St Mary Cemetery



ST. MARY CATHOLIC CEMETERY is located jusy east of Gaylord at the corner of M-32 and Wilkinson Road. The original cemetery was a two-acre parcel purchased from William and Elizabeth Merkiel for $25 on November 21, 1881. As the needs of the parish grew, additional purchases were made until the cemetery reached the current size of 5.3 acres. The cemetery was officially plotted in 1899 and a small chapel was provided. The cemetery was blessed by Bishop Richter on October 13, 1899. According to the buriel records of the Parish, Josephine Witkowski, age 38 and her infant son Lawrence Witkowski, age 2 days, buried lJune 4, 1888 were the first buriels. However, there are a few stones from 1885 and 1886. Earlier records were probably retained in the home parish of the missionary priest from Cheboygan. There were approximately 1065 gravesites on the listing compiled in 1979 by James J. Carey for the Otsego County Historical Society. Evidently a number of headstones are in Polish.