Plainfield Township Cemetery was erected in 1837, 3 years after the village of Plainfield was incorporated. Before 1837 bodies of the deceased were either buried on family farms or at a small cemetery previously located 3 miles south of town. The first burial was Chester Smith who was interred June 19, 1837. There were 8 burials that first year. The largest single year burial total was in 1864. A small pox outbreak (called Variola) took the lives of 111 men, women, and children. The vast majority of burials being young children. John Templin lost 4 sons and a daughter between February 14-February 16 that year. All are buried in Row 2 Lot 46 on the south side of the cemetery in the Arter family lot. (Row 2 is second row south of the driveway past the circle in the old sections lot 46 is 46 grave plots east of the fence at Route 59) The cemetery is still active and managed by an appointed cemetery sexton whose job it is to maintain and care for the cemetery and bury the dead. The current sexton is Kenneth Carroll. There are 48 Civil War soldiers buried in the cemetery. The most famous being Captain Edward McAllister who was the captain of McAllister’s Battery- the 1st Illinois Light Artillery Company D who enlisted in the Civil War on April 15, 1865, the day after the war began. This unit fought bravely at Ft. Donelson, Shiloh, and Vicksburg. Later they joined Sherman’s Atlanta campaign fighting at Kennesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Hill and Johnson Station. Captain McAllister is buried on the far right of the cemetery near the homes on Union St. closer to route 30 under a small batch of cedar trees. There are numerous WWI veterans buried at Plainfield Township Cemetery Some of the men who served are: Clinton King, Elmer Craig (Served in both WWI and WWII) his cousin, Angus McDonald and brothers-in-law Otto and Roy Annis and Charles Green. The most well-known WWI soldier, Richard Ira Jones (Ira Jones Middle School). Dozens of WWII veterans are buried here including three who were killed in action: Bruce Dewar, Earl Rockenbach and Arthur Countryman.

Write-up provided by Tina Beaird, Plainfield Public Library