Willis Cemetery Map Willis Cemetery, Hancock Township, Hancock County, Illinois.
Willis Cemetery is located in Section 14 in the east central part of Hancock Township just a little over a mile inside Hancock County from the McDonough County line.
This cemetery burial list, in the Warren L. Van Dine project, is being set up by him Sept. 17, 1970. If an opportunity ever occurs to make a visit to the cemetery to obtain copies of inscriptions from the two dozen monuments and a more detailed description of the place that material will be added to this Introduction.
Willis Cemetery, Hancock Township, Hancock County, Illinois
The writer of this, Warren L. Van Dine, visited this Cemetery Sept. 18, 1970, copying inscriptions from the monuments. This addition to the Introduction is being put on paper the same day.
This cemetery is a fenced off plot, barely large enough for the handful of graves of this list, set down on a farmer’s hog lot. There are hogs and ditches and mud and even junk piled up on one side around it. It is the most unsatisfactory surroundings for a burying ground almost barring none in Hancock County in the opinion of the writer of this.
It is grown to grass knee high, with some tree limbs also on the ground. The heavy monuments, most of them off their bases, are hard to get at for copying of inscriptions with so much underfoot. Some are too heavy to be turned over and the inscriptions can’t be read.
There are more bases of monuments here than stones. It may be some families have moved their monuments even if they haven’t actually made disinterments and reinterments.
To reach Willis one walks back barely more than a stones throw from the back door of the large Robert Clausen farm home.
To get to the Clausen farm one takes hard road No. 136 east out of Carthage about ten miles to the Joetta Corner. The blacktop Joetta County road feeds into No. 136 from the north. The Clausen family lives about a half mile north on the blacktop, on the west side of the road.
Large Brown Granite (Off base, on ground).
James Sammons
May 24, 1835
Nov. 12, 1915
("Sammons" on top).Large Brown Granite (Off base, on ground).
Sarah W. Sammons
Born May 15, 1840
Died Feb. 1, 1903
("Sammons" on top).Small Marble Slab (Off base, on ground, piece broken off, lost).
Stephen A., son of T. & S. E. Sammons
Born Feb. 21, 1870
Died Jan. 12, 1882.Small Marble Shaft (Off base, on ground).
(One Side)
Children of J. P. & E. W. Fletcher
(One Side)
Ethel M.
Born May 30, 1885
Aged 9 ms., 12 ds.
(One Side)
Infant
Born Mar. 22, 1878
Infant
Born Jan. 27, 1883Small Marble Shaft (Off base, on ground).
Iona May, daughter of J.E. & W.J. Shields
Born Jan. 13, 1885
Died Feb. 13, 1886
Aged 1 y. 1 m.
(Epitatth unreadable).Small Marble Slab (Off base and all down)
Della O. Yetter
Feb. 16, 1893
July 9, 1899
Infant
Sept. 11, 1897.
(Epitath unreadable).Medium Sized Marble Shaft (Off base, on ground)
In Loving Remembrance
Grandma Pennington
Died Apr. 3, 1899
Aged 88 yrs., 11 ms., 14 ds.Large Marble Shaft (Off base, on ground).
(Willis on Base)
William Willis
Died Mar. 14, 1876
Aged 82 yrs., 4 ms., 22 ds.
(G.A.R. Cast Iron Marker on ground nearby)Large Gray Granite (Off base, inscription on under side, too heavy to turn over).
Small Marble Slab
Louisa M., dau. of J.F. & A. L. Willis
Died July 31, 1877
Aged 9 ms., 14 ds.
(Epitath unreadable).Large Marble Monument (Apparently off stone base nearby but this may be a part of base)
Large Marble Shaft
(One Side)
Erected to Memory of
Sophia F., wife of J. K. Shore
Died Oct. 25, 1888
Aged 45 yrs., 11 ms., 26 ds.
(Epitath unreadable)(Probably has inscription on other side. Too heavy to turn over).
Small Marble Shaft (Off base, on ground)
(Only on one side)
Menter,
May
Born Nov. 3, 1883
Died Oct. 22, 1852
(Inscription practically weathered off and above a mistake of course)Small Marble Shaft (Off base)
(One Side)
Emily G. Alba
Born Aug. 3, 1878
Died Feb. 11, 1888
(One Side)
Betsey Woods
Born Sept. 1, 1800
Died July --, 1868.Small Marble Shaft (Off base, on ground)
Sarah, wife of G. B. Greenly
Died Oct. 20, 1879
Aged 29 yrs., 11 ms.Large Marble Shaft (Off base, on ground)
(One Side)
------- Parker
Born Aug. 10, 1827
Died in California
Feb. 18, 1869(May be another inscription on under side, too heavy to turn over)
Willis Cemetery, Hancock Township, Hancock County, Illinois
(Hancock County Historic Sites List drawn up by the Township Sites Chairman Joe Johnson and the Committee made up of John Siepel, Vesta Holloway, and Mildred Nelson).
9-6. Up the road back of the Robert Clauson home is the Willis Cemetery. The first person buried here was Capt. William Willis. Altho fenced is in a bad state of repair.
Alternate Directions
From the intersection of Joetta Road and County Road 1800 go south about 1.5 miles to the old Joetta store. Continue south to the next house on the right. Scott and Vickie Hardisty live here. <mailto:MDBROWN@NETINS.NET>
