This is the one of the earliest (if not the earliest) of the cemeteries in Courtland Township.
From “The Story of Courtland Township Michigan”, which was written in 1875: “The settlement of this town is peculiar. A colony of eleven well-educated men in 1838 selected this town as their place of residence. One of their number, Barton Johnson, came ahead as an explorer. The rest soon followed with their families … They located their lands contiguous to each other. They organized the town and resided several years alone – a happy, social and moral community. They had enough for fraternity, enough for society, and enough for a school. They were at home in each other’s houses, and prided themselves in each other’s good name and character. But the intruding stranger would come in …”
The full story can be read at http://imagesofmichigan.com/the-story-of-courtland-township-1875.html.
Six of those eleven founders are buried in this cemetery – Barton Johnson, Alexander Dean, John Austin, Sabin Johnson, Thomas Addison and Anson Ensign.
Also buried here are Jane Johnson, Barton’s wife, who was the first white woman to live in town; Millinda Dean Stewart, Alexander Dean’s sister, who was the first white woman buried in Oakfield Township, in 1847; and Emily Dean Austin, John’s wife, who prior to her marriage kept the local school for a time in a shanty.
Please remember that Michigan law prohibits entry to cemeteries between dusk and dawn. Bring your own writing instrument. Although this can be a quick P&G, take some time to look around. There is a special treat for the FTF, as well as a few fun trinkets to start off with. Happy caching!
Congratulations to nanncyan on the FTF!