Woodward Cemetery

Many thanks to LaVonne Bennett for the following information on this little abandoned cemetery.

     This cemetery is in Sec. 15, Borden Road, Hubbardston and is listed in "MICHIGAN CEMETERY COMPENDIUM" compiled by Har-Al, Inc., Spring Arbor, MI (1979) . It is listed as the WOODWARD Cemetery but the land was purchased from Calvin and Mary B. WOODARD by the North Plainfield Corp. (Ionia County Land Deed Liber 46, page 409) 3-22-1855 for use as "Burying Ground", for $1.00. Although the Compendium states "founded in 1836. Last burial 1860" we found a gravestone there with death date of 2-?-1875. I found this cemetery in another and newer compendium which stated the cemetery became inactive in 1900. Some local people there told me the ownership reverted to the township, others said to private land owners. It's an overgrown mess, at the top of a hill on the south side of Borden Road, in an old woods at the top of a steep embankment. There are only 3 headstones found in this cemetery today:

Woodard, Dillucena d. 2-5-1875, age 17 years, 2 months and 4 days

Bundy, Caleb d. 12-25-1855, aged 71 years, 8 months and 9 days. There's a poem on his headstone, not very readable

very small stone with initials only

Last update January 14, 2008