River Grove in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Great Assyrian and Babylonian Empires
Photographed by Sean Flynn, April 30, 2024
1. The Great Assyrian and Babylonian Empires Marker
In God we trust
Lachen Hormis
This memorial is erected to the greater and honor of God and in remembrance of the descendants of the great Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, known to the world as the
Garden of Eden
where God created the first man, now geographically known as the country of Iraq. Our people emigrated from Iraq in the nineteenth century.
Erected 1958 by Slewo Lachen and Enwia Hormis.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Immigration • Religion & Religious Structures.
Location. 41° 55.824′ N, 87° 49.597′ W. Marker is in River Grove, Illinois, in Cook County. It can be reached from Thatcher Avenue, on the right when traveling north. The memorial is located in Section 9 of Elmwood Cemetery, near its eastern edge. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2905 North Thatcher Avenue, River Grove IL 60171, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Assyrian American Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Washington G.A.R. Post No. 573 Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hellenic American Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); U.S. Grant G.A.R. Post No. 28 Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Chicago Typographical Union World War I Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Memorial to the Union Soldiers' Widows
this page online
Regarding The Great Assyrian and Babylonian Empires. Many Assyrians who lived in areas that are now parts of Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq fled that region in the early 1900s. In Chicago, many settled on the city's Near North Side and are buried at this cemetery in River Grove, about 12 miles west.
Slewo "Sam" Lachen was born in Turkey and, according to government records, was 20 years old when he immigrated to the United States on a boat from Liverpool to Philadelphia. According to his obituary, died in 1967 at age 75 and is buried in this cemetery. The obituary said he was a deacon of the Church of the East, a branch of Eastern Christianity also known as the Assyrian Church.
Enwia Hormis was Lachen's nephew. Hormis was born in Turkey in 1903 and immigrated to the United States in 1921. According to his naturalization form, Hormis's final foreign residence was Baghdad, and he entered the United States in Seattle on a ship from Tokyo. Hormis died in 1974. It is not clear
Photographed by Sean Flynn, April 30, 2024
2. The Great Assyrian and Babylonian Empires Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 306 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 30, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
