USA > Michigan > Macomb County > Warren > Pioneer Cemeteries of Warren Township Warren Michigan in Macomb County > Part 2
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Remember that there were no funeral homes and that the corpse remained in the family home until burial.
Often burial was carried out quickly. I have diaries from those days that often show a person died and was most often buried the next day. Families did not want a body even of a loved one in the home for long particularly if they had died of an unknown cause. Fluids would leak out of the corpse and there were odors real or imagined. And ask anyone who has slept with a corpse in the next room spooky to be sure and terrifying to children and some adults. There were no funeral homes and no refrigeration.
Sometimes in the family members and diggers were weak or due to rain, snow, frost, cold or other problems the grave may not dug deeply in the old days before undertakers and machinery. In the old days in rural America, which is what Warren Township was, families buried their own with just a shovel and sometimes with just a shroud. And those who think that every burial
was in a six foot deep 3 foot by 6 foot hole should try digging one to understand the magnitude of the work involved in doing that by hand with only a shovel. Even those who have dug a grave for a family dog in the back yard can attest to the work involved. It was many hours of very hard work. Now days grave heaters thaw the ground in the winter and mechanical diggers do the work in a short time regardless of the weather. Pumps can even pump out the water in the hole. When I placed a stone in a family plot on another cemetery the sexton warned me to be careful digging even for a shallow foundation for the stone as he stated he discovered that sometimes old graves were not dug very deep. With the wooden casket rotted away human bones were all that is left and as a hand shovel planted them there a hand shovel sometimes unintentionally disturbs them many years later. My research indicated that bones have been found exposed even at Warren Union Cemetery. And in the back small bones were discovered. Whether they were a baby's bones or that of an animal no one bothered to investigate. The fact is this cemetery has been neglected, ignored, vandalized, eroded, abused and I can testify that very few people care about it.
Stillborn burials were sometimes placed on top of a prior burial or in a shallower grave. Remember this was a very rural area and was mostly farmland. The village itself just had a few little shops but they were way East of here. This was surrounded by farmland and trees so anyone could actually come here and bury a body and probably not be questioned. Of course with time as the area farms were sub-divided that changed. But still people have their drunken meetings and affairs here and as a caretaker for the church I end up picking up their whiskey bottles and condoms. And as crowded as it is now few calls are made to the police. Just a note I found that a few have been scared off by the dark thing here but I am not about to research that and can't verify it. Myself and others have felt the children here at least by day. I have given night tours to researchers can't say we saw anything but we felt sort of a creepy presence. Perhaps it was within us from seeing too many horror movies. Don't know. Also consider that many stillborns and newborns were were rarely marked. Many were buried on top of regular already used lots. Very few of these were noted on any existing grave stone. Even now many families have baby graves without markers. Consider that the older graves were most often not marked by stones at all and that the older part of the cemetery was considered full by 1945 and many families had to buy lots elsewhere. Consider that there are 2600 grave spaces (depending on grave width and other considerations explained further down) inside the currently fenced area even after subtracting aisles and that there is considerable more cemetery property outside of the current fence at the back. (room for 500-1000 burials)
Consider that the "back" of the cemetery where many babies & paupers and possible secretives were buried extended much further than the now fenced in area and was partly changed by the 1950s Red Run project and by erosion since. The fence was erected in 1986. Before that anyone could bury, in reality, wherever they pleased when no one was around. There were many shrubs and trees in the back
and it was probably possible to bury without being noticed.
Families who suffered stillborn or baby deaths did not usually want a big funeral or a stone as there was a stigma about this. The family home served as the funeral home and most families just buried the remains in the cemetery quickly and privately and did not want a marker to remind them of a stillborn or sickly often unnamed baby which would prolong the sorrow of the already guilt ridden grief stricken mother.
The sister cemetery St Clement with good records shows 1.5 children buried for each adult with only about 6% of child deaths registered at the county. Using that rate suggests the possibility that there could be as many as 1500 babies and children buried there. County Death records for Warren indicate 50% of the recorded deaths were children prior to WWI.
Add another possibly few hundred or so adults without markers and you have the cemetery up to capacity. As we have been told by the oldsters many times that the cemetery is full. The above makes mathematical since. But no one alive now knows for sure. Additional collection of family records will give us just a few. Also the infant mortality rate back then was very high approximately 200 per 1000 per annum.
Many other old cemeteries have hundreds of now unmarked graves many of which are children. Figure of the 1000 burials in Warren Union Cemetery only 150 show children when county death records of Warren show there are 500 child deaths per 1000 registered deaths average. That shows many unmarked plus when one considers that less than 6% were even registered and considering the actual rate per the sister cemetery which is much higher, and also considering the mortality rate there are hundreds of additional unmarked burials.
Researchers have done the math of all of the above and say that there is high probability that hundreds of children and many adults are buried in Warren Union Cemetery without markers.
We should at least recognize the possibility of this.
In fact it is much more likely that there are many unmarked graves than now marked graves. This is true of many older cemeteries. Remember this is not a commercial cemetery like Forest lawn or Detroit Memorial where records have been maintained and burial practices standardized.
While I was reading stones on several occasions I met visitors and told them that there were probably many children buried here without markers and that many were killed with much suffering by diseases we have cures for now like whooping cough, scarlet fever, smallpox, diphtheria. One cause of death called summer complaint was just inflammation of the bowel caused by bacteria in the Milk. Remember there was no refrigeration back in the old days but many children died from it. I even suggested that it would be nice to have a memorial to them. Well I guess someone agreed because a family or families anonymously donated a memorial to the children and pioneers buried here without a marker.
In Memory Of The Hundreds Of Children And Adults Buried In This Cemetery Who Have No Marker Humble Historian Wesley Arnold
The above memorial was causing no harm. There was lots of room for it. It even quoted one of the researchers.
A beautiful polished granite memorial was donated in memory of the children and pioneers now without markers. But not being able to take credit for it that beautiful memorial was without just cause stolen by direction of officers of the 8 active member social clique Warren "hysterical" society either to sell or because in their minds this was an old folks cemetery and there are no markers for these children. Duh!
They did not even consider research findings or hold a public hearing. And there was no vote of the membership. Families donated this memorial honoring these children and pioneers without markers. Neither that memorial or the cemetery is property of this social club. They have no right to steal a nice and expensive memorial that families have placed there honoring these children many of which suffered terribly in their last days.
Warren Veterans Partial List
Many Fought And Died In USA
Warren Abel.
Halsey, Silas
Stanley, James
Kingscott, John W
Hartman, John Heiple, Jacob
Civil War
Benson, Ira F
Hoard, Levi Jacob, Charles
Berger, Nicholas
Cole, William L
Kidd, Charles
Abbey, otto J
Cook, John n
Lorenz, Ernst
Blondeel, Kamiel
Cooley, Oscar
Gies, Henry B
Crawford, James
Metro, Joseph Moor, WM
Gietzen, Wm F
Plus 100s More Vietnam Era Arnold, Wesley
Eckstein, Frederick
Pereira, Manuel J
Grimms, Edward
Plus 100s More
Gamble, Benjamin
Opfer, Frederick Smith, John
Jannus, Roger
Also Unknowns
Gamble, Charles
Reid, Neil W
More Will Die
Tatro, Francis Vanfleet, Theodore Unknowns W. W.I
Stevens, Ormal Thimian, Edward W. W. Il Alexander, Hugh Reddick, Lloyd F Stevens, Merrill
According to the Warren Police, WWJ, and the Macomb Daily July15, 2011 and admitted at a public meeting this was stolen officers of the (8 active member) social clique Warren "Hysterical" society without just cause.
There are many soldiers and soldiers families buried at Warren Union Cemetery. Unfortunately many may be buried there and now have no marker. There are several Civil War soldiers who are possibly buried there. They lived in Warren Township or just over the line to the north. It makes sense that they would be buried there because of residence. The cemetery was not full then. Their families probably attended the local churches here. Searches of other cemeteries further away does not turn up their name. So it certainly opens up the logical possibility that many of them are buried here. Families
were poor and often did not know about later placing a government paid for stone. Researchers have discovered their names. In the many hours I spent in this cemetery (one of seven I have researched) I met many visitors. We sometimes discussed soldiers buried here. I would show them Neil Reid's stone and VanFleet's and so on. I often mentioned that there were probably several others buried here now without any marker at all and that we now knew the names and they are on my big history website. I suggested that I hoped someday that someone would donate a memorial listing these men who died (many as just Warren farm boys) so that their service to our country would not be forgotten.
Well in 2011 some caring folks donated a memorial to these soldiers. They copied the information off of macombhistory.us. I did not write down the names of visitors I talked with and the memorial was anonymously donated without cost to the city. It listed 30 men most of which are buried here and several who in most probably are buried here but many who have not been honored with their name on a stone. It listed three who were blown apart in France and buried there. Don't these Warren boys who gave their lives for us at least deserve to be honored with their name in granite. One was a prisoner of war who died as a prisoner. The list was on the stone was not meant to be a list of burials but rather an honoring for future generations of these Warren men who served for us. For many of these Warren men this was the only marker naming them. It was based on research of several researchers.
The young people today are not taught history and it is fitting to honor the service of these men. Many of us feel that we should honor our soldiers many of which who served, and or died for our freedoms. This historian is a veteran who knows what it is like to serve in a war and to lose friends. I feel that these soldiers should be honored.
These memorials had been given to our hometown Warren soldiers. These memorials do not belong the historical society which does not own the cemetery.
Now the above soldiers are missing their memorials which these four social club officers who acted on their own without vote of the membership or a public hearing (to show good cause to remove them) have stolen out of the cemetery. Now visitors including young people will not be able to see who these Warren soldiers were who in many cases died for our freedoms. Now many of our soldiers have no marker at all because the only one they had was stolen by these vigilantes.
unknown SOLDIER
They also stole an expensive black granite memorial to Warren's Unknown soldier right off of a grave. Back in the 1940s the Detroit Memorial Society did a detailed survey of this cemetery and noted a soldiers grave marked by a flag here. Through the years the records were lost in a flood of the church basement. Now we don't even know the family name.
MEM IA TO ALL VETERANS
WE HONOR YOUR SERVICE REMEMBER THOSE WHO DIED ON 9/11 AND OTHER ATTACKS BE VIGILENT BE PREPARED
According to the Warren Police, WWJ, and the Macomb Daily July15, 2011 and admitted at a public meeting officers of the (8 active member) social clique Warren "Hysterical" Society stole an expensive polished granite memorial to all veterans and those who died in attacks on our country including 9-11. This memorial preceded one placed by the Warren Village commission which only honors those buried here and does not honor those who blown apart and buried in France or VanFleet who was a prisoner of war and is buried down south. It also reminded our young visitors that our country has been attacked more than once and that we should be vigilant. So now not only is the cemetery missing memorials but these folks have stolen our Warren heritage which now young visitors will never see. And after all these years they put out a book and left those honored by those memorials out of their book. Perhaps this social clique should be renamed the Heritage Robbing Society because they did indeed rob future generations of our Warren Heritage. It is time they corrected this serious mistake and do what is right and place new memorials out there to replace the ones they trashed or sold whatever. It is time they restored our Warren Heritage and stop stealing it. And now their new rules allow them to remove any stone they don't like. Who appointed them cemetery Gods who steal memorials families have placed from a cemetery they don't even own.
According to the Warren Police, WWJ, and the Macomb Daily July15, 2011 and admitted at a public meeting officers of the (8 active member) social clique Warren "Hysterical" Society also stole a stone that honored the flag that these men died for and what it stood for it said: Our flag stands for Liberty, Justice Free Speech - Press, Maintain our Freedoms. But they do not own these memorials or the cemetery.
OUR FLAG STANDS FOR LIBERTY JUSTICE FREE SPEECH - PRESS MAINTAIN OUR FREEDOMS
These memorials were causing no harm. They posed no threat. There is nothing disrespectful or wrong with them. These memorials were given to these hometown soldiers, without cost to the city, honoring these our Warren boys.
Those stones belong to these Warren boys who died. It is wrong to steal these memorials from the cemetery and would be wrong to sell them.
One cannot disrespect our soldiers any more then remove their memorials from a cemetery. They later admitted they removed the stones. This gave Warren a black eye and showed great disrespect for our soldiers and they have made Warren the laughing stock of hundreds of people who care about preserving our history.
These vigilantes have failed to come up with just cause for their disrespectful action. They also admitted this at a public meeting. And at this meeting Nothing was found wrong with the
memorials.
These are the only people we know of that have stolen stones from this cemetery. If you don't like a stone you can't just rip it out. And there was no vote of the membership or a public hearing that showed sufficient cause for their removal. Now it has just been discovered that there are even more stones missing. What a disgrace to our city and great disrespect to our soldiers and their families. But to seal a children's memorial also that honored the suffering of children and our pioneers. This is just wrong. The police won't do anything as they think the historical society did this and they do not have the manpower to investigate.
It may be that these officers were planning on selling these expensive granite memorials valued at over $4,000 but since they were "caught" publicly they have just stated that they have put the stones in storage are going to "dispose of them." The real reason they did this is unknown. These memorials were not hurting anything, were fine decent memorials. There was lots of room for them. The families who donated these memorials probably live out of town and are unaware of what has happened. I know I had met several out of town visitors during the many hours I have spent there as researcher and caretaker of this cemetery. I don't know what will happen regarding these fine and decent memorials but as a veteran I can say that many of us veterans feel these soldiers were disrespected. These vigilantes have never fought in a war and have no respect for those of us who served or the young men who died in the service of our country. And I cannot repeat here what some veterans said should be done to these vigilantes who desecrated this cemetery. I will add as a veteran and historian you are welcome to visit our Warren Historical Gallery in the Warren Community Center on Arden West of Mound and South of 14 Mile Road.
You will find the names of these officers of this "Hysterical" social clique and their husbands who are responsible for most of their doings in free public booklets about this group there. Feel free to stop by Monday evenings there and visit and perhaps tell them what you think.
The Warren Historical Society is now a laughing stock among researchers and local people interested in history. But worse they have disrespected our soldiers and given our city a shameful black eye.
No one rips stones off of a grave and no patriotic citizen would rip out memorials belonging to our fallen soldiers and those who died on 9-11. These memorials were not their property nor is this cemetery. They have stolen memorials belonging to soldiers who gave their lives for our freedoms. These memorials were also for the education of our young people who no longer get taught history in school. One of the memorials they stole was the only one naming many of our soldiers who died. Now these brave Warren farm boys have no marker at all with their names anywhere and they will be forgotten. There is no greater disrespect to our soldiers than to steal their memorials from a cemetery. It appears that new expensive granite stones were recently stolen by the 8 member social clique Warren "Hysterical" society. They were caught and a police report made. Since then more expensive stones may have been stolen by them. If this is true this is the most shameful event I have noted in Warren's history. And I have done more historical research on Warren than anyone else and have written a 20 volume history of Warren. Most is viewable and printable for free at macombhistory.us
Also they have made up some unreasonable rules for the placing of stones in a cemetery they do not own. They even state that they now will remove anything that they don't like including grave stones without warning. One rule states all stones must have a 42 inch deep foundation using 7% aerated concrete. This means that a simple four inch flat headstone requires this huge unreasonable foundation which in several cases will mean that creating it may actually desecrate remains because in the old days not all remains were buried below this level. Even today the top of a vault is often only about four feet down. What if a baby is buried on top of this? Remember this is not a modern commercial cemetery. This is a rural farmers cemetery. They do not allow people to leave flowers on a stone or grave without a receptacle. This is unreasonable to loved ones and creates unnecessary work for me a caretaker. We don't need more plastic things blowing around to get cut up by the mower.
If they are so concerned about foundations there are many stones that have fallen over (like Metro which may weigh half a ton) and some that are on the verge and they have done nothing about this. I brought this to their attention over a year ago and even suggested they have a company fix a few of the taller monuments that are teetering on the verge of falling over and possibly hurting someone especially children who lean and may pull on them. A child could actually be killed there it is so dangerous. I met a man there who had two legs broken by a falling stone there when he was a child. The people responsible for the records through time most likely varied in their duties integrity and accepting of responsibility. But is clear that several folks along the way were negligent in their duty and responsibility. This is most disgraceful. It is not uncommon for rural cemeteries to be neglected and records lost but there was a village here. This is absolutely inexcusable. And it is even more so for a local historical society to not pursue the gathering of records and now for their actual selling or disposing of memorials placed in this cemetery by families in memory of their loved ones. They all seem like nice persons. But their jealousy of me or quest for power or beauty and their ignorance of research my myself and others leading to the stealing of the only Soldiers Memorial naming many buried here, and the Unknown Soldier memorial, and the Memorial to all Soldiers and those Killed on Attacks on our Country, and the stealing of the Flag Memorial and the Children and Pioneers Memorial and most recently of several other memorials even including Epitaphs and markers is criminal (grand larceny), disrespectful, destructive of history and inexcusable. And as a soldier and veteran when one considered what soldiers have had to go through in war and that many of them died and to have someone who has never fought for our country or accompanies a casket home with a dead comrade or carry his body out of a battle, I have to stand up and say this was wrong. As a soldier and veteran I will work until I die to respect our soldiers and their honor. But I am old and in poor health and all I can do is write books and speak to people because it seems no one cares. We soldiers die and low lifes like these rip out our gravestones and destroy our history. I fully earned the right to say this. We soldiers would rather have our dead friends rather than our medals. But to rip out soldiers memorials is desecration and treason.
History of Warren Union Cemetery
June 21 1845 Peter Gilette sold a piece of property 9 rods north and south and 12 rods east and west for $12 to establish a burying ground. Sold to: Isaac and Oliver Barton, F Ames, W Davy, A Dennison, Halsey, A Hitchcock, J Hoxie, S Royce, R. Smith, C Smith, W Torey, J Scott, A Haight, E Johnson, W Jenny, O Murry, and others. (I have to get deed to finish this) The original cemetery was 294 square feet or .625 acres. It was divided into lots 10feet by 30 feet. But soon more land was added. More land was purchased in 1854, 1877 and 1885 making the total 1 acre. As this paper is already too long I have deeds, maps and other documents relating to this cemetery in my document book. Some of them show which piece of land was added when and where.
There arises the question of how many grave spaces are in the land area of this cemetery. That is not easy to answer. Sure in a modern cemetery you can plan out in advance how wide and long the graves will be and what aisles and paths there will be but in 1845 we only have the size of a lot.
There are 49 rows the total width is 533.36 feet divided by 49 gives an average row of 10.88 or about 11 feet that fits fairly well except at the back where things appear to get out of alignment.
I took measurements thinking OK a grave is perhaps 3 feet wide and ten feet long and the ends with a three foot aisle but those do not fit. Some lots have graves closer together some are farther apart and the aisles do not all go straight. The human body was smaller back in 1845 and most of the burials were children so that throws things off also. The average body considering that many died at a younger age was as an adult 15 inches wide a child from four inches to 12 inches wide. That is no help. The average coffin in modern time is 28 inches wide but back then would been a little smaller. If the average body was adult was 15 inches than the coffin (widest at the shoulders) was less than 18 inches wide and they could be in times of epidemic fitted one pointing East and one pointing west to fit in the already crowded family lot, at two to a yard width. Remember many coffins were for younger persons and were hand made.
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