----- Original Message ----- From: Horace Foster <buckfoster@worldnet.att.net> To: <NJHUNTER-L@rootsweb> Cc: <NJ-L@rootsweb.com>; <ILKNOX-L@rootsweb.com>; <ILlFULTON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, July 08, 1999 1:26 PM Subject: Fairview Cemetery, Fulton County, IL--WOW! > For those of you with early ancestors who came to reside in the Fulton > County, IL. area, some of you, must have family members that rest in the > Fairview Cemetery.. > > On Memorial Day of 1999, I took a ride to try find the resting place of my > grandparents, Samuel Earl and Gertrude Mae Tharp-Lutz. > > The drive to Fairview, Il., a farming community located in northern Fulton > county, not far from the Knox County border, is a bit off the beaten track. > > Driving thru Fairview, passing the Reformed Church of America, in the heart > of town, organized/pastored, first, by Rev.A.D. Wilson, (1837-1857), a > former New Jerseyian. ( it was the first Reformed Church west of the > Alleghenies, "A History of Fulton County in Spoon River Country 1818-1868). > > A turn to the right, in full view of the town, was a most impressive sight! > There I saw, American flags flying on tallllll talllll flag poles. (a > Francis Scott Key moment). > > Driving up to the open black wrought gates, there were several flagpoles > flanking each side. I had a feeling of stability, balance, and order. > > I moved slowly through the gates, on the freshly black-topped road. It is > the main road, thru the center of the cemetery. On both sides of the road, > the huge flagpoles, flags mounted and gently moving, had been evenly spaced, > several feet apart, stretching nearly half the length/width of the > cemetery. A wonderful sight to see! > > Fairview Cemetery is a "salute" to the early families who came to the area. > A special place, a true labor of love, by those currently residing in and > around the community of Fairview, Il.. > > I did not find my grandparents, yet, I will return to Fairview--- in the > fall. > > Jan >