Civil War Veterans Memorial

The Civil War Soldiers Memorial in Lakeside Cemetery was dedicated on Memorial Day, 30 May 1905. The inscription on the monument says, "In memory of our soldiers of Pekin, Illinois. Erected by W.R.C. #236." The Women's Relief Corps #236 used to meet on the second and fourth Friday afternoons at the former Grand Army of the Republic Hall, 616 Court Street. GAR and WRC Civil War artifacts were committed to the care of the Tazewell County Board and formerly were displayed in a small museum call "Historical Hall" in the Tazewell County Courthouse.

54 soldiers are interred at the Civil War memorial, although only 48 grave plots are marked or visible, and only 23 of the soldiers buried at the memorial were Civil War soldiers -- the remainder were Spanish-American War or World War I veterans rather than Civil War soldiers. A remarkable feature of the Civil War memorial is that the five rows of headstones are all arranged so that a visitor must face east in order to read their inscriptions. Likewise, the statue of the soldier who is standing guard over their graves is also facing east. This is in keeping with ancient Christian beliefs and burial customs in which the remains of the deceased are laid with the feet facing east in anticipation of the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. At the resurrection, Christ is expected to return coming as a light from the east, so the dead are buried in a way so that they can readily sit up and stand to see Jesus approaching. The soldier standing guard faces east so he can spot the light of the return of Christ and then quickly awaken his comrades.

The soldiers buried at the Civil War memorial are just a fraction of the Civil War soldiers who rest at Lakeside Cemetery. Cemetery records at the Pekin Public Library show a total of 238 Civil War soldiers interred at Lakeside. Of those 238, two of the Civil War dead at Lakeside are Unknown Soldiers. (Lakeside also has two other Unknown Soldiers, but records do not tell us in which American war they fought and died for their country.)

These are the names of the dead at Pekin's Civil War memorial:

Row 1:

Cpl. Allonzo McCain, 85th Ill. Inf., Co. A - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. Henry Free, 106th Ill. Inf., Co. H - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. James Slates, 5th Ill. Inf., Co. G - Spanish-American War veteran

Pvt. Joseph Grans, 1st Missouri Engrs., Co. I - CIVIL WAR

Cpl. James VanDoren, 11th Ill. Cavalry, Co. D - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. Joseph Smith, 1st U.S. Artillery, Co. L - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. Jasper Eveland, 7th Ill. Inf., Co. E - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. John Strand, 8th Ill. Inf., Co. I - CIVIL WAR

Capt. Nickols Davis, 44th Ill. Inf., Co. A - CIVIL WAR

[Stone Illegible]

Row 2:

Pvt. Thomas Peyton, 16th Ohio Inf., Co. D - CIVIL WAR

Cvt. Ferdinand Plocher, 2nd Ill. L.A., Co. A - CIVIL WAR

Sgt. Edgar Bosley, 1st U.S. Cavalry, Co. E - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. Charles Hinkel, 1st Missouri Inf., Co. I - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. Michael Bastian, 57th Ill. Inf., Co. A - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. I. D. Sipes, 148th Ill. Inf. - CIVIL WAR

Cpl. William Bohlander, 148th Ill. Inf., Co. C - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. John E. Baker, 1st Reg. Ill. Vol. Artillery, Battalion I - CIVIL WAR

Row 3:

Pvt. Martin H. Kaufman, 5th Ill. Inf. - Spanish-American War veteran

Artifi. George Jerger, 5th Ill. Inf., Co. G., Spanish-American War veteran

Pvt. Henry Crist, 6th Indiana Cavalry, Co. G - CIVIL WAR

Henry Bradley, 7th Kentucky Inf., Co. C -- CIVIL WAR

Wag. John Duncan, 108th Am. Trn., 33rd Division, Co. G -- World War I veteran

1st. Sgt. William H. Fuller, 108th Amm. Tr., 33rd. Division, Co. G -- World War I veteran

Pfc. George Franklin Palmer, 23rd Inf., 2nd. Division, Co. M - World War I veteran

Pvt. George Cole, 126th Pa. Inf., Co. C, and 21st Pa. Inf., Co. L - CIVIL WAR

Row 4:

[Unmarked Plot]

Pvt. Andrew S. Green, 34th Ill. Inf., Co. I - CIVIL WAR

Pvt. Jesse E. Collar, 9th. F. A., Battalion D, World War I veteran

Pvt. Lucious Hill, 23rd Ill. Inf., Co. D - CIVIL WAR

Wag. Roy Anderson Lawson, 108th Am. Tr., 33rd Division, Co. G, World War I veteran [Headstone marked with Star of David]

William E. Daniels, cool, 114th Cas., World War I veteran

Pvt. George H. Munson, 5th Ill. Vol. Inf., Co. G, Spanish-American War veteran

Pvt. Levi Powell, 64th Inf., Co. F, World War I veteran

Pfc. Pelegreno Zucarine, 129th Inf., 33rd Division, Hdq. Co., World War I veteran

Pvt. Frank Daniels, School for Bakers & Cooks, World War I veteran

Pvt. James Calvetti, Prov. 31st Division, 161st D.B., 13th Co., World War I veteran

Row 5:

[Stone Illegible]

Pfc. Roy E. Chamberlain, 10th Am. Tr., 33rd Division, 1st Co., World War I veteran

Pvt. Justus Wilts, 201st Inf. and 2nd U.S. Inf., Spanish-American War veteran

Pfc. Robert Gray, 7th Inf., Co. I, World War I veteran

Pvt. Thomas P. Biggs, 2nd. Hq Co. Base Hospital, World War I veteran

Pfc. Clarence V. O'Keefe, 123rd & 30th Ill. Inf., Co. G, World War I veteran

Pvt. George L. Heinz, QMC, World War I veteran

Pvt. Steve Vaughn, 38th Inf., Co. L, World War I veteran

Fred N. Olson, cook, 304 F. A. 77th Division, Battery A, cook, World War I veteran

Cpl. Minard Remmers, 4th F. A., Battery H, Spanish-American War veteran

Pfc. Walter E. Behrens, 100 Aero Squadron Ill., World War I veteran

Other soldiers buried at the memorial -- rows unknown or uncertain:

Sgt. Edward Bailey, 1st U.S. Cavalry, Co. E - Spanish-American War veteran

Pvt. Elmer A. Baker, regiment unrecorded -- CIVIL WAR

(NN) Hubert, no information available

Pvt. J. B. Kitchen, 116th Ill. Inf., Co. I - CIVIL WAR

(NN) White, no information available

(NN) Wilson, no information available