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player ready...Kenneth Thompson had traveled by St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery his whole life, not knowing a relative who fought in the Civil War was buried there.
It was only when he went to a cemetery walk in the church’s burial ground last year and began talking about being a descendent of the Klein family that information began flowing to him.
Research by church members revealed that Louis Klein, his great-grandfather’s brother, had died March 5, 1895, and was buried in Plot 86 of the former Lace Cemetery, now St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery.
“I love knowing about all this,” Thompson said after a ceremony Saturday honoring Darien’s Civil War veterans, including Klein. “It is a good thing to know he is buried here. I didn’t know him, but I had heard about him.”
The Westmont resident put a floral spray on the new grave marker dedicated in honor of Pvt. Louis Klein.
He was the youngest of 10 children. On Oct. 18, 1864, at the age of 16, he joined the 105th Illinois U.S. Infantry, Company D and was transferred that same day to the 16th U.S. Infantry, Company F.
“We honor and memorialize his service,” Darien Mayor Kathleen Weaver said during the dedication ceremony. “His grave is now part of the town I am proud to call home, Darien.”
Other Civil War veterans buried in St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery are:
* Pvt. John Eddie
* Cpl. Leroy Frost
* Pvt. John Gerline
* Musician Martin Hiller
* Pvt. Henry Rickerich
* Pvt. Christian Warkentein
* Sgt. Christian Wilke
* Pvt. George Wolf
“Imagine what was on the minds and hearts of these men” when they enlisted in the Union army,” Dean Rodkin, president of the Darien Historical Society, said.
“They left their families and their farms to go off to war, to fight in battle for the Republic,” Rodkin said. “On the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s culmination, we honor these selfless Americans who made the sacrifice to help the Union succeed.”
Gary Gunderson, camp commander of P.H. Sheridan Camp 2, Illinois Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, said his group was proud to play a role in restoring the grave of Louis Klein.
“We make sure veterans’ final resting places are designated,” Gunderson said. “We honor and care for their graves.”
Gunderson’s own family spent 100 years tracking down the burial site of a Civil War veteran in their family.
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“We are proud to be part of finally honoring the democratic stand of Louis Klein,” Gunderson said.
Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.