Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery-- Part 5

I guess the next time I go to Springfield, I will have to go over to the cemetery and walk around to look for some of this history, and there sure is a lot of it, above and beyond the Lincoln connection.


SOLDIERS MONUMENT-- erected 1874 and dedicated to 40 officers and enlisted men killed in the Civil War.

JOHN T. STUART-- (1807-1885)-- one of Springfield's first lawyers. Lincoln studied law under him. Served in the Black Hawk War and roomed with Lincoln in Vandalia in 1834. Served two terms as state representative, three terms in US Congress and one term as state senator.

REED C. WADDELL-- (1860-1895)-- folk figure known as "Kid" Waddell, a professional con man with an international reputation. His greatest trick was the Gold Brick Swindle where he passed off bricks plated with gold as solid gold. He earned $250,000 off this over a ten year period.

In the 1890s, he was running this scam in Paris. Five years later, he got into a disagreement with a partner and was shot six times. His body was returned to Springfield. There is an article in Wikipedia about him and how the gold brick scheme worked.

WILLIAM S. WALLACE-- (1802-1867)-- Lincoln family doctor and Mart Todd Lincoln's brother-in-law. Lincoln's son Willie was named after him, William Wallace Lincoln.
Not Finished Yet. --RoadDog