Burial Search
Search burial records using our interactive map legend, and create a printable report.
Bellefontaine encourages educators to use the grounds for inspiration, and welcomes members of the public seeking information about those buried here.
Published in 2008 by the Missouri History Museum, Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery, by Carol Ferring Shepley, tells the stories of some of the 87,000 people who are buried at BC.
Shepley’s book is a guide to St. Louis’ notable residents who are buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery. The book is organized into sections, such as artists, fur traders, and Civil War generals, and features biographies of William Clark, James Buchanan Eads, Susan Blow, and Adolphus Busch, not to mention some more notorious backgrounds. Cemetery records and interviews with such insiders as the cemetery’s superintendent and gatekeeper inform the research.
The book was a gold medal winner of the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Award for best regional non-fiction, and contains 40 illustrations and an 8-page color photo insert. The book is available for purchase at our cemetery office, the St. Louis History Museum and local bookstores such as Left Bank Books, Borders, and Barnes & Noble.
For years, teachers and students – from John Burroughs School, Parkway South, Belleville West, and the Hazelwood School District, among others – have come to Bellefontaine to learn about their city, their heritage, and their surroundings. See below for a list of activities suitable for students of all ages.
Also, you might consider using the cemetery itself as a classroom. For example, ask students to present a biography at the site of a person’s grave, or to read their written work aloud while gathered at the Lakeside Garden. Contact us to arrange your visit.
Suggested activities:
Art & Architecture
Reading
Writing
American History
Civil War
St. Louis, the Civil War and a Cemetery
– A unit exploring the hometown heros of Bellefontaine Cemetery for grades 8-12th
Created By: Lauren Schoellhorn with an introduction from Carol Ferring Shepley.
Overview
Lesson #1: Heroism Must Haves-A Class Discussion of What Defines a Hero
Lesson #2: Edward Bates 1793-1869-Brother-in-Law, Brother in War
Lesson # 3: James Buchanan Eads-From Boats to Bridges
Lesson #4: In Love and War-Exploring the Experiences of Soldier James P. Love
Lesson #5: Major Acts from a “Minor Citizen”-Exploring the Actions of Francis Minor, War Claims Agent
Lesson #6: Salvation Through Sanitation-The Amazing Actions of James Yeatman and William Greenleaf Eliot
Lesson #7: The Western Women of War-Analyzing the Actions of Adaline Couzins
Lesson #8: Monuments by the Math-Evaluating the Service of the Cemetery to Civil War Soldiers
Lesson #9: A St. Louis Civil War Socratic Seminar-An analytical Assessment of the Heroism Shown by St. Louis Citizens During the Civil War
Lesson #10: Measuring up the Monuments-Seeing the Civil War Through a Trip to the Cemetery
Mathematical
Do you love art, architecture, history, and horticulture? Would you enjoy sharing your excitement and enthusiasm with cemetery visitors of all ages? If so, you should consider joining the Bellefontaine Cemetery Guides.
Guides are trained volunteers who introduce visitors to the spectacular history of Bellefontaine Cemetery through tours, talks, and programs. Candidates should, be dependable and enthusiastic, possess good communication skills, be able to lead tours of the grounds, be willing to work with visitors of all ages, provide accurate information, and treat visitors with courtesy and respect.
For many, the people who assist them during their visit provide the most important impression of Bellefontaine Cemetery. Becoming a guide is an opportunity to enrich the lives of others as well as your own. Fill out a volunteer application here.
Search burial records using our interactive map legend, and create a printable report.
Join the Friends of Bellefontaine Cemetery to ensure its future for all to enjoy. View our many giving & membership opportunities.
Commemmorate loved ones with fresh or live plants.
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