Saugatuck Township
- Cemeteries
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directly to:
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Douglas
Cemetery and the North Annex
Physical
Location:
Wiley Road - Douglas, Michigan |
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Directions
Take exit 36 off of interstate 196 and
head North on Blue Star Hwy (A2), then take a right on 130th (also
called Wiley Rd.) heading East for about 1.5 miles.
Veteran's
Lists
Download
the PDF of the Douglas Cemetery Veteran's
List by clicking here
[44.7KB].
You need Acrobat Reader to view PDF documents. You may already have
it, or, if not, download the free software here.
Download
the PDF of the Douglas Cemetery
North Annex Veteran's List by clicking here
[40KB].
Please
send us Veteran
data corrections by sending an email here.
History
The
first cemetery in Douglas was across the street from where the Masonic
Lodge/Village Hall stands today, the hill has been graded down-
perhaps this was why the lot across Center Street from the Masonic
Lodge was never built upon.
The
first burials in this new cemetery were in 1868, and some were apparently
moved from previous places of interment. The new location seemed
far from the Village, over the highway, but is in the most common
place, and on the outskirts far enough not to pollute any wells.
Although
the monuments are not as varied as those at Riverside Cemetery,
there are still many interesting gravestones of interesting people.
Of these are the monuments of William Dutcher and his family, one
of the founding families of the settlement of Douglas, and THE founding
family of the Village of Douglas.
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1.
William Fuller Dutcher, from Pennsylvania of Dutch descent,
moved to Chicago in 1852 and came to Michigan and bought the
north half of a settlement founded a few years earlier by Jonathan
Wade. |
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2.
Lucinda Dietrich Dutcher, his wife, also her name is misspelled.
It is spelled correctly on the nearby tombstone. Also included
in the party was her sister, Mrs. Maria Graham and several of
her children including Hugh Graham and Mrs. Jonas Crouse. |
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3.
Eliza Adams Dutcher, the wife of their son George Nelson Dutcher.
Eliza was born in Ohio and probably met George and the rest
of as the family as they moved through the state on their way
to Michigan. |
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4.
William B. Upson, the brother of Captain Lewis Upson, who married
a Dutcher daughter. |
The Douglas Cemetery is very shady, thus making it difficult to
grow anything of note except flowers. This shade and dampness takes
a toll on the older stones, and as a result, the natural decay is
worse than in Saugatuck. But things are changing, and already several
hazardous trees have been removed. Presently, conditions are much
improved in the main Cemetery with increased open space and properly
trimmed Evergreens.
Too
many trees are definitely not a problem in the North Annex, however,
where the Village of Douglas received a gift in 1973 from the McNamara
family to expand the Douglas Cemetery. In this location there was
already a small burial ground, including graves dated 1939, 1954
and 1962, and another, that was added in October of 1973. This new
addition gave the new cemetery a jumpstart, and is directly North
of the Douglas Cemetery.
~This information was provided by local historian,
Kit Lane.
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Riverside
Cemetery
Physical
Location:
Clearbrook Drive & Blue Star Hwy - Saugatuck, Michigan |
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Directions
Take
I-196 12 miles South of Holland, MI to the Saugatuck/Douglas Exit
41. At the stop sign turn South (right) on Hwy A2 (Blue Star Highway)
for 1.3 miles. Then turn West (right) on Clearbrook Drive and directly
on the Southern (left) side of Clearbrook Drive is the Saugatuck
Riverside Cemetery.
Veteran's
List
Download
the PDF of the Riverside Cemetery
Veteran's List by clicking here
[53.9KB].
You need Acrobat Reader to view PDF documents. You may already have
it, or, if not, download the free software here.
Please send us Veteran
data corrections by sending an email here.
History
When
the first settlers arrived in Saugatuck in 1830 there was an old
Indian cemetery on "The Flats," the level area at the foot of a
hill located near the present day City Hall. Settlers began using
the area for burials.
By
1869 a decision was made to have all graves in the old cemetery
removed, either by family or the authorities from the location in
town, to a better location and most went to the present cemetery
site. Records for the new cemetery show burials beginning in 1864.
For
many years this cemetery was just known as the Saugatuck Cemetery,
but in a 1920 letter in the Commercial Record it was proposed that
the cemetery be named, and offered the suggestion "Riverside." This
was adopted, though the cemetery is not near the river.
The
remains of the Indian cemetery were excavated during some construction,
in 1930, at the Saugatuck centennial celebration, a boulder with
a bronze plaque in "Memory of the First Indian Burying Ground, 1800
to 1850" was dedicated and a few remains were reburied in a mound
nearby.
~This information was provided by local historian,
Kit Lane.
Fees
and Charges
Each
resident of taxpayer family may purchase up to two graves for burial
rights at a cost of $120.00 for each grave. The same resident or
taxpayer family may purchase up to an additional four graves for
burial rights at a cost of $240.00 for each grave. Additional graves
in excess of six shall be at a cost of $1,500.00 each. Non-residents
may purchase graves for $1,500.00 each.
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(a)
Purpose. The fees and charges for the sale of cemetery lots
and the use of cemetery grounds and lots, for the purpose of
recovering the costs for acquisition, construction, reconstruction,
maintenance and operation, shall be established, adopted and
amended from time to time by resolution of the Township Board,
upon recommendation of the cemetery committee. |
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(b)
Types. Such fees and charges may be established for but are
not limited to the sale of lots and perpetual care of such lots,
burials, removals, foundations, certificate issuance, certificate
transfer, and operational and maintenance services as may be
determined. |
Cemetery
Ordinance [73.8KB]
Download
the PDF of the
Cemetery Ordinance by clicking here. You need Acrobat Reader
to view PDF documents. You may already have it, or, if not, download
the free software here.
Care of Lots
[53.2KB]
Download
the PDF of the
Care of Lots by clicking here. You need Acrobat Reader to view
PDF documents. You may already have it, or, if not, download the
free software here.
Cemetery
Lot Maps
Riverside
Douglas
Douglas
Annex
Cemetery
Registry Search Engine
http://www.funeralnet.com
Riverside
Database Links
http://www.interment.net/data/us/mi/allegan/riverside/index.htm
http://www.idreamof.com/cemetery/mi/allegan/riverside.htm
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=1959645&CScn=Riverside&CScntry=4&CSst=24&
Douglas
Database Links
http://www.interment.net/data/us/mi/allegan/douglas/index.htm
http://www.idreamof.com/cemetery/mi/allegan/douglas.htm
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=218293&CScn=Douglas&CScntry=4&
Genealogy
Sites
http://www.Ancestory.com
http://www.geanology.com
http://www.sdhistoricalsociety.org
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