Carrcemetery

William Carr Cemetery

Located in Rock Island, on 44th Street, and 45th Avenue

Introduction from "The Town Crier by George Wickstrom"
Rock Island Argus June 8, 1942

" A few days ago we visited the only private cemetery in Rock Island County. The cemetery is on the old Black Hawk road, about a third of a mile east of Thirty-eight street, Rock Island, and it can be seen from the new highway, state route 2.

This cemetery, for 101 years the burial place of several generations of two families, lies on a knoll which sloped in four directions to its boundary fence. On the apex of the knoll are 20 graves. The first person to be buried there was Eliza Jane Carr, who died in February, 1841, and the last to be buried there was her daughter, Eliza Jane Lukens, 89 years later - in 1930.

With William Carr Lukens and his sister, Miss Lura Lukens, the present owners, we visited the cemetery, They live on Thirty - eighth street road, north of the burial plot, and when their time comes, they expect to be buried there. They do not know who will care for the cemetery when they are gone and , with that in mind, Mr. Lukens placed a strong and tall iron fence around the cemetery two years ago. Each side of the square cemetrey is 140 feet long. "The fence will protect the graves for a few years after we are gone. " Mr. Lukens said. It is called the William Carr cemetery.
When ever Carrs settled in pioneer days there is a Carr schoolhouse and a cemetery.

The History of Carr's and Wm. Carr School., etc.
Cemetery History
William Carr, died May 3, 1869 at the age 68 and asked to be buried on the knoll beside his wife. The year before he had incorporated the knoll as a cemetery. Besides the Carrs and their children, 11 Hoons and their descendants are buried there. Stewart Hoon was William's Carr's neighbor and asked for the privilege of sharing the cemetery with the Carr's. Stewart Hoon died Jan 22, 1873.

Will Lukens and his sister, of course, expect to be buried in the cemetery which their grandfather laid out, and it may be that the grandfather of Stewart Hoon, an 80 year old Moline woman, also will be buried there. After that the cemetry may have no one else to serve, for other descendants of Mr. Carr and Mr. Hoon have family lots in public cemeteries.

When a pet fox terrier died in 1931, Mr. Lukens and his sister built a casket for the dog and buried him at the feet of their mother.
The William Carr cemetery is of public interest because it is a survival of the pioneer days when there were few sanctuaries for the dead, except often in pastures. Bailey Davenport's pasture, now Long View Park was the burial place of many Rock Island settlers before 1855. The Carr farm burial place unlike the burial plots of many other pioneer farms, has been perpetuated with loving care for more than a century."

(Note: According to the newspaper article there were 11 "Hoon's buried here in 1942 - only 3 graves, prior to that date were found at this time. Eight graves are unmarked at this time. The nine "Carr's" are all listed."