FINDING BURIAL PLACE OF ATWELL COWSERT
He died in Bernie, which is less than 5 miles from the cemetery and might be as close as 2 or 3 miles, as the crow flies. In its early years, Bethany was a "free" cemetery. If family members could provide the labor in digging the grave, there was no charge to be buried there.
Atwell died in 1919, but no church burial records go back that far, so there is no record of his burial there (except that his death certificate says: "Burial: Bethany"). The cemetery has been "read" and there is no gravestone for Atwell Cowsert. This is not surprising since, if the family had been unable to pay for burial, they probably were also unable to pay for a stone. However, I discovered a great many stones which were so smooth that sometimes only one or two characters could be seen and some were completely smooth with no visible writing at all. It may be that one of these stones is a grave marker for Atwell.
It will probably never be possible to prove beyond doubt where Atwell is buried but there is every indication that this small church cemetery is the correct place.
My friend, Judy, and I arrived in Bernie in the early afternoon. I took a few photos of this small town since that is where Atwell lived for at least some period of time with his son, Thomas Franklin, and his daughter-in-law, Nora.
We stopped in a gas station/mini-mart in Malden to see if anyone working there could help us locate the cemetery. After talking to 3-4 people, a young woman gave us directions to the cemetery.
The drive was several miles west of Malden and then we turned north for another several miles. The church and cemetery were located a short distance off the main road.
After seeing the location of Bethany cemetery and it's close proximity to Bernie, where Atwell died, I came to the decision that I would honor the memory of Great-Grandpa Atwell Cowsert in this place. I petitioned the Bethany Cemetery Board to allow me to place a gravestone for Atwell in this cemetery and the Board agreed. I commissioned Malden Marble Works to fashion the stone. After the stone was set in place, in an act of great kindness and generosity, Amy Green took some photos and sent them to me. Thank you, Amy, for your many kindnesses, assistance, and support.
Rest in Peace Atwell Cowsert
Note: I selected 1845 as the year to put on the gravestone as that is the year Atwell himself used in (almost) all his Civil War papers. However, beginning with the 1870 census and continuing until the 1910 census, the year used exclusively was 1850. It is hard to believe a 14-year old boy would be allowed to join the service, but it appears that 1850 is more likely his year of birth. A half-brother, Elisha Cowsert, was born in 1845 according to his gravestone. The last line on Atwell's stone refers to Atwell's Civil War service: he served in Company A, of the 29th Division of Illinois.
Thanks to the following for their help and support in this search:
First, Don Wick and his mother Rosale Cowsert Wick, who shared with me the fact that Atwell died in Bernie, Missouri and not somewhere in Illinois. From that information, I obtained Atwell's death certificate.
Many people helped eliminate where Atwell WASN'T buried. That was helpful, too. Thanks to Mary Hudson and members of the Rootsweb Mailing List for Stoddard County. Other Rootsweb mailing lists for Butler and Dunklin gave me helpful replies. Debbi Geer and Joyce Malin were very gracious in their attempts to help me locate Atwell's grave. Thanks also to Amy Green and Joe Borders, Secretary/Treasurer and Maintenance Person, of Bethany Cemetery.
Lastly, thanks to Judy Wick for allowing this side-trip on our cross-country ride.
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