WASHINGTON, Ill. – A nine-decade error in a pair of central Illinois cemeteries has now been corrected.
A ceremony took place Wednesday morning at Glendale Cemetery in Washington to honor two Civil War veterans with the same name, but with incorrect markers.
More than 90 years ago, the family of John Muller applied for a Military Graveside Marker to honor his contributions to the Civil War. But during the application process, the military record of John B. Muller of El Paso was attached to it.
The error led to a military stone reflecting John B. Muller’s name and Civil War unit placed on John Muller’s resting place in Washington.
John Muller was born in 1839 in France and immigrated to America in 1846. He served in the 3rd Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War, and was stationed in multiple locations in Missouri. Muller eventually settled in Washington in 1868, before passing away in 1926.
John B. Muller was born in 1827 and immigrated to America in 1857, settling in El Paso in 1863. He served with the 39th Illinois Infantry, and was stationed in West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. John B. Muller became a wagon maker before passing away in 1904
The effort to correct the error was fought for around 20 years, and led by one of John Muller’s descendants, John Stromberger. Stromberger is also the Washington Historian. He was unable to attend Wednesday’s ceremony due to work commitments.
Deann Heck is also a descendant of John Muller, and gave plenty of credit to her cousin, Stromberger, for correcting the error.
“He is kind of our family genealogist, and he has put together so much information, and it’s exciting to see this finally come to fruition,” Heck said.
Ackerman also gave a lot of credit to Stromberger for his work in recognizing the mistake. He also gave credit to Woodford County Coroner Tim Ruestman and Master Craft Memorials in Metamora for their assistance.
The marker honoring John B. Muller was removed and moved to his grave site at Evergreen Cemetery in El Paso, while a new marker will be made for John Muller in Washington.
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