AURAND GERMAN EVANGELICAL CEMETERY (also known as PIGEONWOODS) Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives March 18, 2000 by Sharry Blazier < hampshirehistory@aol.com > *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain written consent from the contributor or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** AURAND GERMAN EVANGELICAL CEMETERY Location: Kelley Road, Section 14, Hampshire Township, Kane County, Illinois History: In the mid-1840s, a number of German Evangelical families began arriving in western Kane County, Illinois, roughly 40-50 miles northwest of Chicago. Most of these families had been living in Ohio but were natives of Pennsylvania (chiefly Berks, Union, and Lancaster counties); among the German-born, the Munsch/Scheurer families had earlier lived in Tonawanda, New York, and the Blaziers arrived from Woodbridge, New Jersey. The area of Hampshire township in which the Evangelicals built their first church and graveyard came to be known colloquially as "Pigeonwoods" for the large number of those birds present, but the graveyard itself became known as Aurand German Evangelical Cemetery for John Aurand, the church member who had donated the land. Unfortunately, after the original church and parsonage were abandoned in favor of new structures in the village of Hampshire, and a new town cemetery was established, Pigeonwoods fell into a state of neglect and was often vandalized. Assuming the place was a lost cause after the monuments were bulldozed into a corner, some descendants of those buried there took their ancestors' gravestones home as backyard memorials and conversation pieces. In 1976, as part of Hampshire village's Centennial celebration, Pigeonwoods was cleaned up and the twenty-two remaining stones were embedded in a layer of cement at the center of the cemetery. Attempts to find any written records of interments have proven fruitless thus far, so it is doubtful a complete index of all those buried at Pigeonwoods can ever be compiled. This is an especially shameful local genealogical loss, since many people in Hampshire today can claim lineage to the pioneers in this small cemetery. What follows is an alphabetical listing of names on the twenty-two remaining stones (some bear inscriptions on more than one side), plus several people (marked with *) who can be firmly established as buried at Pigeonwoods based on veterans' records and a survey taken prior to the 1976 restoration. Some stones are broken and/or weathered to the brink of illegibility or beyond, so I have cross-referenced with newspaper obituaries and other sources in attempt to be as sure of inscriptions as possible. Many of the stones give clues as to family relationships, but I have also prefaced some entries with information such as maiden names and parents' names to further aid in this. Here's hoping you find a connection! ? [name lost; based on dates, may be earlier stone for GIFT, Catherine and infant son Edgar??]: [broken] Sept 28[?] AGED 32 yrs 11 ms 6 d Their infant son DIED Sept 29 1864[?] Aged 16 days AURAND, Catherine -- see GIFT AURAND, Elizabeth: ELIZABETH daughter of John & C. Aurand died February 6 1853 13 yr 9 mo 20 da AURAND, M. Matilda: M. Matilda daut. of John & C. Aurand died Apr. 3, 1852 A. 1yr 5M 4ds BAKER, Eliza Jane: ELIZA JANE dau. of P. & M. Baker Died May 29 1850 Aged 3 mo & 28 da BAKER, Magdelana [nee Cook; wife of Peter]: HIS WIFE MAGDELANA Born 1819 Died 1894 AGED 75 yrs & 7 ds BAKER, Peter: PETER BAKER BORN 1823 DIED 1870 AGED 47 yrs BLAZIER, Barbara [nee Boehm]: BARBARA wife of JOHN BLAZIER DIED July 6, 1880 Aged 63 ys 3 ms BLAZIER, John: JOHN BLAZIER May 28 1819 May 1 1901 BLAZIER, Maggie: MAGGIE dau of J & B Blazier Died Nov. 8, 1864 5 yrs 3 ms 1 day BOTTINGER, John* [died May 13, 1872; no stone, but veterans' records show he is buried here] BRIER, Michael* [name originally Preuer; husband of Theresia]: Michael Brier Sr. Died June 14 1880 Aged 75 yrs BRIER, Theresia* [prior married name Mueller, maiden name unknown]: Theresia Brier 1814-1893 DIEDRICHS, Mary [first name broken off, but confirmed by newspaper obituary; father's first name Frederick]: [broken] [daughter of] F & H Diedrichs gestorben den 5 Mai 1885 alter 26 jahre FREDRICK, Barbara -- see GIFT FREDRICK, Dora: DORA wife of Mathias Fredrick DIED Feb 1 1881 AGED 62 yrs 4 mos 11 da FREDRICK, Helena [or Selena?; daughter of Mathias & Dora]: HELENA DIED Mar 3 1858 AGED 7 yr 8 mo 4 da FREDRICK, Mathias: Mathias Fredrick Died Jan 9 1886 67 yr 11 mo 21 da GIFT, Barbara [nee FREDRICK, dau. of Mathias and Dora; second wife of Samuel Gift]: BARBARA 1843-1872 GIFT, Catharine [nee AURAND; dau. of John & C.; first wife of Samuel Gift]: His wife CATHERINE 1832-1864 GIFT, Lusetta [nee KLICK; daughter of John & Catherine; third wife of Samuel Gift]: Lusetta 1844-1898 GIFT, Mary A. [daughter of Samuel & Catherine]: MARY A. 1859-1860 GIFT, Samuel J. [all of the GIFTS are listed on a single, relatively newer-style stone that is apparently a replacement for lost individual stones]: Samuel J. Gift 1832-1903 HAUSLEIN, J. Michle: J. Michle Hauslein DIED Feb 5 1884 AGED 79 yr 5 mo 4 da HAUSLEIN, Maria Dorothea [nee Thoma]: Maria D. Hauslein DIED Oct 19 1891 AGED 91 yr 11 mo 19 da HEMRICH, Doradea [nee Hauslein]: DORADEA wife of Michael Hemrich DIED Apr 7 1881 AGED 60 yr 6 ds HEMRICH, William [son of Michael and Dora]: William Hemrich died Jul 16 1878 AGED 25 yr 4 mo 5 da HUBER, Catherin [nee Fofoo]: Catherin Huber Born Nov 13 1826 Died Feb 13 1905 HUBER, Charles Sr.: Huber, Charles Sr. Died Nov 2, 18[broken] Aged [broken] HUBER, Julia -- see PHILLIPS HUBER, Margaret -- see WIDMAYER KAHLER, Lydia M. [on same stone as Remetus but relationship unclear]: LYDIA M. KAHLER Oct 19 1862 - Mar 3 1879 KAHLER, Remetus: REMETUS KAHLER Dec 30 1858 - Jan 5 1894 KLICK, Caroline [nee REAM, dau. of Samuel & Salome (nee AURAND) REAM]: CAROLINE KLICK nee REAM Born Feb 14 1830 Died Feb 24 1900 KLICK, Catharine [nee Decker, dau. of Jacob & Elizabeth (nee Brandt) Decker]: CATHARINE wife of John Klick DIED Mar 18 1884 Aged 76 yrs [?] da KLICK, John: JOHN KLICK DIED Dec 13 1892 Aged 86 yrs KLICK, Lusetta -- see GIFT KLICK, William: WILLIAM KLICK Born Nov 17 1829 Died Dec 25 1907 MUNSCH, George: GEORGE son of P & M Munsch Died May 26[?] 1849 Aged 2 yrs 1 mo MUNSCH, Magdalena [nee SCHEURER; dau. of Johann George & Magdalena]: MAGDALENA wife of P Munsch DIED Apr 19 1887 Aged 72 yrs MUNSCH, Philipp: PHILIPP MUNSCH DIED July 30 1888 AGED 78 yrs MUNSCH, Philipp [also listed in veterans' records]: PHILIPP son of P & M Munsch DIED 28 Jan 1854 AGED 16 yr 1 mo PHILLIPS, Julia [nee HUBER; dau of Chas. & Catherine]: JULIA wife of Lewis Phillips died Jan 28 1883 age 25 yrs 6 mo 11 days RASBURGER, ?*: [...son] of Wm and Abigail Rasburger Dec 26 1861 9 yr 17 da REAM, Caroline -- see KLICK REAM, Infant Sons: Infant Sons of B F & L Ream REAM, Levi* [11 June 1826-Feb 2 1901; no stone, but veterans' records show he is buried here] REAM, Magdalane [nee SCHUMACHER; dau. of Peter and Margaret]: MAGDALANE WIFE OF LEVI REAM DIED June 8 [or 6?] 1884 AGED 56 yr 5 mo 29 da RUDOLPH, Eva [nee Eichler]: EVA wife of GEORGE RUDOLPH BORN Feb 14 1814 DIED Dec 7 1881 AGED 67 yr 9 mo 23 da RUDOLPH, George: GEORGE RUDOLPH BORN April 11 1811 DIED June 10 1864 AGED 53 ys I M 29 DS SCHEURER, Magdalena -- see MUNSCH SCHEURER, Magdalena [nee Graf]: MAGDALENA wife of GEORGE S[C]HEURER DIED Jan [or Jun] 30 1871 [or 1874] AGED [illegible] SCHUMACHER, Anna Catherine [dau. of Peter & Margaret]: Anna Catherine, their dau Died Jan 23 1867 Aged 45 yrs 6 mo SCHUMACHER, Magdalane -- see REAM SCHUMACHER, Margaret [wife of Peter]: Margaret, his wife Died Apr 25 1867 Aged 70 yrs 8 mos SCHUMACHER, Peter: PETER SCHUMACHER Died Oct 2 1870 Aged 71 yrs WEIDNER, Adam: ADAM WEIDNER DIED Ju [or Jy] 1870 AGED 76 yrs WEIDNER, Eve Mary [wife of Adam]: EVE MARY, HIS WIFE DIED Apr 3, 1868 AGED 64 yrs WIDMAYER, Louise [nee Gerbing; second wife of Wm. C. WIDMAYER]: Louise Widmayer Gre[broken] Frau Wm. C. Widmayer gestorbenden 6 Januar 1885 age [broken] WIDMAYER, Margaret [nee Huber, daughter of Charles and Catherine]: Margaret Widmayer Gullin von Wm. C. Widmayer Gest. 3 Mai 1880 im alter von 27 Jah 11 mo 21[?] d ZENDORFER, ?*: [broken] ZENDORFER Died [broken] 23, 1888