October 18, 2012

Countdown - 13 days! Cemetery Walk

This is a bonus cemetery post.  We were supposed to attend the Romeo Cemetery Walk this past weekend and learn about the local people who had been in the Civil War.  However, the walk was postponed due to crappy wind & rain & cold.  They rescheduled it for the next day, but we had another obligation and had to miss it.  :(  

On the plus side...we passed this cool old cemetery with a historical marker and on the way home, we stopped to look around.  I attempted to find and take pictures of all the people's stones who are mentioned on the marker.  I didn't succeed 100%, but pretty close.  And I wanted to look up more info on some of the organizations mentioned, too. 




Michael Van Wagoner
The first person buried here in 1825, 
but he didn't get a marker until 1978.
Funny that all the stones in this cemetery face the west,
except for his that faces south.

Somehow, I'm thinking these are not actually the first settlers 
the sign mentioned.  
But I was interested to see Sally listed as Rev. Taylor's consort. 

Bertha Van Hoosen M.D.
One of Michigan's first female surgeons.

Sarah Van Hoosen Jones
animal geneticist
Funny that she donated the land for the Van Hoosen Jones Cemetery
but isn't buried there herself. 

 Nathaniel Millerd
He sold this land to be "forever used as a public burying ground"
He built a gristmill in the area and ran a general store 
and post office out of his home. 
He was Oakland County's second probate judge.


 I had to look this up.  I've always known of Masons and their symbol, but had no idea what they actually were or did.  Freemasons are a fraternal order that can trace its roots back to the Middle Ages.  These orders were formed for the protection of stonemasons and other crafters.  And because they didn't support any particular religious denomination, the Roman Catholic Church got their panties in a bunch.  In more modern times, it's the fundamentalist Christians who have issues with Freemasons.

In the 1820s, undemocratic activities were considered suspicious and because the Freemasons were an exclusive, secretive group - the non-members thought they were up to no good.  Even today - places in Latin America and Europe still frown upon Freemasons.  

In 1828, the Anti-Masonic Society  was formed when William Morgan, a former Mason disappeared.  He had been on the verge of publishing a book of the mason's secrets when the publishing house mysteriously burnt down and he was later arrested for petty larceny.  Someone bailed him out of jail and then he mysteriously disappeared.

Hmm.  I am seeing some similarities to the UAW & Jimmy Hoffa.

Anyway, there was all sorts of political mumbo jumbo after this but the Anti-masons began to dissipate around 1834.  

1826-1844 was known as the Dark Days for the Freemasons.




 Daughters of the American Revolution
Any female, 18 years and older, who can trace direct descent from a patriot of the American Revolution.
 a carving of the D.A.R. emblem




V close up of that stone V 

 A dead dove on the right side??

 Anders C. Andersen
Denmark
Pvt Co. G 2 MI TNG BN
World War II
October 11, 1897 - June 22, 1971

He was pretty old to be in WWII!

 Nothing like keeping it in the family!
I assume Rhoda & Lydia were sisters. 




The Matteson Family had some bad luck in regards to their children. 

 2 unusual names
Jemima & Eleazar


And we can't leave out the gratuitous scenery shots.....










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