Located on the North side of U.S. 12 about 4 miles east of Sturgis, Michigan across the road from the old Freedom schoolhouse (now a home dwelling) and the Freedom cemetery behind it.
This tiny cemetery is very well maintained and in passing it on the highway just looks like a peaceful little grassy place with good shade to maybe stop and have a nice picnic lunch. You can not tell that it is a cemetery unless you get out of your vehicle and find the markers in the grass. The markers are round flat metal about the size of a softball and are buried in the dirt over the burial place of the person they identify.
I don't know who put this list together but it's been provided to us for the USGenWeb Project for the St. Joseph County USGenWeb page. It's been generously provided to us by Myrtle Rivers Tisdel. Myrtle in turn got it from Nancy Inman, clerk for Fawn River Township. We are in debt to both of these ladies for providing this file.
Transcribed, edited and proofed by
Josephine Reed Garzelloni
and
Carole Lynn Carr
23 November 1998
Name Age Home in County Death Date Marker
Edd Milkhan .............. 48 ..... White
Pigeon ..... May 19, 1913 .... 1
Otto Lowery .............. 10 ..... Coldwater ........ Nov. 30, 1913
... 2
Robert Oram .............. 68 ..... Three Rivers ..... Feb. 10, 1915
... 3
James Reaves ............. 75 ..... Colon ............ Feb. 20, 1915
... 4
John Rice ................ 66 ..... Sturgis .......... Oct. 24, 1915
... 5
Otho Chapman ............. 98 ..... Centreville ...... Apr.10, 1916
.... 6
Thomas Lisher ............ 36 ..... Sturgis .......... Apr. 17, 1917
... 7
J. L. Brittain ........... 77 ..... Colon ............ Jul. 13, 1917
... 8
Geo. Williams ............ 60 ..... Constantine ...... Aug. 28, 1918
... 9
James Reap ............... 84 ..... Mendon ........... Feb. 28, 1919
... 10
Thomas Golden ............ 85 ..... Three rivers ..... Feb. 6, 1920
.... 11
Caroline Foster .......... ..... Died at Kalamazoo
Jan. 2, 1920 .... 12
George Beebe ............. 80 ..... Mendon ........... Sep. 18, 1920
... 13
William Parks ............ 64 ..... Centreville ...... Mar.30, 1922
.... 14
Chester Barnum ........... 46 ..... Three Rivers ..... Jan. 29, 1922
... 15
Rollo Hicks .............. 63 ..... Flowerfield ...... Dec. 1, 1922
.... 16
Robert Edge .............. 65 ..... Sturgis .......... Apr. 11, 1923
... 17
Wm. Mac. Henry ........... 68 ..... Sturgis .......... May 31, 1923
.... 18
Jacob Huff ............... 68 ..... Constantine ...... Feb. 19, 1924
... 19
Edward Gibbs ............. 71 ..... Sturgis .......... Oct. 6, 1924
.... 20
William Byrd ............. 51 ..... Constantine ...... Jan. 14, 1925
... 21
Mary Grimes .............. 80 ..... Mendon ........... Jan. 4, 1931
.... 22
Samuel Grimes ............ 79 ..... Mendon ........... Feb. 28, 1925
... 23
Tom Martin ............... 65 ..... Centreville ...... Mar. 21, 1925
... 24
Clara Edmunds ............ 55 ..... Florence ......... Nov. 16, 1927
... 25
There is no record of burial for No. 26 and 27, but do find two deaths at the Infirmary where no mention is made as to their burial, viz. Feb. 11, 1927, Chas. Briggs, age 86 of Constantine, and Mathew Steward, (Negro) age 63, of Constantine. They may have returned to Constantine.
S. M. Pike ............... 71 .....
Centreville ...... Sept. 27, 1927 .. 28
John Green ............... 64 ..... Park ............. Feb. 4, 1929
.... 29
Howard Smith ............. 82 ..... Three Rivers ..... Mar. 14, 1929
... 30
Sam Payne ................ 64 ..... Sturgis .......... June 6, 1930
.... 31
Jury Wyland .............. 80 ..... Florence ......... Sept. 29, 1930
.. 32
Charles Hendershot ........ died in Sturgis Hospital
................... 33
Dean Pashby ........ premature ....................... Jan. 1, 1931
.... 34
Unknown Infant ..... found in river at Constantine ... Dec. 30, 1930 ... 35
Mary Jane Pashby ... premature ... Sturgis ........... Jan. 1, 1931
.... 36
Hickman Infant ..... premature ....................... Apr. 18, 1931
... 37
Alice Worthington ......... ......................... Apr.26,
1932 .... 38
Negro drowned in Klinger Lake ........................ Sept. 30, 1932 .. 39
Unknown baby ......................................... Sept. 30, 1932 .. 40
Rose Stevens .............. ...... Burr Oak ......... Oct. 6,
1932 .... 41
C. C. House ............... ...... Colon ............ Jan. 18,
1933 ... 42
Lovell baby ... premature 5 mo. ... Sturgis .......... Sept. 14, 1933
.. 43
Jinks baby .... stillborn ............................ Jan. 1, 1934
.... 44
The last twelve names listed, with the exception of No.'s 41 and 42, they were not at any time residents of the infirmary.
A continuation from the preceding page of the burials at The Infirmary cemetery.
Charles Prouty ............ ......
Burr Oak ........ Feb. 4, 1935 .... 45
Joe Evans ....drowned ..... ...... Centreville ...... May 29,
1935 .... 46
Mary Hagner ..... Infant stillborn ................. June
20, 1935 ... 47
William Derry ............ 62 ..... Three Rivers ..... July 7, 1935
.... 48
Mae Turner ....... Indigestion .... Three Rivers ..... Jan. 20, 1936
... 49
James Parks .found by the roadside .Detroit .......... July 25, 1936
... 50
Frank Lawson .......... chest ........................ July 1, 1939
.... 51
In the third row of lots, beginning at the road, (U.S.112) there are a number of unmarked graves, possibly five or six, no markers evident, but knew that burials had taken place because the lots continued to settle down and needed filling. It also seems that a number of discrepancies exist, as residence, age, and lot numbering, this shows from the later part of the year 1927 and up to July, 1939.
Alice Worthington, died on April 26, 1932 and was buried in the county cemetery but no number can be found.
John Mohr, died Nov. 9, 1939, marker No.25, no record as to burial.
Charley Smith, died Oct.3, 1940, buried in the county cemetery, No.40, but no number given.
Earnest Stoldt, died Jan. 12, 1940, No.42, no record.
Joe Thornton, died Jan.23, 1940, No.45, record unknown.
Edd Turner, died Oct. 18, 1940, No.46, record unknown.
57, Marguerite Hilton, died Dec. 17, 1939,
no record.
79, Ruby E. Griffith, died Oct. 23, 1940. No record of burial.
Clark Dawson, died May 15, 1941, No.7, no record.
Philip Snyder, died May 3, 1941, No. 38, unknown.
42, Wm. Welker, died June 12, 1941, burial
unknown.
61, Albion Turner, died Aug. 5, 1941. No record.
62, Charles Gross, died May 20, 1941. No record.
Nos. 13, and 14, Henry Fuller and William Grecian were buried in the county cemetery but no numbers were given.
Frank Allen, age 88 years, died Oct. 22, 1942, in county cemetery, No.62.
Dewey Cannon, age 78, died Dec. 26, 1942, in county cemetery, No.63.
Elmer Good, died Nov. 24, 1943, No.65, in county cemetery.
Edith Morton, age 65, died Mar. 27, 1944, in county cemetery, No.66.
Benjamin Worthington, died July 30, 1944, No.67
Steve Wood, died Dec. 20, 1945, buried Factoryville, Mich.
Casper Max, died Jan. 1, 1946, county cemetery, No.68.
William Robinson, died Apr. 12, 1947, No.69, county cemetery.
Dorothy Baker, died June 20, 1947, No.70, county cemetery.
Nellie Wilson, died Aug. 13, 1947, No.71, county cemetery.
Frank Caldwell, died Oct. 30, 1947, No.72, died Burr Oak township and was not a resident of the county infirmary.
This is a review of the deaths at the infirmary and
also deaths of the indigent number of the county from May, 1913, to November
1947, and does admit of some discrepancies but is the best to be had under the
circumstances.
Footnote:
Over twenty-five years ago I
tried for months on end to find out if there was a record for this cemetery in a
futile attempt to find where a grandmother of mine is buried. I still
don't know where the grandmother is buried but patience is its own reward and
I'm pleased, in no measure, to have this file today for my partner and I to
provide for researchers to St. Joseph County, Michigan.
Jo Garzelloni
This page was last modified < Saturday, 05-Aug-2017 19:07:34 MDT >
This website is created and copyrighted 2007 by Joel Newport