Fayette County Illinois Burials at Bethleham Cemetery, west of Vandalia. Some of the stones I read, Bible & other family sources of Information for relatives of my paternal grandmother Morna Evalene (BESS)HIMES. Hiram ELMORE s/o James & Elizabeth d. age 70 yrs. no date on stone, census records & family say born abt.1800 in Wilkes Co, N.C., so death date abt 1870. (my paternal 3rd great-grandfather) Sarah (WALKER) ELMORE, 1st wife of Hiram & d/o James WALKER & Nancy BRADLEY, no dates family records say b. abt. 1805 Adair Co, Ky d. abt 1842 Bond Co, Ill.((my 3rd paternal great-grandmother) Lawrence ELMORE, s/o Hiram ELMORE & Sarah WALKER, (b. 3 March 1833 Bond Co, Ill.) d.15 April 1872 ae. 39y 1m 27d (my paternal 2nd great-grandfather) Sabra Charlotte (ELAM) ELMORE BROWN BROWNING 1st wife of Lawrence ELMORE, her 2nd husband was Richard BROWN & 3rd husband was Williamson BROWNING, she was d/o Thomas ELAM & Elizabeth ELAM (two lines of ELAM), b.10 November 1835 d.19 July 1912 (my 2nd great-grandmother) Thomas ELAM, s/o Alexander ELAM & Jane NORMENT, b. 19 October 1798 d.1 December 1856 (my 3rd great-grandfather) Elizabeth (ELAM) ELAM, wife of Thomas ELAM, & d/o Edward ELAM II & Martha SMITH, b.23 February 1800 d. 26 February 1876 (my 3rd great-grandmother) There are many ELAM, ELMORE & related surnames families buried in Bethleham Cemetery, if related families care to check this cemetery out. Beverly HIMES BARGER 270 Valle Grande Rd. Bosque Farms, New Mexico 87068 Shafter Twp.Fayette County Illinois BROWNING Cemetery, west of Vandalia, (next to my paternal great-grandmother Rachel(CHESHIRE) HIMES's old homestead farmhouse, access land donated by her to the cemetery, later owned by my grandfather Ernest William HIMES. The original cemetery land was donated by BROWNING relatives of my Paternal great grandmother Sarah Elizabeth (ELMORE) BESS. Ernest William HIMES, s/o William Henry HIMES & Rachel CHESHIRE b.10 October d.25 September 1985 (my paternal grandfather) Morna Evalene(BESS)HIMES, wife of Ernest Wm. HIMES & d/o Henry BESS & Sarah Elizabeth ELMORE, b.3 may 1894 d.21 February 1969 (my paternal grandmother) Henry BESS, s/o Abraham/Absolum BESS & Sarah MCDONOUGH, b. 25 November 1850 d. 2 June 1932 (my paternal great-grandfather) Sarah Elizabeth (ELMORE) BESS, wife of Henry BESS & d/o Lawrence ELMORE & Sabra Charlotte ELAM, b. 19 November 1856 (Bond Co, Ill.) d.4 February 1945 (my paternal great-grandmother, I remember her, I was almost 6 yrs. old when she died.) There HIMES, BESS, BROWNING, NEATHERY, ELMORE, BEESLEY ,MCFARLAND, WRIGHT , NAPP, HICKY, MCCOY, GRISSOM, NAVE, VAN WINKLE, WILSON, BECKHAM, RUSH, WALTER, FLEMMING, GREER, WEIDNER, MCINTOSH, PEAK, SMITH, HARRIS, FREEMAN, STOLLE, MATHIS, JONES, HAYNES, Moses HAYNES MD(the doctor who delivered my father), POPE, NETTLEBACK, WALKER, COOK, WHITTEN, PRUETT, OSBORNE, SIMMONS, HOOVER, ROE, BRANUM, HOWARD, NEFF, HENDERSON and probably other surnames, as some tombstones disappeared, sank, broke, vandalized etc. I remember a lot more stones when I was a young child. I haven't visited the cemetery since 1985 when grandfather died, but will try to this year. It's difficult when you are nearly 1300 miles away. Beverly Himes Barger 270 Valle Grande Rd. Bosque Farms, New Mexico Fayette County Illinois Bethleham Cemetery west of Vandalia, Continued More Surnames of Burials. ELMORE, ELAM, WALKER, BROWNING, BROWN, KIMBRO, GRIFFIN, RHYON, WRIGHT, TREXLER, ELLSWORTH, KOONCE, DAVIS, BLANKENSHIP, DAUGHERTY, WADE, MERRIMAN, MOATS, REYNOLDS, ANDREWS, PFEIFER, SMITH, ISLEY, ORBISON, OVERBY, KELLY, CROSSMAN, WASHBURN, GOODMAN, LAWLER, BINGHAM, HOOVER, ROE, DOOLEY, VAUGHN, HAYES, WINCHESTER, REISING, HENDERSON, BORROR, SANDERS, MANLEY, COX, PLANK, MUCHOW, ROLL families and probaly more surnames whose stones disappeared, broke, sank etc. If any of these are surnames of those reading this, you might want to check Bethleham Cemetery & old Bethleham Baptist Church Records out.Bethleham Cemetery was also known as Old Brushy Fayette County, Illinois Bear Grove Twp. west of Vandalia Legal Description of Cemetery property SE1/4 SE1/4 S5 T6 R1W Wright Neathery Cemetery Some Surnames of Burials there. NEATHERY, WRIGHT, WALKER & ISLEY relatives. Fayette County Illinois Cemeteries of my related surnames. PEAK Cemetery Shafter Twp. west of Vandalia PEAK, GRIFFITH, LAWLER & probably other stones that have disappeared. POPE KIRK CEMETERY Shafter Twp. west of Vandalia, on Wollerman property, related surnames of burials KIRK, NEATHERY, HICKS, POPE and probably others. KIRK CEMETERY, on ALBRIGHT property, some surnames of burials KIRK & probably others. OLD HURRICANE Cemetery some related surnames burials COOK, GRUNDMAN, FICHLAND, CARTER, DODSON, CAREY, BROWN, GRIGG, DONALDSON, MASON, NECUM, NEATHERY, ISBELL, COLE, WHITTEN, TREXLER, WILSON,PRITCHETT, WOOD, ROBERTS,WHITTEN, BECKHAM, SUPRINGER, DAVIS, ALLEN, MASON, WRIGHT, ASKINS, PRATER/PRATHER, CARD, SEATON, MATHEWSON, ALEXANDER, RUTLEDGE, DAVIDSON, KIRK, SEARS, EVANS, BLAYLOCK, MASON, SUPENER, MCFARLAND, WILLHELM, GARLAND, HILL, LYNN, CHUMLEY, HARRISON, OSBORN, EALAM/ELAM, REVIS, HARRIS, MCFARLAND, RUSH, BOST, COOK, MCDONER/MCDONOUGH, BAILEY, DURR, WOMACK, HAYS, TROMEL, LANDERS, MURPHEY, BURNS, MAYS, JANETZKY, SNYDER, GRIFFIN, WOOLARD, VAUGHN, TURCK, HINTON, ANDERSON, BOAZ, FICHLAND, NECUM, COLE, ROBERTS, ASKINS, SEATON, DONLESON, GARLAND and probably others if you check the cemetery out now. RUSH Cemetery Shafter twp. west of Vandalia Some related surnames buried there. RUSH, KIRK, MORSE, PETTIBONE, DONALDSON, LARIMER, MCFARLAND, ULRICH, DUNBAR, HARRISON, TURNBOW, HARRIS, DAVIDSON, YOAS, BRINK, CASEY, WALKER, CLINE, SHIVES, BLAYLOCK, WRIGHT,FLANIGAN, EAKle, SANDERS, GARLAND, MORSE, MATHIS, BECKHAM, EAKIN, and probably others now. My grandmother's relatives came to Fayette, Bond & Montgomery Counties of Illinois 1820s to 1860s, most related surname relatives descendants in same area today. The Fayette County Genealogy Society is very helpful there. I was raised west of Vandalia in Shafter twp., but haven't visited some cemeteries for many years.