Godfrey Sperling, Champaign County, Ill. Cemetery Survey Records, 1890-1938 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains materials created and used by Sperling during this project, including lists of soldiers' graves in various cemeteries, records sheets of the State of Illinois Military and Naval Department, a plat of Mount Hope Cemetery in Champaign, a plat book of Champaign County with cemeteries indicated, and two mounted newspaper articles concerning war veterans. In addition, the collection contains two journals concerning Champaign County war veterans. The journals record veterans' name, service, Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) post, date of death, and burial place.

Biographical/Historical Context:

During the 1930s, County Surveyor Godfrey Sperling completed a survey of Champaign County cemeteries under the authority of the Champaign County Board of Supervisors. The survey contained information that was primarily compiled for veterans' records. It consisted of details about the status and number of burial locations, cemetery history articles, the number of veterans from each war buried in the county, the process of creating useable maps for locating graves, and future needs for cemetery upkeep.

Acquisition Source: The Champaign Public Library donated Sperling's work to the Illinois Historical Survey, the predecessor of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections Unit, in 1960.