A Dozen Daffodils for the Dearly Departed ("D4") 2011

For a second year, a hardy crew braved windy weather to plant 36 dozen daffodils at graves in Riverside, Douglas and Taylor cemeteries. Plots were selected, in the most part, to address folks with no descendants or no local ones remaining. Thanks to HUNTREE for providing a 12 dozen of the bulbs used. Volunteers included Joy Muhlenbeck, Doreen and Nathan Tubergen, Charlie Hancock and Chris Yoder. A brief sketch of those recognized appears below:

Riverside

1. Rev Ezra Scovel (1794-1874) -Graduate of Middlebury College, VT. Pastored in Mexico, NY and elsewhere. "Mr. S. was not a man of the most exact habits. His penmanship was a scrawl ; his horse was seldom harnessed aright; his fences tumbled down; and his garden grew over with weeds ; he was always forgetting something; when "father Robinson," a paragon of precision, his successor, went into the barn, he looked around and inquired where brother Scovel hung his harness, and was told that he never hung it anywhere ; he kept it on the floor." It is also written that "He was a kind pastor, and a clear, concise, sententious preacher. In the communion service, it was conceded that his equal was seldom found." Survived by a daughter in New York.

2. Mary (1826-1892) and Anna (1861-1881) Dana- Mary came to Michigan in 1865 with her husband David Dana, a brother of Charles A. Dana, then acting Secretary of War in Washington. She was widowed. In the death notice for daughter Anna who died at 20 of consumption (TB), the Commercial Record writes of Charles Dana, then of the New York Sun newspaper " Upon application at her death, he sent her the magnificent sum of $10. You may expect to hear at any time now that the subscription price of the Sun has been advanced". Both rest in Potters field in unmarked graves.

3. Pierce (1810-1886) and Abbigail (1817-1890) Abbey- both born in Ireland. Family left for America in 1849 and soon came to Saugatuck, where they remained. Members of All Saints Church.

4. Robert Abbey (1843-1877)- Only son of Pierce and Abbigail. Fell from the scow Sea Bird about 7:35 am on Oct 16th a mile off McVea's Point and two and one half miles from the Saugatuck piers.

5. Jennie Abbey (1852-1892)- unmarried daughter of Pierce and Abbigail. Had been in an asylum in Kalamazoo at time of death.

6. James (1828-1888) and Martha (1831-1901) and Sue Hibberdine (1869-1897) - James was born in England, served as a corporal in the American Civil War, after which he and family moved to Saugatuck, where they owned a small plot of land on the northwest corner of Maple and Allegan streets. Daughter Susie, care giver for her widowed mother, was a popular young lady who died unexpectedly following surgery on a tumor.

7. Marjorie Breckenridge (1895-1976) Longtime Saugatuck librarian, died at her home in the Maplewood Apartments of an aneurysm. Member of the Saugatuck Woman's Club, OES, and All Saints' Episcopal Church.

8. Florence M. Snyder Brittain (1854-1884) Wife of Capt. R. C. Brittain. Died following birth of a daughter, who also died.

9. George (1835-1917) and Martha (1836-24) Hames - Accomplished carpenter, came to Saugatuck to build the Saugatuck House in about 1856. Built many of the houses in Saugatuck, Douglas and Singapore. He died following a fall from a ladder. Martha was a charter member of the Congregational Church.

10. Mattie Hirner (1884-1975) - Worked as a bookkeeper for the Post Office and later for the Saugatuck Lumber and Coal Company. Active member of the Congregational Church.

11. -Rev. Alexander (1844-1914) and Jeanette (1862-1956) Thomson - Alexander was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. Served in the Civil War. A pastor and poet (see: http://sdhistoricalsociety.org/SDHSWeb/Stories/RevThomson-Pt1.htm ). After his death, Jeanette operated the "Oak Openings" summer camp (now "Pine Trails")

Douglas

1. William (1836-1914) and Mary Stowe (1824-1903) Oliver- Early resident of Saugatuck and Manlius Twps, who in 1862 enlisted Co. L 4th Mich Cav. He was one of the captors of Jefferson Davis. He and Mary had no children.

2. Fabian Snay & wife - French Canadian who came to Michigan in the 1830s as a fur trader. I helped Louis Campau with the settlement at Grand Rapids and served in the Blak Hawk War. Moved to Pigeon Creek, Ottawa County, where he made his living by fishing. Finally, before 1870, the whole family, his Native American wife and eight children moved to Saugatuck, where two of his girls married Shashaguay men. The Saugatuck Snays were known as Great Lakes sailors, and later ship's engineers.

3. Reuben Smith (1807-1873) b. NY Farmer, husband of Susan Felton. Came to Allegan County in 1863. Father of Delos and Fernando Smith and Chloe Lakie.

4. Martha (1836-1893) and Clark Gillespie (1825-1916) - Devout wife and atheist husband, rest side by side. Martha's inscription reads: ""I die a Christian. I leave this earth, for the glory of heaven to draw nigh to God until we meet again at heaven's gate." Clark had the following placed on his marker:

And the atheist above

named at the end of life

will sleep beneath here

Beside his wife.

5. James Leroy "Dude" Hayes - Died at a lumber camp in Homer, Michigan, supposedly of intestinal trouble. His body was shipped off to a medical school in Ann Arbor. His sister learned of it and went to identify the remains, and found the head had been crushed. She suspected the company shipped off the body quickly to avoid paying damages to the family.

6. Shirley Cook- beloved mother of Danny (at "Ida Red's")

7. Frank W. and Nettie Hutchinson Wade- "First white child born in Douglas" in 1853. A faithful public servant, filling township and village offices, as Supervisor, and President of the village several years, and many other offices, and was always interested in the home town's civic needs and improvement. He learned the printer's trade when a young man and printed the "Commercial" at Saugatuck for twenty years.

Taylor (8 dozen)

1. Orren Bankson (1848-1880)- GAR, son of Levi an Lois Bankson of Van Buren Co, MI. Enlisted as a Private on 26 February 1864 at the age of 18. Enlisted in Company D, 12th Infantry Regiment Michigan on 26 Feb 1864. Dishonorably discharged Company D, 12th Infantry Regiment Michigan on 28 Feb 1865 at DeVall's Bluff, AR.

2. Samuel (1840-1903) and Mary Jane Hamilton (1839-1930) Wanner- Born in Berne Switzerland. Came to Ganges in 1865 and married Miss Hamilton in 1873. A fruit grower. He died in Roseland, La.

3. George Lohmann (1796-1861)- Father of Mrs. A. W. Dressel. Born in Germany.

4. Gypsy Garton Knox (1881-1904) and Infant (1904) - Wife of Russell Knox, daughter of William Garton and Anna Foster. She and her baby both died in childbirth.

5. Ezra Heath (1841-1871) - First Township Clerk for Lee Twp. Treasurer, Town Clerk and J.P. of Clyde. Member Company B, 15th Michigan Infantry.

6. Infant Rockwell (not legible) and Howard Rockwell (1851-1884) Nearly 30 year resident, member of the Methodist Church, leaves a wife (daughter of J S Eddy), children, parents and brother to morn.

7. Frank (1874-1967) and Euretha Miller Mosier (1875-1969)- State Representative and State Senator, Ganges Twp Supervisor for 25 years. Member Douglas Community Church.

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