Day 12 - Cemetery Tuesday! Bentley Cemetery

My sister and I are both members of a search and rescue team - and one day we attended some training at one of our usual places in Lapeer County.  We got done earlier than expected, and I wondered out loud if there were any cemeteries nearby to explore!  She likes to explore cemeteries too, so I pulled over and checked the map on FindAGrave.  

Apparently we had driven right by one!  In fact have driven past it many times.  Google maps took us to what looked like someone's driveway

We turned in and felt like we were trespassing.  

But less than 1/4 mile down this overgrown 2 track road, we found....

Bentley Cemetery

It was quite the pleasant surprise!  It was large-ish in area, but FindAGrave only has 35 interments listed (thanks to the 12 I just added).  Very well kept.  

William H. Bassett Jr.

A Private in Co H 10th Michigan Infantry

died Jan 19, 1863

Aged 30 years 19 days

Can't make out what this one says.

I'll have to stop back in there and try to get a better pic, since there's no listing in F-A-G with a stone like this.  It looks like it could be mostly legible, too.  

This was the only obviously marked plot (the other just had a stone border) and was quite far away from the rest of the marked graves. 

Alex P. Shepherd

Private, Co C 10 Michigan Calvary

May 26, 1833 - May 31, 1906

Catherine, wife of Alex Shepherd

Died Jan 12, 1875

Aged 40 years, 4 months, 20 days

The fence was interesting.

The padlock is very unusual (to me anyway)

There were quite a few large limbs down and they must have been fairly recent since the grass wasn't too crazy under them. (I took these pics July 1)

I found the next 2 extremely interesting, since they're not headstones.  

They're 50th anniversary memorial stones!

Sylvia nee Graves Hazzard

Born Sept 29, 1818

Married Feb 10, 1842

Fifty years how few they are

Who waits together thus so far

How many changes we did spy

Through the fifty years now gone by.

Feb 10, 1892

James W. Hazzard

Born Oct 5, 1820

Married Feb 10, 1842

Fifty years of married life

Fifty years of toil and strife

Fifty years of love and this

was fifty years of wedded bliss. 

Feb 10, 1892

This is their headstone.  

James W. Hazzard

passed on

Jan 18, 1900

aged 79 years

***

Silvia (spelled differently) Hazzard

passed on

Nov 3, 1902

aged 84 years

The top is missing, but this is Mary Jane, wife of 

William LaFountain

died

Oct 17, 1879

Aged 44 years, 6 months, 21 days

William H. Skinner

who departed this life

Dec 31, 1863

aged 30 years, 6 months, 2 days

Jane, wife of James M. Dowall

died Oct 5, 1868

aged 42 years, 6 months, 18 days

William S. Graves

died Jan 26, 1874

aged 51 years, 10 months

William M. Graves

Oct 2, 1853 - Oct 27, 1920

died of "Septic Naphritis, following supra-pubic Prostatectomy"

or inflamed kidneys after having his prostate removed

secondary issue was chronic myocarditis or heart disease.

I love when people post the death certificates, too! 

Fascinating.

This is the crowded corner. 

There were several sunken areas that looked like they could be unmarked graves. 

This tree was so cool!  It didn't look like it was struck my lightning (no burns) but all 3 large trunks fell at probably the same time.  That would have been a sight to see!

This was one of the older fence posts. 

Angelica

wife of C. Strobridge

born Apr 26, 1842

died Oct 19, 1878

***

Herman

son of C & A Strobridge

aged 25 years

Joseph

aged 44 years

Francis

aged 18 years

Robert

aged 26 years

***

children of C & A Strobridge

Lavina, wife of William H. Bassett

died June 19, 1861

aged 57 years

Henry A.

son of ???  Elliott

died Aug 6, 1860

It looks like you should be able to read it, but I got nothing. 

William E. Bentley (I think)

died Feb 12, 1859

aged 7

I'll have to go see this one again, too. 

Miss Sylvia's stone is hard to read!

She's listed as Sophie, but it sure looks like Saphina B. 

wife of Alonzo Skinner

died Mar 3, 1871

aged 33 years, 10 months

This looks like Layfaette but that's all I can make out.

John A. Hart

born 1850

and passed into the spirit life

Feb 26, 1882

Aged 32 years

***

Harriet M. nee Hazzard Hart Isham (maybe?)

born Sept 14, 1857

and passed into the spirit life

Dec 2, 1886

aged 28 years

Charles

son of R & PA Reamer

died Nov 13, 1856

aged 4

When we left, we noticed this sign out by the road.  There was a small clearing behind it, so if we had just gone by that, we probably would have stopped here first.  

In someone's yard. 

Ooops.