexington) and California (Los Angeles). Additionally, we are expecting Owen (Michigan) and his cousin Dwight (Loren's brother from Wisconsin) to make it down. We also have a local historian wanting to spend some time documenting the markers for her on-going Perry County research," said David.
"To date, my immediate family has shouldered the finances including an abstract title search, stump grinding, and attorney fees associated with researching right-of-ways and property ownership. Aside from the long term maintenance costs associated with monthly upkeep, we are looking at near future costs associated with:
1. Restoration of the grade, topsoil and drainage,
2. Uprighting and cleaning the markers,
3. Repairing the three broken markers,
4. Building a new, more durable fence around the property, and
5. Buying a common headstone for two unmarked graves. Through research and conversations with Owen, we have found two children buried in the cemetery whose parents were too poor to afford any kind of funeral service including caskets or headstones. Owen said that he believed some of the cousins built the caskets and he distinctly remembers another cousin hand digging the grave for the little girl buried in 1944. Collectively, we feel it appropriate to provide a marker for these two children," said David."Maybe others would be interested in contributing to the preservation and restoration of one of the older cemeteries in the area," he added.
Family members can reach David by eMail at: mrjibbs@hughes.net
His telephone number in Waxachachie, Texas is 972-923-2454.