Guth Cemetery

This article was written by Frank Borror of the East Peoria Historical Society in 2016. Used with permission.

A small family plot called Guth Cemetery (pronounced Gooth) rests on the south side of Route 24 in Sunnyland. It originated on land that was owned by Peter Guth (Good) at the time of his death.

On Sept. 6, 1838, Peter, a native of Germany, who had immigrated to the United States in 1830, patented the south east quarter of section 19 in Washington Township, which he had earlier settled. The ground surrounding the cemetery remained in Guth hands until 1925 when Joseph Guth, Peter's grandson sold the property but reserved the burial plot.

Peter and his wife, Susannah, are both buried in Guth Cemetery - Peter died June 21, 1886, and Susannah two-and-one-half years later on Dec. 12, 1888. Their son Peter Guth Jr., was buried in the family plot on Dec. 12, 1865. A second son, Joseph Guth, who died of measles a few months after his daughter Mary was born in 1872, is also buried there. The two earliest burials were Andreas Schrack (Andrew Schrock) on Aug. 5, 1855, and his daughter Susannah on Nov. 28, 1863. Peter Guth and Andrew Schrock married sisters Susanna and Anna Oyer, daughters of Jacob and Suzane Schertz Oyer. Jacob Oyer and his family had immigrated to the United States in 1830 arriving at New Orleans on Dec. 4 of that year. After spending some time in Ohio, the family moved to Washington Township and Jacob held the original patent for the southwest quarter of section 17.

Andrew Schrock died in the 1855 cholera epidemic that swept Illinois. It devastated the Schrock family.

Andrew's sister, Magdalena Smith's family was stricken on the first day of August. Husband Christian Smith contracted it first, according to family tradition, following a trip to Bloomington. He died the next day, a Wednesday, and was buried on Thursday. Two days later (Saturday) Magdalena died and her daughter Barbara a half an hour later.

Andrew, who had evidently become sick at Christian's funeral and then stayed with his ailing sister on Friday, died on Sunday the 5th of August. And finally, Magdalena's 6-year-old son John died Monday morning.

George Zehr rests in the cemetery. He was born January 1806, died Feb. 3, 1886, and married Catherine Gundy on Oct. 11, 1846. George G. Augspurger born March 7, 1883, and died Aug. 30, 1884, is the youngest person buried in the cemetery. He was the infant son of Magdalena Zehr wife of Jacob Augspurger and daughter of George Zehr. Jacob Augspurger was the son of David D. Augspurger and Mary Magdalena Schrock, daughter of Andrew Schrock.

Neighbors of the Guths are also buried in the small cemetery. Jacob Rich Sr. and his wife, Catherine Zimmerman, both French people are also buried in Guth. Their son Joseph came to America in 1840 at 18 years of age and after a number of years in America, had his father and mother join him. Jacob and Catherine lived on a small farm west of Washington, Illinois.

Jacob is identified as a soldier of the Army of Napoleon who participated in the disastrous retreat from Moscow in 1812. History records only 30,000 men remained from an army of 600,000 at the start of that campaign. There are four other men buried in the East Peoria area that participated in that campaign.

Catherine died in October 1864 and Jacob died prior to 1880. Heinrich Schmalenberger (Henry Smallberger) and his daughter Lena are both interred in this plot. Henry died Dec. 5, 1869, and his daughter died April 23, 1872, at the age of 14 years and six months.

Henry was married to Elizabeth Stalter. John Spring and his wife, Katherine Forney (Farni), are both buried there. John died Jan. 25, 1891, and Katherina died May 28, 1868. Katherine Farni was the step-daughter of Magdalena Oyer.

Following Katherina's death, John married Catherine Schrock nee Rinkerbarger, widow of Joseph Schrock. Lastly, John Euring is buried there. John was born May 28, 1868, and died Jan. 25, 1891.

When Loren Guth, Amos's son and Joseph's nephew, grew too old to maintain the burying plot, it fell into disrepair. The Sunnyland Businessmen's Association stepped forward and adopted the cemetery. After cleaning up the plot, one of the association's members, Ralph Krall of Ralph's Floor Fashions became aware that one of his employees had a son who was seeking a project for his Eagle Scout award. Brian Frier of Troop 155, sponsored by Concordia Lutheran Church, installed the fence that surrounds the cemetery. Gary Brogan of Brogan Hayworth Fence Company donated the materials. Terry Frier, Brian's father, related the fact that the project's entire first weekend's work was destroyed by a drunk driver but Brian persevered and on Dec. 10, 2003, became an Eagle Scout.

Sadly, Ralph Krall passed away March 29, 2021.