Cecil Van den Heurk

The following is information which I believe pertains to my mother's half brother.Wichita, KS Death Index 1887-1910 lists: Year - 1909, Number - 592, Name - Cecil L. Vandenheurk, Color - white, Sex - male, Conjugal relation - child, Date of death - Nov. 24, 1909, Age - 8 years, 2 months, 11 days, Occupation - student, Place of Birth - Memphis, TN, Father - C. L. Vandenheurk, Cause of death - pneumonia, Place of death - St. John's Academy, Mortuary - I. W. Gill, Informant - Bertha Gilbert, St. Joseph, MO, Place of Burial - Catholic, Date of Burial - 26 November 1909, Informant - J. D. Clark.

I tracked down the name changes of the school, formerly St. John's Academy and now Newman University, and was able to speak to a library archivist, Sister Margaret Knoeber.She is a nun with the Adorers of the Blood of Christ.Sister Margaret was able to find a book labled "The Book of Baptisms, First Communions, and Deaths" and Cecil was listed as a decedent.

Sister Margaret also forwarded information that referenced his death in the Wichita Daily Beacon on Thursday, Nov. 25, 1909.She also found information from the Catholic Cemeteries office in Wichita which added that his burial place was in Calvary Cemetery and that the presiding priest was Rev. M. Monnier.She went to the cemetery and found Cecil's grave with a marker that was about 2 feet tall.

Sister Margaret also found additional information from funeral home records.The "informant" that had been listed as J. L. Clark was now described as being the medical attendant.Instead of Bertha Gilbert being identified as "informant," she is listed with the label "ordered by."There was no billing record which made it appear that the funeral services were without charge.