A Buried Mausoleum: The Burt Family in Mount Hope Cemetery

By Philo Wang

Just south of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a peaceful place of eternal rest—Mount Hope Cemetery. Since its incorporation on October 25, 1856, the cemetery has undergone several additions, encompassing a total of 52 acres in size.

We walked through this tranquil cemetery, bathed in the gentle afternoon sunlight. The shadows of the tombstones stretched thin and long, resembling those of the people walking by. We finally made our stop at a mausoleum in the middle of the cemetery. Unfortunately, this semicircular stone and brick building is already buried in a small slope with entry no longer possible. Unable to explore the hidden chambers within, our curiosity lingered on the stories and histories that remained sealed behind those closed doors.

Fig 1-3: The Burt Mausoleum

The family members entombed are identified in the crypt as (1):

Morris Burt(1804 - 1873)

Mary Burt (1805 - 1879)

Jesse Burt (1831 - 1914)

Alma Burt(1839 - 1921)

Sherman Burt(1864 - 1875)

Benjamin Burt(1826 - 1904)

Lucy Burt (1830 - 1887)

Four children of Benjamin and Lucy:

Alfred Burt(1850 - 1862)

Clarinda Burt (1828 - 1861)

Lilly J Adams(1861- 1861), Clarinda’s daughter

Mary V. Burt (1841 - 1868)

Burt Family Origins

Henry and Ulalia Burt were both born in England. The earliest record of the family in America is of their residence in Roxbury, Mass. They later moved further inland to Springfield, Mass. Henry Burt passed away on April 30, 1662, and his wife Ulalia followed on August 19, 1690. They had together at least 12 children, 11 of whom lived past infancy.

Morris Burt, the seventh generation of the family, was born in 1804 in Warwick, New York. He married Mary Sullard in 1825. Their union flourished into a sizable family, comprising three sons and four daughters. In 1850, Morris Burt and his family, by purchasing from Simeon H. Busey, established their home a mile south of Urbana. They arrived with their three sons (Benjamin, Jesse, Henry) and with their four daughters (Clarinda, Sarah, Emily, Mary). Emily Burt in 1853 married Captain Nathan Merrit Clark. Sarah Burt married Thomas A. Cosgrove, who was a businessman in Champaign. Two of the sons, Benjamin and Jesse, became prominent farmers near Urbana (2).

Fig 4: Burt Family Record

Courtesy of The Champaign County Historical Archives

Jesse Burt and the Mausoleum

Six years after their arrival on October 25, 1856, Jesse Burt incorporated the initial section of the Mt. Hope Cemetery, utilizing portions of the Burt family farmland. In May 1866, Union And Gazette Newspaper wrote (3):

“We are pleased to note the many improvements being made in Mt. Hope Cemetery by the owners of lots, through Mr. Jesse Burt. The streets are all being ditched and thrown up so as to carry off the water better than ever beforehand and hundreds of trees have been added. This cemetery will soon become one of the most beautiful retreats in the neighborhood of our cities. Much credit is due Mr.Burt for the prominent part he has taken in this movement.”

The Two-Family Markers

Outside the Mausoleum, two family markers still stand. One marker is dedicated to Emily Lee Burt (1836 - 1916), her husband Captain Nathan Merrit Clark (1826 - 1869) and their three prematurely deceased children. Nathan Merrit Clark was a civil engineer in charge of constructing the Illinois Central Railroad. He later served in the Civil War and held a position in the 125th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry.

Fig 5: One of the Markers

The other marker belongs to Henry Jackson Burt (1838 - 1873) and his wife Isabel L. Dunlap (1846 - 1829). His wife was the daughter of Menzo Dunlap, who was the proprietor of the well-known Evergreen Home Farm in Champaign Township, of which he took possession in 1855. Together they had four kids: Nathan Menzo Burt(1866 - 1943), Thomas Arthur Burt(1868 - 1949), Louella Nicolet Burt(1870 -1941), and Henry A Burt(1873 - ?). The south side of the marker memorializes Nathan Menzo Burt and Grace Beecher Burt’s child Henry Nathan Burt (1891-1891) who died in infancy.

Fig 6: Isabel Dunlap Burt

T.A Burt and His Business

Fig 7: Thomas A. Burt

Courtesy of The Champaign County Historical Archives

Thomas Arthur Burt(1868 - 1949) was the second son of Henry Jackson Burt and Isabel L. Dunlap. He was born on a farm south of Urbana and graduated from Urbana High School at the age of sixteen (4). He married Ida May Besore in 1894 (5). Together they had four children: Josephine Burt, George Henry Burt, J. Frederick Burt, and Pauline Dorothy Burt. Ida would pass shortly after Pauline was born in 1908. The following year, Thomas married Jessie Besore, his late wife's sister (6). They had one son together, John B. Burt.

T.A. Burt garnered considerable acclaim within his community, with residents characterizing him as someone who consistently fulfilled each role with commendable credit to himself and satisfaction to the community. In 1898, he was elected as the County Clerk (7). The Champaign Daily News stated, "He was our preferred candidate against all contenders from the outset." He was re-elected once more in 1902, however, he would be ousted in 1906 by a margin of 350 votes by Chas.M.Webber (8).

Fig 8: Partial Ticket for Champaign County Clerk

Later that year, he would be approached by numerous businesses to assist in their operations (9). Considering their offers he chose to become the vice president of the Urbana Banking Company (10). In the following year in 1907, the Urbana Banking Co. moved from 103 Main Street to the Cohen Building, on the corner of Main and Race Streets (11).

While acting as the vice president of Urbana Banking Company, T.A.Burt also engaged with other businesses. In 1908, he started advertising his new company, the T.A.Burt Loan Company (located at 103 W Main Street). The company sold insurance policies and farmland (12). The company was so successful that Burt set up another office in Michigan, with a capital stock of $50,000 in 1913 (13).

T.A. Burt also served as the vice president and director of the Celotex Company, manufacturers of insulated wall boards in Chicago. He went to Chicago every Tuesday and returned every Friday year-round, devoting Monday and Saturday to the T. A. Burt Company (14).

Fig 9-10: T. A. Burt Business Adverts

T.A. Burt has spent most of his life in the residence of 507 W Elm Street. On March 11, 1926, upon returning home from Chicago, he discovered his residence extensively damaged by fire. The incident involved at least one explosion. Fortunately, a vigilant neighbor alerted Mrs. Burt, Miss Pauline Burt, and John Burt who were able to escape. T.A. Burt reported to the newspaper that the house, valued at $15,000 with $10,000 worth of contents, was only half-insured. According to the fire department, the fire was believed to have originated from the combustion of trash (15). After the fire, the family temporarily relocated to 508 West Green Street 16 but soon returned to 507 West Elm Street (16).

In 1929, the president of Urbana Banking Company, John Thornburri, confessed to embezzlement of $1,040,000 (17), including $100,000 of Urbana school district funds (18). This led to the failure of the Company, and many events got postponed or canceled, including the $100,000 campaign for the Eastern Illinois Memorial Sanitarium. At that time, T. A Burt still held 95 shares in this bank (19).

Fig 11: Urbana Banking Company Advert

In 1930, The Celotex Company was forced into a drastic reorganization as the result of a bankruptcy petition. Despite the two failures, Burt retained the full confidence of the stockholders, remaining in both executive positions and aiding in reorganization efforts (14).

In 1940, T.A. Burt continued to reside in this home, with his wife, daughter (Josephine Wright), son-in-law (Francis Wright), grandson (Frances M. Wright III), and granddaughter (Nancy Joe Wright) (20). He would take care of his family until his passing in 1949.

He would be buried alongside his relatives and family members in the Mausoleum at Mount Hope Cemetery. The Burt Family, while now hidden in the grass, still has a great legacy in Champaign. The cemetery they started remains and many influential members of our community have been buried in its grounds.

Citations

low_delta. “Cemetery art and photography.” Published in the LiveJournal Community on March 3rd, 2009, 2009. https://mourning-souls.livejournal.com/ 682627.html.
Cunningham, Joseph Oscar. History of Champaign County, Illinois. Indexed

Cataloged Print Materials. Call Number: A ILLINOIS (Champ) HIS. 1905.

“MT. HOPE CEMETERY.” Page 4, Union and Gazette Newspaper Articles, UNION AND GAZETTE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, May 1866.
“The Supervisors.” The Champaign Daily News, July 1897, 4. https://idnc. library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=CDN18970715.1.4&srpos=13&e=------189en-20-CDN-1--txt-txIN-Burt+Clerk----1897-----.
“Mr. Thomas A. Burt and Miss Ida Besore were married at Urbana on the

18th.” Weekly Pantagraph, October 1894, 11. https://idnc.library.illinois. edu/?a=d&d=WPT18941026.1.11&srpos=1&e=------189-en-20--1--txttxIN-Ida+Besore----1894-----.

“T . A . BURT WEDS JESSIE BESORE.” Urbana Daily Courier, July 1909, 1. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=TUC19090712.2.4&srpos=17& e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-Thomas+Burt---------.
“Hurray for Tommy Burt.” The Champaign Daily News, January 1987, 4. https: //idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=CDN18970120.1.4&srpos=20& e=------189-en-20--1--txt-txIN-Burt+Clerk---------.
“Democratic Landslide in Champaign County.” Urbana Daily Courier, November 1906, 1. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=TUC19061107.2.4& srpos=66&e=-------en-20--61--txt-txIN-Thomas+Burt---------.
“T.A.Burt is employed.” Urbana Daily Courier, December 1906, 5. https://idnc. library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=TUC19061218.2.35&srpos=6&e=-------en20--1--txt-txIN-%22urbana+banking%22%2C+Burt---------.
“Business and Professional Firms of Urbana.” Urbana Daily Courier, May 1904, 1. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=TUC19040528.2.44&srpos= 10&e=------190-en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22urbana+banking%22%2C+ burt---------.
“Urbana Banking Co. Occupied New Home.” Urbana Daily Courier, November 1907, 1. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=TUC19071119.2.2& srpos=6&e=------190-en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22urbana+banking%22%2C+ burt---------.
“For Sale.” Urbana Daily Courier, October 1909, 7. https://idnc.library.illinois. edu/?a=d&d=TUC19091015.1.7&e=-------en-20--21--txt-txIN-T.A+ Burt+land+---------.
“Land Company Is Incorporated.” Urbana Daily Courier, June 1913, 5. https:// idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=TUC19130626.2.37&srpos=1&e=------en-20--1--txt-txIN-Burt+Land---------.
“T . A . Burt Will Aid in Reorganizing Depressed Wall Board Company.” Daily

Illini, September 1930, 3. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d= DIL19300926.2.67&srpos=3&e=------- en- 20-- 1-- txt- txIN- celotex+ burt---------.

“FIREMEN PUZZLED OVER BURT FIRE.” Daily Illini, March 1926, 3. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=DIL19260311.1.3&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-Burt+fire---------
“Social Jottings.” Daily Illini, May 1926, 10. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=DIL19260523.2.133&srpos=2&e=------192-en-20--1--txt-txIN-Burt+%22Green+Street%22----1926-----
“JOHN THORNBURN OWES 1,040,000.” Urbana Daily Courier, November 1929, 8. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=TUC19291108.2.30& srpos=1&e=------192-en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22urbana+banking%22---1929-----.
“Town talk.” Daily Illini, November 1929, 7. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/ ?a=d&d=DIL19291117.2.41&srpos=3&e=------192-en-20--1--txt-txIN%22urbana+banking%22----1929-----.
“State Examiners Continue Activity on Bank’s Records.” Daily Illini, October 1929, 3. https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=DIL19291023.2.54& srpos=15&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22urbana+banking%22%2C+
“1940 U.S Census.” Natinal Archives. https://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/ usa/Illinois/T-A-Burt_4vjlhw?ranMID=50138&ranEAID=3693060& ranSiteID=eWwXyydyhzs-UfNVNhwgbb1c5Jexeb1tPg&o_xid=00036930 60&o_lid=0003693060&o_sch=Affiliate%20External.