What's New

Photo of the Month

Minerd.com Blog

Biographies

National Reunion

Interconnectedness

Cousin Voices

Honor Roll

In Lasting Memory

In the News

Our Mission and Values

Annual Review

Favorite Links

Contact Us

She was united in wedlock with her first spouse, John W. Bouscher (July 21, 1811-1848), also spelled "Boucher," said to have been the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Wright) Bouscher.

The couple produced five known offspring -- Harmon Bouscher, Elizabeth Boucher, Henry Bouscher, Isaiah Boucher and Anna Maria "Ann" Boucher.

After the birth of their eldest son, the Bouchers decided to depart from Somerset County and pursue other fortunes in the west. Sometime between 1836 and 1838, they pushed into Illinois and put down roots on a farm in Jackson County's northern district.

Another Younkin/Bouscher couple living in Jackson County at the time were Albert Madison and Ida May (Griffith) Bouscher (or "Boucher"). She was the daughter of Cyrus Sylvester and Mary (Younkin) Griffiths and he the son of Samuel Wright and Catherine A. (Enos) Bouscher.

Sadly, the Grim Reaper cut away John at the untimely age of 36 on June 18, 1848. His remains were lowered into the soil of his adopted state in Holliday Farm Cemetery in Murphysboro, Jackson County. [Find-a-Grave]

The federal census enumeration of 1850 shows the widowed Phoebe heading a household of their five children in Jackson County.

The Lybargers' marriage record in Jackson County, IL. National Archives.

Jacob's medical discharge National Archives

On Sept. 17, 1851, at the age of 35, Phoebe remarried again to 26-year-old farmer Jacob Lybarger (1825-1876), also spelled "Leibarger." Justice of the peace Richard Dudding officiated at the wedding. Jacob was a fellow Somerset Countian by birth and was some nine years younger than his wife. Jacob stood 5 feet, 11½ inches tall, had a fair complexion, blue eyes and sandy hair.

The Lybargers produced several more children, Samuel Lybarger, Revennia C. Lybarger and Elvira Lybarger.

The 1860 census shows the combined Boucher/Lybarger families on a farm in Jackson County, Township 8, Range 2 West. Weighing in at 200 lbs., Jacob was considered by neighbors Adam Wilson and Giles Butler as "one of the soundest, heartiest and healthiest man of the neighborhood and was regarded as one of the stoutest men we had."

~ Jacob Lybarger's Civil War Service ~

During the Civil War, Jacob joined the Union Army at Murphysboro on Aug. 29, 1861. He was placed in the 27th Illinois Infantry, Company H, commanded by Capt. Mc H. Brooks. He is known to have been assigned to lift heavy cannon at Columbus, KY in March 4, 1862. From the lifting, he experienced severe pain in the spine, head and chest, accompany by a cough. This worsened into bronchitis in July while in St. Louis.

He was sent for treatment to the hospital steamer Stephen Decatur. The ailment developed into tuberculosis ("phthisis") and he was transferred on Aug. 5, 1862 to the hospital boat D.A. January at Paducah, KY. Designated as a convalescent, he then was moved to Convalescent General Hospital at Benton Barracks, MO on Aug. 6 with what was described as pleuritis, a severe inflammation of the lungs. Not getting any better, he was discharged for "spinal meningitis" on a surgeon's certificate on Dec. 8, 1862.

U.S. hospital steamer D.A. January, on which Jacob was treated. Wikipedia

Jacob re-enlisted in the army at Camp Butler, IL on March 19, 1864. He was placed within the Mississippi Marine Brigade, Company A (perhaps also known as the 63rd Illinois Infantry.) While at Vicksburg, MD, he was mustered out of the Army on Jan. 21, 1865.

Upon his return home, wrecked in health, friends Wilson and Butler observed that "he was totally disabled from performing any manual labor" and often "was confined to his house and bed.... He was never able to engage in sawing from his discharge till death." As he aged, Jacob filed paperwork for a Civil War pension as compensation for his wartime disabilities. [Invalid App. #175.011 - Cert. #202.444] It was approved on May 11, 1872.

~ Loss of Two Sons at War ~

While Phoebe's husband as away in the Army, two of her sons also took up the Union cause. Both Henry and Isaiah enlisted on Aug. 12, 1862, and both were placed in the same regiment -- the 81st Illinois Infantry, Company D. The company was commanded by Cornelius S. Ward of Murphysboro until his death in July 1863. By that time, both of the brothers had died.

Henry gave his life first. Having become seriously ill, he was treated at Lagrange, TN and died there on March 11, 1863.

Isaiah followed him into death three months later. He was wounded in battle and surrendered his life on June 13, 1863.

~ Final Years for Phoebe and Jacob ~

Jacob was treated medically in his final years by Dr. Hiram Robinson. He passed away in DeSoto, Jackson County on May 10, 1876, at the age of about 51. Burial was in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro, Jackson County.

Phoebe survived her husband by a dozen years. As she aged, her hand became so crippled that she could no longer write. She applied to receive her husband's pension, and it was approved in December 1885. [Widow App. #333.637 - Cert. #225.809] The amount of her monthly pension payment was $8.

The Angel of Death gathered in Phoebe just four days after Christmas 1888. Undertaker A.H. Roberts of Murphysboro handled the burial arrangements.

The Bouchers are named in the 1995 Weimer Genealogical Center book Frederick Weimer (1742-1814).

~ Son Harmon Bouscher ~

Son Harmon Bouscher (1836-1885) was born in about 1836 in Somerset County.

As a very young boy, he relocated with his parents to Jackson County, IL.

When the United States Census was made in 1860, he lived with his mother and stepfather in Township 8, Range 2 West in the county.

On Jan. 5, 1868, Harmon was united in holy wedlock with Harriet Almira Rees (Oct. 8, 1853-1890). She was a native of Illinois and the daughter of Reuben Ross and Cyrena (Thompson) Rees.

The couple produced a family of children -- Minnie Bouscher, John Henry Bouscher, Reuben Boucher, Ellen N. Boucher, Phoebe Bouscher, Augustus Bouscher, Mary Bouscher, Kate Freiens, Harmon Ross Boucher and Hattie Lee. Sadly, daughters Mary and Ellen died young, Mary on April 3, 1871 and Ellen on Sept. 8, 1879. The girls sleep side by side in the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro.

The surname spellings of "Bouscher" and "Boucher" were used intermittently over the years.

At the age of about 47, Harmon passed into eternity on Feb. 12, 1885. Interment was in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro. [Find-a-Grave]

Harriet lived as a widow for another five years. She joined her spouse in death in 1890.

Centenary Methodist Church of Murphysboro

Daughter Minnie Bouscher (1869- ? ) was born in about 1869 in Jackson County, IL.

Son John Henry Boucher Sr. (1870-1924) was born in about 1870 in Somerset Township, Jackson County, IL. On Feb. 4, 1894, when he was about 24 years of age, he was united in holy wedlock with Mollie Nausley (or "Reese") (Sept. 4, 1879-1962), a native of Vergennes and the daughter of John and Mary (Morgan) Nausley. The couple bore a family of nine offspring -- among the known names are Ethel Johnson, Alma G. Button, Almira Boucher, Raymond H. Boucher, John Henry Boucher Jr., Harriet Gerard, William Augustus Boucher, Jessie Lence, Virginia Halstead and Rose Parks. They resided in the Murphysboro area. John supported the family through his work as a laborer. John is known to have belonged to the Lutheran Church and Mollie to the Centenary Methodist Church of Murphysboro. Their home was at 408 Lucier Street. John contracted a serious case of tuberculosis in about 1921. He suffered for three years until death overtook him at the age of 51 on Nov. 26, 1924. Rev. Boatman presided at the funeral service. An obituary in the Murphysboro Daily Independent said he had "removed to Murphysboro when a boy. He had lived here practically all of his life." Mollie outlived him by 38 years and in 1925 lived on Alexander Avenue. She bore the grief of losing her married daughter Ethel Johnson in 1925 and son William in a hunting accident in 1927. Mollie married again to Austin Brumley ( ? - ? ) and Michael Easton ( ? - ? ). She succumbed to death in Murphysboro two days after Christmas in 1962. An obituary published in the Southern Illinoisan noted that her survivors included two grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren. She was lowered into eternal repose in Zion Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Ethel Boucher (1897-1925) was born on June 8, 1897 in Murphysboro, Jackson County, IL. She was united in marriage with Sylvester Johnson ( ? - ? ). Their children were Ruby B. Spraggs and a daughter who died as a baby. They lived in Johnson City, IL in 1924 but by 1925 were back in Murphysboro at the address of 403½ North 11th Street. Grief swept over the family when Ethel underwent surgery at St. Andrews Hospital and died there a week later at the age of 28 on June 26, 1925 in Murphysboro. Funeral services were held in the Zion Lutheran Church with burial in the church demetery in a grave joined by her brother William two years later. An obituary appeared in the Murphysboro Daily Independent.

• Granddaughter Alma G. Boucher (1899-1997) was born on April 17, 1899 in Murphysboro, Jackson County. On Jan. 3, 1925, when she was about 25 years of age, Alma married Rewn Button (Aug. 5, 1901-1981), a native of Murphysboro and the son of John Quincy and Eliza Ann (Hicks/Hix) Button. The wedding was held in Marion, IL. Their marriage endured for 55 years. The couple bore one known daughter, Mary Heins. Rewn is known to have operated machinery in the construction industry and belonged to Local 318 of the Operating Engineers union. They were members of the First Lutheran Church of Murphysboro and the Jackson County Farm Bureau. Rewn also belonged to the local Moose lodge. Alma earned income over the years as a cook at Murphysboro High School. Sadly, Rewn was gathered in by the Angel of Death on Feb. 13, 1981. Toward the end, she went to live in the Jackson County Nursing Home. She passed into eternity at the age of 97 on March 11, 1997. Interment of the remains was in Pleasant Grove Memorial Park in Murphysboro. An obituary was printed in the Southern Illinoisan.

• Granddaughter Almira Boucher (1902- ? ) was born in about 1920 in Murphysboro. She was in Nebraska in 1924 in the town of Bayard.

• Grandson Raymond H. Boucher (1904-1952) was born in 1904 in Jackson County. Circa 1925, he married Ida Mae ( ? ) (1909-1953). The couple produced three daughters -- Imogene Moore, Donna Jean Boucher and Linda Mae Boucher. The couple may have divorced, as evidence suggests that Ida Mae married a second time to Roy Crow ( ? - ? ). Raymond succumbed to death in 1952. His remains were lowered beneath the sod in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro. Ida Mae was spirited away in death at the age of 43, on April 13, 1953, as a patient in Chester Hospital. The Southern Illinoisan printed her obituary.

• Grandson John Henry Boucher Jr. (1906-1944) was born on Oct. 29, 1906. He was married to Stella Mae Darnell (1910-1946), daughter of Arthur and Gertrude Mary (Harrington) Darnell. The pair bore twin sons, both of whom died in late January 1937 at the age of about one month -- Millard L. Boucher and Willard L. Boucher. John is believed to have registered for the military draft in the months leading up to World War II. Sadly, at the age of 38, John passed away on the next-to-last day of 1944. He sleeps eternally in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro. Stella Mae outlived her husband by two years. She joined him in death in 1946.

• Grandson Harriet M. Boucher (1910-2001) was born on March 8, 1910 in Jackson County, IL. Upon graduation from high school in 1928, she attended Knox College in Galesburg, IL. She is known to have traveled to New York in June 1939. Harriet married Col. Paul Tracy Gerard Jr. (1910-1977). Paul was a longtime officer in the U.S. Army and served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He rose to the rank of colonel. The couple made a home in Monterey, CA in 1942 and were the parents of a son, Paul Tracy Gerard III. Paul died on Feb. 24, 1977 at the age of 66. He was honored with burial in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, commonly known as the Punchbowl Crater. Harriet outlived her husband by 24 years. She dwelled in Scottsdale, AZ in 1997 and passed away there at the age of 91 on Dec. 9, 2001

• Grandson William Augustus Boucher (1913-1927) was born on Feb. 1, 1913 in Murphysboro, Jackson County. Reported the Murphysboro Daily Independent, "Billie Boucher was a boy among boys in the Riverside park area. He was big for his age and a real boy given to all that a boy calls fun. And when it came to smiling and joking and takign life good naturedly Billie was a card. That's why everybody liked him." He enjoyed smoking a pipe and was not bothered once when a friend threw a hickory nut at his face and knocked the pipe out of his mouth. Sadly, though, he was not destined to reach adulthood. Blackness descended on the family on the terrible afternoon of Oct. 29, 1927, when William was age 14. That day, he went hunting in the Indian Creek bottoms with his friends George Taylor, Raymond Johnson, Wallace Harrell and Walliet Taylor. As they walked along railroad tracks about a mile west of the Missouri Pacific Lines depot in Murphysboro, William made the comment that "I'm gonna have this rabbit for dinner." Taylor replied that there "Ain't no more use for this shell" as he went to disarm his single-shooter. The gun accidentally fired, with the shot hitting the right side of William's face and continuing into his brain. He was instantly dead, collapsing onto the tracks. Said the Independent, "The supposition is that George Taylor had cocked his gun and had forgotten that he did. So when he started to break it at the breach to remove the shell, it discharged. Billie Boucher never said a word -- just crumpled in his tracks, and fell with his own gun in his hands." His friends hurriedly removed the body from the track and ran for help, going to the nearby home of the depot keeper in Riverside Park. Rev. William Boatman, of the First Lutheran Church, led the funeral service. Interment was in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro. His sister Ethel, who had died as a young mother two years earlier, rests beside him in their grave.

• Granddaughter Jessie Janice Boucher (1915-1985) was born in (?). When she was age 17, circa 1932, she wedded 20-year-old Robert Lence (1912-1993). News of their marriage license was published in the Murphysboro Daily Independent. Sadly, their inant son Richard died at age three months on Oct. 15, 1938. Jessie was a cigarette smoker most of her life. Suffering from diabetes and heart failure, she passed away at age 69, in Carbondale, Jackson County, on Jan. 20, 1985. Her remains were lowered into repose in Blairsville Cemetery in Williamson County, IL. Robert outlived her by eight years. He succumbed to death on Aug. 8, 1993.

• Granddaughter Virginia Lee Boucher (1923- ? ) was born in 1923. She was united in matrimony with Lawrence Halstead ( ? - ? ). The couple dwelled in Murphysboro in 1940 and are known to have produced a daughter, Betty Lee Halstead. Circa 1997, Virginia made a home in Minden, LA.

• Granddaughter Rose Boucher ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). She was joined in wedlock with (?) Parks.

Streetscape of Murphysboro, Illinois, early 1900s

Daughter Phoebe Bouscher (1872- ? ) -- possibly also known as "Alma" -- was born in about 1872 in Jackson County, IL. She appears to have been named for her grandmother, Phoebe (Younkin) Bouscher Leibarger/Lybarger. At the age of 22, on April 21, 1894, "Alma" was joined in marriage with 35-year-old George W. Bast ( ? - ? ), a farmer of Somerset Township and the son of W.A. and Amanda Bast. The nuptials were held in Virgennes, IL, officiated by Rev. W.D. McIntosh.

Son Reuben Bouscher (1875-1882) was born on Aug. 13, 1875 in Jackson County. He died on Dec. 30, 1882 at the age of about seven. Burial was in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro.

Son Augustus Bouscher (1876- ? ) was born in about 1879 in Jackson County, IL.

Daughter (?) Bouscher (1880- ? ) was born in May 1880 in Jackson County, IL.

Daughter Kate Boucher (1882-1906) was born on Sept. 1, 1882. In 1903, she wedded Edward F. Freiens (Sept. 11, 1878-1950), a Murphysboro native. They bore a son, Howard Boucher Freiens. The couple relocated to California, but their marriage was short-lived. The family was plunged into mourning when Kate died at the age of only 23 on March 5, 1906. Her remains were shipped back to Southern Illinois to rest for all time in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro. Edward outlived his bride and married again in 1910 to Marie Josephine Comte. He was a longtime building contractor. Edward succumbed to death in Murphysboro on April 3, 1950.

• Grandson Howard Boucher Freiens (1905-1994) was born on Aug. 17, 1905. He was only less than seven months old when his mother died. He grew up in Murphysboro and graduated from the local high school. Circa 1926, he was a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. On Sept. 5, 1939, in nuptials in Santa Anita, CA, he married Anne J. Cutbirth ( ? - ? ) of Texas who resided at the time in Inglewood, CA. The newlyweds made their first visit to Murphysboro in early summer 1939. They lived in Los Angeles in 1940. For three decades, he labored as a farmer. In November 1940, he and Anne traveled to Murphysboro to visit with his father and step-mother and then en route back home stopped in Bayard, NE to see his aunt, Hattie (Boucher) Lee. His travels were noted in the gossip columns of the Murphysboro Daily Independent. He died at the age of 88 in June 1994. Burial of the remains was in Reedley Cemetery, with an obituary appearing in the Fresno Bee.

Son Harmon Ross Boucher (1884-1936) was born on June 25, 1884 in Murphysboro. He was considred a likeable man with many friends. Harmon was twice-married. He and his wife Fannie Russell (1890-1911) tied the knot in 1918. They were the parents of Floyd Eugene Boucher. Sadly, she died in 1911 at the age of only 21. Harmon was a widower for seven years until 1918, when he wedded his second bride Sara R. (Reichrath/Richrock) Tippett (1891-1974) of Trenton, Clinton County, IL. She was the daughter of Antone and Mary (Schur) Reichrath and may have brought a daughter into the second marriage, Mary E. Stiritz. They resided at 1906 Elm Street and were members of the First Lutheran Church. Harmon was a farmer and coal miner until the onset of the Great Depression. He then worked "here and there, as many men have worked, at anything to be found to do," said a newspaper. On the fateful and frigid day of Feb. 10, 1936, in poor health, he visited at the home of his son Floyd in Harrison, IL. Reported the Murphysboro Daily Independent, "The son asked him back for dinner. Mr. Boucher replied that his wife was away from home a few days and that he might come back for supper. He said he was going home to see about the water pipes. The son testified: 'He told us on leaving that if he didn't return in a day or two that we had better come and see about him'." In fact, upon arriving at home, Harmon went to the basement of his home and fastened a noose on a twisted clothesline and took his own life by hanging. With no heat in the house, the body froze and only was discovered the next day when Sara returned from her work at Du Quoin, IL. The way the noose was fastened, and with his heels "within a few inches of the floor," said the Daily Independent, the county coroner concluded that he must have endured "a horrible lingering death." The body was placed into eternal repose in Zion Cemetery, with Rev. William Boatman preaching the funeral sermon. Sara lived on for another 38 years with the horror of the memory. She died at the age of 83 on March 23, 1974. Her burial was in Tower Grove Cemetery in Murphysboro, with an obituary printed in the Southern Illinoisan.

• Grandson Floyd Eugene Boucher (1908-1986) was born on Nov. 10, 1908. He was only two-plus years old when his mother died. He was united in matrimony with Hattie Cassandra Brantley (July 3, 1909-2003), a native of Herrin, Williamson County, IL. Floyd died in Zellwood, Orange County, FL in Nov. 1986. The body was transported back to Murphysboro for interment in Pleasant Grove Memorial Park. Hattie outlived her husband by 17 years. Her final time was spent in Sanford, Seminole County, FL. She succumbed to the Grim Reaper on Feb. 22, 2003 at the age of 93. She sleeps beside her husband at Pleasant Grove.

Daughter Hattie Boucher ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). She wedded George Lee ( ? - ? ). The couple established a home in Bayard, Morrill County, NE and were there in 1924-1940. In November 1940, she is believed to have received a visit from her nephew, Howard B. Freiens, who had traveled from his home in Los Angeles.

~ Daughter Elizabeth Boucher ~

Daughter Elizabeth Boucher (1838- ? ) was born in about 1838, the first of the Boucher children to be born in Illinois.

~ Son Henry Bouscher ~

Son Henry Bouscher (1842-1863) was born in about 1842 in Illinois.

At the age of 18, in 1860, he resided with his mother and stepfather in or around Murphysboro, Jackson County, IL.

On Oct. 13, 1861, in Jackson County, Henry entered into marriage with Martha Jane McCord (July 1, 1844-1921), a native of Nashville, Washington County, IL and the daughter of Barnet and Lucy McCord. Justice of the peace George Kennedy officiated the wedding ceremony.

Copy of Henry and Martha's marriage license, 1861. National Archives

Together, the Bouschers produced a son, Marcus McCord Bouscher. Nancy E. Holliday was present at the baby's birth.

They dwelled in or near Murphysboro. 

After the eruption of the Civil War, Henry on Aug. 26, 1862 enlisted in the Union Army at Camp Anna in Union County, IL. His term was to last for three years. As with his younger brother Isaiah, he was assigned to the 81st Illinois Infantry, Company D, commanded by Capt. Ward.

After about six months in the service, he contracted typhoid fever and was sent to a hospital in La Grange, TN. There, at the age of about 20, he succumbed to the spectre of death on March 11, 1863. His remains were returned to Murphysboro for burial in Holliday Cemetery. [Find-a-Grave]

The widowed, 19-year-old Martha filed a claim with the U.S. War Department for a military pension as compensation for her loss. [Widow App. #23.723 - Cert. #17.977]. In doing so, she had to furnish a certified copy of her marriage record. Signing affidavits of support in her case were her father Barnet McCord and family/friends Andrew Reiman and Nancy E. Holliday. Her petition was approved on June 5, 1863, and she was awarded a payment of $8 per month, including back pay dating to her spouse's date of death.

Martha's signature

Martha did not marry again over the remaining nearly six decades of her life, a fact once attested to by Henry Beineke, a notary public and police magistrate in Belleville, IL. The federal census enumeration of 1880 shows her and her son sharing a home with her parents in Pendleton, Jackson County. She remained in her son's household for the balance of her years.  

She is known to have dwelled in DeSoto, Jackson County circa 1867, when she submitted paperwork requesting an increase in her pension.

Martha's final address was at 501 Walnut Street in Belleville, St. Cloud County, IL. At the end, she was receiving $30 per month in pension payments. She passed away on Aug. 19, 1921. 

Henry and his death are listed in the 1901 book Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, Volume 5, with his name misspelled as "Bonscher."

At Memorial Day 1925, Henry's name was printed in the Murphysboro Daily Independent in a long list of local Civil War soldiers buried in the community. It was a result of diligent research by Gus Rathgeber of Murphysboro who had "prepared a list of all the civil war dead and their final resting places so far as adequate records go. [He] has each year devoted much time and energy to finding the graves of old soldiers and making it possible that all of them be founded and marked with a flag on Decoration day by the people of the various communities."

Aerial view of Belleville, St. Clair County, IL

Son Marcus McCord Bouscher (1862-1947) was born on July 21, 1862 in Jackson County, IL. His father joined the Union Army when the baby Marcus was a little more than a month old. At the age of 18, in 1880, he made a home with his mother and McCord grandparents in Pendleton, Jackson County, IL. On Jan. 26, 1886, in Belleville, IL, when he would have been 26 years of age, Marcus was joined in matrimony with 18-year-old Annie Laura Buchanan (Jan. 1868-1933), a native of Greenville, IL and the daughter of James and Laura Buchanan,, also spelled "Buckmann." Their nuptials were held in Belle Rive, IL. Annie's father is known to have served during the Civil War as a captain in the Union Army. Together, they produced at least eight offspring -- William H. Bouscher, Robert B. Bouscher, Charles N. Bouscher, Arthur R. Bouscher, Paul M. Bouscher, Lucille "Lucy" Dunn Pyle, Walter Bouscher and Martha Bouscher. The 1900 United States Census lists the family in St. Clair, St. Clair County, IL, with Marcus employed as a railroad foreman and 13-year-old son William as a railroad lamp tender. Marcus continued his labors for decades as a Louisville and Nashville Railroad section foreman into 1920, with the family residing in a home at 501 Walnut Street in Belleville . The Bouschers' sons Robert and Arthur died young. Grief again cascaded over the family when daughter Martha, age 14 months, died on Dec. 10, 1909, with the St. Louis (MO) Globe   and the Belleville (IL) Semi-Weekly Advocate  both reporting that her remains were shipped for burial to Vergennes, IL. On Sept. 28, 1933, at the age of 65, Annie passed away at home "following an illness of a year," said the Belleville News-Democrat. Her body was taken for interment to Vergennes' Parrish Cemetery, with funeral services conducted in the First Methodist Episcopal Church. The widowed Marcus survived for another 14 years and made his home in St. Jacob. He retired from the L&N Railroad in about 1935. As his health failed he was admitted to reside in Pine Crest Home in St. Louis County, IL. There, he died after a long illness at the age of 84 on June 29, 1947. An obituary was printed in the News-Democrat, saying that his survivors included eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Rev. F.W. Schwarzlose, of the First Methodist Church, preached the funeral sermon. The remains were lowered under the sod of Parrish Cemetery next to his wife's.

• Grandson William H. Bouscher (1887- ? ) was born in May 1887. When he was age 13, he worked as a railroad lamp tender in St. Clair, IL. He lived in 1933 at 547 Wimmer Place in East St. Louis, St. Clair County, IL and remained in the town as of 1947. 

• Grandson Charles Newton Bouscher (1889-1918) was born on Dec. 28, 1889. On July 9, 1913, at the age of 23, he was married to 18-year-old Nellie Moore (1895-1971) of East St. Louis, IL. Officiating was Rev. T.R. Ragsdale of the First Methodist Church. News of their marriage license and wedding was printed in the Belleville (IL) Daily Advocate. They became the parents of Edith Miller and Helen Herschmann. Charles earned a living as a railroad train dispatcher. Sadness blanketed the family when Charles died in East St. Louis on Dec. 11, 1918, just a few weeks shy of his 29th birthday. Burial was in Mount Hope Cemetery in Belleville. The widowed Nellie and her daughters lived with Charles' parents in Belleville in 1920, with Nellie working as a cook in a restaurant. Later that year, she was joined in wedlock with William A. Bailey ( ? - ? ) of East St. Louis. A third husband was Eugene B. Haney ( ? - ? ). Her last residence was in heer daughter Edith's home at 8 Hyde Park Drive in Fairview Heights near Belleville. She died at the age of 76 on March 26, 1971. Rev. David Berthold led the funeral, followed by burial in Mt. Hope Cemetery. 

  Great-granddaughter Edith Bouscher (1914- ? ) was born in about 1914. She wed (?) Miller. Her home in 1947 was in O'Fallon, IL and in 1971 at 8 Hyde Park Drive in Belleville's Fairview Heights section.

  Great-granddaughter Helen Bouscher (1916- ? ) was born in about 1916. She married James Herschmann, also spelled Hershman. She lived in Caseyville, IL in the late 1940s. By 1971, she had relocated to Houston, TX.

• Grandson Paul M. Bouscher Sr. (1899-1971) was born in Sept. 1899. He made his home with his widowed mother in 1933 at 501 Walnut Street. Paul entered into marriage with Nellie E. York ( ? - ? ). The couple's two children were Paul M. Bouscher Jr. and Juanita Hickman. By 1947, at his mother's death, his home was at 407 North 38th Street. For many years, he was employed as a pipefitter in East St. Louis, IL by the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa). Toward the end of his life, he became a resident of the Calvin Johnson Nursing Home in Belleville. At the age of 84, he passed away on May 9, 1984. The Belleville News-Democrat published an obituary, and the remains were lowered under the sod of Walnut Hill Cemetery, Belleville. 

  Great-grandson Paul M. Bouscher Jr. lived in Belleville, IL in 1984. 

  Great-granddaughter Juanita Bouscher wed (?) Hickman. They relocated to Augusta, GA.

• Granddaughter Lucille "Lucy" Bouscher (1903- ? ) was born in about 1903. She was united in wedlock with (?) Dunn ( ? - ? ). When named in her mother's Belleville News-Democrat obituary in 1933, Lucy resided at 6204 State Street in East St. Louis, IL. By 1947, she had wed again to Edward Pyle ( ? - ? ) and moved to St. Jacobs, IL. She is known to have been in St. Jacobs circa 1984.

• Grandson Walter B. Bouscher (1906- ? ) was born in about 1906. Evidence suggests that circa 1925, he was united in the bonds of matrimony with Frieda S. Pollock ( ? - ? ). Circa 1933, he dwelled in St. Jacobs, IL and in 1947 in Troy, IL.

~ Son Isaiah Boucher ~

Son Isaiah Boucher (1845- ? ) was born in about 1845 in Illinois. He was only age three when his father died.

He grew up in or around Murphysboro, Jackson County.

Evidence suggests that he served in the Union Army during the Civil War, as a member of the 81st Illinois Infantry, Company D.

He took part in battle on May 21-23, 1863 and then again in June 1863 at Vicksburg, MS. A history of the 81st Illinois reports that "On the 19th the active work of investing the city of Vicksburg began. On the night of the 20th, the Regiment took the position occupied during the siege, just south of the Jackson road. On the 22d, the Regiment participated in the general assault on the enemy's works. Was repulsed, with the loss of 11 killed and 96 wounded."

Union attack at Vicksburg, May 1863, where Isaiah was mortally wounded

In the action at Vicksburg, Isaiah received a serious wound. He succumbed to death several weeks later on June 13, 1863. His burial place is not known and may be lost to history.

There is no evidence to suggest that his mother filed a claim to receive a pension as compensation for her loss.

He and his fate are listed in the 1901 book Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, Volume 5, with his name misspelled as "Bonscher."

~ Daughter Anna Maria "Ann" (Boucher) Glasby ~

Murphysboro (IL) City Cemetery Courtesy Paul Hoyt

Daughter Anna Maria Boucher (1847-1905) was born on May 12, 1847 in Illinois.

She grew up in the mixed Jackson County household of her mother, stepfather, siblings and half-siblings, and was unmarried at the age of 22 in 1870.

Anna Maria was joined in holy wedlock with William "Edward" Glasby (1845-1927).

The couple were the parents of a son, Henry K. Glasby. They grieved at his death at the age of seven in 1884.

Sadly, at the age of 58, she died on June 13, 1905. Interment was in Murphysboro City Cemetery.

Edward survived his bride by 22 years. Toward the end, he went to live in the International Order of Odd Fellows Home in Mattoon, IL. He passed into the great beyond in March 1927. Word of his demise was sent to F.E. Rose at 1801 Spruce Street in Murphysboro. An article in Murphysboro's Daily Independent said that the body would be returned there for burial, adding that "Mr. Glasby was formerly of Murphysboro and has many friends here that will be grieved to learn of his death."

~ Son Samuel Lybarger ~

Son Samuel Lybarger (1853-1920) was born in 1853 in Jackson County, IL.

He grew up on the family farm in Levan Township, Jackson County.

Samuel was married twice and perhaps thrice. His first spouse appears to have been Lizzie Pratz ( ? - ? ). They were the parents of John Henry Lybarger and likely also William D. Lybarger and Phoebe A. Cook. Circa 1876, at the birth of son William, they made a home in Du Quoin, Perry County, IL.

Du Quoin, Illinois

By 1879, Samuel had married again to Revennia G. "Ravenna" Fulton (Oct. 6, 1853-1882).

Their known sons were Oliver "Jacob" Lybarger and George Benjamin Lybarger.

Circa 1880, the federal census enumeration shows the family living as farmers in Somerset Township, Jackson County.

Grief blanketed the family on Dec. 12, 1882 when Ravenna died at the age of 29. She was laid to rest in Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Murphysboro..

After a period of grieving, Samuel married what's believed to have been a third time to Mary Caroline (Roberts) (March 25, 1850-1934). She had been married once before, to Joseph Griffin, and brought five known offspring to the second union, Ollie Cutler, Ed Griffin, William Griffin, James Griffin and Lillie Nausley.

Samuel and Mary Caroline went on to bear these additional four children -- Anna Endsley Kate Claxton, Emma Brown and Henry Lybarger.

Samuel was swept away by the Angel of Death, at age 67, on Aug. 23, 1920. [Find-a-Grave]

Mary Caroline suffered a stroke in late June 1934. She lasted for two weeks after that in the home of her married daughter Anna Endlsey in DeSoto on July 10, 1934 at the age of 82. An obituary was printed in the Carbondale Free Press saying she was survived not only by her children but also by five stepchildren and her brother Lafe Roberts of Murphysboro. Burial of the remains was in Central Cemetery, with funeral services held at the Central Methodist church led by Rev. Noah Morris of DeSoto.

Jackson County Courthouse, Murphysboro, where John Henry Lybarger collapsed and died in 1945.

Son John Henry Lybarger (1871-1945) was born in Feb. 1871 (or 1870). He wedded Eva McMillian (1871-1939), the daughter of Nathaniel Matthew and Sarah Frances (Flannigan) McMillian. Sadly, Eva died on May 16, 1939 at age 67. John outlived her by four years. In the early afternoon of July 2, 1945, while standing near the east door of the Jackson County Courthouse, he suffered a massive heart attack and fell to the ground dead. Said the Carbondale (IL) Free Press, "Two men passing by noticed Lybarger slumped in a corner near the door and called a doctor. He was pronounced dead by the doctor after examination." Rev. Hugh Stearns, of the Limestone Baptist Church, led the funeral service. Interment was in Lipe Cemetery in Makanda, Jackson County. Inscribed on their grave marker are these moving words: "My love goes with you and my soul waits to join you."

Daughter Phoebe A. Lybarger (1874- ? ) was born in about 1874. She married (?) Cook ( ? - ? ). She used the name "Cook" in 1940-1951 and resided in Du Quoin, Perry County, IL. By 1951, she had moved to Okawville, IL.

Son William D. Lybarger (1876-1940) was born on Dec. 6, 1876 in Du Quoin, Perry County, IL. He married Lula (Feb. 1877- ? ). The children born to this union were Samuel Lybarger, Revenia Pelate, Orville Lybarger and Theodore Lybarger. Federal census enumeration records for 1900 show the young family in Somerset Township, Jackson County, IL, with William working as a miner. Circa 1940, the family dwelled at 717 Bond Avenue in East St. Louis, IL. There, he was employed as a watchman for a coal company. Stricken with heart and kidney disease, William died in St. John's Hospital in St. Louis on Dec. 4, 1940, just two days before his 64th birthday. His remains were sent to Belleville, IL for burial. An obituary was published in the Murphysboro Daily Independent.

Son Oliver "Jacob" Lybarger (1879-1951) was born on Aug. 3, 1879 near DeSoto. At the age of 20, in 1900, he was unmarried and lived on the farm of widow Sarah Young in DeSoto, Jackson County, IL, where he provided farm labor. Then in 1904, he was united in holy wedlock with Maranda Jane Leeper (1888-1933), daughter of John and Rachel Jane (Crider) Leeper. Their two sons were Joseph Edgar Lybarger and Sherman Lee Lybarger. Jacob went on to earn a living as a coal miner. They were members of the Methodist Church. Sadly, Maranda passed into eternity at the age of 45 in Perry County, IL on April 15, 1933. Burial of the remains was in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Du Quoin, Perry County. Jacob outlived his wife by 18 years and made his residence in Murphysboro's Mount Carbon section. In 1944, he wedded again to Vina Hill ( ? - ? ). Burdened with heart disease, he succumbed to death at the age of 71 on June 19, 1951. An obituary ran in the Carbondale Southern Illinoisan.

• Grandson Joseph Edgar Lybarger (1892-1931)

• Grandson Sherman Lee Lybarger (1906-1978) was born in 1906. He made a home in Du Quoin in 1951.

Son George Benjamin Lybarger (1881-1961) was born on Dec. 20, 1881 in DeSoto, Jackson County, IL. Single at the age of 18, in 1900, he boarded as a laborer on the farm of Charles and Emiline Foster in DeSoto, Jackson County, IL. Eventually he married Della May Fox (1886-1950). The couple produced two sons -- Ray Daniel Lybarger and Charles Walter Lybarger. Della appears to have been active in her church's Sunday School. In December 1924, she is known to have attended the Sunday School Superintendents Conference of the Missionary Baptists, held at the First Baptist Church in Herrin, IL. Circa 1945-1951, George resided in Chicago. Sadly, he died in Carbondale, Jackson County on June 30, 1961, at the age of 79. Interment was in Oakland Cemetery in Carbondale.

• Grandson Ray Daniel Lybarger (1908-1993)

• Grandson Charles Walter Lybarger (1911-1992)

Daughter Anna Rose Lybarger (1890?-1969) was born in about 1890 in DeSoto. She wedded Charles Endsley ( ? - ? ), with the nuptials occurring in Murphysboro. The couple bore two children 00 Bernice Broadbent and Horace Endsley. They lived in 1945 in Carbondale, Jackson County and in 1951-1969 in DeSoto. Anna Rose developed a serious illness in about 1964 and suffered for five years. She died in Doctors Hospital in Carbondale at the age of 79 on Oct. 9, 1969. Rev. Carl Watkins, of the Walnut Street Baptist Church in town led the funeral service. Burial was in DeSoto City Cemetery, with an obituary appearing in the Carbondale Southern Illinoisan.

• Granddaughter Bernice Endsley married (?) Broadbent. She was in DeSoto in 1969.

• Grandson Horace Endsley (1914-1991) was born on Dec. 12, 1914 in DeSoto. The Endsleys lived in the late 1960s in DeSoto.

Daughter Kate "Katie" Lybarger (1884-1966) was born on July 20, 1884 in Jackson County. She married (?) Vancil and (?) Claxton. She was the mother of Walter Vancil, Reba Bennett, Fredia Brown and Katherine Grimmer. Through her marriage to Claxton, she was the stepmother of Ray Claxton. In the 1940s through the 1960s, she dwelled in DeSoto. She became seriously ill in about 1963 and endured for three years. Her final years were spent in the Mattingly Nursing Home in Herrin. Death cut her away on April 27, 1966, at the age of 81. Leading the funeral service was Rev. William West of the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in DeSoto, with burial in DeSoto Cemetery. An obituary was published in the Carbondale Southern Illinoisan.

• Grandson Walter Vancil moved to Pontiac, MI.

• Granddaughter Reba Bennett made a home in DeSoto.

• Granddaughter Fredia Brown lived in DeSoto.

• Granddaughter Katherine Grimmer relocated to Dallas, TX.

• Step-grandson Ray Claxton migrated to Pontiac, MI.

Daughter Emma Lybarger ( ? - ? ) was united in wedlock with (?) Brown. They resided in Du Quoin in the mid-1940s. Later, she remarried to (?) Robertson ( ? - ? ). She dwelled in Lansing, Cook County, IL in 1969.

Son Henry Lybarger ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). Circa 1945-1966, he was in DeSoto.

~ Daughter Elvira Lybarger ~

Daughter Elvira Lybarger (1856- ? ) was born in about 1856 in Jackson County, IL.

She grew up on her parents' farm near Murphysboro in Jackson County's Levan Township and was there in 1870 at the age of 14.