I had to post this update as soon as possible because time may be running out. For years people have thought that the grave stone that is in the parking lot at the abandoned apartment building at 7889 Archer Avenue in Justice IL was just a hoax. In fact six years ago I spoke with the supervisor of Bethania Cemetery across the street and he stated that the whole thing was a hoax dreamed up by the producers of a television show called “Sightings” in the 1980s that was supposed to be doing a story on the hauntings at the building. The link to my first article from two days ago is here.
I, however, was not so sure since the land used to be owned by The Bethania Cemetery Association at the time that Mr. August Boness died on March 26, 1915.
I put the information out on my facebook group “Chicago History The Stranger Side” and the almost 7,000 members got to work. It wasn’t long before a sharp researcher by the name of Maryann Felinski found a listing on Find-A-Grave for an August Bonas (phonetic probably for Boness) with the exact dates of birth and dates of death as the mystery stone in the parking lot across the street. Hmmm…kinda coincidental. The stone marker actually looks fairly new and the inscription at the top (it is a dual stone) says Schultz and the two inscriptions on the stone were “Son, Rudolph September 23 1915 to June 8, 2001” and next to it “Uncle, August Bonas Oct 15, 1888 to March 26, 1915” the exact dates of birth and death and almost the same name as the mystery stone.
[caption id="attachment_967" align="alignleft" width="300"]![The marker where Rudolph, Ferdinand and Ernestina Bonas Schultz are buried. August Bonas is merely referenced on the stone with no burial record]()
The marker where Rudolph, Ferdinand and Ernestina Bonas Schultz are buried. August Bonas is merely referenced on the stone with no burial record[/caption]
So I decided to try Bethania one more time. I was sure with this new information the mystery could be solved right away. I mean if August Bonas and August Boness were the same person and the family simply wanted to update the stone and disposed of the old one then no harm no foul right? I guess that would make sense if the new stone was put up in the 1980s but then nobody was buried there until 2001 so what was the rush?
It is possible there are other relatives there that just weren’t on the grave stone but Bethania should be able to clear up all that right?
I called Bethania Cemetery in Justice, IL yesterday morning. I spoke to a very pleasant lady on the phone and told her that I was a local historian and was trying to clear up the mystery of the grave stone and possible grave of August Boness that appeared to be across the street from the cemetery. The woman stated that she heard that there was some kind of story about it but didn’t think it was a real grave. I told her that there was a gravestone at Bethania with the same name and dates of birth and death as that person but the last name was spelled BONAS on the stone and not BONESS as on the mystery stone.
She thought that was very interesting. I told her that if there was a plot card for August Bonas it would say where he was buried and if he had ever been moved. She agreed with me and put me on hold while she looked. Wow this is wonderful I thought. We could finally put this to rest and maybe the family would like the old tombstone or maybe it would make a great Halloween decoration.
Suddenly a person named Nadine answered the phone and asked if she could help me. I told her I had talked to someone about August Bonas. She asked me if I was a family member. I said that I wasn’t but that I was researching him. She very bluntly said that she was told by her supervisor that August Boness was never buried there, that they don’t have anyone by that name and that the land where the mystery stone is located was never cemetery land. I told her that they may have an August Bonas with the same dates and she stuttered and said that they were told it is not the same person and that they have been getting a ton of calls and don’t want to be bothered with it anymore. She said that she was told that that was all she could say about it. I said thank you and that I would try to contact the family members about it.
So I did a little research and guess what! These are all real people. I found Rudolph Schultz’s information from his obituary and also from his social security claim files and he was one of many children of Ferdinand and Ernestina Schultz. His wife’s name was Helen and it doesn’t appear that they had any children but plenty of nieces and nephews. Guest what Ernestina’s maiden name is? You guessed it, “BONAS.” So August Bonas IS an Uncle of Rudolph Schultz.
This is not some throw away tombstone from some defunct marker company. August Boness or August Bonas is a real person. He died on March 26, 1915 (oddly enough today is the anniversary of his death) and his stone and a very large stone base which are consistent with materials used 100 years ago for grave markers are sitting on land that at the time of his death was owned by The Bethania Cemetery Association (so much for it never being cemetery land)
[caption id="attachment_968" align="alignright" width="300"]![Bethania Cemetery in Justice, Illinois]()
Bethania Cemetery in Justice, Illinois[/caption]
It actually gets worse! I went to Bethania's Website and you can do it for yourself! There is a burial records search form! So this is the scary part. I found Rudolph Schultz along with his father Ferdinand and mother Ernestine Schultz (maiden Bonas) they are all in Lot 21, Section 8 in Division E. Guess who I didn't find? Uncle August Bonas! There was no August Boness or Bonas under any spelling. In my opinion there is a reason for that. Uncle August was buried on cemetery land that was sold after he was buried. That is why they have no record and hopefully just don't choose to not have a record.
Now it is time to do a little reverse genealogy and contact some living descendents of Rudolph Schultz who was born on September 23, 1915 and died on June 8, 2001. I have his obituary from the Chicago Sun-Times which lists all of his brothers and sisters and the fact that he had many nieces and nephews.
I tend to believe that the family obviously knows about Uncle August (After all they went to the trouble of having his information carved on the stone) and wanted to memorialize him on the stone or maybe they were told that he was buried there at one point. It makes me wonder if they even know about the original stone that is sitting across the street. Only the cemetery can confirm or deny this but it doesn’t appear that they want to be bothered.
[caption id="attachment_970" align="aligncenter" width="300"]![The final resting spot of August Boness (Bonas) ?]()
The final resting spot of August Boness (Bonas) ?[/caption]
The worst case is that August Bonas or Boness and possibly others have been forgotten about in the land that was once Bethania’s land and was sold in February of 1916 about 11 months after August Boness’s death.
The abandoned buildings are being demolished, the land is for sale and the stone is simply propped up against a log and a discarded tire at 7889 Archer Ave in Justice, IL.
I am hoping to make contact with family soon in order to insure that Uncle August has been taken care of and will post an update when I do.
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The marker where Rudolph, Ferdinand and Ernestina Bonas Schultz are buried. August Bonas is merely referenced on the stone with no burial record[/caption]
So I decided to try Bethania one more time. I was sure with this new information the mystery could be solved right away. I mean if August Bonas and August Boness were the same person and the family simply wanted to update the stone and disposed of the old one then no harm no foul right? I guess that would make sense if the new stone was put up in the 1980s but then nobody was buried there until 2001 so what was the rush?
It is possible there are other relatives there that just weren’t on the grave stone but Bethania should be able to clear up all that right?
I called Bethania Cemetery in Justice, IL yesterday morning. I spoke to a very pleasant lady on the phone and told her that I was a local historian and was trying to clear up the mystery of the grave stone and possible grave of August Boness that appeared to be across the street from the cemetery. The woman stated that she heard that there was some kind of story about it but didn’t think it was a real grave. I told her that there was a gravestone at Bethania with the same name and dates of birth and death as that person but the last name was spelled BONAS on the stone and not BONESS as on the mystery stone.
She thought that was very interesting. I told her that if there was a plot card for August Bonas it would say where he was buried and if he had ever been moved. She agreed with me and put me on hold while she looked. Wow this is wonderful I thought. We could finally put this to rest and maybe the family would like the old tombstone or maybe it would make a great Halloween decoration.
Suddenly a person named Nadine answered the phone and asked if she could help me. I told her I had talked to someone about August Bonas. She asked me if I was a family member. I said that I wasn’t but that I was researching him. She very bluntly said that she was told by her supervisor that August Boness was never buried there, that they don’t have anyone by that name and that the land where the mystery stone is located was never cemetery land. I told her that they may have an August Bonas with the same dates and she stuttered and said that they were told it is not the same person and that they have been getting a ton of calls and don’t want to be bothered with it anymore. She said that she was told that that was all she could say about it. I said thank you and that I would try to contact the family members about it.
So I did a little research and guess what! These are all real people. I found Rudolph Schultz’s information from his obituary and also from his social security claim files and he was one of many children of Ferdinand and Ernestina Schultz. His wife’s name was Helen and it doesn’t appear that they had any children but plenty of nieces and nephews. Guest what Ernestina’s maiden name is? You guessed it, “BONAS.” So August Bonas IS an Uncle of Rudolph Schultz.
This is not some throw away tombstone from some defunct marker company. August Boness or August Bonas is a real person. He died on March 26, 1915 (oddly enough today is the anniversary of his death) and his stone and a very large stone base which are consistent with materials used 100 years ago for grave markers are sitting on land that at the time of his death was owned by The Bethania Cemetery Association (so much for it never being cemetery land)
[caption id="attachment_968" align="alignright" width="300"]
Bethania Cemetery in Justice, Illinois[/caption]
It actually gets worse! I went to Bethania's Website and you can do it for yourself! There is a burial records search form! So this is the scary part. I found Rudolph Schultz along with his father Ferdinand and mother Ernestine Schultz (maiden Bonas) they are all in Lot 21, Section 8 in Division E. Guess who I didn't find? Uncle August Bonas! There was no August Boness or Bonas under any spelling. In my opinion there is a reason for that. Uncle August was buried on cemetery land that was sold after he was buried. That is why they have no record and hopefully just don't choose to not have a record.
Now it is time to do a little reverse genealogy and contact some living descendents of Rudolph Schultz who was born on September 23, 1915 and died on June 8, 2001. I have his obituary from the Chicago Sun-Times which lists all of his brothers and sisters and the fact that he had many nieces and nephews.
I tend to believe that the family obviously knows about Uncle August (After all they went to the trouble of having his information carved on the stone) and wanted to memorialize him on the stone or maybe they were told that he was buried there at one point. It makes me wonder if they even know about the original stone that is sitting across the street. Only the cemetery can confirm or deny this but it doesn’t appear that they want to be bothered.
[caption id="attachment_970" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
The final resting spot of August Boness (Bonas) ?[/caption]
The worst case is that August Bonas or Boness and possibly others have been forgotten about in the land that was once Bethania’s land and was sold in February of 1916 about 11 months after August Boness’s death.
The abandoned buildings are being demolished, the land is for sale and the stone is simply propped up against a log and a discarded tire at 7889 Archer Ave in Justice, IL.
I am hoping to make contact with family soon in order to insure that Uncle August has been taken care of and will post an update when I do.
Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK
Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+
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