It’s a lovely picture of the military service stone on the grave of Claude Sartorius near Peoria, Illinois. I’m appreciative to the FindAGrave  contributor who took it and who graciously gave me permission to use the image of the stone in this post.

Other military markers can be seen in the background, but many of the graves in this cemetery have nameless stones with only numbers.

After his mother’s death in 1926, Claude Sartorius was in and out of several veteran’s hospitals (including ones in Danville, Illinois, Dayton, Ohio, and Johnson City, Tennessee) until he died at the Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, Illinois, in 1934.

For reasons that are unknown, Claude was buried on the grounds of the hospital and not interred with his parents at the cemetery west of Golden, Adams County, Illinois.  The marker on his grave was added in 1947 at the request of the hospital. I’m fortunate that this was done or his grave would have been unmarked.

Research notes:

• While you can use FindAGrave photos in your personal, unpublished research without permission, it’s generally advised to request permission before publishing photographs on websites or in print form. They are pictures of tombstones, they are (usually) in public places, but the fact remains that someone else took the picture.
• Transcribe stones as inscribed. My transcription of the stone renders the last name as “Sartoris” as that is how it is inscribed on the stone.
• Many gravesites in state hospitals are unmarked. I’m fortunate the Claude’s grave has such a detailed marker.