Woodlawn Cemetery

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Provided by: Susie Martin-Rott

Extract from History of DeWitt County Illinois

This cemetery contains sixty-five acres of ground, and was formerly owned by George W. Gideon. In 1861 his son, Edwin W., who had enlisted in the army, came home sick on furlough and soon afterwards died. He was the first buried here, and the lot where the interment was made was donated by Mr. Gideon as a burial place for the soldiers of the war. The site being high and rolling, and favorably situated for a cemetery, the citizens purchased the ground and fitted it up for a city cemetery. The site was well chosen, for no better place could have been selected for miles around. It is situated about half a mile north-west of the business part of town. The best of side-walks are kept to the very gates of this silent city; arched gateways of considerable height first catch the eye of the stranger. A sexton is employed, and everything is kept in a manner credible to the citizens. Many excellent monuments adorn the grounds, the most prominent being situated about central, within the first rise of ground leading from the town. It is a marble shaft, twenty-five feet in altitude, surmounted by a life-sized soldier, standing on guard. The monument speaks for itself,--it is not necessary to read the scores of names engraved upon it to tell you that this is the spot where many a brave soldier is sleeping his last sleep, and that the granite soldier is standing his watch, for "the army is sleeping". All around the monument small mounds of ground show that many have already been buried here. This is a county enterprise, erected by the citizens of DeWitt, and under the auspices of a regularly constituted organization, entitled "The DeWitt County Soldiers' Monument Association,", having a president, secretary, treasurer, etc. Every soldier's name, whether he dies in the county or out of it, if he was a resident of the county, after his death, is engraven upon this monument. The corner-stone was laid the 4th of July, 1868, and the monument unveiled just one year from the laying of the corner-stone, and cost $2,500. According to an act of congress, the general government has obligated itself to furnish all head and foot-stones, free, to the graves of the soldiers coming under the regulations of Associations regularly established.

The following is a correct copy of a letter sent to Stephen K. Carter, of Clinton, in reply to a communication between him and the quartermaster general of the United States Army, and is dated

June 4, 1881:

Sir: Your letter of 31st ult. at hand. Head-stones will be furnished as soon as practical, but probably not this year. (signed, etc)

Provided by: Susie Martin-Rott
Source:  Decatur Daily Review, Decatur IL., 08 Jun 1924

5 BURIALS MONTHLY SINCE YEAR 1861 IN CLINTON CEMETERY

Clinton, June 7--Woodlawn cemetery, according to figures recently compiled by Former Sexton O.T. Colwell, contains 3, 817 graves. Other interesting facts in connection with the cemetery are that there are seventy-eight Civil War veterans interred in the old portion in the soldier's plot and six world war veterans buried in the cemetery.

GIDEON THE FIRST.

Edwin W. Gideon, who died while home on furlough in 1861 was the first person to be buried in the cemetery and Mrs. Benjamin Mitchell was first one buried on the west side of the new cemetery. On a general average there were five persons buried each month since the cemetery has been in use.

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