has been solved…sort of. I will never know exactly who is buried in the graves, nor will anyone else, but how they ended up in the cemetery I now know.
The answer was related to the big old brick building, as I suspected.
I began by asking a few of the town locals about the cemetery and building and found out that the building was originally the county poor farm and the cemetery was where they buried the people who died at the farm. No one that I spoke with could tell me when the building was built or why there were so many headstones marked unknown in the cemetery. Poor people had names too after all.
Next, I called the County Historical Society and spoke with a very nice lady who told me that she really didn’t know anything about the farm but she thought she remembered seeing an old book that contained a little article about it, and I was welcome to come down and look for it. She added that they are open on Wednesdays only. Between 10 am and 4 pm. Hmmmmm….I would think that someone working at a historical society would have some actual knowledge of the town history. Or at least be willing to look it up and call back. Why is she working there anyway?
I explained that I live about an hour away and work everyday so it wouldn’t be easy to get over there. I went on to explain that I was just looking for some general information such as when it was built and why so many graves were marked unknown. She had no idea when it was built and thought that since everyone back in that time period was poor, there was not any money for carving names into headstones. So, they had enough money to engrave “unmarked” but not a name? I don’t think so.
I gave it one more shot. I asked if she knew anyone that might have some knowledge about the poor farm. Finally, I asked the right question. She provided me with the name and number of a cemetery aficionado who might know something.
From her I was able to find out the following information:
The County Farm, originally the poor farm, existed in every county in Michigan. They were built by the state in the early 1880’s, although some were built in the late 1870’s. They were all closed in the early 1970s. Many now serve as rental units or homes for the aged or handicapped.
The farm accepted anyone who didn’t have a home, regardless of age or physical ability. Children that were orphaned or abandoned stayed here until either a suitable home was found for them or they were shipped off to other facilities to learn a trade and were sometimes adopted. Older people with mental illnesses who were non-violent and could be cared for without great difficulty might stay here; others were sent to the state asylums. Great fires sometimes sent large numbers of people to the farms until other arrangements could be made. Unmarried pregnant women, tramps, women of loose morals (including, sometimes, those convicted of prostitution) all found shelter there.
Sometimes families paid to have their daughter sheltered at the Farm until after her child was born and adopted.
Those that were able, were expected to work. Many farms had sizeable dairies, fields and gardens.
Most of those buried at this particular cemetery were buried with a grave number and not a name. The original records of burials were lost in a fire at the Farm some time ago.
Interesting. I will have to return to see if the graves have a number on them. And figure out a way to get to that damn Historical Society to learn more.
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