Searching for William Clark: A Cemetery Research Case Study in St. Charles, Illinois

A Simple Photo Request That Became a Cemetery Mystery

After a long break following my relocation from Maryland in 2017, I recently returned to volunteering with Find A Grave. I began working in North Cemetery in St. Charles, Illinois, focusing on the Clark family—their plots, records, and locations—in an effort to fulfill a photo request for William Clark.

I started my research at my local library, the St. Charles Public Library, where I searched the online catalog for cemetery resources. In the Carnegie Hall reference section, I located Cemetery Inscriptions of St. Charles Township, Kane County, Illinois (1994) by Zola McCullough. This book contains detailed transcriptions of graves within St. Charles cemeteries. North Cemetery is listed first and includes a map dividing the grounds into Sections 1–12.

As I carefully reviewed each page, I eventually reached page 81, where I found entries for the Clark family, indicating their burial in Section 9. I immediately checked the cemetery’s hours and, despite not yet hearing back from the township office after leaving a voicemail, decided to visit that same afternoon while there was still daylight. Fortunately, the gates were open.

I parked near Section 9 and spent nearly an hour searching on foot but was unable to locate the Clark family—or any of the individuals listed on that page. Following this, I planned a visit to St. Charles Township the next day, hoping to obtain updated maps and more precise burial information.

One challenge I encountered was that many Find A Grave memorials lacked plot details—even those with completed photo requests. I quickly realized that most cemeteries are not organized in a way that makes locating graves straightforward. Moving forward, I intend to include as much identifying location information as possible when fulfilling requests, to better assist others in the future.

The next day, I received a call from the manager at St. Charles Township, who invited me to visit his office at Union Cemetery, located just across from North Cemetery. He mentioned that maps and records would be available, along with assistance from his staff.

At the office, I met with his secretary, and together we conducted a thorough search through their records, including catalogs, books, and indexes for North Cemetery. It was during this process that I learned the reference book I had relied on was outdated—the cemetery sections are no longer labeled numerically, but by letters.

Unfortunately, we found no record of William Clark’s burial. However, we were able to locate several of his relatives listed in the book. With her help, I identified and photographed the headstones of Thomas Clark (his brother), Louisa Clark (Thomas’s wife), another Thomas Clark (likely their son), and Olive Clark (their daughter). It remains possible that William is buried nearby in an unmarked grave, and I will continue to investigate this possibility.

Due to poor historical record-keeping and fires over the years, some records may have been lost entirely. Still, I remain determined—if documentation exists, I intend to find it.

During my research, I also came across a Find A Grave memorial for Louisa Louden Willard, William’s mother. However, her memorial does not include plot information, and her exact burial location remains unknown. I plan to follow up with the cemetery office to determine whether additional records may exist.

William’s father, Thomas, also remains a mystery.

Photo credit

Photos by Marcy Baez Lopez, Budget Genealogy, LLC