About Jersey County

Connect With History

Facebook
Instagram

Roll of Honor

“When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow, we gave our today.”The Kohima Epitaph

When the Revolutionary War was fought, Illinois did not exist as a state or even as a U.S. territory. It was part of the Province of Quebec and under the rule of the British. But seven of the men who helped forge the very foundation of our nation relocated to this area after helping win our freedom from Britain. And here they helped forge the future of Jersey County by building cabins, clearing the land, raising their children, and planting the seeds of civilization.

Since the birth of our great nation, thousands of Jersey County residents have fought to defend her freedom and to promote her democratic ideology throughout the world. And hundreds of them paid the ultimate price by giving their lives for our freedom.

Here we pay tribute to this extraordinary group of individuals. Click on each of the wars below to learn more about the local “boys” who fought in them.

American Revolution (1775-1783)

Last Name First Name Year of Death Buried at
Armstrong Joshua 1844 Armstrong in Jersey County
Bates William 1848 Lockhaven in Jersey County
Chandler Joseph 1844 Noble in Jersey County
Cooper Jonathon 1845 Falkner in
Jersey County
Crain Silas 1762 Lax in
Jersey County
Cummings Josiah 1829 Cummings in
Jersey County
(no stone)
Gillham William 1825 East Newbern in
Jersey County

William Bates was married four or five times and became a father for the final time at the age of 69. His family was friends with Daniel Boone, and when Boone moved west, Bates followed with his family. While Bates and his family lived near Wood River Creek, near the present site of the Alton State Hospital, two of his grandsons were killed by Indians during the 1814 Wood River Massacre. His daughter’s life was spared only because she turned back shortly before the ambush. Bates and his family settled on Piasa Creek near Lockhaven in present-day Jersey County in about 1817.

According to Joseph Chandler’s headstone, he was “sixth in descent from Myles Standish and John Alden.”

Like William Bates, Jonathon Cooper followed his friend Daniel Boone to Kentucky before moving to Illinois in 1835.

William Gillham served in the Revolutionary War with his father, six brothers, and two brothers-in-law. Five of the Gillham brothers traveled west to Madison County, Illinois in 1802, and in 1816, William continued north, settling on Lofton’s Prairie near Otterville in Mississippi Township in Jersey County.

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

Last Name First Name Year of Death Buried at
Adams Nevel L. 1876 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Askew Josiah 1845 Jersey County, near Elsah
Babcock Henry
Belt Horatio N. 1870 Jersey County, Belt-Salem
Brown John 1878 Jersey County, Pruitt/Hawkins
Colean Francis 1846 Jersey County, Old City Cemetery
Finne George Jersey County, Hartford
Fuller Richard C. 1850 Jersey County, Newbern
Gilbert David 1842 Jersey County, Hartford
Gilham Thomas J.
Gowin Nathan 1879 Jersey County, McDow
Grimes Philip 1851 Jersey County, Grimes Neely
Stafford William Jersey County, Hartford
Trabue Aaron 1877 Jersey County, Paradise-Chapman
Watson Jesse 1838 Jersey County, Richwood township?
Wedding James H. 1837 Jersey County, Rosedale

Mexican War (1846-1848)

Last Name First Name Year of Death Buried at
Brigham Edward R. 1902 Jersey County, Fieldon
Eastman Henry 1876 Jersey County, Hartford
Ellis Samuel C. 1907 Jersey County, Scenic Hill
Falkner James 1888 Jersey County, Falkner
Falkner William 1889 Jersey County, Falkner
Free Issac 1900 Jersey County, Salem
Funk Hezekiah 1878 Jersey County, Funk-Schlansker
Martin James Source: History of Jersey County, 1919
McFarland Robert Source: History of Jersey County, 1919
McManus Thomas Jersey County, St. Mary’s
Nihles M.M. Jersey County, Oak Grove
Rue William 1927 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Russell R.R. Jersey County, Newbern
Slaten W. Harrison Source: History of Jersey County, 1919
Smith John 1901 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Suddeth James E. Source: History of Jersey County, 1919
Waldorn Elias 1896 Jersey County, Lax

Civil War (1861-1865)

When Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers for the Union Army, the men of Illinois responded enthusiastically. In fact, only three other states (New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio) had more men in blue than the Land of Lincoln. Of the more than 250,000 soldiers from Illinois, more than 1,200 hailed from Jersey County.

We will work to add more information about these soldiers to our site. In the meantime, the Illinois GenWeb project has a wonderful website on Illinois in the Civil War, including a search engine that allows you to search for soldiers by county. The website can be found at www.civilwar.ilgenweb.net.

Spanish-American War (1898-1902)

Last Name First Name Year of Death Buried at
Adams Thomas G. Jersey County, Oak Grove
Beneke Clarence 1955 Jersey County, Scenic Hill
Boswell Llyod C. 1940 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Brady Groom Texas
Cadwallader Jesse E. 1926 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Calendar Henry B. 1900 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Callaway Mason 1952 Jersey County, Scenic Hill
Callendar William 1886
Crull James L. 1953 Jersey County, Scenic Hill
Evans William 1934 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Garber George 1903
Grafford Walter 1912 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Hamilton Henry B. Arlington National
Hansell George S. 1913 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Hansell William 1872 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Killion or Killian Claude D. 1955 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Long John B. 1944 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Murphy Madison Jersey County, Hartford
Pirtle William H, 1911 Jersey County, Medora
Schneider William 1955 Old Sailors and Soldiers Home, Quincy
Shoemaker Charles 1909 Jersey County, Falkner
Smith James Elbert 1948 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Sparks David A. 1928 Jersey County, Medora
Waddle Arron 1939 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Waggoner Benjamin F. 1932 Jersey County, Oak Grove
Woods Charles P. 1935 Jersey County, Oak Grove

World War I (1917-1918)

James A. Bray
James Russell Brock
LaVerne “Larry” Chappell
Emmanuel L. Cline
James D. Coleman
Matthew F. Coleman
Lester J. Cory
Leslie A. Cray
Jacob F. Dunsing
Charles W. Ewin
John F. Ferenbach
John E. Fitzgibbons
Robert Fitzgibbons
Carl J. Giers
Ralph E, Giers
Hershell L Gill
Douglas Gray
Charles G. Hagen
Walter Jokers
Arch F. Keehner
Charles F. Kruse
Robert L. Lahey
Marion H. Lynn
Walter H. Maxeiner
Isaac F. McCollister
John Oscar
John N. Powers
Joseph Rivard
Francis V. Robb
Herbert L. Ross
Edwin L. Spriggs
Thomas M. Whalen
Marcus G. Woods
Fred Worthey
Harold Worthey

World War II (1941 –1945)

John C. Agee
Wilburn Baldwin
Peter Baron
Edward M. Bechtold
Terrence F. Brady
William H. Breeding
John C. Breitweiser
George Brown
Thomas Burch
Herbert W. Callahan
John W. Cannon
William T. Carter
Frank L. Christen
Arnold Cisco
George Cisco
Tunis Craig
Lawrence Crawford
Everett Dabbs
Billy C. Davis
Alfred Dean
Claude DeVerger
Paul Doerr
Raldon Evans
Pearl Foster
Frank Fulkerson
Roy Gallop
Paul T. Gray
Ralph Greenwalt
Emmett E. Griffin
Albert D. Hanes
Gilbert F. Henderson
Floyd P. Heneghan
Timothy Heraty
John E. Hewitt
Samuel Hoff
Lawrence B. Kallal
Austin F. Karr
Edward Keyes
Arthur C. Kraushaar
John L. Lammy
Harold W. Long
Danny McFain
Aubrey Means
Forest S. Medford
Frederick A. Miller
John C. Meuth
Harold Naylor
Harold N. Newberry
Jesse Petton
Clyde M. Reddish
Robert E. Reddish
Andrew Richardson
Kenneth Ridenour
John W. Robinson, Jr.
George R. Scoggins
Andrew W. Scribner
Omer L. Shaw
Herschel Sinclair
George H. Smith
Henry L. Smith
Paul T. Smith
Oliver E. Spears
Harry L. Spriggs
Herman Stanka
William L. Thomas
James O. Thompson
Leslie J. Tucker
Richard J. Walsh
Arthur Warren
Harold D. Wayham
Albert E. Wendle
Vincent J. Wendle
Clarence L. Wheaton
Robert E. Windle
Hollan T. Woolsey
Murray L. Voorhees

Korean War (1950-1953)

William A. Burke
Howard L. Carr
Elmer J. Carstens, Jr.
David Dell
Paul E. Depper
John D. Drainer
Darrell M. Duff
Edward Ennis
Thomas J. Fitzgibbons
Jack Forrester
Scott G. Gier
Joseph C. Johnson
John T. McCann
Howard W. Niemeyer
Everett L. Shaw
John T. Shelley
John J. Tracy
Everett H. Wade
Harold L. Waters

Vietnam War (1964-1975)

Thomas Abbot
Ernest H. Beneke
Dale P. Berthoux
Richard E. Branham
Delmiss O. Calvin
Ronald C. Criswell, Jr.
Aaron L. Darr
Eskell M. Daves
Robert C. DeCourcy
Hubert E. Gordon
David L. Hampton
Robert W. Hughes
Noel Hurley
Henry J. Kruse
Robert W. Madson
John A. Marsh
Val G. Meyer
Michael D. McClain
William F. Miller
Joseph J. Molloy
Howard W. Niemeyer
Robert A. Nelson
Leslie D. Nickels
Robert L. Paynter
Ronald E. Powers
Ivan Roth
John D. St. Peters
James O. Thomas
George C. Tohill, Jr.
Arthur L. Tucker
Gary L. Weller
Carl J. Wieneke
Joseph M. Williams

Become a Member

The Jersey County Historical Society is a non-profit organization

Read More

Volunteer

It takes a great deal of work to maintain our grounds — any help is appreciated.

Read More

Make a Donation

If you enjoy what we do, please consider supporting us by donating.

Donate Now

Make a Donation

If you enjoy what we do, please consider supporting us by donating.

Donate Now

Jersey County Historical Society

601 N. State St.
Jerseyville, IL 62052
618-498-3514