Hamtramck Twp Cemetery

[mikefmich]

Ok.....you super sleuths on here really impress me. If you can answer this one, it is an answer I've looked for for 35 yrs.

A number of my Vokes ancestors are buried at Forest Lawn. 2 of them at Forest Lawn were re-interred there in 1899 and were supposed to have been originally buried at a cemetery named Kolbe or Kolhe which was said to be located in Hamtramck Twp.

Chauncey who most recently ran Elmwood was working at Forest Lawn at the time. The guy knows his stuff....he didn't have an answer. The Michigan Cemetery Atlas put out by the state library did not have a listing for it, and I never found anything that could help me at the Burton Room.

Ive looked at a few old maps...while I see Forest Lawn & Mt. Olivet listed in I think it was a 1883 map, which at the time lay in Hamtown Twp, I cannot see anything for the Kolbe/Kohle.

If any of you out there can help out, I will be a happy man before I pass.

[lilpup]

perhaps a family cemetery, not a public one?

[mikefmich]

perhaps a family cemetery, not a public one?

That's crossed my mind. Generally....one finds those in a farm atmosphere. Yet I know that many of the Vokes owned, ran or worked at the family brickyards which were out Gratiot around.....ah nuts.....Belvidere I think without checking. This dated back before the Civil War....a little industrialized cluster I might call it. There were a number of brickyards in that area if memory serves. With a grouping of people as that, it might lend to the thought the old family farm cemetery perhaps unlikely? More assumption than fact. Ya know what they say about assumptions though.

[Kathleen]

Have you been in touch with Greg Kowalski at the Hamtramck Historical Commission? Here's the contact info: http://hamtramckhistory.org/?q=you_can_help

[kryptonite]

Also, didn't Hamtramck Township extend east to Lake St. Clair until the Pointes were incorporated and Detroit began annexing farmland eastward? Maybe the cemetery still exists with a different name?

[rb336]

I think there was a cemetery adjacent to Mount Elliot Cemetery in what was Hamtownship, as was, i think , elmwood. heck, they could be the same thing?. the sacred heart of mary cemetery also was in the township

[EastsideAl]

The name of the settlement you're looking for is Leesville. It was a small town at the junction of Gratiot, Harper, and Cadillac. The area around it, and indeed pretty much all of the future east side in Hamtramck Township, was very rural until about 1900 or later.

It may not help your cemetery search, but an 1876 atlas of Wayne County confirms a J. Vokes as owning 40 acres just south and west of Leesville, along the east side of McLellan between Mack and Gratiot approximately where Warren crosses it today.

But I see no cemetery as noted there. Looking just south of present-day Hamtramck though I do see a "Kohler" family as owning property along what's now Joseph Campeau between the Boulevard and the railroad tracks, where the GM plant is today. But no cemetery.

I do lean towards thinking that what you're looking for was probably a rural family cemetery, and so may not be noted on regular maps. The east side was once covered with them. Members of my family were buried in one in what's now East Detroit just north of Gratiot & 8 Mile, but were moved to Elmwood sometime in the 1910s.

[MikeM]

More on Leesville:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...esville&page=2

[MikeM]

Any chance is was the Detroit City Cemetery?

Attachment 7714

Attachment 7715



From a 2004 thread about the cemetery:

From "A Directory of Cemeteries in Wayne County, Michigan" by Pamela L. Lazar, published by the Dearborn Genealogical Society, year unknown.

"Grosse Pointe Cemetry [[also known as City Cemetery in Grosse Pointe Township) Situated at the northwest corner of Gunston and Hein, the remains of some 4500 persons were removed from the Russell Street Cemetery [[Detroit) and reinterred here between 1880 and 1882. By about 1925, this cemetery was forgotten and was not rediscovered until the 1950s when construction on sewers and freeways unearthed remains."

[Ray1936]

The Findagrave site has a whole bunch of Vokes buried in Utica and Troy, and two in Forest Lawn.
http://tinyurl.com/2dkgwao

[mikefmich]

More on Leesville:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...esville&page=2

Yes Leesville Eastside Al & Mike! My memory is dulling with age

I was not familiar with this booklet, what I was aware was the little printing Judge David Vokes of Recorders Ct. fame wrote years ago....think it was titled Cucumber Lane something. I had spoken with him off and on from the mid-70's until the late 90's. He passed at 100 something in the last 4-5 yrs. Though I looked at it many times, for some stupid inane reason I never got a copy. I think.....Burton has one but I'm not sure.

A little more of what I know of my Vokes. Elizabeth Vokes married John Johnson, they had a fairly large farm/orchard along Conners Creek, that extended from w/n of Harper Ave. down to present day Chandler Park. Think the house stood about where the old pool hall on Conners used to be in the 1960's. I used to shoot pool there, and never knew I was standing on my g-g grandparents former land. Their oldest daughter Sarah Johnson Binge was my ma's grandmother. The next oldest daughter also married a Binge, Wm. They were both aunts/uncles of Ralph Binge of earlier Detroit radio fame. Johnson & Vokes raised 9 kids to adulthood, and lost 4 others in childhood/childbirth.

I got a picture, albeit a lousy copy, of their farmhouse on Conners Creek. I will see if I can get that scanned and figure out how to post on this place.

Judge Vokes and I were never able to find definitive proof of where Elizabeth Vokes Johnsons parents, John & Elizabeth Hund Vokes tied in to the other Vokes at Leesville.

John & Elizabeth Johnson were both born in England, 1833 & 1838 respectfully. Came here sometime in the 1850's, strong circumstantial evidence they came thru Ontario first. Married by 1859 when my ma's Grandma Binge was born.

[mikefmich]

Another snippet on Elizabeth Johnson Vokes. After they sold the farm, they moved to a house on Townsend just off Gratiot. Elizabeth was run over by a car on Gratiot Ave on 18 Jun 1910.

Family legend has it she was the first pedestrian killed by a car in the state or city. Supposedly a test car from one of the fledging auto companies at the time. Whether being the first pedestrian is true, I don't know.

[mikefmich]

The Findagrave site has a whole bunch of Vokes buried in Utica and Troy, and two in Forest Lawn.
http://tinyurl.com/2dkgwao

Thanks Ray. Am I being blind, I don't see Forest Lawn burials on there, but I do see one at a Grand Lawn.

Those Utica Vokes I know came in from Ontario also, but the connection to the Vokes of Leesville et. al has been unknown...at least to me and a descendant from that batch I've had contact with in the past.

[mikefmich]

Any chance is was the Detroit City Cemetery?

Attachment 7714

Attachment 7715



From a 2004 thread about the cemetery:

Mike can you clarify a couple things? Is that rock located at the old Detroit cemetery and where is that today?
The Grosse Pte city cemetery...what became of that?

[ct4438]

Yes MikeM, what became of the Grosse Pointe Cemetery? This thread caught my attention because I've been doing genealogy research in and around Detroit for years now and the burial location of one set of GG grandparents has eluded us. My grandmother had told me they were buried in Lochmoor Cemetery....since Lochmoor was the previous name of Grosse Pointe...um, Woods?....perhaps this is what she was referring to?

[mikefmich]

ct,
My memory is fuzzier since I left 7-Mack area many moons ago, and moved my folks out of there in 1987. But there was a small pioneer cemetery just N. off Moross I think...wanna say Kercheval or in that immediate vicinity? That isn't real close to present day Lochmoor in GPW, but food for thought.

[ct4438]

Mikefmich -

Thanks for the tip...I'll try to look into it. I didn't have much luck when I posed a question to the GP historical society...they didn't return my messages...so, it's been a lot of hit and miss. Would the location you're suggesting be over near the GPHS building on Kercheval?

or if anyone else has a suggestion...feel free.

And I apologize for hijacking the Hamtrack Twp cemetery thread.

[mikefmich]

Yeah....right around the pioneer cabin...assuming it's still there. I haven't been by there in 30 yrs or more. I'm not 100% positive there is a graveyard there, but my mind is telling me yes. When growing up and in my early 20's, I was by there often. Used to ride my bike down Moross to hide in the bushes on Lakeshore Dr. and fish all the time.

[mikefmich]

ct, just sent you a PM.

[Brock7]

From a 2004 thread about the cemetery:
From "A Directory of Cemeteries in Wayne County, Michigan" by Pamela L. Lazar, published by the Dearborn Genealogical Society, year unknown.
"Grosse Pointe Cemetry [[also known as City Cemetery in Grosse Pointe Township) Situated at the northwest corner of Gunston and Hein, the remains of some 4500 persons were removed from the Russell Street Cemetery [[Detroit) and reinterred here between 1880 and 1882. By about 1925, this cemetery was forgotten and was not rediscovered until the 1950s when construction on sewers and freeways unearthed remains.

Should that be Gunston and Hern? I don't see a Hein Street on my map. That would put the site somewhere around where northbound Conner and the Edsel Ford cross.

[Brock7]

I think I found the answer in a post from the old forum in the Garwood thread of all places.

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1229133501
Sumas
Conner Creek Detroit Grosse Pointe Cemetery
Chandler Park

Many people traversing Conner at the junction of I-94 must wonder at the strange configuration of the service drive access heading east to the Ex way. What few realize is that the small fenced island is all that is left to commemorate the Conner Creek Detroit Grosse Pointe Cemetery. Until the mid 1800’s the area was part of Grosse Pointe Township, hence the name.

The Conner Creek Detroit Grosse Pointe Cemetery was actually a relocation of the Russell Street Cemetery [[Roughly what is now Eastern Market) and the Clinton Cemetery also Downtown between 1880 and 1882.

The Russell Street Cemetery contained roughly 4518 bodies. The relocations occurred as Detroit and its environs were expanding. Half of the interred bodies went to CCDGP Cemetery and the other half to Woodmere.

The 2.5 acres for the Clinton Cemetery was purchased from Antoine Beaubien in 1827. The first internment was Friend Palmer, who wrote an early history of the City of Detroit. The body count to be moved was 300, the bulk of the dead buried there was a result of a Cholera epidemic in 1832 to 1833. Catholics were buried in one half and Protestants in the other half. The burial grounds were early European settlers No Native American were interred at any of these three sites.

The land was acquired by Frederick Ruehle from Antoine Joseph Dubay for $3,000.00 in 1872. Ruehle sold the property to the City of Detroit for $6,000.00 within months of his original transaction in 1872. A total of 34 acres was involved. The dedication of the cemetery was August 27, 1880.

Some notables that were buried in the newly created cemetery were Zachariah Chandler, Major Hunter Holmes [[War of 1812) and Detroit Mayor Moffat. All were later moved to Elmwood Cemetery. Their history is preserved. Many bodies in the Conner Creek Detroit Grosse Pointe Cemetery were never re-interred. Bodies that remained include now unknown veterans of the War of 1812, the Mexican American War, the Civil War and other ordinary citizens.

In a study entitled “Land Use History of Conner Creek Cemetery”, 1984, the author states, “The burials that remained to the mercies of the city grave diggers during the periods of massive removals were no doubt those who had no one left to mourn them or care for their final resting place. They would become the John and Jane Does of Detroit history. Victims even after death, of municipal incompetence and short sightedness.”

Widespread neglect, abuse and desecration caused this cemetery to disappear from record. The City of Detroit recreation department had responsibility for its maintenance. The area was rediscovered in 1950 when a grave marker from 1838 was unearthed during preliminary earthworks for I -94.

It is interesting to note that the small-gated island that is a commemoration of the early settlers cemeteries was re-christened The Detroit City Cemetery in 1977. The group that did the research and raised the money for this small commemorative plot and plaque was the Birmingham Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It is easy to surmise that a good portion of what is now the Chandler Park Golf course was part of that cemetery. The spot is designated Historical Area #20wn383

Chandler Park, once called Campeau Woods, was named after Zachariah Chandler. Chandler was Mayor of Detroit and later served in the U.S. Senate During the Civil War. His opponents labeled him as a “radical abolitionist. He also presided at the impeachment trial of Andrew Jackson.

The Village of Fairview Historical Society

[Ray1936]

Thanks Ray. Am I being blind, I don't see Forest Lawn burials on there, but I do see one at a Grand Lawn.

Oooops....no, I'm the blind one. Grand Lawn it is. My mind has but one track usually.

[MikeM]

Mike can you clarify a couple things? Is that rock located at the old Detroit cemetery and where is that today?
The Grosse Pte city cemetery...what became of that?

The rock is located at the northeast corner of Conner and Hern:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...2,23.87,,1,6.5

I don't know what happened to the cemetery; probably the remains were moved again in the 1950s. I still can't believe that the cemetery was "forgotten".

The plaque on the rock calls it the Detroit City Cemetery. The book referenced in my post calls it the Grosse Pointe Cemetery or the City Cemetery - I don't know how accurate the research was. The area was originally Hamtramck Township, then became part of Grosse Pointe Township in 1848. I thought this might have been considered the Hamtramck Township Cemetery, but it was created 30 years after the area became part of Grosse Pointe Township.

[MikeM]

Yes MikeM, what became of the Grosse Pointe Cemetery? This thread caught my attention because I've been doing genealogy research in and around Detroit for years now and the burial location of one set of GG grandparents has eluded us. My grandmother had told me they were buried in Lochmoor Cemetery....since Lochmoor was the previous name of Grosse Pointe...um, Woods?....perhaps this is what she was referring to?

I'm not aware of any cemetery located around the village of Lochmoor, but I'll search around. The cemetery on Moross, north of Kercheval, is the St Paul Cemetery: http://www.gphistorical.org/pdf-file...lscemetery.pdf

[MikeM]

I see a couple of small cemeteries on the eastsise in an 1876 atlas, both in Hamtramck Township.

One at the northeast corner of Mack and Mt Elliott:

Attachment 7728


The other on what was called Center Line Road [[now either Field or EGB), just south of Gratiot:

Attachment 7729