Native American Mound Builders and the Missing Graves
Part 2
The Mound Builders
And The Missing Graves
Diana, my new-found cousin in New Zealand, had been instrumental in helping me on Ancestry .com. I found it extremely important to give back. When I discovered that Diana’s direct ancestor, Elizabeth Whyte Duthie (1851-1885), who is also my link, the person responsible for my ancestors coming to America from Scotland, was buried in Forest Home Cemetery, I had to check it out; especially considering it was only a half hour drive from my home. I decided to find Elizabeth’s grave to pay homage and take a picture to share with Diana.
Much has been written about this cemetery that first started out as a Potawatomi Village and burial ground. This cemetery is also the site of an ancient Native American Burial Ground known as the Mound Builders. The mound builders lived over 1,000 years ago. A society that thrived for thousands of years. The strange thing about these mounds is that they are only visible from an aerial view. These effigies are shaped like lizards, serpents, alligators, etc… but they are so big that you can only see them from an airplane or helicopter. There are other earthen plateaus that look like pyramids and conical-shaped burial mounds across the country, but they are obvious to spot from the ground. Some have skeletons of humans that are considered giants standing over 8 feet tall.
Growing up in Chicago, I heard that there was a local cemetery that had an Ancient Native American Mound and that they didn’t want to publicize it, for fear of it being pilfered. I didn’t know until I started to drive around Forest Home Cemetery, that this was in fact the cemetery with the ancient mound!
In 2001, my family and I visited the Cahokia Mound in Southern Illinois where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers meet. The ancient burial ground held a Chief with many maidens and thousands of sea shells, showing that this area was a great trade center, 1000 years ago. Sea shells must have been used as currency, considering that there is no ocean located in the midwest that would provide sea shells for the local natives. I was familiar with mound builders before visiting the cemetery. At least enough to recognize a mound when I saw one.
[image error]notice the hill arcing to the right in this picture, look beyond to see mausoleums jutting out of the hill. This is in fact a Native American mound that the cemetery owner sold as mausoleums over a hundred years ago.
I started at the main office of the cemetery where I paid $5.00 for each grave that they looked up. I learned, much to my dismay, that, because Elizabeth Whyte Duthie died in 1885, they no longer had any record of her. They did however have my grandmother’s brother’s grave from 1911, James Cottingham was in an unmarked grave. They gave me a map of the cemetery with the two neighboring marked graves so that I could find it.
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It is difficult to capture this mound without having an aerial view. I had to drive around a bit to find my grand uncles grave. While investigating I found this site with its brick road, and circa 1900 mausoleums intriguing.
Forest Home is a beautiful, picturesque setting with the Des Plaines river running through it. There is a very strong presence about the place. It feels ethereal, spiritual, serene and peaceful. It was a very unique experience. The place definitely has a presence. And I enjoyed investigating the 220 acre area.
[image error]close up of front of mausoleum from the brick road side of the mound.
[image error]I didn’t measure the exact height of these mausoleums, but that is an average size 7 foot door, so I would guestimate that the mausoleum stands about 12 feet or more.
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[image error]This is a close view of a monument place into the mound.
On the opposite side of the road, sadly, the historical sacred ground of this 1,000+ year old civilization has been pushed aside so that others may take their place. Now these mausoleums are reaching their expiration date as stated by Illinois law, I wonder how it will be handled?
[image error]The other side from the road. The mound was cut into on both sides to add these mausoleums.
[image error]from the top of the mound you can see the roofs of the mausoleums jutting out the side of this once sacred space that native Americans still visited all the way up to 1865.
It is safe to say that these mausoleums are over ten feet tall to give you an idea how high this mound is. I am afraid the original shape is now gone. Since there were no flying machines in the first decade of the 1900s, they probably didn’t know what they were digging into and the original shape is now gone.
[image error]this is a view inside one of the mausoleums. These mausoleums are just over one hundred years old. I am not sure if they will be replaced or left as they are.
I wonder what the diggers discovered when they dug into this mound to install the mausoleums. Each mausoleum contains six to eight graves. These mausoleums are beyond the hundred year expiration date where they can be changed over.
[image error]I found the monument for the mound builders. The picture to the left is where the monument stands. I took the picture with great reverence as I stood on top of the mound. Off in the distance you can see a monument for the Native American Mound builders. I wonder, did they place it so far away to protect the mound or their reputation for disturbing the mound by installing mausoleums?
[image error]I took the picture to the left to give perspective of the size of the Native American Mound Builder Monument. This white monument in the right of the picture is where the cemetery decided to make a memorial for the ancient mound builders. As you can tell from the picture above it is a long ways off from the actual mound.
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To view what this says I have included a website here so you can read it, if you are interested.
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As I drove farther, I discovered that the civil war soldier’s graves where also gone and a plaque was now all that remained. In the photo to the left you can see a List of the Union Civil war soldiers that are buried at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois. They no longer have head stones and I am unsure what they did with the original graves. I wonder if they leave the graves and just add around them or if they remove them? And if they remove them, where do they move them to?
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I also discovered the historical Haymarket Affair victims and the perpetrators that were executed for the bombing, graves where also gone and in their place a plaque. I have sat on this information for three years not knowing what to do with it. I am glad I now have a venue it which to release the information.
Unfortunately, through my genealogy journey I have discovered many ancestors with unmarked graves, my third great grand parents in Scotland, My second great-grandmother in Idaho, and these two, Elisabeth Whyte Duthie and James Cottingham. I could never afford to purchase headstones for all the relatives in unmarked graves, it gives me small solace to know the general area where they are resting.
I do not know the solution to this problem of missing graves. I am sure that Europe and other countries much older than America have had to make due and come up with a solution for land use. In the meantime, it is important to remember those that came before us and made our lives possible. Honoring our ancestors by remembering them and thanking them for our lives is a good place to start.
I am thankful to Elizabeth Whyte Duthie for traveling to Chicago, so her half-sister, my great-grandmother Agnes could meet and marry Martin Cottingham.
Agnes and Martin were James Cottingham’s parents. James died of appendicitis at the age of 21 in 1911. He lived a short life and is now resting at Forest Home Cemetery, in Forest Park, Illinois.
What I find truly amazing is that I had never even heard the name, Elizabeth Whyte Duthie, before I started my search. I had a mixed up story of my great grand parents meeting and falling in love on the boat to America. Knowing more about how I came to be, gives me a greater understanding of who I am, and a greater appreciation for my ancestors. Knowing their struggles and sacrifices gives me a reason to be grateful to them all. Learning about my ancestors is how I came up with the outline of, Rituals Lost, due out in October of 2019.
There are also many famous graves, like Ernest Hemingway’s, parents and grand parents buried in this cemetery too. You can get a list of famous graves to visit at the front office or take a walking tour with the historical society.
For my locals interested in taking a historic tour through the cemetery; The Oak Park and River Forest Historical societies feature an annual event, the 3rd Saturday in October. This year it is being held on October 20th, click here for more info.
To learn more about the mound builders, click here.
[image error]This 6 and a half-foot, inscribed headstone for my second great-grandmother, Margaret Cottingham circa 1895 still stands. My grandfather, William Cottingham is also interred in this eight grave family plot located in Evanston, Illinois with a view of Lake Michigan.
Until next week, Part 3: October 15th, The mysteries of my Grandmother with the Glass eye and my 2nd great-grandfather, William Cottingham’s Last Will and Testament circa 1907, that just popped up on my computer screen…yet another name and person that I had never heard of until I started to investigate and learn about my ancestry in 2015.
[image error]Thank you all, who have contacted me about the Fairy/Mermaid Jars. I am working my way through the emails and will be in contact with you soon. I am looking at June of 2019 to give you the manuscript, so you will have three-month to read and write the review for, Rituals Lost, before the October 15th release date. As a thank you, I will send you your free, $30.00 value jar, after the reviews have been posted. One review written and posted on three websites, Goodreads.com, Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. Always room for more. If you are interested in getting a jar, email me at: carly.compass@gmail.com To learn more about the jars read my previous post.
Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you enjoyed, Part 2 of Honoring Our Ancestors.
Stay tuned for, Part 3 next week on October 15th.
Look out for:
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The Ivory Tower, (a collegiate experience) parts previously published in, About Love and About Family, now developed into a full length novel, release date, November 20th, 2018!
