The Spouse and I went on vacation for our 15th anniversary in July to Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula. One of the stops we decided to make was to Mackinac Island. I hadn't been these since I was probably 7 years old, and he'd never been there.
Since there really wasn't much that we wanted to see on the island (we did take a horse drawn carriage tour - since there are no motorized vehicles allowed there), we took a walk to see this cemetery is particular, although the others looked interesting, too.
Let me tell you - walking was a mistake! Where it was less than a mile on the map, from the waterfront where we got off the ferry to the cemetery...it doesn't show elevation! The hills are crazy steep and high. And it was hot.
There are actually 3 cemeteries on the island, all right next to each other.
The Protestant Cemetery, St. Ann's Cemetery and Post.
Someone went thru a lot of effort on Find A Grave to find out cause of death of a lot of the burials, so I included those here.
The Post Cemetery is the final resting place for Fort Mackinac soldiers, their families and local officials. Although the origin of the cemetery is lost in history, local lore from the nineteenth century suggests that both American and British War of 1812 soldiers were buried here. Many early burials were marked with simple wooden crosses that have long since decayed and disappeared. As a result, many of the burials are unknown.
Among the known burials is German-born, Civil War veteran Ignatius Goldhofer who came to Fort Mackinac in 1869 with a variety of ailments and old wounds. When he died three years later, his wife and four children buried him in the Post Cemetery.
Civilian interments include Edward Biddle who served the community as sheriff, village president and surveyor in the mid nineteenth century. In the 1880s, Lieutenant Calvin Cowles and his wife Mary buried their infant children Josiah and Isabel next to each other in the shaded northeast corner of the cemetery.
On fame's eternal camping ground
their silent tents are spread,
and glory guards with solemn rounds
the bivouac of the dead.
This corner was where majority of the unknowns graves were.
US Solider
Unknown
US Solider
Sgt. Lewis Perry
Nov. 23, 1869
died of consumption
Pvt. Andrew Simonson
July 4, 1870
died of accidental gunshot
Pvt. Ignatius Goldhofer
Oct. 21, 1872
Civil War veteran, died of heart disease
Pvt. Nicholas Shorten
May 6, 1873
died of consumption
Pvt Alvin S. Bates
June 13, 1874
died of Typhoid fever
Joseph, infant son of JW & J Anness
Feb 16, 1892
Father and son
drowned from
the burned and
wrecked steamer
Champlain
off Charlevoix, Mich
June 17, 1887
*****
to my beloved husband
Judson Jerome Rogers
Hospital Steward
U.S.A
Died June 17, 1887
Aged 47 years
*****
Leon
Son of JJ & AL Rogers
Died June 17,1887
Aged 6 years & 11 months
Lena M. Baseler
child of Pvt. JA Baseler
Aged 3 years
July 21, 1889
Pvt. Coon Walters
May 17, 1891
his was the last military burial here.
died of periontitis
Henry W. Granger
Jan 12, 1857
Sheriff of Michilmackinac County
Pvt William McCabe
Sept. 17, 1855
died of consumption
J. Russell
infant son of Hiram & Alida Mills
aged 5 months & 1 day
Aug. 30, 1869
+Pvt. Walter Selden
Apr. 16, 1884
died of inflammation of the lungs
Pvt. John P. Fires
Aug. 22, 1866
Pvt. Samuel Stoner
Aug. 22, 1866
Pvt. Robert H. Slingerland
Aug. 22, 1866
Pvt. John Hughes
Aug. 22, 1866
(4 guys in a row died on the same day!)
I haven't been able to verify this, but supposedly Post Cemetery is one of only 5 cemeteries that always has a flag at half mast, due to the sheer number of unknown graves.
The other 4 are Arlington National Cemetery, Punchbowl National Cemetery in Hawaii, Gettysburg National Cemetery & Normandy American National Cemetery in France.
The graves originally had wooden markers that of course did not stand the test of time. There are a lot of memorials listed in Find A Grave that have an "unknown" stone since the records show they were buried there, but they didn't know exactly where.
Pvt. Charles Fisher
Feb 25,1869
Eddy Smolk
July 1857
Imogene Markland
Child of Capt. Markland
aged 17 years
May 3, 1886
Edward Biddle
Nov. 1, 1859
Mary Osborne Puthuff
Mar. 15 1823
To the memory of
Mrs. Mary Puthuff
consort of Major
William Henry Puthuff
Who was born on the 30th
day of April 1780 and died
on the 15th day of March 1823
Aged 42 years 10 months &
14 days
Major Puthuff was an Indian Agent and magistrate of the village 1871-1821 & 1823
Major Edwin Elias Sellers, USA
Capt. 10th Infantry
Died
Fort Mackinac April 8, 1884
*****
This stone is erected as a mark of
affection
by the officers and men of
companies C & D 10th US Inft.
his late command
***
blessed is the man unto whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity and ???
(Psalm 32:2 anyway. King James, I think)
died of inflammation of the lungs
Capt. Edwin Collins Gaskill
US Army
May 3, 1844 - June 17, 1889
Josiah Hamilton
son of ME & CD Cowles (interesting that Mom, Mary Ella is listed first!)
born
March 20, 1884
died
September 4, 1884
Isabel Hitchcock
daughter of
ME & CD Cowles
US Army
Born Nov 5, 1887
died
December 12, 1888
In memory
of
John Clitz
Captain 2nd Reg. US Infantry
who died
in command of this post
Nov. 6, 1836
aged 46 years
****
Distinguished alike
for ardent zeal and intelligence
in the duties of his profession
and
manly frankness and sincerity
in intercourse with his associates.
Rene Edward
son of
Capt. GA DeRussy, USA
and
Fannie Clitz
born
Aug. 14, 1858
Died
Jan. 19, 1860
Robert D. Walsh
Infant son of Pvt. Walter J. Walsh
Aug. 17, 1892
Aug. 17, 1892
John Dunn
Child of Pvt. Michael Dunn
Sept. 13, 1892
aged 3 years
William A.
died
Dec. 11, 1862
aged 2 years, 4 mos
& ? days
*****
Frank M.
died
Oct. 7, 1865
aged 2 years & 3 mos.
***
son & dau (???) of
Wm & Matilda M.
Marshall
Ida Lasley
May 20, 1900 - Nov. 19, 1933
Samuel Kip Haring
1804 - 1849
died of cholera
Pvt. Andrew Lawrence
Sept. 13, 1834
died by drowning
Pvt. George Rodgers
May 22, 1833
This was a little fenced area.
Under this
monument
are deposited
the remains
of
Charlotte
Obrien
Born at
East Lockenge
Berkshire
England
Sept. 12 1812
who departed
this life
March 17, 1855
***over to the left***
also
the mortal
remains of
Allen Henry
Obrien
son of
the Rev. John
& Charlotte
Obrien
Born Aug. 17, 1839
& died
July 24, 1855
It was a very peaceful & beautiful little cemetery to visit.
What a great post! We live on the west coast but if we are ever in that area I would love to see the island.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the work you did!!! Most interesting.
ReplyDelete