William Venard

Birth:   Jan. 29, 1816
           Harrison County, Kentucky

Death:  Jun. 5, 1881
            McDonough County, Illinois

Above, the William and Sarah Jane Venard stone as it appeared about 1973. Photo by Dan Venard of Macomb (now deceased).

Green vegetation covered the cemetery in the summer of 1994 when the stone was still upright yet tilting.  Fourteen years later in March 2008 (below), the stone was on the ground, embedded in mud with the top of the stone further displaced.

One of the pioneer farmers in McDonough County, William Venard was the only son born to John and Sarah (Wilson) Venard. He moved with his parents, sisters, several uncles, aunts and cousins to Illinois around 1830, settling briefly in Morgan County before moving to Bethel Township in 1831. Upon his father's death, he bought out the interest of the other heirs, ultimately owning 200 acres of fully improved, mostly prairie, nearly all under cultivation in the southeast quarter of section 14. In the 1840's he was part of the McDonough County militia serving in Illinois' "Mormon War."

In 1836 William Venard married another native Kentuckian, Sara Jane McClure, daughter of Greenup & Mary (McComsey) McClure. Theirs was the first wedding in Bethel Township. They were the parents of nine children: Isabel, John F., George Greenup, Sarah Jane, James William, Perry Wilson, Robert Y., Thomas Webster, and Josephine.

He shares a large granite stone with his wife (her inscription is on the opposite side).  The stone has been knocked off its base it is lying sideways in the cemetery.  The grave photos above are among the most striking depictions of the manner in which this cemetery has deteriorated over the past 30 years. It will take a great deal of assistance to replace this very heavy granite stone on its pedestal.

William Venard's parents, several daughters, and his in-laws are also buried in this cemetery.

His obituary appeared in the Macomb Journal on June 9, 1881:

"An early settler of McDonough county, William Venard died at his home in Bethel township on June 5th, 1881. He was born in Harrison county, Kentucky in 1816, came to Morgan county, Illinois in 1821, and then to McDonough county. He was married to Sarah Jane McClure in 1836. He is survived by his wife, 6 sons and 2 daughters. The funeral was Monday, and he was buried in the burial ground near his residence. Attending the funeral of their father and brother-in-law were J.F. Venard and Robert McClure of Carroll county, Missouri and J.W. Venard of Cherokee, Kansas."

Primary sources: "Venard-Van Antwerp-. . . McClure . . . etc. Genealogy," by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1983, Macomb, Illinois, and "Corrections & Additions for Venard-Van Antwerp Genealogy" by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1988.

Additional biographical information comes from historical newspapers, census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com, the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, and from Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

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Lucy Ann (McClure) Brundage

Birth:  Oct. 14, 1819
          Shelby County, Kentucky

Died:  Nov. 20, 1861
          McDonough County, Illinois

Lucy Brundage's gravestone  (above)  was found lying flat and mostly buried in mud and leaves in March 2008.  Her burial is in the Brundage area of the  cemetery.

Lucy Ann (McClure) Brundage was the daughter of Greenup and Mary (McComsey) McClure.  She died at age 42 years, 1 month, 6 days.  This cemetery is located on the McClure homestead that was purchased by her father, Greenup McClure, when he moved his family to Illinois in the early 1830's.

Lucy married John Brundage (born 1818 in Henderson, Kentucky) in McDonough County, Illinois on June 12, 1839. They were the parents of George, James, Mary Jane, Lorinda, Columbus, Margaret A., William, John, and two who died in infancy.  The infants, Nancy and Sarah Elizabeth Brundage, are also interred in this cemetery.  The son named John appears in the 1860 census at 3 years of age, but I cannot locate him in records after that time. He may also have died at an early age, and if so, it's quite possible that he is buried here.

After her death, Lucy's husband, John Brundage, married Susanna Moore in March of 1863. They had three children together before moving to Missouri. John Brundage died in Central City, Putnam Co., Missouri in 1888.

Burial is documented in this cemetery by this source: Duane Lester's, Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry.

Biographical information comes from census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.

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Mary Ann (Wilson) Gibson

Birth:    Feb. 1, 1830
             Champaign County, Ohio

Died:     Jul. 29, 1867
             McDonough County, Illinois

Mary Ann (Wilson) Gibson was the wife of Isaac W. Gibson, a farmer in Bethel Township, McDonough County, Illinois.  They were married on July 1, 1858.  She was born Feb 1, 1830, in Champaign Co., Ohio, a daughter of John and Jane (McComsey) Wilson. Her parents and a brother, Eli Wilson, is buried in this cemetery along with several of her cousins, an aunt, nieces and nephews.

Census records do not reveal evidence of any living children born to Mary Ann and J.W. Gibson. However, the mortality index for Bethel Township in 1860 does show that a one-month-old male, William Gibson, died in November 1859.  In the 1860 census enumeration Mary Ann Gibson's mother, Jane Wilson, and sister, Malissa Chenney, were living with her and her husband. The 1870 census shows that her husband still farming in McDonough County with his late wife's sister, Malissa Chenney, living as a domestic in his home. 

The stone, photographed in March 2008, was found lying flat on the ground.  If the infant mentioned in the 1860 mortality index was indeed her son, it is likely that he is also interred in this cemetery.

Biographical information comes from census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com, the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, and from Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

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John Wilson, Sr.

Birth:   Aug. 12, 1781
            Greenbriar County, Virginia, USA

Died:   Jun. 14, 1843
            McDonough County, Illinois, USA

John Wilson, a native of Virginia, married Jane McComsey on December 20, 1809 in Madison, Ohio. They were the parents of eight known children, all born in Ohio:   Jane; Malinda (died as infant); Malissa (wife of Wm. Cheney); Margaret (wife of Carroll Lane); Samuel (husband of Susan Edmonston); John Jr. (husband of Isabell Venard); Eli Wilson (spouse of Sophia Beck) and Mary Ann (spouse of J.W. Gibson).

John Wilson's wife Jane and two of his children, Eli Wilson and Mary Ann Gibson, are also buried in this cemetery.

John Wilson purchased the east half of the northwest quadrant of Section 22 in Bethel Township, McDonough County, Illinois in January of 1835. His wife's sister and brother-in-law, Greenup and Mary "Polly" McClure, purchased the west half of this same quadrant in September 1835.  The Pioneer Cemetery lies within the McClure half of Section 22.  Robert McComsey purchased the Southwest quadrant of Section 21 in Bethel Township in August of 1836, and he is believed to be the brother-in-law of John Wilson.

This burial is documented in Lester's "Rural Cemeteries" (see reference below), and the stone was photographed in the spring of 2008.

His burial is the third oldest recorded for this cemetery.  The stone was weathered and lying flat, but legible as of March 2008. His burial is the third oldest recorded for this cemetery.

**Biographical information comes from family records, census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Illinois Public Land Purchase Index, and from Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

**Special thanks to Goldie (Wilson) Vining of Washington state--John's great-great-grandaughter and my third cousin (three times removed).

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Jane (McComsey) Wilson

Birth:   Oct. 7, 1787
             Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky

Died:    Feb. 11, 1861
             McDonough County, Illinois

Jane (McComsey) Wilson was born in Kentucky, a daughter of John McComsey.  She married John Wilson on December 20, 1809 in Madison, Ohio.  She was the mother of Eli Wilson and Mary Ann (Wilson) Gibson who are also buried in this cemetery. They were the parents of eight known children, all born in Ohio: Jane; Malinda (died as infant); Malissa (wife of Wm. Cheney); Margaret (wife of Carroll Lane); Samuel (husband of Susan Edmonston); John Jr. (husband of Isabell Venard); Eli Wilson (spouse of Sophia Beck) and Mary Ann (spouse of J.W. Gibson).

Jane Wilson's husband purchased the east half of the Northwest fourth of Section 22 in Bethel Township, McDonough County, Illinois in January of 1835. Jane's sister and brother-in-law, Mary "Polly" and Greenup McClure, purchased the west half of this same quadrant in Sep 1835. . Robert McComsey who purchased the southwest quadrant of Section 21 in Bethel Township in August of 1836 is possibly Jane's brother or cousin.

Jane Wilson's burial in this cemetery is documented by family tradition. Her children's and husband's stones are in place but in delicate to deteriorating condtions.

**Biographical information comes from family records, census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Illinois Public Land Purchase Index, and from Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

**Special thanks to Goldie (Wilson) Vining of Washington state--Jane's great-great-grandaughter and my third cousin (three times removed).


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Eli Wilson

Birth:    Sep. 27, 1824
             Mechanicsburg (Champaign County), Ohio

Died:    1867
             McDonough County, Illinois

Eli Wilson was a son of John Wilson and Jane McCompsey. He was born in Mechanicsburg, Champaign County, Ohio in 1824. On Sep 25, 1851 he married Sophia E. Beck in McDonough County, Illinois. She was born in Greencastle, Indiana in 1830, a daughter of James and Elizabeth Beck (both born in North Carolina). Sophia died in 1917 in Kirkman, Iowa where she is buried in Rosehill/Kirkman cemetery.

Eli Wilson shares his tombstone with two of his children: Edward B., 1852-1854 and Elizabeth, 1853-1865.

Other known children born to Eli and Sophia Wilson:  Jacob born 1849-1934 in McDonough Co.; Jane, born 1854, per the 1860 census; Oliver Browning "Brum" Wilson 1855-1942 (died in Shelby Co., Iowa); Mary Bell born 1857; Anna Catherine 1859-1916 (married to Elijah Flack—and is buried in Industry, IL); Melissa born 1860; Alice born 1864; and Eli born 1867.

Eli Wilson's parents and a sister, Mary Ann (Wilson) Gibson, are also buried in this cemetery. His aunt, Mary "Polly" (McCompsey) McClure, and cousin Sarah Jane (McClure) Venard are likewise interred here.

Biographical information comes from census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index and from Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

Check out the video clip taken on Memorial Day weekend in May 2010 to see the current condition of this stone.  It's the fourth clip in this blog post, the one with the green border. The stone is now toppled from its base because of damage by cows inhabiting the cemetery.


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Sarah Thompson

Birth:   1861
             Illinois

Died:    November 12, 1878
             McDonough County, Illinois

Her brother John Thomas Thompson's name also appears on this side of the family stone.

Sarah Thompson was a daughter of William and Lorren (McClure) Thompson. She died at 17 years of age . She was a grandaughter of Greenup and Polly (McComsey) McClure, the original owners of the land upon which the cemetery was established.  She shares this tombstone with her parents and several siblings.

This burial is documented by: Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

Other sources: "Venard-Van Antwerp . . . McClure . . . etc. Genealogy," by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1983, Macomb, Illinois, and "Corrections & Additions for Venard-Van Antwerp Genealogy" by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1988; federal census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com, and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.

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John "Thomas" Thompson

Birth:    1851
             Illinois

Died:     March 14, 1871
             McDonough County, Illinois

John "Thomas" Thompson was a son of William Thompson and Lorren (McClure) Thompson and a grandson of Greenup and Polly (McComsey) McClure. He appears in the June 1870 census at age 17, living with his parents and some of his siblings in the 4th Ward of Macomb, McDonough County. The census indicates that he had attended school during the previous 12 months.  He shares this stone with his parents and several siblings.

This burial is documented by: Duane Lester's Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

Other sources: Venard-Van Antwerp-. . . McClure . . . etc. Genealogy, by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1983, Macomb, Illinois, and Corrections & Additions for Venard-Van Antwerp Genealogy by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1988; federal census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com, and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.

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Joann Thompson

Birth:    1853
             Illinois

Died:     July 17, 1869
             McDonough County, Illinois

"dau of Wm. & L." "age 16y, 4m, 5d."

She was the daughter of William and Lorren (McClure) Thompson and the grandaughter of Greenup and Polly (McComsey) McClure. The mortality index for the census of 1870 lists her cause of death as "consumption" [tuberculosis.]  She shares a large stone with her parents and several siblings.

This burial is documented by: Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

Other sources: "Venard-Van Antwerp-. . . McClure . . . etc. Genealogy," by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1983, Macomb, Illinois, and "Corrections & Additions for Venard-Van Antwerp Genealogy" by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1988; federal census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com, and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.

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Robert F. McComsey

Birth:    1796
             Kentucky

Died:     July, 1862
             McDonough County, Illionois

Robert F. McComsey was born in Kentucky around 1796 according to federal census records from 1850 and 1860.  Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II.” documented this burial, but the stone was not located in November 2007 or March 2008.  Lester reported an inscription that revealed that Robert McComsey died in July of 1862 at the at the age of 66 years, 25 days.

Federal Land Office records show that Robert McComsey paid $120 for the purchase of 160 acres in the southwest corner of Section 21, in Bethel Township, McDonough County on August 5, 1836.

He appeared in the Bethel Township, McDonough County, Illinois Federal in 1850 and in 1860 with the same two women living in his household.  In 1860 he was a 64-year-old farmer residing in a home with 75-year-old Margaret McQuady, and 60-year-old Elizabeth McComsey. Elizabeth is listed third in the household listing in both the 1850 and 1860 censuses suggesting she was unlikely to be Robert's spouse. In 1850 Margaret's surname is listed as "McComsey.

Mary "Polly" (McComsey) McClure and Jane (McComsey) Wilson, both from Kentucky, are both interred in this cemetery and are possible siblings of Robert. Neither Elizabeth nor Margaret have been located in the 1870 census, they were possible also deceased by that time. It is possible that they were also his siblings and they are possibly interred in this cemetery.

Biographical information comes from census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.


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Mary "Polly" (McComsey) McClure

Birth:   1791
             Kentucky, USA

Died:    1880
             McDonough County, Illinois

Mary "Polly" (McComsey) McClure was born in Kentucky, a daughter of John and Jane Forker [aka Farquehr] McComsey.

In 1810 she married Greenup McClure ("sometimes spelled McLure") in Shelby County, Kentucky. In about 1831, she and her children accompanied her husband, his parents, his brother James, and brother-in-law Samuel Workman in removing to Morgan County, Illinois. In 1835 her husband made the first of two land purchases in McDonough County which gave him a total of 160 acres in section 22, Bethel township, McDonough County, Illinois.

Greenup and "Polly" McClure were the parents of: James Q. (born: 1811); Martin (born: 1814); Sarah Jane [Venard] (born: 1815); Lucy Ann [Brundage] (born: 1819); Margaret [1. Harris 2. Cooper] (born: 1821); Lorrin [Thompson] (born: 1823); Robert Lee (born: 1827); Mary Elizabeth [1. Hoover 2. Hudson] (born: 1832); and Georgetta (born: 1838).  Dan Venard's research suggests that there were possibly at least three other children born to this couple before they left Kentucky who may have died in childhood or infancy.

In the 1870 census, Polly McClure resided with her daughter-in-law Lydia McClure (wife of her late son, James Q.) in the householdof Lydia's son James R. McClure in Bethel Township, McDonough County.

Primary source documenting this burial and biographical details:

•  "Venard-Van Antwerp-. . . McClure . . . etc. Genealogy," by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1983, Macomb, Illinois, and "Corrections & Additions for Venard-Van Antwerp Genealogy" by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1988.
• Additional biographical information comes from census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com, and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.
• The stones for her and her spouse have been missing since before 1983. The cemetery is in disrepair with many missing and obliterated stones as of November 2007 and even worse condition in May 2010 with increasing damage.

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Greenup McClure

Born:     May 19, 1790
              Jessamine County, Kentucky

Died:     Feb. 19, 1856
              McDonough County, Illinois

He was a son of John and Lucy McClure originally from Jessamine County, Kentucky. (In early records the surname was sometimes spelled "McLure.")

In 1810 he married Polly (Mary) McComsey in Shelby County, Kentucky. In about 1831, along with his wife, children, parents, brother James, and brother-in-law Samuel Workman he removed to Morgan County, Illinois. In 1835 he made the first of two land purchases in McDonough County which gave him a total of 160 acres in section 22, Bethel township, McDonough County, Illinois. He established the Pioneer Cemetery on his property in 1838.

Greenup and Mary McClure were the parents of: James Q. (1811); Martin (1814); Sarah Jane [Venard] (1815); Lucy Ann [Brundage] (1819); Margaret [1. Harris 2. Cooper] (1821); Lorrin [Thompson] (1823); Robert Lee (1827); Mary Elizabeth [1. Hoover 2. Hudson] (1832); and Georgetta (1838).

Primary sources:

• "Venard-Van Antwerp-. . . McClure . . . etc. Genealogy," by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1983, Macomb, Illinois, and "Corrections & Additions for Venard-Van Antwerp Genealogy" by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1988.
• Additional biographical information comes from census records, vital statistics, and marriage records from Ancestry.com, and the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index.
• Burial is also documented by: Duane Lester's, "Rural Cemeteries of McDonough County, Illinois, Volume II, Bethel-Industry."

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Sarah Jane (McClure) Venard

Birth:    December 10, 1815
             Shelbyville, Kentucky

Died:     March 18, 1883
             McDonough Co., Illinois

She shares this stone with her husband. First as it appeared in 1994, second as it has been since at least March of 2008.

Sarah Jane (McClure) Venard was a daughter of Greenup and Mary (McComsey) McClure.  This cemetery is located on her father's former Illinois homestead.  She moved from Kentucky in her youth with many relatives to Illinois around 1830.

On March 29, 1836 she married William Venard, another native Kentuckian.. Theirs was the first wedding in McDonough County. They were the parents of nine children: Isabel (Wilson), John F., George Greenup, Sarah Jane, James William, Perry Wilson, Robert Y., Thomas Webster, and Josephine (Smith).

Her parents, husband, in-laws, several sisters and several daughters, are also buried in this cemetery.

Her husband's obituary appeared in the Macomb Journal on June 9, 1881: "An early settler of McDonough county, William Venard died at his home in Bethel township on June 5th, 1881. He was born in Harrison county, Kentucky in 1816, came to Morgan county, Illinois in 1821, and then to McDonough county. He was married to Sarah Jane McClure in 1836. He is survived by his wife, 6 sons and 2 daughters. The funeral was Monday, and he was buried in the burial ground near his residence. Attending the funeral of their father and brother-in-law were J.F. Venard and Robert McClure of Carroll county, Missouri and J.W. Venard of Cherokee, Kansas."

Sons of Sarah Jane & William Venard:

Perry Venard (individual portrait)

  Group photo of brothers left to right:  James, Robert, George, Thomas W., and John.

Sources include historical newspapers and county histories and "Venard-Van Antwerp-. . . McClure . . . etc. Genealogy," by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1983, Macomb, Illinois, and "Corrections & Additions for Venard-Van Antwerp Genealogy" by Daniel Lloyd Venard, 1988.

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