www.FranzosenbuschHeritageProject.org                     Home

York Cemetery

York Cemetery is located on the west bank of Salt Creek about half way between 22^nd Street and Quarry Road (now called Hargar Road) in the west half of the Survey Section, 1/4 section 24, Township 39, R 11 - York Township, DuPage County, Illinois.

Nicholas Torode and sons bought land from U.S. government in 1835.

Some of the early settlers who had died were buried in the sand near Mammoth Spring.  Nicholas Torode decided this was not a fit place for a cemetery because near by was a sand pit and sand would wash from the gravesite.  There were also burials on the Reed Farm.

Nicholas Torode admired a piece of land on the west bank of the creek owned by his son Peter R. Torode.  He expressed a desire to be buried there and arranged an exchange of a piece of his land for this piece of Peter's.  The exchange of land was never recorded.  When Nicholas Torode died October 4, 1840 his wish was carried out.  Others who had been buried near Mammoth Spring were moved to Torode Cemetery.

In later years his children did not wish it to be thought of as a private cemetery so it was named York Cemetery.

On August 7, 1948, Peter R. Torode and Maria his wife, deeded to the County Commissioners of DuPage County, Illinois, a tract of land containing 4.46 acres in trust for the use of the People of the State of Illinois.  This was
the tract selected by Nicholas Torode for a cemetery.  Later more land was added to the cemetery and Peter R. Torode gave land for a road from Harger Road to the cemetery entrance.

On June 7, 1928, the County Commissioners of DuPage County gave a quit claim deed to the York Cemetery Association.

This material taken from an unidentified hand written sheet found in the private papers of Nicholas Torode's file:
 

Last Modified:  04/28/2002