A brief history North Farmington cemetery and the Village of North Farmington
The Village of North Farmington prospered as an agricultural community from 1847 until about 1950.
Along Farmington Road between 13 Mile Road and 14 Mile Road were many businesses serving the farming communities of north Farmington Township and south West Bloomfield Township. There was a general store, a cooper, a blacksmith and even a post office. Chauncey D. Wolcott became the first postmaster of North Farmington in 1850. This post office was located at Wolcott’s Corners, on Farmington Road near 13 Mile Road.
North Farmington Cemetery began as a small family burying ground on land set aside by the early settlers and was originally known as the Wolcott Cemetery. The cemetery was enlarged and incorporated by Chauncey D. Wolcott, Orange Culver and John H. Button in 1837. It is small in size, about 3 acres, and laid out in a simple grid pattern. The first burial was that of the young daughter of Austin Nichols.
This cemetery holds a cross section of the local community’s citizenry. You will find early settlers, the foreign born and the men who served their county. Its grave stones provide a glimpse into local illnesses, epidemics and tragic accidents. All of the original founders of the cemetery are buried there as well as many prominent Farmington Township citizens.
As you walk around the cemetery you will see the grave markers of many well-known farm families: the Bachelors, the Buttons, the Coes, the Dickies, the Drakes, the Grahams, the Greens, the Halsteds, the Hargers, the Helikers, the Hosners and the Wolcotts. These people owned the local mills, the shops, the milk stations, the orchards and were prominent farmers and dairy farmers who lent their names to many of the roads in the area. Palmer Sherman was a farmer who grew seeds for the Ferry Morse Seed Company. He and his family are buried here. Nathan Smith was the blacksmith and is buried in North Farmington Cemetery.
You will see the grave of Levi Green, Revolutionary war soldier, Chauncey W. Wolcott who fought with the 22nd Michigan Infantry in the Civil War and many other heroes who bravely served our country. A list of veterans buried in North Farmington Cemetery can be found on the bulletin board located under the flag.
The original cemetery chapel burned down in the late 1800’s. The women’s cemetery auxiliary, which met monthly at member’s homes, worked very hard raising money to rebuild the chapel. They served chicken dinners, held bazaars, made quilts and rag rugs and had card parties. The new chapel was built to their specifications in 1913 and was dedicated on June 14, 1914. The chapel is still used today for services.
The North Farmington Cemetery is a quiet place to research local history, study family history and to commemorate the deceased. One can walk among the old headstones and imagine the way things were one hundred and fifty years ago. North Farmington Cemetery provides a place for quiet reflection and solitude while being an active burial ground. The cemetery is well cared for by a private, non-profit association.
The active cemetery association meets two times a year, July and September on the third Saturday of the month at 10 AM in the chapel.
The cemetery association decorates the graves of Veterans with flags.
Ben Franklin said: “Show me your burial grounds and I’ll show you a measure of the civility of a community.”