This list was furnished for the Warren L. Van Dine sponsored project by Miss Mary H. Siegfried April 19, 1971.  She is to receive full credit for it.

If Miss Siegfried had not come forward with this list it would have been lost for the American people in all probability.  The fine way she has backed this project with this and lists for several other County cemeteries will certainly earn her the gratitude of her country.

 Miss Siegfried is a professional researcher, an alumnus of Carthage college, class of 1922, a worker in the Carthage Lutheran Church, she is an all-around good guy who does her good deed each day like the Boy Scouts do, but I guess she didn't learn this with the scouts.  She must have been with the brownies were lovely girls learn to become lovely women which is what miss Siegfried is and are County at this writing (1971), one of the nicest women ever to live in the county.

This introduction is being put on paper by Warren L. Van dine in the 19th day of the month called April by the natives here, in the year of our Lord and save your 1971, and 195th year of the independence of the United States.

Mention is made in the Miss Siegfried materiel which will be quoted for the eight places which constitute places of public deposit for this project by running off copies from her typed copy in the copier machine of the cemetery labeled Payne Cemetery. Payne Cemetery is a separate cemetery of this project and researchers wanting material from it may consult this list.

Miss Siegfried also mentions another cemetery which he describes as "an abandoned pioneer cemetery with no stones visible" which is located in the northwest one-quarter, saves to one-quarter of section 6 apparently also Chili Township.  An effort will be made to get Miss Siegfried to make that a separate list for this project.

The Harter family his name is attached to this cemetery at this list now being talked about same to our county at such an early date according to the 1880, Thomas Gregg history, page 530, it is impossible to exactly say when they did arrive here.  When they can be said about anyone they came here so early Thomas Gregg couldn't say in 1830 when they came they came early.  That fellow became a newspaper man and historian here when our county was still Indian country.

Mr. Gregg gives a full-page picture of Joseph Harter on page 531 at this 1880 county history, and on page 536 almost a full-page a biographical data about him and the Harter family.

Mr. Gregg has left is a legacy of very good sketch in this case.  The married couple of Miss Siegfried's list are the parents of Joseph Harter.  It must be the came on here to live in their old age of Joseph.

This Harter family is a very fine family in general.  The Harter's first settled in Maryland in colonial times.  The young family first settled in Virginia (the family of Joseph Mother).  One of the youngest was a captain in General Washington's in America Army in the Revolution.

I see Mr. Gregg gives us an opinion here that Joseph parents may have arrived in Hancock County as early as 1834 or may be 1835.  He gets the same dates of their debts as Miss Siegfried does.

Joseph Harter according to the sketch was born in Franklin County, Virginia in 1809 and was still living when they history was published in 1880.  While still residing in Virginia he married Susannah Dodd (1833).  He farmed for a number of years in Virginia, fathering eight children.  Then in 1849 he moved to our county in Western Illinois were he and Susannah had for more children, making a total of 12.

The third name on Miss Siegfried's list, David William Harter, is one of the children Joseph had here in Illinois.

Joseph first located near Warsaw but in 1851 he moved to Chili Township, taking up residence in a log house on the farm where the family cemetery is located.  In 1857 he built the residence here which Miss Siegfried describes as "a beautiful colonial style brick house", which he says "was a landmark in the community so it was raised in 1869".

The writer of this (Warren L. Van dine) can recall saying that old brick house in an abandoned state and insuspecting it some in the early 1960s.

Mr. Gregg says at the time he wrote his history (1880) Joseph Harter resided here and owned 720 acres of fine land and about another 150 acres not adjoining this farm (no doubt elsewhere and Chili Township).

One member of the Harter family, Dr. Wesley C. Harter, is now head of the school of business law, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, always looms large in my memories when I recall the Harter family.  He is one of the children of Edward M. Harter, I County school teacher of the turn-of-the-century (1900) days, farmer, etc..

Edward M. Harter was a satin of Joseph V. Harter who was one of the Virginia born sons of Joseph Harter.

Wesley C. Harter is therefore a great-grandson of Joseph Harter and the great great-grandson of Henry and Elizabeth Harter who rest in death here in the and Harter family burying grounds which Miss Siegfried describes so ably.  It is as will be noted by the map which she has drawn quite close to Illinois state Highway No. 94 (concrete road), just off to the west of it and the short distance north of the Joseph Harter brick residence which was built in 1857.

In closing I would like again to state this work by Miss Siegfried is a fine service is a for the American people which will certainly bring her satisfaction as a deed well done.  There will undoubtedly be a golden sunset for her if all she has done in this mundane existence has been as substantial as this job of putting Harter Cemetery in this project.
 
 

Harter Cemetery

Located in and north last one-quarter northeast one quarter section 6, Township 3 N. 6 and W. (Chili Township) this family cemetery was established by Joseph Harter who settled here in 1851.  A son of Henry and Elizabeth the (Young) Harter.  He was born in Franklin County Virginia May 5th 1809 and died Sept. 9th 1887 Oneida, Kansas.  In 1857 he built a beautiful colonial style brick house, which was a landmark in the community intelligent rased in 1969.  In 1883 he sold the land to James Thompson who preserved the cemetery during his ownership.  The land is now owned by Marjorie Ufkes Bisby and in recent years the cemetery has been obliterated.  A small foot stone found on the site with the initials D.W.H. is in the possession of Arthur Graham residing on section 36 Township 4 N 7 W. (Bear Creek Township).

This list was compiled by Mary H. Siegfried, Denver, Illinois from information given by Dorothy Harter Frey, rural route Carthage, Illinois and F. C. King, 13601 east Foster Avenue, Baldwin Park, California, in March 1971.

In the northwest one-quarter southeast one-quarter of section 6 is another abandoned its pioneer cemetery with no stones visible.  In the southwest one-quarter northwest one-quarter is the Payne Cemetery's which is under Township care..

The roads and highways are as at present; landowners as of 1859 when the cemetery was recently established.

List of burials

Harter, Henry --  b: 1776   d: Sept. 24, 1856
Harter, Elizabeth (Young) -- b: 1777   d: 1865
Harter, David William -- b: 1857   d: 1857  (infant son of Joseph Harter)