In July of 1991 Lawrence Lee Hunter and Richard H. Hunter visited the Jacob Hunter Cemetery in White Ash and found it in terrible condition. The present landowner was using it as a pasture for cows, gravestones were broken and brush and debris were everywhere. We decided to restore the cemetery and to construct a fence around it for protection.

In August the Jacob Hunter Trust was formed as a mechanism for raising funds to restore the cemetery. Many known family members donated funds and as of this date a new industrial grade chain link fence surrounds the cemetery and a very nice steel and iron sign is on order. Next summer, we plan to repair or replace several of the gravestones that have been damaged or lost.

We also plan to raise enough money to provide for perpetual care so the cemetery won't again fall into ruin. We are proud of the generous support we have received to date to aid in the restoration of the cemetery. Anyone interested in contributing to the Trust may send contributions to:

"Jacob Hunter Trust"

@ Richard H. Hunter

Route 3, Box 343

Marion, IL 62959

All contributors will receive an annual accounting of all income and expenses of the trust. Comments, suggestions and visitors are welcome.

During a visit to Southern Illinois and the Jacob Hunter Cemetery last summer, Judge Robert Hunter of Quincy saw a scrapbook of family history put together by Lawrence & Lettie Hunter of Carterville. Lawrence & Lettie have done research on the Hunter and related families for several years and have corresponded with many people. Their scrapbook was so impressive that Robert volunteered his publishing company to print and distribute copies to people on our mailing list free of charge.

Since midsummer, Lawrence & Lettie (mostly Lettie) have spent many hours organizing the book for publication and obtaining pictures of relatives.

Judge Robert Hunter promises the book to be-available sometime in late January or early February. It will be sent to relatives on our mailing list. If you received a copy of this newsletter, you should be receiving a copy of the family history scrapbook soon.

We hope everyone receiving a copy will share any family history information they have with us so we might publish other volumes in the future. Also we would like to hear from anyone presently doing research on the family so we might keep in touch and share new information as it becomes available.

There are over 80 graves in the Jacob Hunter Cemetery, the vast majority marked only by a piece of sandstone. We believe that many of the graves are of people who died of cholera in the mid 1800s in Williamson County. There was an encampment of cholera victims just east of the cemetery and Jacob Hunter and his wife Mary Moore Duncan cared for them. Jacob contacted cholera in 1874 and moved into the encampment prior to his death. Jacob was known throughout the county as someone who would build a casket and bury people with infectious diseases. That is probably why the cholera encampment was across the creek from the cemetery on Jacob's farm. Of the Hunter relatives known to be buried in the cemetery are:

Emmanuel Hunter, Jacob's father, died 1/7/1874. Emmanuel brought the Hunters to Illinois from Tennessee. Emmanuel's second wife Mary Best and her son Richard Best are buried along side of Emmanuel.

We believe Emmanuel's first wife Judith Lee is buried in the Allen Hunter Cemetery a few miles west of the Jacob Hunter Cemetery on Emmanuel's original farm. Judith Lee (our grandmother) died 8/8/1852 prior to Emmanuel turning his farm over to his son Allen.

Two other sons of Emmanuel, George Washington Hunter d. 9/7/1878 and Jacob Hunter d. 12/21/1874 are buried in the cemetery along with their wives Lydia Spiller (wife of G.W. H.) d. 2/8/1876 and Mary Moore Duncan (nicknamed Aunt Pop) (wife of Jacob) d. 8/21/1896.

A son of Jacob, Thomas Riley Hunter d. 8/25/1866 is buried in the cemetery as well as Jacob's son-in-law Jesse Weaver d.1877 and Jacob's grandchildren Mary Emily Weaver, Thomas Weaver, George W. Weaver, Mary Weaver, & Mary & James Powell.

If you donated money to the Jacob Hunter Trust in 1991 you will receive an additional page with this newsletter listing all income and expenses of the trust for 1991. Your contributions allowed us to install an industrial grade chain link fence around the cemetery and to purchase a sign that is presently being designed. We intend to have the sign built and installed by April 1992.

We hope to raise additional funds to purchase new monuments and to install a gravel road to the cemetery. We presently are working with Robert Lawrence who owns the farm that the cemetery is on to allow us better access. Hopefully, we can build a gravel road from his driveway back to the cemetery.

Further, we hope to raise enough money over the next several years to invest so that the earnings will provide for perpetual care of the cemetery.

We are very grateful for the generous assistance and contributions we have received from each of you.

JUSTICE PUBLICATIONS INC.

529 HAMPSHIRE STREET, SUITE 216 1-800-255-7411

QUINCY, ILLINOIS 62301 (217) 224-7411

Fax No. (217) 224-7452

Robert S. Hunter, President

January 7, 1992

Dear Friend (and I hope we will all become friends, through our mutual interests):

In 1971, 1 flew down to Marion to find the burial place of my ancestors. It was difficult to find, and had become overgrown with ivy so that no grave stones were visible. I located it by stepping on a stone hidden by the ivy. Unfortunately, time and distance made it impossible for me to do anything about it then.

Since then, Lawrence Hunter began a long and arduous task of rehabilitating it. Without his work, it would no longer be available for resurrecting.

At the same time, his delightful wife, Lettie, has spent countless hours collecting a Scrapbook of many items of great interest about descendants of Jacob Hunter. You will receive a copy when it is ready.

Another stroke of great luck occurred when Richard Hunter took a great interest and created the Jacob Hunter Trust. He and Lawrence have really made things happen!

Williamson County has been an important part of my life since early childhood. My father, Clyde H. Hunter, took our family on frequent visits (before good roads) to my grandfather and grandmother, John J. and Emma Cox Hunter, and dad's aunt Annie Cox Holland and Shannon Holland, President of the bank.

Dad's middle name is Holland and mine is Shannon, an expression of the affection dad had for Aunt Annie and Uncle Shannon. Their large brick home was next to the Sheriffs office and jail and was torn down for a motel.

It is really a pleasure for me to enclose a copy of Richard Hunter's newsletter and excellent financial report.

Very truly yours,

Bob

Robert S. Hunter

Phone: 618/985-2814 Fax: 618/985/2933 e-mail: rhunter@midwest.net
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