Home > United States of America > Illinois > McHenry County > Spring Grove > Wray-Imeson Cemetery

Wray-Imeson Cemetery

Memorials	:	0
Location	:	Spring Grove, McHenry County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.4622002, -88.2275009
Description	:	Located on the east side of Richardson Road, South of English Prairie Road. Back in the brush atop a small hill sits this sad little cemetery with a history of neglect spanning more than three quarters of a century. Yet its historic importance is remarkable considering its small size. Here lies a Civil War soldier in a desecrated grave. Here lies Jonathan Imeson who is credited with being the first settler in Burton Township when he arrived in June of 1836. His original cabin was displayed at the McHenry County Fairgrounds for a time. His marriage to Mary Wray... Read More	Located on the east side of Richardson Road, South of English Prairie Road. Back in the brush atop a small hill sits this sad little cemetery with a history of neglect spanning more than three quarters of a century. Yet its historic importance is remarkable considering its small size. Here lies a Civil War soldier in a desecrated grave. Here lies Jonathan Imeson who is credited with being the first settler in Burton Township when he arrived in June of 1836. His original cabin was displayed at the McHenry County Fairgrounds for a time. His marriage to Mary Wray on November 30, 1837, was the first recorded in McHenry County. His daughters Elizabeth and Mary were the first twins born on the English Prairie. They achieved a measure of fame when two lakes just across the state line in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, were named for the girls. Other burials here are from families almost as early as Imeson in the county. Although Imeson is considered the first settler, Thomas Wray and Stephen Lawson were not far behind. The arrived together, also in 1836. Not surprisingly, the three families became intertwined when Thomas Wray's oldest daughter married Jonathan Imeson and another daughter married Stephen Lawson in 1839. Over the years this graveyard has been called Imeson, Wray, Lawson, or some combination of those names. The parcel of which the cemetery is a part was purchased in 1840 from the U.S. Government by a land speculator named Henry King who sold it to Thomas Wray in 1843. Beginning in 1844 Gideon Cooley, father-in-law of Miles H. Cole, farmed the surrounding land until his death in 1872. Cooley's son Joseph took over the farm before it passed into the hands of the Lawson family who owned it for many years. It seems clear that the burial grounds must have been started at the time Thomas Wray owned the land and held for the exclusive use of the family. Gideon Cooley is buried in Richmond and none of his family are in this cemetery. It is not clear if Frank Robinson was related in some way to the Wray family. His parents, Jeremiah and Eliza, were longtime residents of Richmond Township. Jeremiah had a farm west of Richmond and also worked as a railway station agent. Both parents are buried in Richmond Cemetery. Most unusual was the decision of the current owner of this property to be buried here himself. Deno Buralli created a small add-on at the back end of the cemetery, brought in the remains of Ceasar Buralli, and was himself buried here in 1995. This tidy plot of grass with its polished modern stones provides quite a contrast to the old section where massive monuments stolidly fend off fallen trees and battered smaller stones poke up through the tangled scrub.

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Where is Wray-Imeson Cemetery?
Wray-Imeson Cemetery is located at Richardson Road Spring Grove, McHenry County ,Illinois ,USA.
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0 memorials
Where are the coordinates of the Wray-Imeson Cemetery?
Latitude: 42.4622002
Longitude: -88.2275009

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Nearby Cemetories:

1. Orvis-Sanborn Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.4653015, -88.2082977

2. English Prairie Cemetery
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8. Cedarvale Cemetery
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9. Wilmot Cemetery
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12. Richmond Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.4777756, -88.3132477

13. Saint Johns Catholic Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.5307999, -88.2164001

14. Grass Lake Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.4366989, -88.1399994

15. Mound Prairie Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.5247002, -88.2850037

16. Saint John the Baptist Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.3829727, -88.2415695

17. Hillside Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.5064011, -88.3236008

18. Thomas Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.4219017, -88.3284988

19. Ringwood Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.3895683, -88.2988205

20. Carr-Harrison Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.3972015, -88.3153000

21. Hillside Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.4752693, -88.1027908

22. Mount Carmel Cemetery
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Coordinate: 42.4739300, -88.1024100

23. Saint Bede Catholic Cemetery
Ingleside, Lake County, USA
Coordinate: 42.3942000, -88.1392000

24. Udall Elverman Cemetery
Fox River, Kenosha County, USA
Coordinate: 42.5533900, -88.1882500

Wray-Imeson Cemetery

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