DEFUNCT CEMETERIES

In the early years of DeWitt many area homesteads established private burial grounds, especially in areas where neighboring homesteads were bonded together by social, family or religious ties. Of these, the Scott, Alward, Wilsey, Hurd, Gunnison and Goodrich (or Oliver) were eventually acquired by the respective townships of Olive or DeWitt through legal deed. There were, of course, many others which never became public cemeteries. Of these, many were abandoned at an early date and in light of their brief existence and private ownership, very little can now be learned of their histories except that which can be gleaned from scant family records or oral tradition.

The township of DeWitt developed an early policy of assimilation in regards to local cemeteries. By the early 1860's, when the number of its public cemeteries numbered four, the township encouraged owners of privately held cemeteries to remove their burials to one of the public burial grounds instead of attempting to deed it over to the township. In later years, DeWitt township abandoned one of its cemeteries, the Goodrich, and arranged for its removal, presumably in its entirety, to the village cemetery of DeWitt, thus reducing the number of township owned graveyards to the present number of three; the DeWitt cemetery, the Hurd, and the Gunnisonville.

The following histories are of known cemeteries which, either private or publicly owned, are now defunct and no longer exist visually (some or all of the burials may still be intact but the actual tombstones have been removed). The cemeteries given here do not constitute a complete listing but remain the only ones of which any record of existence can be found. Their histories have been included in this writing because evidence of each can now be found in the DeWitt cemetery. It is important to show, both historically and genealogically, that many of the graves now in the DeWitt cemetery were originally interred elsewhere in the outlying areas of rural DeWitt.

It is hoped that in years to come additional information regarding these and yet unknown sites will come to light to expand the knowledge of pioneer burial sites.

GOODRICH (or OLIVER) CEMETERY

The Goodrich cemetery, formerly located on the east side of Schavey road, one half mile north of Herbison road, is perhaps one of the best recorded of tile early DeWitt area cemeteries. Yet, though frequently mentioned in the early records of DeWitt Township, there remain many unanswered questions regarding its origin and its subsequent abandonment.

In 1843, Franklin and Jerusha Oliver, whose early homestead was located on the north side of Herbison road, both on the east and west sides of Schavey road, deeded their private "Buryal Ground" to the township of DeWitt (or, as stated in tile original deed, to the "Inhabitants of DeWitt") for the consideration of five dollars. This parcel was described in the deed as commencing at the intersection of the east-west quarter line of section #7 and "the road that crosses the Looking-glass river near the house now occupied by Alanson Goodrich"(now Schavey road) then 8 rods east, then 10 rods south, then back west to the road and north to the beginning; encircling one-half acre.

This description is the same as shown on early township plat maps as the cemetery later known as the Goodrich cemetery. Both Franklin and Jerusha Oliver died within a short time after this transaction and it can only be assumed that they were both buried in the cemetery which for a short time bore their name.

A puzzle of intention comes into the picture in 1845 when the township minutes record the boards action to purchase land adjacent to the cemetery north of the village (now the DeWitt cemetery), "the same size and shape of the burial ground on the farm previously owned by Franklin Oliver, deceased." As a result of this action, additional land was purchased for the village cemetery from Ephriam Utley. These facts have led many local historians to conclude that the township planned to abandon the Oliver cemetery and have it removed to the village cemetery (which, indeed, it did many years later). Whether or not this was the township's intention, it was not carried out and the village cemetery was simply enlarged and the Oliver cemetery was improved and renamed the Goodrich, after the Alanson Goodrich family who now owned the adjoining farm to the north.

It has not been recorded why the township Look to calling this the Goodrich cemetery nor why, in fact, the name was changed at all. It was to remain the "Goodrich cemetery" for many years and although there is no record of the identity of any of the burials made there; it may be reasonably safe to assume that the Goodrich family buried their dead here.

No mention has yet been located in the township minutes as to when or why it was decided to abandon the Goodrich cemetery and arrange for its removal to the DeWitt cemetery. It is known, however, that Theodore Schoewe (later changed to Schavey) acquired the former Goodrich farm from Thomas Parr in about 1875. It can be assumed that the cemetery was taken up after that date for the only graves, generally accepted as having come from the Goodrich cemetery, were interred next to the Schoewe lot in Section C of the DeWitt cemetery. These reburials were made in lots 70 and 117 of that section. Aside from this, mention of the Goodrich cemetery in the township minutes had ceased by the mid-1880's.

Besides the reburials made in lots 70 and 117, a strong case might be made to show that possibly other burials in section E came originally from the Goodrich cemetery. Among those could include Barna and Betsey (Heath) Allen in lot 76, Mr. & Mrs. Peter Lott in lot 92, the Goodrich family in lot 88, and possibly the Pearsall family in lots 96 and 100.

SIMMONS' LOT

One burial is known to have been made upon the homestead of Atwell and Lovina (Knapp) Simmons in the southeast corner of section 25, Riley Township. The burial was that of Mrs. Simmons' mother, Polly (Hines) Knapp, who died March 25, 1848. It was located on the west side of Airport road, a short distance north of Chadwick road. The only known record of this site comes from a narrative written many years ago by her great great granddaughter, Agnes (Pike) Stienhardt, which reads as follows:

"The grave was in a field directly opposite and several rods west from the house built several years later (1860) by Polly's grandson, George Riley Simmons (1986- the home of Robert & Lori Welton, 9747 Airport road) ..... I remember very distinctly this grave and when a child, I often wandered to this spot around which was built a rail fence. The grave was covered by live-forever plants ..... I learned the inscription on the marble slab which marked this grave. It was as follows:

Remember friends, as you pass by

As you are now, so once was I.

As I am now, so you must be.

Prepare for death and follow me.

When I was still a child, I remember watching my father, Millard F. Pike, assisted by Ira and Mark Knapp, open this grave and gather up the few remains; only the skull and a few other bones of this once active woman. These were places in a small wooden box, together with a few nails and screws; all that remained of the coffin, and were taken to the DeWitt cemetery where they were reinterred on the Atwell Simmons lot and the tombstone was once more set in place."

It is possible that there were additional burials in this Simmons homestead site. A strong possibility is that of Sarah (Simmons) Sherman, a sister of Atwell Simmons, who died in August of 1849 and whose tombstone is next to that of Polly Knapp in lot 21 of section D.

PEARSALL LOT

The numerous graves of the Pearsall family in lots 96 and 100 of section E are not original to the DeWitt cemetery but the place of their origin has not been located. It is not known when they were brought to the DeWitt cemetery but it was undoubtedly sometime after the development of the eastern extension of section E as the placement of the graves, if indeed any reinterrment took place, would place the location of the graves themselves under the eastern north-south drive, it is highly possible that these two lots were purposely added to accommodate the tombstones only. Whatever the actual history, the placement of these stones at such a location so close to tile drive has had a disastrous effect on their permanence. Driveway traffic has severely taken its toll on the stones.

The homesteads of the Pearsall family lay along the east side of Turner road, the full length between Herbison and Clark roads. In light of the location of these farms, it is very possible that original burials were made in the cemetery formerly located at tile intersection of Clark road and U.S. 27 (see separate essay). It is also highly possible that, due to the large number of surviving stones (nearly a dozen) and the fact that they all bear the Pearsall name, a separate family cemetery may have been at one time located somewhere on the Pearsall property.

Although there is no stone to record it, there is one additional name which should probably be added to this Pearsall family list, that being Jane E. Pearsall who died at DeWitt, probably in the t870's but whose grave has apparently gone unmarked.

LIVERMORE CORNERS

As stated in the essay on the Pearsall lots in the DeWitt cemetery, a cemetery of unknown name or origin has been recorded in an essay written in 1935 by Alta (Gunnison) Pierce. In this, the only known reference, she states:

"There was once a cemetery at Livermore's corner across from where Bradley's Oil Station is now, also one across the road from where the Cushman school house stood, but both have been taken up and the bodies removed."

She does not clearly identify which corner this cemetery was located on and it evidently remained privately owned, as it does not appear on any known plat maps. No indication of a removal date is given and it would be impossible, based on the corner's close proximity to all three township owned cemeteries, to assume that the disinterred bodies were removed to any one particular cemetery.

Based on early land records of the neighborhood, it may be safe to assume that some of the original burials in this cemetery could have been from the Hockenbury, Gunderman and Smith families.