Hard work brings pioneer cemetery's first ceremony in 100 years

Robert Jacobsen doesn't have any ancestors buried in the three pioneer cemeteries in Milton Township he's worked to preserve and protect for the past 10 years.

But the East Coast native and Wheaton resident anticipates meeting many descendants of the early settlers buried in Saint Stephen Cemetery at Family Remembrance Day at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12.

"There hasn't been a ceremony up there for 100 years," said Jacobsen of the cemetery that saw its first burial in 1854 and officially closed in 1910. "It's going to happen and I feel so good about it."

The cemetery - one of the earliest Catholic burial grounds in DuPage County - is so hard to find that Jacobsen is going to post signs telling visitors where to go. The cemetery is north of St. Charles Road and the Great Western Trail, and west of Schmale Road in what is now Carol Stream. Parking will be at Meyer Material Company plant at 405 E. St. Charles Road.

Back when the primarily German Catholic immigrants were laid to rest, the town was called Gretna. The 100 or so graves are marked with names such as Mittman, Nagel, Rickert and Warner.

Many of those family names still are prominently present in Wheaton, Winfield and nearby towns, said Jacobsen, the chairman and founder of the Milton Township Cemeteries Authority. He and the Friends of Pioneer Cemeteries, a volunteer group, have planned the ceremony.

"The importance of the ceremony and the purpose of it is to bring all the families together," he said.

St. StephenAn influx of German immigrants started arriving in Gretna in the late 1840s. Most were Catholics from southern Germany fleeing political oppression and famine in their homeland. At the time, the only Catholic church in DuPage County was Ss. Peter and Paul in Naperville.In 1852, the Archdiocese of Chicago authorized St. Stephen to be formed as a mission church to include a wooden building, a school and a cemetery.The church closed about 1889 after the Great Western Railroad removed access to the building and it burned two years later. St. Stephen, however, became the parent church of a half-dozen other area Catholic parishes, including St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton.The Rev. Don McLaughlin, pastor of St. Michael, will officiate at the Sept. 12 ceremony. Richard J. Tapella, director of cemeteries for the Diocese of Joliet, also will be there. The diocese-owned cemetery admittedly had been neglected until Jacobsen and his band of volunteers stepped in 10 years ago, Tapella said."They are quite a group of people who have really taken an interest in the history of St. Stephen," Tapella said. "The Milton Township Cemeteries Authority and the Friends of the Pioneer Cemeteries have done an amazing job." With funding help from the diocese, the volunteers have straightened and repaired gravestones at the once vandalized cemetery, installed a new fence and security light, and cleaned out an old well. They also maintain a one-acre prairie adjacent the cemetery."It is one of the few remaining natural prairies in the state," said Frederick Miller, a member of the Friends of Pioneer Cemeteries and editor of the organization's "Diggings Rubbings" newsletter.James Scheffler, chairman of the Friends of Pioneer Cemeteries and a descendant of the Phillip Dieter family buried at St. Stephen, has designed and installed a sign.Scheffler, a Wheaton-area resident, said he grew up within a mile of St. Stephen but didn't know the cemetery was there until 15 or 20 years ago. He credits Jacobsen with moving the work forward on the cemetery's restoration."He's a roll up your sleeves and get it done guy," he said.A painting of St. Stephen Church done by Henrietta Tweedie will be displayed at the ceremony. When the church was abandoned, one of the families removed the church bell from the steeple.Jacobsen said that bell has been made available for the ceremony. Traditionally, the bell was rung slowly when a funeral was held."We're going to ring the bell slowly as people arrive and at some point in the service, we'll ring it again," he said. The program will be followed by refreshments and fellowship. "I think once the ceremony is over, there'll be a lot of hanging around and chatting about their families," Scheffler said.Other cemeteriesJacobsen won't hazard a guess on how many people will come to Family Remembrance Day, but he said ceremonies at the other two pioneer cemeteries have been well-attended.When a large, new sign was dedicated at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in June, a few hundred came to the ceremony at the 165-year-old cemetery located on Geneva Road, west of Gary Avenue in Wheaton.At Pleasant Hill, the volunteers have installed new flat gravestones for Civil War veterans to supplement the original markers that are difficult to read. Pleasant Hill contains about 100 marked graves and is the only one of the three pioneer cemeteries still open for burials, Jacobsen said. Those who may be buried there include indigents, veterans, or the spouse of someone already buried there.Jewell Grove, a family cemetery (circa 1842), is hidden away on Champion Forest Court, just south of Jewell Road near Sandburg School in Wheaton. The dozen or so marked graves include that of Cpl. Elias Jewell, a veteran of the War of 1812 and a prominent citizen and landowner in the Wheaton area. The cemetery also contains members of the Cooley family. At Jewell Grove, the volunteers have replaced gravestones for Elias Jewell and Civil War veterans buried there. They've also pulled noxious weeds on an annual basis and replaced old shrubbery and trees. The ceremony at Jewell Grove this spring drew 100 or more people, up from the 10 to 15 who attended the first commemoration three years ago, Jacobsen said.Few descendants of those buried In Jewell Grove and Pleasant Hill remain in the area. Those who come to the ceremonies are drawn by an interest in history, Jacobsen said.Fascinating historyA native of Staten Island, N.Y. (settled by the Dutch in the 1600s), Jacobsen has always been fascinated with history. His career in the container manufacturing business brought him to the Western suburbs 40 years ago.Jacobsen and his family settled in a house once occupied by prominent Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt, and Jacobsen became acquainted with the movers and shakers in his new surroundings.When area residents told him about the condition of the three pioneer cemeteries, Jacobsen took up the cause."These are historic gems," he said.He founded the three-member Milton Township Cemeteries Authority to preserve the old cemeteries and serves as the authority's unpaid chairman. Milton Township, which has oversight of the pioneer cemeteries, provides some funding for the restoration of Pleasant Hill and Jewell Grove. The rest of funding is raised by volunteers.Friends of Pioneer Cemeteries was formed four years ago to provide support for the cemeteries authority and to research and publish information on the pioneer burial grounds and their occupants.Jacobsen credits the 100-plus volunteers and the institutions that have supported them with the progress they've made. The volunteers include arborist Ray Ribich, artist Henrietta Tweedie and Miller, a retired journalist who writes the newsletter."I'm not the guy cutting the grass," Jacobsen said. "We've just got a wonderful team." Other volunteers credit Jacobsen's dedication with the team's accomplishments."Without him, we wouldn't have much of any organization," Miller said.Jacobsen said his manufacturing career taught him how to help people to work to meet objectives until they know the satisfaction of success. He recalled a parable he learned during the four years he spent in business in Seoul, Korea."Drops of water carve a stone. You make a commitment and you stick to it, " he said. "I think that's what's fun about life."True7321016Bob Jacobsen's lifelong interest in history and preservation led him to create the Milton Township Cemeteries Authority a decade ago to restore the township's three pioneer cemeteries.Tanit Jarusan | Staff PhotographerTrue <p class="factboxheadblack">Family Remembrance Day</p><p class="News"><b>When:</b> 2 p.m. Sept. 12</p><p class="News"><b>Where:</b> St. Stephen Cemetery; parking at Meyer Material Company, 405 E. St. Charles Road, Carol Stream; follow signs to cemetery</p><p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Free</p><p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 668-7551</p>