A resident for over fifty years, Barry A. Fleig is a devoted fan of all things Chicago. The streets, the maps, the buildings and the places for the dead. He has been a recognized authority on burying grounds, cemeteries, and burial sites with an emphasis on vanished cemeteries specializing in Chicago, Cook county, Lake and DuPage Counties.
His interest in cemeteries began in 1967 when he began researching his own family history.
For three years, he served on the Board of Management for the Chicago Genealogical Society, as their Cemetery Chairman. He has been the Vice-Chairman of the Association for the Ethical Protection of Burial Sites.
Mr. Fleig has aided in the identification and preservation of Russell Cemetery near Techny in Northfield Township, Cook County. His most significant accomplishment was the rediscovery, identification and research of a forgotten cemetery on Chicago’s northwest side. Mr. Fleig uncovered records and maps documenting the burial of over 38,000 bodies within twenty-seven acres of a 320 acre County Farm. The burials were made in Cook County Cemetery at Jefferson (Dunning) on property later known as the Chicago State hospital on Chicago’s northwest side. The whole story and a searchable database can be found at http://www.cookcountycemetery.com
Discover great facts and stories about 272 Chicago area cemeteries. You will be surprised to find where the dead have been in and around Chicago.
803 cemetery listings:
Thumbnail information of 272 cemeteries, 258 cross references all found in the “list of all cemeteries” pages as well as over 300 Jewish cemeteries within other cemeteries, the majority in Jewish Waldheim
The blog posts
contain my best and most interesting feature stories. Most will be about the Chicago area, Chicago area cemeteries, people you should know, historical events or simply strange.
with your question on a burial location of a lost relative, understanding a death certificate, or any cemetery question in general, email me and I will be happy to help
More often than not, my fee is
write me
Barry A Fleig bartonius84@hotmail.com
About this website
This is the modern version of a cemetery book research project began about 1988. After visiting hundreds of cemetery sites, libraries, and other resources, I had decided to document all burial places in Chicago and Cook County. So instead of writing about the just most obvious and large cemeteries,
Why?
There is an urgency for us to know and appreciate all of these burial places and their stories. The landscape of Cook County, Illinois is constantly changing, often at the expense of our cemeteries. Farmland has given way to shopping centers, expressways, toll roads, airports and subdivisions. Neighborhoods, and communities of yesterday have been replaced with new construction, altering our land and disguising our rich history.
Saint Johannes Lutheran Cemetery within O’Hare International Airport, perceived by the City of Chicago to “be in the way”. The entire cemetery was disinterred and all graves were moved elsewhere.
Please come back to this website often and enjoy!
THIS WEBSITE IN THE NEWS:
How do you lose a cemetery!
Barry Fleig was interviewed on Extreme Genes radio by Scott Fisher. paste into your address bar, Turn up your speakers and enjoy :
Did you know the John Hancock building is built upon the site of an early burying ground? The North Side Cemetery, surveyed in 1835, included a portion of prime North Michigan Avenue real estate including the Hancock Building and Water Tower Place.
As early as 1897, the Chicago Tribune printed an article entitled:
“City built on Graves – Chicago buildings stand upon sites of old cemeteries…the structures of the downtown district cover unnumbered dead.” And on October 7, 1900 the Chicago Tribune printed the story “Forgotten Graveyards of Chicago – Beautiful Homes built over the tombs of departed Pioneers”
How about a saloon license issued to a cemetery? An elevator in a cemetery? These and many more surprises await you in upcoming blogs.
A resident for over fifty years, Barry A. Fleig is a devoted fan of all things Chicago. The streets, the maps, the buildings and the places for the dead. He has been a recognized authority on burying grounds, cemeteries, and burial sites with an emphasis on vanished cemeteries specializing in Chicago, Cook county, Lake and DuPage Counties. 
If this is your first visit:
The blog posts
Chicago and Cook County Cemeteries 