The McDonough County Historical Society Markers Project

Macomb -- Earlier this spring, 34 students from four universities devoted the first morning of their weekend conference at WIU restoring the neglected Lower (pronounced Lah-wer) Cemetery in southern Colchester Township.

This week, the McDonough County Historical Society installed two signs, one near a rough roadway access, and one at the cemetery entrance.

Margaret Foster, on whose farm the cemetery is located, accepted the sign near the highway. She suggested the second sign as a tribute to her late friend and neighbor Vera Cordell. Both were long time members of the historical society.

Vera Cordell, a rural resident who lived close to the Lower Cemetery, cared for the cemetery until it deteriorated beyond her control. Her great grandparents, Benjamin and Mary Boyd, rest in the Lower Cemetery. Vera’s son Pat accepted the sign at the cemetery entrance deep in the woods southwest of Colchester.

The Lower Cemetery was established in 1841 with the burial of Lucy Horrell, whose majestic tall monument was raised from the mud in April. Government headstones mark the graves of four veterans of the Civil War, William Blanchard, William Hill, S.P. Martin, and Alvin Martin.

Many of the 40 markers in this large plot were covered with decades of mud and grass. Many were knocked over by falling trees, tree limbs, deer, and scratching cattle.

Dan Oliver, resident manager of the Foster Farm, used his chain saw to help the students clear off many layers of accumulated debris. Roger Frowein, past president of the historical society, brought shears, shovels, loppers, and hoes for the students to use.

Many student volunteers were touched by the death dates of very young infants, sometimes more than one to a family.

Others were struck by the intricate and artistic designs engraved in the stone. Some were frustrated by the inability to read the weathered names or dates inscribed in often soft stone.

There are five members of the Lower family in this cemetery. The last burial was Ella Pittman Lower in 1936.

The cemetery sign project is supported by Dodsworth-Piper-Wallen Funeral Home, the McDonough County Genealogical Society, the McDonough County Highway Department, Richard and Marilyn Jackson, and the McDonough County Historical Society.

In addition, Pat Cordell (son of Vera), Margaret Foster, and the Foster Farm sponsored the second sign to commemorate the dedication of Vera Cordell who honored this final resting place of early pioneers in our county.