Miller Cemetery is an overgrown one acre cemetery located atop a hill on a private farm, in a grove of trees due west of Belknap, Lower Cache Township, Johnson County, Illinois. The cemetery's headstones have sunk into the ground, been displaced by growing trees, and/or pushed over by grazing cattle. Several of the tombstones belong to Civil War veterans. > > On 15 August 1853, Fountain Miller deeded a one acre "burying ground" to Johnson County for use as a public burying ground forever. I believe that the Miller Cemetery was the primary cemetery for the surrounding area, until establishment of the Belknap Masonic Cemetery in 1906. It is believed the last burial in the Miller Cemetery took place in the 1950s. Cemetery transcriptions by JCGHS members and also by a commercial cemetery book publisher for Johnson County, indicated approximately 50 individuals were buried in the Miller Cemetery. However, I have (to date) extended the list to 111 individuals through a review of the Johnson County Death Records from 1878 through 1933. I believe that more names will be discovered by additional review of the Johnson County Death Records. > > A number of my Huckleberry ancestors and relatives are buried in the Miller Cemetery, and whenever I visit Johnson County (I live in the San Diego area) I try to visit the cemetery, poke around in the underbrush and place my great-grandmother's headstone back in its proper position. Age and arthritis makes this task a little harder with each visit and I am not sure how much longer I will be able to push that large headstone back up on its pedestal. > > A review of Illinois state laws indicates the responsibility for the oversight of cemetery protection laws rests with the Illinois State Comptroller's office. Information on cemetery protection and preservation laws in the State of Illinois can be found at the following web site: > > http://www.savinggraves.com/usa/il/ > > I contacted the Illinois State Comptroller's Office a year ago in order to determine who was responsible for the upkeep of the Miller Cemetery. A month ago I was contacted by the State of Illinois, and was told that it appears the Miller Cemetery still belonged to Johnson County (even though the County didn't seem to know they owned the land), and that the State Attorney's Office in Vienna had been contacted and directed to determine what action would be taken regarding maintenance of the cemetery. I contacted a Brian Trambley (sp?)in the State Attorney's Office in Vienna, and was told that he had contacted Johnson County Commissioner Max Ray, who had indicated that the County would probably fence the cemetery and cut the grass twice a year. > > Since I don't live in the area, I would appreciate it very much if members of this list who live in the area and have ancestors or relatives in the Miller Cemetery would periodically check with the County Commissioner's Office to ensure that some action is taken regarding the maintenance of the Miller Cemetery. Additionally, some thought should be given to the establishment of a Miller Cemetery Association to oversee the welfare of the cemetery. As to cleaning up the cemetery after it is fenced, this might make a good Eagle Scout Project, or perhaps Johnson County could clean up the cemetery using inmates from the local prison. > > The following is a listing of persons known (either from headstones or death records) to be buried in Miller Cemetery: > > ADKINS, A. O. > ALLEN, Arthur D. > ALLEN, Cynthia > ALLEN, Ed > ARMSTRONG, Wade > BEAVER, Torrence M. > BEGGS (Male) > BEGGS, Owen > BENARD, ---------- Infant daughter of J. L. & M. E. Benard > BINIARD, Adia > BINIARD, Idia > BENARD, Ollie > BENSON, Lizzie V. > BLACK, Sarah Jane > BROCK, America E. > BROCK, Arthur > BROCK, Issac N. > BROCK, Reheba > BROCK, Roy Edward > BROCK, Sarah A. > BROCK, Sarah J. Wife of I. N. Brock > BROCK, Silas C > BROCK, Vernice E. > BROCK, Virgil Paul > BROCK, Vivian Paul > BROCK, William M. > BRUCE, William McKinley > CARTER (Female) > CHAPMAN, Rebecca > CORNELISON, Mary J. > CUMMINS, Edna M. > CURRY, Sidney Bell > EVANS, Mary > GEORGE, Rubie Agnes > GODDARD, Casper > GURLEY (Female) > HALL, G. W. A. G. > HARRIS, Andrew J. > HARRIS, Lois > HODGE, Oscar > HOUSE, Jesse G. > HOUSE, John Edward. > HUCKELBERRY, Lucinda A. > HUCKELBERRY, Laura Jane (Richards) (my G-Grandmother) > HUCKELBERRY, Lucy Ann > HUCKELBERRY, Martha E. > HUCKELBERRY, Myrtia > HUCKELBERRY, Ruthie A. > HUCKLEBERRY, Seeley R. > HUCKLEBERRY, William H. > HUDGENS, Lawrence C. > HUFF, Elijah Jr. > JOHNSON, Laura L. > HUGHES (?), Civil (?) E. > HULL (?), G. W. A. G. > JERDON, George W., > JOHNSON (Infant) > JOHNSON, Laura L. > LAIRD, Elizabeth J. > MCBRIDE, Jno > MCCUMMINGS, Eda > MILLER, ---------- > MILLER, Albert > MILLER, Albert > MILLER, Alexander > MILLER, Chloe B. > MILLER, Christopher C. > MILLER, Frederick > MILLER, Green B. > MILLER, Jacob Jeptha > MILLER, James Alexander > MILLER, James Dover. > MILLER, Jeamiah > MILLER, John T. > MILLER, Lydia > MILLER, M. > MILLER, Mary > MILLER, Mary F. > MILLER, William > MILLER, Willis E. > MORFORD, James H. > MORFORD, John N. > MULLINMAX (Mullinax?), Mary > OLIVER, Henry > OLIVER, Thomas > PENDALL, Jesse James > PENDER, Martha A. > PETERSON, Amanda E. > PETERSON, Mary J. > PETERSON, Nancy A. > PICKENS. Martha Rebecca > REDDEN, Ada May > REDDEN, Lillian > RICHARDS, Homer > RICHARDS, Ralph > SCROGGENS, Mary E. > SEXTON, W. A. Died March 16, 1884 > THOMPSON, Cornelious > THOMPSON, James P. > THOMPSON, Louis > THOMPSON, Malinda Jane > THOMPSON, Willis M. > TRIPP, Amanda E. > WATSON, Martha E. > WILMOTH, Leroy > WILSHOWER, William Henry > WILSON, Duelie E. > > Regards, > > Rebel L. Kreklow > rkreklow@mindspring.com