I found this interesting article about S.A.W. veterans . Any ideas from our members on why this was done?
(Archivist Nancy Wilson jokes that everything coming through her door at the Elmhurst Historical Museum is a mystery. But the riddle that came from a friend's phone call around Memorial Day last year has proven as stubborn as it is intriguing.

About 140 Spanish-American War veterans from all over the United States are buried beneath worn and chipped limestone markers in two uniform sections of an Elmhurst cemetery. After a year of exhaustive research, Wilson has been unable to determine how the vets got there. )
   The entire article can be viewed by googling "Chicago Tribune, cemetary holds mystery of history" I thought they may have died at a Chicago area hospital?  Any other theorys?

Not much to go on to make an edumakated guess but the devil is in the details.

What does it say on the individual tombstones?  Dates spread out over sixty years?  That would lead me to guess the members of United Spanish War Veterans may have had a fund raiser where they sold plots in two lots reserved for them.  Thats just a guess.

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Let's say the earliest burial was in 1909 and the last was in 1967.  It would make sense.

A second thing to think about is did any of the Illinois Volunteers make it to Cuba, Porto Rico, or the Philippines?  I am certain we would know of stories of a massacre Illinois troopers, ala USS Maine, in the present day if such a thing had occurred.

Was there a Veteran's Home, T.B. Sanitarium, or V.A.Hospital in the area, at one time?

Dates of Death, Vital Records on names (Illinois Death Certificates), and Census Data (from 1920's, 1930's, and 1940) might be clues.

Golly!  The article is from 2002!

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Some of the names from the article.

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Of some possible relevance:

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When I looked at a list (under construction) of Spanish American War Veteran Burials, I only found two names for Elmhurst Cemetery, both men were in the 3rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

(I don't know, if they are in the Cemetery Section in Question, but, I found further information for the two men on a roster list for the 3rd Ill. Vol. Inf.):

John W. Watling, Pvt. Co. "C" (residence in 1898 - Wen Lenox, Ill.,
buried - Elmhurst Cemetery, Joliet, Will Co., Illinois).

William Henry Malcolm, Cpl., 3rd Ill. Vol. Inf., Co. "M" (residence in 1898 - Kankakee, Ill. - July 22, 1872 / March 29, 1932 - buried - Elmhurst Cemetery, Joliet, Will Co., Illinois).

BTW - One of the men Culpeper found was also on the 3rd Ill. roster:

Jacob M. Muszynski, Pvt. Co. "A" (residence in 1898 - Chicago, Ill.).

It appears "Knute" found the answer with the Newspaper story: explaining the "United Spanish War Veterans - William McKinley Camp #6 - Chicago" likely purchasing a section in the Arlington Cemetery, for the burial of 'post' members.

I suppose any SAW Veterans, living around Chicago, in later life, would be eligible to join USWV - "Camp #6". This would explain different States and units being buried at this site.

FWIW - A brief 3rd. Illinois Vol. Inf. History:

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I had a feeling if anyone knew about this they would belong to the KCA. I called the Elmhurst history mueseum. It seems the woman who did the research no longer works there. They did not have an answer for me and asked that I call back during the week. No need to do that now.  Thanks

Well, I spent a bit of time chasing my tail, not realizing I was looking in the wrong cemetery!

"Arlington Cemetery", (where the graves in question are located), is in DuPage Co., Elmhurst, Illinois.

"Elmhurst Cemetery" (where I happened to find a couple of SAW veterans), is in Will Co., Joliet, Illinois.

Silly me .... miles apart and unrelated burials!

I know more now.

That had me confused also. That is why I only posted links. I knew it would be figured out. Having a cemetery called Arlington in Chicago Land just added to the confusion.

King carp wrote on Jan 4^th, 2020 at 9:37pm:

I had a feeling if anyone knew about this they would belong to the KCA. I called the Elmhurst history mueseum. It seems the woman who did the research no longer works there. They did not have an answer for me and asked that I call back during the week. No need to do that now.  Thanks

You could call them back and get a list of the vets and their information and post here.  Just sayin'. ::)



Added:  ...if a list is available.

Roster of the SPan-AM boys of Illinois

Report of the adjutant general of the state of Illinois Volume 9.

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I will try calling up Monday when the curator is in. I will see what I can find out.

The original "Chicago Tribune" article about the 'Mystery' of the Arlington Cemetery (in Elmhurst, Ill.) SAW veteran burials was published in May, 2002.

Later that year, in October, 2002, a Tribune article gave the update and explanation.

The Elmhurst Museum Curator (at the time), Nancy Wilson, answered her own question, as reported in the October article.
She did research, in September, 2002, at the Chicago Historical Society and discovered the connection of the Veteran Graves to the United Spanish War Veterans 'Post' (William McKinley - Camp #6) in Chicago.

Not much to tell the current curator, if she/he has access to predecessor's work.
However, the names on the tombstones would allow matching to lists of known SAW period veterans.

It is understandable that a lot of SAW veterans would move to jobs & careers in a booming metropolis like Chicago.
(Fraternal groups and Veteran Organizations, like the GAR, USWV, and VFW were huge from the 1890's to mid 1900's).

Interesting thread 'King Carp'! Thanks 'Culpeper' and 'Knute' for the links to the Tribune articles.

The Edward Hines VA Hospital is not very far away.  Been in operation since 1921.  I suspect some of the vets' bodies came from there. 

I read the Illinois roster with interest.  1st Infantry took all the casualties, had the most deaths.  2nd Inf had quite a few desertions & dishonorable discharges.

What amazed me is that I recognized 3 names & could put faces with 2 of them. 

My grandfather was a machinist and worked for Fred Koehler, CO of Company I, at the Koehler Die Works about 1912-1916. 

Sgt, John A Goodison, Troop A, 1st Cav. lived with his brother, next door to my grandparents.  He was pretty unbalanced, in & out of the state mental hospital.  His brother was his keeper. My Dad drove him to Hines VA hospital in 1947.  That was the last we saw of him.

Sgt. John C Phelan, Troop C, 1st Cav, lived in the same small quad-apartment building as my family, just downstairs from us.  His wife taught me to read.