 Contributed by: Teresa O'Riley |
 Contributed by: Teresa O'Riley |
 Contributed by: Marshall Sanders |
 Contributed by: Marshall Sanders |
 Contributed by: Marshall Sanders |
 Contributed by: Marshall Sanders |
Updated June 22, 2015
- This Cemetery page - This Cemetery is located in the North Side of the Northeast 1/4 of Southwest 1/4 of Section 13, Calvin Township. Updated on this date to implement alphabetical listing for easier searching.
Chain Lake Baptist Church and Cemetery - click on the photo of plaque above for the story about Chain Lake Baptist Church and Cemetery.
Marker Inscription:
History: In the 1830's southern runaway slaves bound for freedom in Canada came into Michigan near Cassopolis. In 1840, Cass County’s Quaker community, which provided a haven for the fugitives, became an integral part of the Underground Railroad. Many free African-Americans also settled permanently in Calvin Township. In 1838, Cass County’s first African-American church was organized here. In 1853 the Michigan Antislavery Baptist Association, later renamed the Chain Lake Baptist Association, was formed. In 1856, Turner and Irena Byrd donated an acre of land for a cemetery. The monuments record the names of the township’s early settlers including: George and Green Allen, and the Anderson, Ash, Artis, Calloway, Evans, Hawks, Sanders, Stewart and Wilson families.Please keep in mind that the sites on Cass County were constructed by volunteers and are being maintained by volunteers. If you have additional information or photos of the stones in any of the Cass County Cemeteries, please contact me at cassmichigangen@yahoo.com.
Any time you view an older cemetery, in no matter what county through out the USA, the listing should be considered as a partial listing as many times records are either destroyed through mishap or not all burials were recorded.
Please go to the Tombstone Project for some additional photos on this cemetery