Chapter 15 – Taylor

City of Taylor Website

In the 21st century, the city of Taylor, located 18 miles southwest of Detroit, claims
the honor of being the 17th most populated city in Michigan. Taylor is bounded in
the north by Dearborn Township, on the east by Ecorse, on the south by
Brownstown, and on the west by Romulus. Its area is twenty four square miles.
Taylor’s modern attractions include Southland Shopping Center, Taylor Meadows
Golf Course, Lakes of Taylor Golf Course, Oakwood Heritage Hospital, Wayne
County Community College Downriver Campus, and Heritage Park. The city of
Taylor was created from Taylor Township and in turn, Taylor Township was
carved out of Ecorse Township.
In May 1968, the citizens of Taylor Township voted to incorporate as the City of
Taylor and more than a century before them in 1847, the citizens of Ecorse
Township voted to break away and incorporate as Taylor Township. As Ecorse
Township became more settled, the farmers in the western end of Ecorse Township
grew tired of having to travel ten miles to the village of Ecorse to vote and transact
other business, so they voted to form Taylor Township. On April 1, 1847, Wayne
County officials organized the new township from 24 square miles which were
originally part of Ecorse Township. They named their new township in honor of
Zachary Taylor, a contemporary national military hero who would reach the
pinnacle of his career as 12th president of the United States.
In The History of Wayne County and the City of Detroit, historian Clarence Burton
traced the history of Taylor Township. He wrote that on April 1, 1847, Wayne
County officials took the western two thirds of Ecorse Township and organized
and named it Taylor Township after General Zachary Taylor. The Wabash
Railroad crossed the northern part to Taylor Township and the Pennsylvania
Railroad touched the southeast corner. Farming and gardening were the two most
important rungs of the economy.1
The first township meeting took place on April 5, 1847 at the home of Richard
Sutliff. At the first township election forty four voters selected Jared Sexton,
supervisor; Charles Steward, clerk; William Fletcher, treasurer; and William Sutliff
and William Shipman, highway commissioners. Josiah Johnson and Samuel Brass
were elected overseers of the poor and Chandler Wells and James Silverwood
school inspectors. W.N. Steward and Jared Sexton were chosen justices of the
peace and O.R. Robbins and Chandler Wells, constables.2
Silas Farmer in History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan, a
Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present noted that Taylor’s population
in 1850 was 303 and by 1860 it had grown to 567. The 1870s in Taylor showed a
population of 867 that had swelled to 1,161 by 1880. The 1850 valuation of the
township was $24,083 which grew to $334,999 by 1880.3
On January 12, 1863, Taylor Center became a post office in Taylor Township, with
Jared Sexton appointed first postmaster. Taylor Center was located about ten miles
south of Dearborn and two miles south of Hand Station, a small station on the
Wabash St. Louis & Pacific Railroad. Hand Station was named after Judge George
E. Hand of Detroit, who owned a large tract of land nearby. Taylor Center was
settled in 1860 and its population numbered about 100. The Taylor Center post
1
History of Wayne County and the city of Detroit, Michigan / Clarence M. Burton, M. Agnes Burton, editors ;
H.T.O. Blue and Gordon K. Miller, associate editors. Chicago: S.J. Clarke, 1930.

2
Ibid.
3
History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan, a Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present,
Silas Farmer. New York: Munsell & Company, 1890.
office operated until February 15, 1914. After the Taylor Center Post Office
closed, several other post offices served the township until its incorporation as a
city in May 1968. 4
Silas Farmer wrote that Taylor Center was a post office surrounded by a small
settlement. In 1863, the town hall in Taylor Center was completed at a cost of $200
and two Lutheran Churches met the religious needs of the settlers.
In 1888, Taylor had six school districts and a fractional district that employed eight
teachers with a total of 260 pupils out of a total of 416 children in the district
attending school during the year. 5
Pioneer Augustus Coan lived in Taylor Township as early as 1824 where records
indicate his son Marlin Hickam Hazzard Coan was born. In 1835, Augustus
purchased 100 acres of land on Territorial Road in Taylor Township. The “Church
News” section of the Taylor Mellus newspapers of February 24, 1982, p. stated
that Augustus was the first settler in what is now the city of Taylor. 6
Augustus’s children included his four sons: Peter, Marlin, Edmund, and Elisha. A
newspaper clipping in the Coan family genealogy states that Peter and Edmund
Coan were the first settlers in Taylor Township. In 1830 Peter left Monroe,
Michigan, where he had been living to find new land to homestead. He found 80
acres of land in Telreka, a part of Taylor Township, and purchased it from the
government. By February 1832, Peter and his brother Edmund were clearing land
and building log homes for their families. Eventually the Coans owned more than
640 acres of Taylor Township land. 7

4
The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922. Clarence M. Burton, editor-in-chief, William Stocking, associate editor,
Gordon K. Miller, associated editor. (Vol.2) ; Detroit: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1922, p. 1593
5
History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan, a Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present,
Silas Farmer. New York: Munsell & Company, 1890.
6
Church News” section of the Taylor Mellus newspapers of February 24, 1982, p. 5-C
7
Elisha W. Coan. Born September 12, 1816. Died: July 19, 1886 in Taylor, Michigan. His wife was Sophronia
Howe Coan, 1821-1908 and his children were Alice Melinda Coan Wright and Amos Augustus Coan. Full text of
"Coan genealogy, 1697-1982 : Peter and George of East Hampton, Long Island, and Guilford, Connecticut,
with their descendants in the Coan line as well as other allied lines

Marlin Hiram Hazzard Coan was born on January 30, 1824 in New York and died on June 1, 1887 in Taylor,
Michigan. He married Rachel Rebecca Steward-1824-1906 and their children included Marlin Augustus Coan and
Emily Coan Adair. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
The Coans and the agricultural part of Taylor history has transformed into 21st
Century modern buildings, manicured neighborhoods, good schools, a
smorgasbord of shopping including Southland Center, nature parks, Heritage Park,
and several industrial parks. Small businesses and restaurants comprise an
important part of the Taylor economy.
In a 21st century stretch from its Taylor Township log post offices and town hall,
Taylor City has modern municipal buildings, including a city hall, police
department, the 23rd District Court and the Midtown Fire Station, all on Goddard
Road. The William D. Ford Senior Citizen Activity Center on Troy Street in
Taylor offers many activities for senior citizens including a Grief Counseling
Support Group, Bible Study, Senior Bowling, knitting workshops, work carvers
and line dancing.
The Taylor Department of Public Works at Beech Daly and Northline Roads as
well as being housed in a modern efficient building enjoys the distinction of
several presidential visits. In 1996, President Bill Clinton came to Taylor for the
grand opening and dedication of the Public Works building and the renovated city
hall. In 1998, Andrew Cuomo, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development visited Taylor. He inspected and praised the city of
Taylor’s plan to develop the community’s southwest section, calling the village of
Taylor “a model for the nation.” President George W. Bush visited Taylor in 2004
and President Barack Obama made a campaign stop to the city in 2008.
The city of Taylor has 21 parks that feature many recreational opportunities
including golf, fishing, picnicking, and sports activities. Heritage Park on Pardee
Road, offers a variety of opportunities including annual festivals, a historical
village, a petting farm, soccer and baseball fields, fishing, walking paths and shops.
Taylor School District has a regional reputation for excellence and Taylor is also
home to the Downriver Campus of Wayne County Community College District
and the Heinz C. Prechter Educational and Performing Arts Center.

An Important Taylor Citizen and School: Lillian Ricker and Penrickton

In 1952, Taylor resident Lillian Ricker used her faith and determination to help
disadvantaged children to create Penrickton, a nursery school for blind children.
Penrickton grew and expanded to include children with at least one other disability
and it still operates as a vital 21st century resource with a reach far beyond Taylor.
The 1948 Polk’s Dearborn Directory lists A.P. Ricker as a distributor of J.R.
Watkins Quality Products. He and his wife Lillian Ricker lived at 6801 Jackson in
Taylor Township. The Rickers had two daughters and a son, and by 1952 their
children were grown up and living on their own.
Living her philosophy of “I’d rather wear out than rust out,” Lillian decided to take
a job as a babysitter for the twin daughters of Mr. And Mrs. Thomas Penman who
lived next door. The Penman twins, Sandra and Patricia, had been born
prematurely and their 1953 medical prognosis foretold a limited life for both of
them. According to some accounts, when Sandra was ten months old constant care
and medicine restored her sight, but Patty remained blind and could not walk, talk,
or eat solid foods. Doctors at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor
told the Penmans that they felt 2 ½ -year-old Patty was also brain damaged. Mrs.
Penman had to take a job to help pay the medical expenses for the Penman twins
and Lillian Ricker, their next door neighbor, agreed to babysit for them.
Lillian Richer didn’t accept the verdict of the University of Michigan doctors. She
took the twins firmly in hand and in a matter of weeks she had taught Patty
Penman to take her first steps and speak her first words, The 1962 Associated Press
Newspaper story by A.F. Mahan says that Sandy developed normally or “at least as
normally as a blind child can.” Other stories, like the 1954 Benton Harbor News
Palladium story say that Sandy’s sight was restored and she developed normally. 8
Mrs. Ricker’s curriculum for Patty Penman included taking her to a neighborhood
grocery store. The store manager Jess Marody kept track of Patty’s progress and
one day he took Ms. Ricker aside and told her that he was a member of the Taylor
Township Lion’s Club. He asked her to visit Mrs. Margaret Wiggington and her
six-month-old blind daughter Marcia. Lillian found herself teaching three little
blind girls and insisting they do things for themselves. Jess Marody continued to
track Mrs. Ricker’s results and he eventually asked her if she could teach some
other blind pupils one day a week. She committed herself to meeting every
Saturday at the Eureka Fire Hall in Taylor Township with any mothers bringing
their blind children. On the first meeting day, 11 mothers and 11 babies greeted
Mrs. Ricker.
Word of the Eureka Fire Hall meetings spread and the Parent Teacher Association
of Fletcher School invited Mrs. Ricker to tell its members about her program. “I

8
Ocala Star Banner.She Leads the Blind, Runs School on Faith. June 17, 1962. By A.F. Mahan

Benton Harbor News Palladium. Benton Harbor, February 24, 1954.

had absolutely no idea then of starting a school,” she said. “Why, I’m not even a
qualified teacher.”9
Grocer Jess Marody and the Taylor Lions thought differently. They made a bargain
with Lillian: if she would start a school for blind children they would give a
benefit party to help fund the school. They raised $3,000 for the new school and
pledged one-third of the Lion’s income for an indefinite period of time.
Before she opened Penrickton, Lillian Ricker traveled to Los Angeles to visit a
nursery school for the blind there and returned to Taylor, stronger in her dedication
to give every blind child an opportunity to learn and wondering how many
desperate parents she could possibly help. She assured the parents of her
prospective students and the students themselves that “If you can get to us we’ll try
to help you with some program.” Her therapy usually began with encouraging
parents to plan the future of their child with hope instead of despair.
Lillian decided to call her new school Penrickton, a combination of the Penman,
Ricker, and Wiggington. Lillian and 13 pupils and a former public school teacher
with twenty years of experience, Mrs. Vera Gaertner, opened the first day of
school at St. Paul’s Evangelical and Reformed Church in Taylor. The maximum
school tuition was $25.00 a week, and the minimum set at $5.00, although Lillian
allowed people who didn’t have the tuition to pay it with kitchen, office, or
maintenance work.
Since Lillian firmly believed that she and her school needed a real schoolhouse,
she continued to agitate for one and she badgered the Taylor Township Board into
donating land for a school. The Wiggingtons donated an acre of land for a new
school. Parents of pupils and former pupils established a building fund and by
1956, Penrickton moved into a sunlit, 18 room, $155,000 home. By now, the
school also owned $4,500 in play equipment and Sparkey, a pony, and a cart.

9
Ocala Star Banner. She Leads the Blind, Runs School on Faith. June 17, 1962. By A.F. Mahan
Lillian Ricker’s successful educational methods for teaching blind children began
to attract national attention. Even though her education had ended with high
school, Lillian found herself lecturing psychologists, educators, and nurses, many
of them with doctorates. In1959, Wayne State University awarded her a
scholarship to a seminar in childhood development and she lectured at a 1962
Institutional Seminar at Walden Woods, Michigan. She was the only one among 63
psychologists and educators to never have gone to college. Some professionals
criticized. Lillian for not having more professional educators and doctors on her
staff, but she replied that she always had professional consultants and she called
them whenever she needed them.
In his June 1962 story about Penrickton in the Ocala Star Banner which the
Associated Press distributed across the county, A. F. Mahan stressed Lillian’s faith.
He wrote that on a recent Friday after Lillian wrote the payroll checks, Penrickton
had $178 in the bank with another $800 payroll looming for the next Friday. Since
the school operated primarily on donations from individuals and organizations with
no public funds, making ends meet always concerned her.
Where would she get payroll and grocery money for the next week?
“I don’t know but I hope it comes. I’ve got several on my staff who are wonderful
Christians and they help me pray. And there’s the bank which had $4,700 worth of
faith in us when we just had to have it once. I guess you might say,” she added,
“we just run on faith.”10

In June 1962, both the Ocala Florida Star Banner and the Spartanburg South
Carolina Herald Journal recorded that Lillian’s health was deteriorating. In fact, in
a tragic twist of fate, the teacher of blind children was now nearly blind herself.
She had suffered stretches of ill health her entire life, beginning with a childhood
bout of rheumatic fever that damaged her heart. In 1955, she had suffered an
operating table heart attack, and in 1960 an operation for cancer. The childhood
rheumatic fever returned and she developed ulcers on her corneas which drastically

10
Ocala Star Banner. She Leads the Blind, Runs School on Faith. June 17, 1962. By A.F. Mahan
Daytona Beach Morning Journal, February 25, 1954. Nursey for Blind Fulfills Dream; Toledo Blade, November 21,
1955. Curriculum of Nursery for Blind is unusual Toledoans Explore Possibilities for Aiding Handicapped; The
Tuscaloosa News, June 17, 1962. Leading the Blind, Her Prayers; Spokesman Review, June 16, 1962; School for
Blind Thrives Through Courage. She Puts Blind Children to Work. Bernard Asbell. Saturday Evening Post, July 30,
1960. Vol. 233 Issue 5, p26.
affected her sight. She now used a Braille wristwatch, but she continued to operate
her school and teach her pupils.11
The September 25, 1962, Benton Harbor News Palladium reported the story of
Lillian’s legal battle with an insurance agent from Manistee, Michigan, who told
her that he was the executor for the estate of a wealthy Manistee woman who had
listed Penrickton as a possible beneficiary of $13,000 dollars. He said he had the
power to decide which charitable bequests to award and for a bribe of $1,300 he
would award a bequest to Penrickton. Outraged, Lillian sued him and after a two
month court battle, the judge awarded Penrickton the money. “
Glory be, now we can pay our debuts and maybe operate two or three months
without worrying,” Lillian said.12
An item in the Michigan Troubadour, the newsletter for the Michigan District of
the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet
Singing in American, Inc., noted a donation to Penrickton in its January 1963
issue. On Sunday afternoon, December 9, 1963, the Detroit Chapter #1 and their
ladies attended the annual Christmas Buffet Supper at the Penrickton Nursery
School for Visually Handicapped Children.

The Detroit Chapter partially supported Penrickton and Chapter President Art
Schulze presented Mrs. Lillian Ricker a check for $691.00. Donald Cardinal, one
of the blind instructors at Penrickton, and alumni and students presented a
program, with Mrs. Ricker, founder and director, acting as M.C. The entire Motor
City Chorus with conductor Bob Craig sang several songs and closed with
Christmas carols. Several hundred donors and interested parties attended the
event.13

11
Ocala Star Banner .She Leads the Blind, Runs School on Faith. June 17, 1962. By A.F. Mahan; Spartanburg
Herald-Journal, June 17, 1962. Tragic Irony Now Confronting Miracle Worker
12
Benton Harbor News Palladium, September 25, 1962, page 1; Benton Harbor news Palladium, November 30,
1962, page 1.
13
The Michigan Troubadour, Vol. 13 No. 1. January 1963. Michigan District of the Society for the Preservation and
Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc.
Individuals and service clubs like the Taylor Lions Club donated funds and helped
build Penrickton’s original brick building. After a modest renovation in the 1980s,
Penrickton undertook a 2.1 million dollar expansion that was completed in 2001.
Charitable donations from individuals, service clubs, corporations, and foundations
funded the expansion. On November 14, 2008, the center held a Mortgage Burning
Party for the completed project, although many parts of the building still need
updating.
Over more than fifty years of operation, Penrickton Center has adapted its
programs serving visually impaired children. In the late 1950s, the Center added a
five day residential program and in the early 1960s, it incorporated a trailblazing
program for blind children with one additional handicap. In the 21st century,
Penrickton specializes in teaching blind children ages one through twelve with one
additional handicap included deafness, cerebral palsy, brain damage,
developmental delay and seizures.
Lillian Ricker’s faith and perseverance are as enduring as the red bricks in the first
Penrickton building and her legacy is still changing the lives of countless children
in the 21st century.
Taylor is Rich in Businesses and Organizations
Taylor 21st Century businesses and organizations include the Southern Wayne
County Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Downriver Association of Realtors,
the Metro South Post of the Michigan State Police. Home grown industries with
historic and international components include Voss Taylor and Masco.

Voss Taylor
Paul Voss, Gabe Voss, Homer Davison, and Tony Butea established Voss
Industries in 1951 on Howard Street in Downtown Detroit. Paul had served as
Head of Steel Procurement for the Maritime Commission during World War II
where he developed contacts with steel mill managers. He decided to utilize these
contacts when he decided to enter the steel business when the War ended.
In the 1970s, Voss Industries moved to Taylor and adopted a new name – Voss
Taylor as well as changing its focus from steel sales to functions including
hydrochloric pickling, special oils, slitting, and corrective leveling.
Alex Manoogian
MASCO is another example of a Taylor company with historic, local and
international roots. Born in in 1901 in Smyrna, Alex Manoogian, founder of
MASCO, immigrated to the United States at age 19 to escape persecution in
Turkey. His parents and extended family instilled in Alex the values of education
and enterprise. He spoke five languages and developed into a life -long learner. He
arrived at Ellis Island with two suitcases, $50.00, a passion for excellence and
education, and bottomless resolve to bring his family to the United States.
In the early 1920s, Alex moved to Detroit and after five years of living in the city,
he and two partners bought some used machines. They repaired the machines and
made the first of their countless machined parts for the automobile industry and
laid the foundation for MASCO.
Census and other records track Alex Manoogian’s progress in America. The 1930
census shows him living in Detroit with his brother in law and sister Margaret
Ajemian. In 1931 he married Marie Titian and the 1940 census shows that he and
Marie had two children, Louise and Richard. City directories show that he moved
from Detroit to Dearborn to Grosse Pointe Farms as his economic fortunes
improved. His rise to economic independence began in 1934, when Alex became
solely responsible for his company after his partners left. Alex became the head
and operating staff of MASCO, striving to make his company survive and prosper.
In the late 1950s, survival turned into dramatic growth and prosperity when Alex
bought the rights to a single handle faucet from its inventor and improved the
design. In 1954, Alex patented and marketed the first successful washerless ball
valve faucet – the Delta faucet. The profits from this plumbing innovation
provided enough funds for MASCO to expand internally and externally.
One of the proudest moments of Alex Manoogian’s life came in 1978 when he
delivered the keynote speech at the dedication of the Ellis Island restoration. In
1920, he had been one of the 16 million immigrants passing though Ellis Island
before it closed in 1932. In 1978, 58 years later, he was the guest of honor at its
reopening.

Alex Manoogian served as president, chairman, and chairman emeritus of MASCO

Corporation for 67 years, providing the foundation of its financial strength and
growth until his death on July 10, 1996. He and his wife Marie donated millions of
dollars to cultural organizations, hospitals, museums, libraries, universities, schools
and charities of the Armenian Diaspora to preserve and continue their culture.

A Few Taylor Pioneer Families

The Coan Family

Photograph by Sherri L.Czuchra

Clarence Burton recorded some of the early settlers of Taylor Township. He wrote
that about 1845, Peter Coan after buying a part of Section 28 in the township, built
a log house which was considered to be the first house in Taylor Township. Some
sources say that his father Augustus Coan actually holds the honor of building the
first house in Taylor Township.
Augustus Coan was born in Lenox, Massachusetts on October 1, 1775, the
youngest son of Jacob and Luranda Collins Coan. When he was about a year and a
half old, his two brothers, Elisha and William, enlisted in the colonial forces in the
Revolution. Augustus attended a private school in Lenox, owned by Major Azariah
Egleston.
In 1794 Jacob sold the property he purchased in Stockbridge in 1784 and in Lenox
in 1788 to Major Egleston. The story goes that soon after Jacob sold this property,
he moved his family which then consisted of his wife Luranda, Augustus, and at
least two daughters Phebe and Roxana, to Montgomery County New York to be
near his son William who had been living there since had least 1785.
Sometime before 1810, Augustus began his gradual move to Michigan. The 1810
Erie County Pennsylvania census shows that he and his family lived there for a
time and in 1816 he lived in Ohio where his son Elisha was born on September 12,
1816. In 1820, Augustus lived in Wayne County, Michigan and in 1830 he lived
in Monroe County. The 1840 census lists him as living in Ecorse in Wayne
County.
Augustus’s children included his four sons: Peter, Marlin, Edmund and Elisha.
The Coan family genealogy says that Augustus was probably married two times.
Hulda was the mother of his son Peter. 14
Augustus moved again, possibly to Canada, and then to Taylor Township,
Michigan, where his son Marlin Hickam Hazzard Coan was born in Taylor
Township in 1824. In 1835 Augustus purchased 100 acres of land in Taylor
Township on Territorial Road, an important link between Flat Rock and
Dearbornville – later Dearborn-where the federal arsenal was located. The
“Church News” section of the Taylor Mellus newspapers of February 24, 1982,
stated that Augustus was the first settler in what is now the city of Taylor. 15
Another unsourced newspaper clipping in the collection of a Coan family member
awards the honor of being the first settler in Taylor Township to Peter and Edmund
Coan. Peter D. Coan was born February 5, 1804, in New York State, one of the
14
Elisha W. Coan. Born September 12, 1816. Died: July 19, 1886 in Taylor, Michigan. His wife was Sophronia
Howe Coan, 1821-1908 and his children were Alice Melinda Coan Wright and Amos Augustus Coan. Full text of
"Coan genealogy, 1697-1982 : Peter and George of East Hampton, Long Island, and Guilford, Connecticut,
with their descendants in the Coan line as well as other allied lines

Marlin Hiram Hazzard Coan was born on January 30, 1824 in New York and died on June 1, 1887 in Taylor,
Michigan. He married Rachel Rebecca Steward-1824-1906 and their children included Marlin Augustus Coan and
Emily Coan Adair. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
15
Church News” section of the Taylor Mellus newspapers of February 24, 1982, p. 5-C
sons of Augustus and Hulda Davis Coan. He left New York and moved with his
family to Monroe, Michigan where he eventually married Edith Sutliff. In 1830,
Peter left Monroe searching for land to homestead.
Traveling through the swampy land along the Potowatami Trail, Peter found some
reasonably dry land, finally returning to Monroe to purchase 80 acres of land in
Telreka, a part of Taylor Township, from the government. In February 1832, Peter
and his brother Edmund began clearing and draining the land of swamps and
forests and built log homes for their families. Eventually three Coans owned 640
acres of land in Taylor Township.
Along with the Coans, other pioneers cleared land and built homes in Taylor
Township including the Charles Steward family, W.N. Steward, James and
William Sutliff, George Bundrit, John Moat, and John Hayden. A short time later,
Isaac Combs, Joseph Clark, Josiah Johnson Clark and Chandler Wells arrived to
live in the township along with Lucius Parmely, William Shipman, and Jared
Sexton. Some of the other township pioneers included Richard H. Sutliff, Joseph
Bragenzer, Fred A. Shumann, Daniel Loring, Hiram Barranger, Warren
Trowbridge, Emanuel Brast, John H. Wells, John Perry, John Brast, Jacob
Stansbro, Peter Conden, Joseph Haag, Sidney Rudduck, Edmund Bills, Henry
Putnam, and David Hoagland. Some of the settlers followed the easier water route
up the Detroit River and created Ecorse Landing.
Augustus and Peter Coan, Charles Steward, and the other area settlers were part of
Ecorse Landing by trade and politics, but they found the journey from the far
reaches of Ecorse Township to Ecorse Landing for business and shopping a
hardship. The trip took chunks of time out of busy farming schedules and overland
travel posed transportation challenges, especially if horse and wagon or oxen were
not available. Even a round trip voyage on the Detroit River could be dangerous
and time consuming.
Peter Coan and Charles Steward decided to do something about the situation. They
led the rest of the Ecorse Township pioneers in petitioning the new state of
Michigan for township status of their own. Wayne county officials granted their
petition and according to an account by N.B. Steward in Clarence Burton’s The
City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, on March 16, 1847, the 150 citizens of the
new township christened it Taylor, after General Zachary Taylor.
Augustus and Peter Coan and the rest of the Taylor Township pioneers continued
to etch their farms out of the forests and swampland. Augustus built a log cabin on
the original Pardee Road homestead, but later replaced it with a farmhouse which
burned in the early 1900s. The 1968 house was built to replace the burned
farmhouse. He farmed his land until his death on October 2, 1849 and he was
buried in Golden Ridge Cemetery. (Taylor Cemetery)16

According to the Coan Genealogy, in 1968 Mrs. Nellie Coan Cooper, a great
granddaughter of Augustus, lived on the original property on Pardee Road which
had been in the family for nearly 125 years. The Michigan Historical Commission
put a Michigan State Historical Marker on the site, designating it as a “Centennial
Farm.”
Peter Coan spent the rest of his life farming and served one term as justice of the
peace. The 1850 Federal Census shows that Peter and Edith Sutliff Coan had five
daughters - Olive, Rebecka, Roxana, Maranda and Edith -and a son named George.
An obituary card in the Taylor library noted that Peter D. Coan was born on
February 5, 1804 in New York and he died on November 3, 1886 at his home on
Eureka Road in Taylor at age 82. He was a justice of the peace. A wife and a
brother survive him
Peter’s wife Edith died in January 1892, and they are both buried in West Mound
Cemetery in Taylor.

16
Full text of "Coan genealogy, 1697-1982 : Peter and George of East Hampton, Long Island, and Guilford,
Connecticut, with their descendants in the Coan line as well as other allied lines p.130-135
https://archive.org/stream/coangenealogy16900fult/coangenealogy16900fult_djvu.txt
George and Milton Coan

Susan Galloway Coan and her husband George Peter Coan with their team of horses. Photograph
from the collection of George M. Coan.

Peter D. Coan and Edith Sutliff Coan’s son George Peter Coan was born in Ecorse
Township in 1845. He married Susan Galloway and their children were Gertrude
Blanche Coan Townsend – 1870-1903- and Milton Howard Coan, 1873-1958.
George Peter Coan lived from 1845-1924 and Susan Galloway Coan from, 1846-
1927.
George and Susan’s son Milton was born January 17, 1873 in Taylor and died on
March 29, 1958 in Taylor.17

17
RITES HELD FOR TOWNSHIP PIONEER
Mellus Newspapers April 3, 1958

Funeral services were held Tuesday for Milton H. Coan, 85, a descendant of a pioneer Taylor Township family, who
died Saturday in his home at 14651 Pardee.

The Rev. Ralph Harper, pastor of West Mound Methodist Church, conducted services at the Thon Funeral Home,
followed by burial at West Mound Cemetery.

Mr. Coan, a retired farmer, was a son of George Coan and a grandson of Peter Coan, who according to family
history, was the first settler in Taylor Township nearly 130 years ago.
Milton Coan’s life symbolized the growth and changes taking place in Taylor
Township and the impact of the lives of ordinary citizens on a community. On
December 27, 1894, Milton married Eliza A. Taylor, the daughter of Albert O. and
Emiline Jane Taylor in Taylor. Eliza died of consumption on August 19, 1895, at
age 20 and after just eight months of marriage. She is buried in the Peter D. Coan
lot in West Mound Cemetery.
Five years later on December 13, 1899, Milton married Wilhelmina “Mina”
Shetrum, daughter of Jacob and Isabelle Wilson Shetrum. They had three children:
George, Edith, and Wilson.
For his entire life, Milton lived on a farm located on the site of the original family
homestead. From 1899 until 1919, he picked up milk along Eureka Road and
delivered it to the Johnson’s Creamery, using a team of horses and a wagon to
make the trip to Wyandotte. Carrying on the family tradition of service, he served
several terms on the Board of Review during the 1930s. His wife Mina played the
organ at their church for many years and she died in September 1958, five months
after her husband. They both are buried in West Mound Cemetery on the curve of
Coan Road.18

Mr. Coan's home, where he lived his entire life, was located on the site of the original Coan homestead. Members of
the family were active years ago in township politics, but Mr. Coan's only public office was several terms on the
board of review in the 1930s.

Survivors include his wife, Mina; two sons, George and Wilson; a daughter, Mrs. Edith Thomson, and four
grandchildren.

18
The Coan family genealogy is researched and written in a book called Coan Genealogy, 1697-1982 by Ruth Coan
Fulton, published in 1923. In 1983, Ruth Coan Fulton updated the book. Full text of Coan Genealogy, 1697-1982:
Peter and George of East Hampton, Long Island and Guilford, Connecticut, with their descendants in the Coan line
as well as other allied lines.
The Heritage West Mound Church

City of Taylor

Silas Farmer writes in the History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early
Michigan, that the Methodist Episcopal Church at West Mound in Taylor began
with a class organized in 1833. Over four decades later on August 2, 1879, the
people organized a church society, with Marlin .Augustus Coan donating a church
lot and ground for a cemetery. The church building, dedicated on February 5, 1882,
seated 200 people and was worth $2,000.19
The congregation called the new Methodist Episcopal Church West Mound
because of its location on a small hill west of Wyandotte. William Perry, the
husband of Roxanna Coan Perry, who operated a lumber business in Wyandotte,
built the church.
The West Mound Methodist Episcopal Church was part of the New Boston Charge
and several pastor served it. They included:
John Gray and William Taylor, 1840-1841. Some Gray descendants are buried in
West Mound Cemetery and a William Taylor is buried in Oakdale Cemetery.
19
History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan: a Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present,
[Vol. 2]. Silas Farmer. Detroit: Published by S. Farmer & Co. for Munsell & Co., New York, 1890. P. 1377
.
1853. B.F. Doughty. Chaplain, 8th Michigan Cavalry at age 55. He is buried in
Oak Lawn Cemetery in Sturgis. 1845. Johnathan Blanchard. The 1850 United
States Federal Census lists Johnathan Blanchard as an M.E. minister. He was born
in New York circa 1817 and in 1850 he lived in Constantine, Michigan with his
wife Mathilda and his son James S.H.
1845. William H. Haze
1848. Robert Bird.
1849-1850. J.S. Smart. There is a Reverend James S. Smart buried in Clinton
Grove Cemetery.
1851-1852. Isaac C. Abbott. There is a Reverend Isaac C. Abbott buried in
Oakgrove Cemetery in Galesburg
1856-1857. J.J. Smith
1859-1860. J.J. Gridley
1861-1862. T. Wakelin. Reverend Thomas Wakelin.
1863. V.C. Crane.
1864. John Wilson.
1865. Richard McConnel
1867. Noyes
1869. B. Ross
1870-1871. J.G. Morgan. Sergeant, Company G, 8th Michigan. Buried in
Plymouth.
1872-1873. Thomas Nichols. Buried in Napoleon.
1875. Samuel Bibbins. The 1860 Census shows Samuel Bibbins as a Methodist
minister. He and his wife Catharine and daughter Matilda lived in Bedford,
Monroe County, Michigan.
1876-1877. Jas. H. Morton. The 1880 United States Federal Census lists James H.
Morton as a preacher. He and his wife Annie and their children lived in Burchville,
St. Clair County, Michigan.

1878-1879. Almon F. Hoyt

1880-1881. Caster
1882. William Pierce
1883-1884. J.G. Goodson
1885-1887. F.E. Pearce. Reverend Frances E. Pearce. Buried in North Lake
Cemetery in Chelsea.
1888. James S. Rose

The West Mound Methodist Episcopal Church served as a church until 1962. After
the church closed, the building housed a day care center and a meeting place for
young people. Between 1975 and 1978, the Taylor Jaycees hosted their Haunted
House in the building. In 1994, the Taylor Historical Society with the help of many
volunteers relocated the church to Heritage Park and restored it to its original
condition. Workers installed replica pews and restored pulpits and lecterns along
with a rebuilt 1845 pipe organ and stained glass windows. The Taylor Wedding
Chapel uses the restored church for weddings and the Taylor Historical Society
uses it for concerts and special programs.
The Crowley Family

Cornelius Crowley

Although many Downriver pioneer families immigrated from France or Germany,

the Crowley family left their homes in County Cork, Ireland to establish new
homes in Taylor, Michigan. Born in 1824 in County Cork, Ireland, Cornelius
Crowley left Ireland in 1844. He was part of a tidal wave of Irish and German
immigrants who came to America in the middle of the 19th century to escape
political persecution and famine.
In a September 11, 1952 Mellus Newspaper article Frank Rathbun wrote that
Cornelius Crowley settled in Boston and met and married his wife Ellen Sweeny
Crowley, from another Irish immigrant family. Their eight children included three
daughters and five sons.
After spending several years in Boston, Cornelius decided to follow through on
the rumors of rich farmlands in the Downriver region. He packed his family and
belongings in a covered wagon and they made the long trip to Michigan, settling in
newly created Taylor Township. For his first land acquisition, Cornelius bought an
80-acre farm on Pardee Road between Wick and Goddard Roads, and throughout
the rest of his life he purchased more than 300 acres of land in Taylor Township.

Cornelius Crowley died in Taylor on December 4, 1882 and he is buried in Mt.

Kelly Cemetery in Dearborn. His descendants and his land as well as a street
named Crowley Street preserved Cornelius Crowley’s legacy in Taylor. About
1890 his children built an additional house on the original homestead site which
later served as a home for senior women. In 1953, the Taylor Township
Businessmen’s Association purchased another part of the original homestead and
created a park that adjoins Pardee Park.20

This photo, taken on Belle Isle sometime before1900, shows seven children of
Cornelius Crowley, pioneer resident of Taylor Township. Standing, from left, are
Cornelius, Junior; Jerry, John and Michael. .Seated, from left, are Mrs. Ellen Kean,
Mrs. Julia Crouch and Mrs. Mary Wolfe. Last survivor of the family was Jerry,
who died in July 1952 at the age of 90.21

20
Frank Rathbun, The Crowley Family. Mellus Newspapers, September 11, 1952. Lincoln Pak Historical Society.
21
Ibid.
The Lange Family

On December 11, 1952, Frank Rathbun published a Mellus Newspaper story about
the Lange family, another pioneer family settling in Taylor Township. Conditions
in Germany during the mid-19th century weren’t any better for Gottfried Lange
than they had been for Cornelius Crowley in Ireland, so Gottfried bought his
family to the United States. In the early 1860s, he and his wife Caroline and their
children arrived in the United States, making their way to Detroit and then to
Taylor Township. The depression and scarcity of food in Germany and the cheap –
at $1.20 per acre - farm land in the Great Lakes motivated millions of German
families to make the arduous ocean and lake voyages to buy land and carve out
new homes and futures in America.22
Gottfried and his sons cleared the 80 acres of land they bought at what is now
North Line Road and the corner of Lange Road. and built a log cabin home. Season
after season, working from daybreak until dark, they cleared the land and planted
and harvested crops, eventually taking their produce to markets in Detroit by horse
drawn wagons in day-long journeys. They sold what they could and stored the rest
to eat over the winter months.
On Sundays, the Lange family and many other German immigrant families
gathered at the rustic German Lutheran Church to give thanks for their new lives in
America. By the time Gottfried Lange died in 1898 at age 79, he and his family
owned a large parcel of land in the southwest corner of Taylor Township.

Godfrey Lange Jr.’s son Emil G. Lange who lived from 1876 to 1959 is buried in
West Mound Cemetery as are many other Langes. The Lange family is also
represented in Oak Grove and Taylor Township cemeteries. Lange family relatives
and descendants spread throughout the Downriver and Detroit area and helped to
transform farmland into a bustling industrial region.

J. C. LANGE was born in Germany, Dec. 15, 1828, came to America in July, I863,
settled in Springwells, and removed from there to Taylor, in 1870. He married
Miss Elizabeth Mathune, of his native town, in 1858. They have eight children

22
The Lange Family. Frank Rathbun, Mellus Newspapers, December 11, 1952. Lincoln Park Historical Society.
Mary, John, Henry, Charles, Louisa, Emma, Minnie and Ida. He is a member of the
German Lutheran Church. 23

The Bark Covered House

William T. Nowlin in his memoir, The Bark Covered House, details pioneer life in
Dearborn and nearby Taylor Township. The oldest of five Nowlin children,
William T. Nowlin came to Michigan with his parents John and Melinda Nowlin
from what he considered civilized life in New York State.
William was born September 25, 1821, and family talk about migrating to
Michigan began around 1832, with the family finally making the journey to
Michigan in 1833-1843. They boarded the steamer Michigan and arrived in Detroit
in the spring of 1834.

From Detroit, William and his father John walked with guns on their shoulders to
their new farm, one mile south of Dearborn. The next day his mother Melinda and
the rest of the family reached the homestead and in one week, John Nowlin had
built a “bark covered house” for his family.
Four decades later in 1876, William Nowlin published The Bark Covered House, a
book of reminiscences about the pioneer life of the Nowlin family in Michigan. He
described his book as “a labor of love, written to perpetuate the memory of some
most noble lives, among who were my father and mother who sought a home in the
forests of Michigan at an early day. Being then quite young, I kept no record of
dates or occurrences, and this book is mostly sketched from memory.”. William
Nowlin. 24
Several of William Nowlin’s reminiscences involved Taylor Township.

23
History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan, a Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present,
Silas Farmer. New York: Munsell & Company, 1890. P. 1454.
24
The Bark Covered House, or, Back in the Woods Again : being a graphic and thrilling description of real pioneer
life in the wilderness of Michigan. (Illustrated.) / by William Nowlin.
Nowlin, William, 1821-1884., De La Vergne, Earl W. Detoit: Printed for the author, 1876.
Native American Stories
One of William Nowlin’s stories, written in 1875, concerned a large sand hill in
the town of Taylor, where the old Telegraph Road turned right and ran under the
brow of the hill. about two and a half miles southwest of his farm. He picked
huckleberries from bushes growing on the hill and on the top of the hill he found
Indians graves, some of them quite recent. William and his companions called the
hill “Indian Hill.” He said that the hill has been known as Indian Hill ever since he
and his companions named it.
About twelve years after his Indian Hill expedition, William Nowlin and a man
named Mr.Clark encountered another sand hill nearly a mile south of Taylor
Center. Mr. Clark had the task of grading down the sand hill and in grading he had
to cut down the bank six or seven feet and take the dirt off the road. Mr. Clark
hired William Nowlin and his team to help him and he showed William some
Indian bones that he had dug up and carefully gathered in a pile. Mr. Clark told
William that two people were buried there and judging from the bones, one person
had been very large and the other very small. Mr. Clark said that the skulls, arm,
and thigh bones were the best preserved. He believed that they had been buried in a
sitting or reclining position because he had found the skulls first.
William who was six feet one and a half inches tall, measured one of the thigh
bones with his own thigh and he judged that compared with his height, the Indian
had to have been at least seven or seven and one half feet tall. William thought that
the Indian’s wife had been buried alongside him.
Mr. Clark and William dug a hole on the north side of a small black oak tree
growing on the hill west of the road and they buried the bones of Indians. He said
that many years later in 1875, he passed by the oak tree which had grown into a
very large tree.
William mused that he might be the only person in the area who knew that ancient
bones were buried under the ancient black oak tree. He thought about the bones
and the owners of the bones, probably the male had been a hunter and a warrior
who may have been alarmed that the white man skimming his big canoes over the
lakes and rivers would take over his hunting grounds. The warrior could not have
imagined that one day a white man would dig up his bones and that thousands of
white feet would pass over his grave and white hands would rebury him.
One of William Nowlin’s most interesting stories is centered around hunting in
Taylor. William Nowlin and his friend William Beal decided that they would go
deer hunting because deer were worth an average of two and a half to five dollars
apiece at Detroit. The two Williams decided they could take their venison to
Detroit on the railroad cars.
The two Williams found the deer very plentiful in the town of Taylor, and they
would travel to Taylor from Dearborn and usually stayed a week. They spent
nights at the home of an old gentleman by the name of Hodge who they said
always welcomed them. Mrs. Hodge cooked them meals whenever they wanted
them, even when they wanted breakfast before daylight. They usually hunted in the
oak openings in the woods that abounded with deer and they made it a rule not to
go home until they had killed at least six of them.
When the two Williams had killed enough deer, they went and collected the oxen
belonging to William’s father and hitched them to a sled. They piled the venison
on the sled and guided the oxen home through the woods. After they arrived at the
Nolin house, the two Williams took the hind quarters, the hide, and sometimes the
whole deer to Detroit and sold them. They made considerable money. William
noted that “my pocket book began to pod out a little.”
He also noted that they always saved enough venison for their families and for
their old friends Mr. and Mrs. Hodge.
.William Nowlin is buried in Nowlin Cemetery in Dearborn Heights, Michigan
The Andrew Strong Family Log Cabin
Some Taylor Pioneers at Rest

Oak Grove Burying Ground

Burr and Burke Roads, Taylor

Oak Grove burying Ground is Taylor’s largest municipal cemetery. Although the
first burial took place here in 1838, Oak Grove Burying Ground grew from the
original one acre parcel that Garrett and Lydia Putnam donated in 1861. Many
pioneer families including Paschkes and Valuets are buried there. Silas Farmer
wrote sketches about some of these pioneers. These are just a few of the pioneers
who settled Taylor Township and worked to make it prosper.25

25
History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan, a Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present,
Silas Farmer. New York: Munsell & Company, 1890. P. 1454.-1458.
FREDERICK BAADE was born in Prussia, May I, 1831, came to America in
1872, and settled in Wayne County. In I880 he purchased his farm in Taylor. In
I859 he married Miss Minnie Lawrence. They have nine children, Minnie, Mary,
Annie, Augusta, Bertie, Rachel, Matilda, John, and Emma, living. He is a member
of the German Lutheran Church. He is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.

EMMANUEL BRAST –Emmanuel Brast immigrated to the United States from

Germany in 1854. He married his wife Maria in 1867 and they had three children.
Emielie, Frank, and William.

CHARLES BULL was born in Germany, Dec. 25, 1841, and came to America
with his parents in 1855. His father, William Bull is a resident of Dearborn.
Charles married Johanna Goenig on November 5, 1866, and has eight children,

Kizia, Liddie, Albert, Louisa, Amelia, Charles, Annie and Emma. He is a member
of the Evangelical Church. Died October 18, 1915.

AUGUST KOTHS Born in Germany on Aug. 23, 1853, August Koths came to
America, with his parents, in I865. They settled in Taylor. He married Annie
Wilkie, of Taylor, in 1883. They have one child, Freddie. He is a builder, and has
constructed many buildings in Taylor and adjacent towns; he also built the German
Lutheran Church at Taylor Centre. He died in 1941 and is buried in Oak Grove
Cemetery.

JOSEPH PARDEE was born about 1780 in Connecticut. The 1850 United States
Federal Census shows him living in Dearborn with his wife Maria, and their
children Henry, John, Lydia, Emily, and Andrew.

He moved to Taylor, famed there, and is buried in Oakdale Cemetery.

HENRY PUTZIG was born in Prussia, May 7, 1833, came to America in 1872,
and settled in Detroit and lived there until 1877, when he moved to Taylor. His
first wife Amelia Vishinger died May 26, I876. They had six children, Theodore,
Mary, Emil, Otto, Martha and Henry. His second wife was Augusta Savotaksy. He
died in 1903.

WILLIAM STEINHAUER was born in Germany on January 30, I830, and he

came to America in 1856. He has owned his farm in Taylor since 1857. For many
years he was engaged in shoemaking. He has six children, Herman, Hattie, Amos,
Ellsbetta, Sarah, and William. He was Highway Commissioner for three years. He
died in 1910.

AUGUST VALUET was born in France, May 27, 1818, came to America in 1852,
and settled in Taylor in 1863. He married Miss Lucy Buossun in I85I. They have
five children, Charles, Hattie, Edward, Paul and Mattie. He is one of the staunch
Democrats of his town, and a member of the Catholic Church. Edward Valuet is
buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.

JOHN WILDE was born in Germany, Dec. 1, 1823, came to America in I854, and
for three years resided in Detroit. In 1857 he purchased a farm in Taylor, and has
lived there since. In 1855 he married Christina Wick, of Germany. They have eight
children, Christian, Lizzie, Mary, Henry, Minnie, Annie, William and Edward. He
has always been engaged in farming, and is a member of the Evangelical Church.
Sandhill Cemetery or Oakdale Cemetery

Some of Taylor’s earliest pioneers are buried in Sandhill Cemetery. Members of the Wells
family, the original owners of the land where the cemetery is located are buried here. Nearly all
of the graves including several Civil War veterans date from the 19th century. The last burial,
that of Frederick Franke, took place in 1924.

The Sandhill or Oakdale Cemetery is located southeast of Telegraph and Pardee

Roads. The city of Taylor owns the cemetery, but it does not have an office or
driveway entrance. Burials date back to the 1830s, and many stones are so old that
they are unreadable.

The cemetery list was contributed to the Michigan genealogy site by Linda Ball.
Michigan Roots offers a transcription of the stones in the cemetery.

BRASS, Samuel died September 10, 1876 "aged 73yrs"

BRASS, Cindarilla "wife of Samuel Brass" died April 1, 1886 "aged 72yrs"
BRASS, Truman "son of S. & C. Brass" died October 12, 1874 "aged 37yrs"

Samuel Brass
BRIGHTON, Nellie "wife of John A. Brighton" 1866 - 1906
CLOSSER, Sarah A. "our dear sister" died January 28, 1863 "aged 23yrs 5mths"
CLOSSER, Sully Ann E. died August 4, 1889 "aged 82yrs 3mths 10dys"
CLOSSER, John died April 24, 1870 "aged 67yrs 7mths 24dys" *There is a marker
in the Closser site stating "infant" only *nothing more*
CLOSSER, William died January 18, 1886 "aged 57yrs 9mths 17dys"
CLOSSER, Agnes "wife" 1833 - 1905
CHAMBERLIN, Sidney J. died June?, 1872 *stone worn*
CROMWELL, Joseph A. "son of A.H. & L. Cromwell" died March 23, 1876 "aged
33yrs"
CROMWELL, John A. "son of A.H. & L. Cromwell" died September 5, 1867
"aged 4yrs 3mths 11dys"
M.M.C. *marker only*
DODGE, Ciecle A. "son of D.C. & E.M. Dodge" died November 2, 1881
DODGE, Martha "daughter of Samuel & Cindarilla Brass" died November 4, 1886
"aged 33yrs" see BRASS above
EVES, Andrew J. born June 28, 1836 died August 1, 1915
EVES, Louisa E. "his wife" born September 13, 1839 died April 8, 1904
EVES, Mary "daughter of Andrew & Louisa Eves" born July 7, 1873 died March
15, 1874
FAIRMAN, Amasa S. died March 3, 1881
*next to Amasa Fairman is broken stone only readable information is 68yrs"
FRANKE, Ernest F. born September 16, 1866 died March 4, 1884 "aged 17yrs"
FRANKE, David born May 26, 1831 *rest is worn off*
FRANKE, Fredericka "his wife" born January 21, 1832 died February 28, 1924
FISHER, Karl "father" 1832 - 1888
FISHER, Louise "mother" 1831 - 1914
HIGHRICHT, Fried Schroeder "ges" 14-April-1878 "aged 7mths 10dys"
HOREN-BRIGHTON, Anna "wife of John G. Horen" born August 15, 1841 died
July 19, 1878
HOREN, Annie "daughter of John & Anna Horen" born December 18, 1876 died
August 27, 1877
HUTCHERSON, Callie died October 1, 1876 "daughter of J.R. & M. Hutcherson"
"aged 22yrs 4mths"
HUTCHERSON, Nettie *rest is broken in pieces and worn off*
HOAGLAND, Mary G. "wife of A. Hoagland" died July 31, 1882
HOAGLAND, Abraham 1870 "aged 52yrs" *unreadable, buried and broken stone*
HOAGLAND, Charlie "son of D. Hoagland" died July 27, 1875 "aged 7yrs 4mths
9dys"
JONES, Sylvia 1868 - 1869
JONES, Alson 1881- 1881
JONES, Theron 1888 - 1888
*All on same stone states: "The Children of W.S. & R.M. Jones"*
JONES, William 1844 - 1927
JONES, Maria 1849 - 1922

KNAPP, Sarah "wife of B.F. Knapp" died May 5, 1850 "aged 39yrs 9mths"
KNAPP, Rena *rest unreadable*
KNAPP, Benjamin *rest unreadble*
KNAPP, Elizabeth *rest unreadable*
KNAPP, Lucinda W. "wife of ? Knapp" *stone broken*
KNAPP, Lucinda L. "daughter of B.F. & L.W. Knapp" died June 17, 1872 "aged
6yrs 5mths 17dys"
E.W.K. *rest unreadable* *in Knapp site*
KOLLEWEHR, Justina 1848 - 1922
KOLLEWEHR, Wilhelem 1844 - 1917
*unreadable stone [, next to Wilhelem Kollewehr readable only: 186? "3mths"
KOLLEWEHR, Sophia died September?, 1866 *worn*
KOLLEWEHR, William died December?, 1862 "aged 7mths" *stone worn*
KNOPE, Caroline died September 18?9 *rest unreadable*
KNOPE, Dorothea "wife of Joseph Knope" died January 27, 1890 "aged 53yrs"
LITOGOT, Barney died December 23, 1873 "aged 35yrs 8mths 13dys"
*There is a buried and broken stone, next to Barney Litogot, only readable piece:
"12 dys"
LITOGOT, Ephraim W. "aged 1yrs 4mths" died October 12, 18?? *rest
unreadable*
LITOGOT, Albert P. "son of B. & C. Litogot" died June 11, 1871
LITOGOT, Emma died January ?, 1878 "aged 45yrs" *stone broken*
Barney Litogot was the Uncle of Henry Ford and Lighthouse Keeper at Mamajuda
Lighthouse on the Detroit River. His wife, Caroline took over his job after his
death. (You can read about Caroline Litogot in a book, Women Who Kept the
Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers by: Mary L Clifford
& J. Candace Clifford).
LUKOFSKY, Caroline *rest of stone is worn*
LINDSAY, John died June 15, 1882 "aged 87 yrs"
LINDSAY, John born November 10, 1863 died July 1, 1865
LINDSAY, Marion A. born September 10, 1862 died October 26, 1878
LINDSAY, John 1795 - 1882
LINDSAY, John L. born 1841 died April 27, 1890 "aged 49yrs"
LINDSAY, Marion 1808 - 1846
LINDSAY, Nancy "wife of John L. Lindsay" born 1843 died July 31, 1877 "aged
34yrs 3mths"
LONG, Cordelia S. 1836 - 1919
LONG, Cornelia M. 1836 - 1917
LONG, Thomas 1802 - 1891
LONG, Rebecca "his wife" born 1801 died December 3, 1879 "aged 78yrs"
LONG, W.H. born July 3, 1849 died March 26, 1874
*There are 4 broken stones near this site, however, not sure if they are Long family
members*
RICE, Lewis died January 27, 18?? "aged 66yrs" *stone worn*
RICE, James 1853 - 1923
RICE, Nancy A. "wife of L. Rice" died ? 18, 1872 "aged ?yrs 10mths ?dys" *stone
worn*
RICE, Eva J. "wife of Edward Rice" *rest unreadable
STIES?, Adolphus May 1861 *only parts readable*
SIELAFF, Wilhelm 1882 - 1883
SIELAFF, Robert E. "geb" 20-June-1860 "ges" 30-April-1898
SIELAFF, Augusta Wilhelmine "wife of Carl Sielaff" "Geb" 8-August-1826 "Ges"
2-September-1911
SIELAFF, Carl L. "Ges" 25-November-1817 "Geb" 17-December-1903
*There is one more Sielaff stone, however unreable*
SIELOFF, Conrad F. "brother" born October 29, 1896 died August 28, 1918
SIELOFF, Emil "geboren" 20-June-1860 "ges" 2-March-1916
SIELOFF, Henrietta "geboren" 16-March-1858 "ges" 23-March-1910
SANDERSON, David "born in Grosse Isle" June 26, 1838 died November 19,
1918
SANDERSON, Martah D. "born in Monguagon" October 14, 1832 died February
1, 1911
SMITH, David K. 1839 - 1914
SMITH, Catherine "his wife" 1845 - 1907
SMITH, "daughter of ..." died ? 14, 1862 *stone worn*
SMITH, Ray E. "son of D.K. & C. Smith" died October 1, 1879 "aged 5yrs 5mths
2 dys"
SMITH, Anna L. "daughter of D.K. & C. Smith" *rest is worn off*
TUCKER, John 1848 - 1922
TYRE, Harriette "wife of Charles Tyre" died April 15, 1892 "aged 34yrs"
TYRE, Charles born June ?, 18?3 died ? 26, 1938 *stone worn*
TYRE, Walter "son of S. & B. Tyre" born June 13, 1905 died January 7, 1906
TANNER, Charlotte "wife of?" 1884 *nothing else readable*
TAYLOR, Nathan died October 3, 1872 *nothing else readable*
TAYLOR, William *stone broken*
A William Taylor served with John Gray in 1840 and 1841 as the first pastors of
the West Mound Methodist Episcopal Church.

TAYLOR, Gloria *stone broken*

TAYLOR, Emphraim "son of..." *stone broken*
W.E.T. *in Taylor site, but marker only*
TAYLOR, Albert O. died
TAYLOR, William "son of Albert & Emily Taylor" died December 11, 1888
"aged 16yrs"
TAYLOR, Clara "daughter of..." December 27, 1860 *only date, rest unreadable*
*There is one stone resting up against a Taylor stone, however it's broken, possibly
a Taylor family member*
WELLS, Martha *nothing more on stone*
WELLS, W.D. "born in Buffalo, NY" March 8, 1816 died September 1, 18??
*stone broken*
WELLS-CLARK, Mayome "wife of
Rev Wells" born April 7, 1819 died April 27, 1853
WELLS, Hulda C. "daughter of John & Roxana Wells" born March 18, 1853 died
April 3, 1853
*on this same stone "Also 2 Infants*
WELLS, John H. died October 18, 1853 "aged 56yrs 5mths 23dys"
WELLS, Roxana "his wife" died July 18, 1902 "aged 81yrs 9mths 10dys"
WELLS, John H. Jr born October 3, 1843 died May 21, 1907
WELLS "Old 11 Mich. Inf" *nothing more*
WELLS, Earl E. "son of G.M. & A.N. Wells" died February 28, 1885 "aged 7mths
23dys"
WELLS, Mary M. 1831 - 1917
WELLS, G. Vincent died January 4, 187? "aged 56yrs 1mth 12dys" *stone worn*
WELLS, William "son of ... " died March 16, 1839 "aged 2yrs 9mths 15dys"
*stone worn*
WELLS, James died? 27, 1826
WELLS, Martha born June 24, 1783 died February 11, 1839
WELLS, C.S. born March 8, 1944 died November 27, 1953
WELLS, Mamaduke born November 18, 1922 died *blank*
WOODRUFF, Charles H. "son of S. &? Woodruff" died July 31, 1873 "aged 1yr"
*stone worn*
Unknown Surname Stone
“??kie V? ?" *rest is worn off*

CARL SIELAFF was born in Germany on November 25, I817. Before leaving
home he married a lady of his native village. He came to America in 1872, and
having purchased a farm in Taylor, he settled there. They have five children,
Charles, Richard, Augusta, Emil, and Robert. Charles is married and lives in
Brownstown; Richard resides in " Jerusalem;" Augusta is married and resides in
Wyandotte. He is a member of the German Lutheran Church. He died in 1903.

CLARK WELLS was born in Taylor. Wayne Co., Mich, on the farm he now owns,
May 14, I84I. His father, Charles Wells, came to Michigan from Buffalo N. Y., at
an early day, and died in 1871, advanced in years; his wife died in 1853. Clark
married Emeline Riggs, of Van Buren, in May, 1872. They have two children,
Frank C., and Ada E. He has been engaged in the saw mill business and farming.
Taylor Methodist Episcopal Cemetery-
West Mound Cemetery

22395 Eureka Road

The Taylor Methodist Episcopal Church congregation built the first church in Taylor Township
in 1882 on land donated by Marlin H.H. and Rachel Coan for a church and cemetery. Platted in
1884, this cemetery originated as the church burial ground. At that time, remains dating as early
as the 1840s were relocated here from the private family cemeteries. In 1923, the burial ground
became the West Mound Cemetery , named for the large sand hill on which it stood.

The remains of Peter Coan, Taylor’s first landowner, are among the 3,200 graves of which 114
date from the 19th century.
JOHANN AUGUST BRAST, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gottleib Brast, was born in
1819 in Germany. His children included Alvina Brast Lange and Maria D. Brast
Boike.

WILLIAM GALLOWAY was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1825, came to

America in 1862, and settled in Detroit, where he lived until 1878, when he moved
to Taylor. He married Margaret Dempser. They have four children, William, Ellen,
Elizabeth and John.

JOHN MCPHERSON was born in Union Co., Pa., Nov. 7, 1824, came to
Michigan in 1845, and settled in Wayne Co. He married Miss Sylvia Steward, of
Taylor, in I855. They have six children, Chester, Stanley, Edgar, Viola, Elton and
Archie. He has been Justice of the Peace and Town Treasurer.

HENRY MICHELS was born in Germany. Dec. 4, 1849, came to America in

1869, and for many years resided in Detroit. He removed to Taylor in 1882, and
purchased a farm of 40 acres. He married Minnie Sokolfskie, of Romulus, in 1878.
They have four children, Henry, Herman, Edward and William. Previous to
coming to Taylor he was engaged in the brewing business. He is a member of the
German Lutheran Church.

JOHN NATZEL, son of August Natzel, was born in Germany, June 28, 1862. His
father brought his family to America in 187I, and for six years resided in Detroit.
He then moved to Taylor, on a farm he had bought. John attended school while the
family lived in the city. He is a member of the German Lutheran Church. He died
in 1932.

WILLIAM N. PERRY was born in Virginia, Aug. 18, 1835, came to Michigan in
1853, and settled in Wayne Co. For many years he was engaged in the lumber
business at Wyandotte. He is a builder and farmer. In 1857 he married Roxana
Coan, of Taylor. They have two children, Edith H., married to Alpine Miller, and
George W.

HENRY PUTNAM. The 1910 United States Federal Census shows Henry Putnam
and his wife Emma living on their farm on Telegraph Road South. His children
were Clara E. Putnam Gee and Miles M. Putnam.
The 1930 United States Federal Census shows Henry Putnam as being born about
1844 in New York State. In 1930, 86 year-old Heny lived at 448 Telegraph Road
with his daughter Clara Gee,60. and her husband Frank, 68,
WILLIAM SMITH was born in Switzerland, Sept. I, 1824, and came to America
with his parents in I833. John Smith, his father, settled in Detroit. At that time, he
says, there was only one brick house in the city. He died in I880, aged 78; his wife
died in 1883, aged 81. William married Rosanna Miller, of Detroit, in I853. They
have five children, William, John, George, Alexander, and Elizabeth. He has lived
in Taylor since 1874, and is a member of the Catholic Church.

LEWIS STAUCH was born in Germany, Oct. 13, 1822, and came to America in
I836. After a short stay in Pittsburgh, Pa., he located in Detroit, where he lived
until 1877, when he purchased a farm of 40 acres in Taylor, and resides there now.
For four years he was employed on the Detroit Free Press. In 1850 he married
Mary Trager, of Beach Rock, N. Y. They have three children, George P., William,
and Louis L. He is a member of the United Church. He died in 1890. .

NEWTON B. STEWARD was born in Alleghany Co., N. Y., December 3, 1826.

When seven years of age he came to Michigan with his parents. W.G. Steward, his
father, has been a resident of Taylor many years, and is one of the few early
settlers of Michigan living. His mother died in April, 1883, well advanced in years.
Newton married Lurana Gilbert, of Washtenaw Co., June,6, 1858. At that time he
was in California, having gone there in 1850. He has five children, William G.,
Leland B., Alma R., Olin E., and Valmose L. He has always been an earnest
worker in the cause of temperance, and is the foremost Prohibitionist of his town;
has been Highway Commissioner, School Director and Census Enumerator, and is
a member of the M. E. Church.
Taylor Township Cemetery

Taylor Township Cemetery is located at the Northeast corner of Golden Ridge and
McKinley Roads. Once known as Potter’s Field because poor people were buried
there for free, Taylor Township Cemetery is the oldest of Taylor three municipal
burying grounds. The cemetery has graves dating back to the 19th Century. In
1819, William Sutcliffe donated land for the cemetery and some of Taylor’s
earliest pioneers are buried here.

CHARLES RIEDEL was born in Prussia, May 12, 1838, came to America in 1856,
and lived in Detroit until 1860, when he removed to Taylor. He married Elizabeth
Hugbecker in I860. They have six children, Charles, Fred, Lizzie, George Edward
and Helen. He has served one term as Town Treasurer.

JARED SEXTON was born in Hopewell, New Jersey in May 1791. He married
Nancy A. Sexton and their children were Elizabeth, Warren, and John Sexton.
WILLIAM SUTLIFF was born in Penfield, Ontario Co., N. Y., Sept. 5, 1810, and
came to Michigan with his parents in 1817. They settled in Monroe. His father,
James Sutliff, removed to Iowa many years ago, where he died in 1866, aged 84,
his wife having died in 1825. William married Minerva Hosmer, of New York, in
1836. They have had thirteen children, only six of whom survive, viz., William
James, Richard, Frances, Louis S., Warren L., and Mary M., wife of Dr. Seth Felt,
Martha, who married Charles Felt, died June 13, 1888.

He is the oldest Democrat in Taylor, and still takes an active part in politics; he has
resided in Taylor since 1834; he was Highway Commissioner for thirty years; has
been Town Treasurer, and was Assessor before Michigan became a state. He died
November 8, 1896.

WARREN L. SUTLIFF was born in Taylor, Dec. 9, I856. His father, William
Sutliff. came to Michigan from New York State, in 1816, and has resided there
since. He was born in 1814; his wife was born the same year. Warren married
Lizzie L., daughter of Henry Fritz, of Taylor, in May, 1879. They have three
children, William H., Susan M.. and Charles R. He is a prominent Democrat of his
town.

WILLIAM JAMES SUTLIFF was born in Wayne County, Mich., Jan 7, 1836. His
father, William Sutliff, was a native of Cayuga Co., N. Y., and came to Michigan,
and settled in Taylor in I832, where he still resides, well advanced in years. W. J.
married Eleanor Lake, of Ill., in I860. She died Oct. 13, I875. They had seven
children, of whom only two are living, Myron and Thomas. On March 12. 1878, he
married Minnie Ingraham, of Genesee Co., Michigan. He has served 16 years as
Highway Commissioner, and four years as Justice of the Peace, and is a member of
the Baptist Church.

Just a Few Taylor
Veterans
Civil War
The Confederate States opened fire on the
United States on April 12, 1861, and over
the next four years of Civil War, Downriver
and Michigan citizens responded to
President Abraham Lincoln’s call for
volunteers. In 1861, most of Downriver
consisted of farmland dotted with small
settlements like those at Ecorse, River
Rouge and Wyandotte. The modern cities of
Lincoln Park, Allen Park, Southgate, and
Melvindale were still future visions.26
Like most of their Confederate
counterparts, Downriver volunteers enlisting
in the Union Army were mostly farmers and
homesteaders and they came from townships
including Ecorse and Taylor Townships.
They enlisted in the infantry, cavalry and
artillery and many enlisted in the 24th
Michigan Infantry, which later became
famous as the Iron Brigade. The Iron
Brigade lost 298 men and 27 officers in the
Civil War, with 152 killed in action, 39
dying of wounds and the rest dying of
disease.
Downriver residents serving with the 24th
Michigan included Abram Akey, August
Albrecht, Francis Baysley, Louis Beaubien,
Anthony Bondie, Anthony Reno, Basil
Valade, James Fairweather, John Beyette,
John B. Cicotte, Charles B. Cicotte, Adam
Oehring, and Joseph Peyette, Junior, all of
Ecorse and Barney Litigot and Elijah Little
of Taylor Township.
Three men from Ecorse Township died
while fighting with the 24th Michigan.
Daniel Bourassa, 29, was taken prisoner and
died on November 15 1864 at Salisbury,
26
. Frank Rathbun, Mellus Newspapers, May 11,
1961 The Civil War Downriver.
North Carolina. Charles Cicotte, was killed
in June 1864 at Petersburg, Virginia, and
Antoine LeBlanc, 34, died in a Confederate
prison at Richmond, Virginia, on January 6,
1864.
Taylor Township men fought in many other
regiments besides the 24th Michigan. John
Boltz served in Company H of the 14th
Michigan Infantry. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery, in Taylor as is Corp.
Joseph Boltz of Company C, 9th Michigan
Cavalry. Ferdinand Brest of Taylor also
served in Company H of the 14th Michigan
Infantry, and he died on August 13, 1864.
He is buried in the Chattanooga National
Cemetery, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Henry Fritz
Born in Germany on November 10, 1825,
Henry Fritz came to America in 1851 and
settled in New York State. In 1851 Henry
married Annie Schultz and they had nine
children.
In 1862, he enlisted in Company A, 169th
New York Infantry. 27 He served in the 169th
and was wounded twice. He was a member
of the Cory Post No. 261 of the Grand Army
of the Republic based in Wayne, Michigan.
Henry and his family eventually moved to
Taylor Township, Michigan where he was a
merchant and a farmer. He served as Town
Treasure three terms and Highway
Commissioner for seven years.
Henry Fritz is buried in Oak Grove Burying
Ground.28
27
FRITZ, HENRY. – Age, 34 years. Enlisted,
September 3, 1862, at Poestenkill, to serve three
years; mustered in as private, Co. A, September 25,
1862; mustered out with company, July 19, 1865, at
Raleigh, N. C. 169th New York Regimental Roster
28
History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early
Michigan, a Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past
David Hoagland
David Hoagland, born February 18, 1845,
came to Michigan from New York with his
parents. The 1860 United States Federal
Census shows fifteen year old David living
in Ash, in Monroe County, Michigan with
his father Abram, his mother Mary and his
brothers and sisters.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861,
David Hoagland fought in Company L of
the 9th Michigan Cavalry. He participated in
the pursuit of John Hunt Morgan and
Sherman’s March to the Sea.
The 1870 Census shows David living in
Brownstown with his wife Martha, daughter
Nancy, and son, Charles. Eventually the
Hoaglands added Marnie, Noval, David, and
Alice to their family. They lived on a farm
in Taylor.
David died on March 15, 1918 and he is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
and Present, Silas Farmer. New York: Munsell &
Company, 1890. P. 1454.
John Kuehl, Sr.
John Kuehl Sr. was born in Germany on
November 4, 1826. After immigrating to
America in 1854, John Sr. settled in
Wyandotte where he lived until 1857 when
he moved to Taylor. He married his wife
Mary in 1854 and they had two sons, John
Jr. and Charles.
In 1864, John enlisted in Battery K, 1st
Michigan Light Artillery and fought through
until the end of the war. He was a member
of the Cory Post, No. 261, Grand Army of
the Republic and also a member of the
German Lutheran Church.
Barney Litogot
Barney Litogot was the light keeper at
Mamajuda Lighthouse on the Detroit River
and a sergeant with the 24th Michigan
Infantry who fought at Gettysburg. He
returned home to eventually live in Taylor
Township. His wife and his sister were
equally if not more famous. His wife
Caroline Litogot Antaya kept the light after
his death on December 23, 1873 and his
sister Mary married William Ford and they
had a son named Henry Ford.
 sergeant and fought with his regiment
including the Battle of Gettysburg until he
was mustered out on June 30, 1865 in
Detroit.
The 1870 United States Federal Census
shows that Barney Litogot,31, and his wife
Caroline, 25, lived in Taylor Township with
their three-year-old son Edward. Fanny
Taylor, 8, the daughter of Caroline’s brother
David Taylor also lived with them.
The historical record reveals that Barney
Litogot took up his duties as keeper of the
Mamajuda Lighthouse on March 18, 1873,
the day after their last child Artemus was
born. Just nine months later, Barney Litogot
died on December 23, 1873 and his widow
Caroline was appointed keeper of the
Barney Litogot, 24th Michigan Infantry lighthouse, serving as keeper until 1885.
Caroline married Adolphus Antaya in 1883
Barney was born about April 10, 1838 in and they had a daughter May.
Michigan. Some of his early life can be
traced through the United States Federal Barney Litogot and three of his children are
Census records. One biography of Barney’s buried in Oakdale Cemetery. Caroline who
wife Caroline states that he and his brothers died in 1903 is buried in Woodmere
John and Saphara and sister Mary were Cemetery in Detroit.
orphaned while they were still children and
different foster parents raised them. In the
1850 United States Census, Barney 11, and
his brother Saphara, 14, were listed as
Barney and Saphara Williams living in the
home of Edward and Rebecca Williams in
Romulus Township, Michigan.
The 1860 United States Census shows
Barney Litogot or Lebigot, 22, living on the
farm of Eliza Smith, 62, in Brownstown
Township. He gave his occupation as a farm
laborer.
In May 1861, Barney Litogot married
Caroline Taylor. Some records state that
they had four children, but they don’t all
show up on census records. On August 14,
1862, Barney Litogot, 24, enlisted as a
private in Company K, Michigan 24th
Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to full
Elijah Little
Elijah Little
Elijah Little served in Company K of the
24th Michigan Infantry. He was born in
Canada about 1822. He was 40 years old
when he enlisted in Detroit on August 7,
1862. He was mustered out in Detroit on
June 30, 1865.
The 1870 United States Federal Census
shows him living in Taylor with his wife
Anna and their children Ambrose, Mandana,
George, James, Melvin, and Franklin.
Frederick A. Schumann
Frederick A. Schumann, born in Saxony on
August 28, 1835,came to America in 1851,
and settled in Detroit. In 1855 he moved to
Taylor.
On March 7, 1859, Frederick enlisted in the
United States Regular Army and served in
the Fifth Infantry until August 2, 1865. He
joined the Cory Post. No. 261 of the Grand
Army of the Republic.
Frederick served Taylor Township in several
capacities including Deputy Sheriff under
Sheriff Clippert, three terms as Supervisor,
Health Officer, and Township Treasurer. He
was School Director and Treasurer of Oak
Grove Cemetery, and a leading Republican
in his town. He was a member of the
German Methodist Church.
Frederick Schumann is buried in Oak Grove
Cemetery.
Frank X. Nicholas
Frank X. Nicholas, died while serving in Co.
G, 27th Michigan Infantry, in the late war.
He is a member of the Catholic Church in
Taylor.
John Stewart
John Stewart joined the 14th Michigan
Infantry, Company C. He was 34 years old
when he enlisted and he died March 16,
1865.
George Stineman
George Stineman joined the 24th Michigan
Infantry, Company H. He died May 2,
1864.
Albert O. Taylor
Albert O. Taylor served in Company I of the
8th Michigan Infantry. He was 19 when he
enlisted.
He is buried in Oakdale Cemetery.
Ephraim Taylor More Civil War Soldiers
Ephraim Taylor, 1841-1863,. He served
twice during the Civil War. First he enlisted George W. Collard fought for the Union in
at Trenton, Wayne County, Michigan as a the Civil War in the 23 Regiment, Company
Private in Company E, 15th Michigan F of the Ohio Infantry. He was a private.
Infantry Regiment on June 13, 1862. He was He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
mustered out on July 20, 1862, at Corinth,
Spencer Doremus. Pvt. Second New York
Mississippi. He enlisted for a second time at
Heavy Artillery. Civil War. He is buried in
Webster, Michigan, as a Sergeant, Company
West Mound Cemetery.
D. 9th Michigan Cavalry on January 22,
1863. He was in the service at the time of Francis “Frank” Gudith. Co. D, 9th Cavalry
his death. He is buried in Oakdale Cemetery. Regiment. Civil War. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Chandler Vincent “Vincent” Wells John D. Gudith. Corporal, 2nd Massachusetts
Cavalry. He is buried in West Mound
Chandler Vincent Wells was born in
Cemetery.
Wyandotte, Michigan on February 28, 1846,
the son of John Holmes Wells, Sr. and David G. Hoagland. Co. L, 9th Michigan
Roxana Coan Wells Allen. Cavalry. Civil War. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
He enlisted in Company D of the 9th
Michigan Cavalry Regiment on December 1, J.H. Sutliff. 105th Illinois Infantry, Co. C.
1862 and was mustered out on July 21, He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
1865, at Lexington, North Carolina.
Ephraim Taylor. Co. F 15th Michigan
On December 4, 1872, he married Alice Infantry, Civil War . He is buried in Oakdale
Collard and they had three children.He is Cemetery in Taylor.
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Charles Tucker. Co. E. 27th Michigan
Infantry. Civil War. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
John H. Wells, Jr.
John H. Wells, Jr. was born on October 3,
1843 in Taylor, the son of John H. Wells, Sr.
and Roxana Coan Wells and the brother of
Chandler Vincent Wells.
He enlisted in the 11th Michigan Infantry,
Company I, in 1865 when he was 21 years
old.
John married Emma C. Tanner on August
15, 1869 in Detroit. He is buried in Oakdale
Cemetery.

Spanish American War
Eugene Frank Betwee. Sgt. Co. E. 30 U.S.
Vol. Infantry, Spanish American War. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
James B. Birdsall. Corporal Co. F. 35th
Michigan Infantry. Spanish American War.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Henry Magnus Meier. Michigan. CPL. Co.
F, 35th Regt. Michigan Infantry, Spanish
American War. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
World War I.
th
Herbert E. Baker. Michigan. Pfc. Co. I 77
Infantry, World War I. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
Albert W. Block. Michigan. Cook. Co. 1338
Infantry, 85th Division. World War I. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Edward H. Boettner. Michigan. Pvt. Sup Co.
328 Field Artillery. World War I. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Roy E. Bowersox. Pvt. Trench Motor
Battery, 7 Division. World War I. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
James F. Chisholm. Arkansas. Pvt. U.S.
Army, World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Edward Cooper. Michigan. Pvt., U.S.
Army, World War I. he is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Leo T. Friske. Michigan. Pvt. 155 Depot
Brigade, World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
William Friske. Michigan. Pvt. 104 Field
Artillery, World War I. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
Peter F. Gluba, Sr. Pvt. U.S. Army, World
War I. He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Raymond V. Johnson. Ohio Cook Btry D
134 Field Arty, World War I. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
John C. Kane. Cpl. Co. F. 310 Engineers.
World War I. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Vincent C. Karbowski. New York. Pvt. Co.
F 105 Infantry, World War I, PH. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
George J. Knope, Michigan Pvt. Co. D 58th
Infantry. World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
George Lange. Michigan. Pvt. Co.A., 111th
Infantry, World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
James J. Larsh. Michigan. Pfc. U.s. Marine
Corps, World War I. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
Charles W. Levington, Michigan. Pvt. Co. D
55 Engineers, World War I. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
Joseph E. Liddle. Michigan. Corp. 160
Depot Brigade, World War I. He is buried
in West Mound Cemetery.
John K. MacFarline. Ohio. Pvt. Medical
Department, World War I. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
John S. MacPherson. Cpl. U.S. Army,
World War I. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.

Everett Maddy. Michigan. Sgt. 52 Machine
Gun BN World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Lawrence Lee Maddy. Michigan. LMM
USNRF, World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Roman M. Maynes. Michigan. Pvt. 2,
Hawaii Infantry, World War I. He is buried
in West Mound Cemetery.
Dallas McDaniels. Seaman,. U.S. Navy,
World War I. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Paul Andrew Mondary. Michigan Pvt. Co. D
68 Infantry. World War I. He is buried in
Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Elmer J. Muck. Pfc. U.S. Army, World War
I. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Harry W. Munson. Michigan. Co. B, 115th
Infantry, World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
George J. Nutter. S2. U.S. Navy, World War
I. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Clarence O’Brien. Michigan. BGLR. 77th
Field Artillery, 4th Division. World War I.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
George Sylvester Oehring Pvt. HQ 1 Repl
Regt Engrs, World War I. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
Homer Daniel Pickens. Michigan. Cpl. 304
Repair Unit, MTC. World War I. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Henry R. Poet. Pvt. U.S. Marine Corps,
World War I. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Gustave Raether. Michigan. CPL 7 Supply
Tn 7 Div. World War I. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burial Ground.
Charles Arthur Reitz. Michigan. Pvt., U.S.
Army, World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Edgar E. Rushlow. Pvt. U.S. Army, World
War I. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Lawrence C. Russel. Kansas. Pvt. 4S Rect.
C.A.C. World War I. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
Oral Henry Sable. Pvt. 15 Anti-Air Craft
Sector, World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Otto August Schultz. Michigan Pfc. 125 Inf.
32 Div., World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Clayton J. Scriber. Ohio. Pvt. U.S. Army,
World War I. He is buried in Taylor
Cemetery.
Edward L. Sieg. Ohio. Pvt Co. G 23
Engineers. World War I. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
Raymond Steffke. Michigan. Pvt. Sup. Co.
54 Infantry, World War I. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
Edward C. Thies. Michigan. Corporal U.S.
Army, World War I. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
August A. Tice. Michigan. Pvt. ICL 307
AM TN 82 DV. World War I. He is buried
in West Mound Cemetery.
Edward G. Wootke. Michigan. CFR. Casual
Co. World War I. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.

World War II
William J. Anders. Pvt. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Clarence A. Asmus. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Ralph V. Baker. Corporal, U.S. Army.
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Henry E. Baumdraher. Pfc. U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Harold D. Beard. Pvt. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Paul D. Behnke. Cpl. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
William C. Bellottie. Michigan. Pfc. U.S.
Army, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Lawrence A. Biskner. Cox. U.S. Navy,
World War II. He is buried in Taylor
Cemetery.
Sgt. Earl L. Blay. Sgt. 3048 GR REG. Co.
Michigan. KIA in Germany, April 1, 1945.
He has a monument in West Mound
Cemetery, but he is buried in Margraten
Cemetery in the Netherlands.
Harry J. Bobo. Pvt. U.S. Army, World War
II. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Wilbur Boltz. Michigan S1, USNR, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Vincent C. Bondy. PFC, Army Air Forces,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
John D. Bowser. U.S. Army, World War II.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Louis J. Bresinski. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. Purple Heart. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Lewis R. Bullock. Michigan. CM3, U.S.
Navy. World War II. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
Carl Lloyd Cann. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Charlie D. Cauley. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in Oak Grove Burying
Ground.
Wilson Elmer Coan. S Sergeant, U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Alexander Czirok. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Ira Evan Dittmar. U.S. Army, World War
II. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Buford Dyer. S1, U.S. Navy, World War II.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Jack L. Eady. MM2, U.S. Navy, World War
II. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
James Kelly Ealey. Pvt. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in Oak Grove Burying
Ground, Taylor.
Raymond K. English. Sgt. U.S. Marine
Corps, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Richard K. Fenner. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Joseph Goralczyk. Tech 4, U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Harold P. Grunwald. .Michigan. Tec 5 493
Armed Field Artillery, World War II. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Edward Lee Hale. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Roland L.. Hale. Corporal, U.S. Army Air
Corps, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Noble R. Hamrick. West Virginia.
Corporal, U.S. Army, World War II. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Donald A. Harrison. Michigan. Captain,
Port of Embarkation, World War II. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Melvin A. Hartwig. Corporal, U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Frank Norman Heim. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Virgil Helton. Pfc. U.S. Army, World War
II. He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Julius Herczeg, U.S. Army, World War II.
He is buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
John W. Hively. U.S. Marine Corps, World
War II. He is buried in Oak Grove Burying
Ground.
Robert S. Howard, Michigan. Corporal, U.S.
Army, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Robert W. Keeler, Michigan. Pvt. Medical
Section Station Commander, World War II.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
William D. Kirk. Pvt. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.c
Walter H. Klinger. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Raymond Knope. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Kenneth H. Koths. 1st Lt. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Wilbert N. Koths. Michigan Sgt. 381 Field
Arty Bn , World War II. He is buried in
Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Joseph F. Kouba. Pvt. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Edward F. Krueger. Corp. U.S. Marine
Corps, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Alois Jacob Kuester, U.S. Army, World War
II. He is buried in Oak Grove Burying
Ground
Donia M. LaFave. U.S. Navy, World War II.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Wilbert Lange. Tech5 U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
William W. Lave. U.S. Army, World War
II. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Alfred M. Livermore. S2. U.S. Navy, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Clyde F. McDaniels. Michigan. Tecs Co. B
815 TD BN, World War II. BSM. He is
buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Ray J. Mehlino. Michigan. Sgt. Co. C3
Infantry Regt., World War II, BSM. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
William Donald Milligan. Pfc. U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in Oak Grove
Burying Ground.
Clarence G. Neumann. Michigan. Pfc. 436
Field Artillery, Bn. World War II. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
James H. Norvell. World War II. He is
buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
John H. Osterhout. Corporal, U.S. Marine
Corps, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Pvt. Douglas H. Phelps. Branch Immaterial
– Warrant Officers, U.S.A. World War II.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
William Rollin Pidgeon. Sgt. U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Martin J. Radebach.. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Herman Reinas. Pvt. U.S. Army, World War
II. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Jack George Rieger. Pfc. U.S. Army World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Herman Gust Rienas. Pvt. U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
William H. Riley. Pfc. U.S. Army. World
War II. He is buried in Oak Grove Burying
Ground.
Kenneth I. Rumsey. S Sergeant, U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Kenneth Paul Russeau. U.S. Navy, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Ralph W. Schwab. Michigan. Tec4 Medical
Hospital, World War II. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
Carl Edward Selz., Jr. S1 U.S. Coast Guard,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Kirk Andrew Sewell. S1, U.S. Navy, World
War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Vernon Wesley Sherman. PFC. 331 Med
Bn. 106 INF, World War II. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
Bernard F. Simpson. World War
II.Michigan. Sgt. 2756, Engr. Combat,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
James J. Smith. Corporal U.S. Army, World
War II. He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Joseph C. Spittler. Michigan S1-USN-R.
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Kenneth R. Spittler. Air Force, World War
II. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Titus S. Stempien. Pfc. U.S. Army Air
Corps, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Walter F. Suchyta. Tech 4, U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Norman A. Thilhorn. Michigan. Pfc. U.S.
Army, World War II. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
Freddie Trout Jr. U.S. Navy, World War II.
He is buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground,
William Nicholas Werbov. U.S. Navy,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
William B. Werling, Jr. AMM, U.S. Navy,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Richard L. Willis. World War II. USMC S
Sgt, World War II. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground.
Raymond F. Zerbst. Michigan. Lt. Col. U.S.
Army, World War II. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
Donald F. Ziesmer. Corporal, U.S. Army,
World War II. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Theodore L. Ziesmer. Michigan. Sgt. 3502
Base Unit AAF. World War II. He is buried
in West Mound Cemetery.
Korea
Alfred G. Ashton, U.S. Army, Korea. He is
buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground,
Taylor.
Jack D. Davis. Sgt. U.S. Marine Corps,
Korea. He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Daniel Robert Heim, Sr. SP3, U.S. Army,
Korea. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Leroy E.. Helzer. Pfc. U.S. Army, Korea. He
is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Freddie Holley. Cpl. U.S. Army, Korea. He
is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Erwin Harold Knope. Pvt. 79th Inf. Regt.
Division, 45th Inf. Div. Korea. Killed in
action on March 1, 1952. His parents held
his funeral on the Taylor farm where he was
born. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Erwin Harold Knope
William D. LaBeau, Sr. S.R. U.S. Navy,
Korea. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Walter L. Manthei. U.S. Army, Korea. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Daniel A. McDaniels. Sgt. U.S. Marine
Corps, Korea. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Alvin M. Mink. Corporal, U.S. Army,
Korea. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Edward C. Morgan. U.S. Army, Korea. He
is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Awarded Medal of Honor.
William H. Pittman. Pvt. U.S. Army, Korea.
He is buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Robert J. Priskorn.Michigan. GM3, U.S.
Navy, World War II and Korea. He is buried
in West Mound Cemetery.
Walter Russow, Jr. Pfc. U.S. Army, Korea.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Manuel Lee Staton. Sgt. U.S. Army, Korea.
He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Vietnam
Frank J. Baity, MSGT, U.S. Air Force, Korea, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Glenn A. Dobert. U.S. Army, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
SPC Jay Cee Dyer. Michigan SP4, Co. C. 22 Inf 25 INF Div Vietnam, PH. He was born on July
22, 1943 and he died on February 26, 1968 in Gia Dinh, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Edward Philip Ford. SP4, U.S. Army, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Ronald R. Kings. Pvt. U.S. Army, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Dennis Richard Long. Michigan. Pcf. U.S. Army, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Larry Dale Martin. Pfc. U.S. Army, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Clifford A. Murray. Pvt., U.S. Marine Corps, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Gerald W. Ritter. U.S. Navy, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemete
James William Rushlow. A02 U.S. Navy, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Ronald C. Selke. Sp4, U.S. Army, Vietnam. He is buried in West Mound Cemetery

Taylor Vietnam Veterans on the Vietnam Virtual Wall

Corporal Bruce Arnold Bain. July 26, 1951-September 10, 1970. B CO, 1ST BN, 14TH
INFANTRY, 4TH INF DIV, USARV. His home of record is stated as Taylor, Michigan. He was
killed in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam He is buried in Glen Eden Memorial Park, Livonia,
Michigan.
PFC. Jose Julio Boyless, December 20, 1946-January 27, 1967. A Co., 2nd BN, 8TH Cavalry,
1ST CAV DIV, USARV. Taylor is his home of record and he was killed in Binh Dinh Province,
South Vietnam. He is buried in Michigan Memorial Park, Flat Rock.
SP4 Thomas Russell, Collins, Jr. April 18, 1949-July 6, 1969. C CO, 1ST BN, 28TH Infantry, 1st
Inf. Div. USARV. Taylor is his home of record and he was killed in Binh Duong Province, South
Vietnam. He is buried in Michigan Memorial Park, Flat Rock.
PFC James Elton Fisher. October 29, 1946-March 20, 1968. Private First Class
B CO, 1ST BN, 35TH INFANTRY, 4TH INF DIV, USARV. Taylor is his home of record and
he was killed in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the
Purple Heart. He is buried in Michigan Memorial Park, Flat Rock.
Pvt. Theodore Gronowski, Jr. October 8, 1946-July 21, 1966. I Co., 3 BN, 4th Marines, 3rd
Marine Division, United States Marine Corps. Taylor is his home of record, and he was killed in
Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. He is buried in Our Lady of Hope Cemetery, Brownstown
Township.
Sgt. William Ernest Lamar.May 17, 1949-August 23, 1971. Taylor is his home of record.
Sergeant C CO, 2ND BN, 8TH CAVALRY, 1ST CAV DIV, USARV, Army of the United
States. He was killed in Binh Thuy Province, South Vietnam. He is buried in Michigan
Memorial Park, Flat Rock.

SP4 Allen James Lams. October 14, 1948-December 27 1969. Specialist Four HHC, 864TH
ENG BN, 35TH ENG GROUP, 18TH ENG BDE, USARV ENG CMD, USARV Army of the
United States. He was killed in Khanh Hoa Province, South Vietnam.

LTC William Michael Meyer. November 22, 1934-May 28, 1974. Lieutenant Colonel 469th Tac
FRT SQDN, 388th Tac FIR WING, 7th AF, United States Air Force . Taylor Michigan is his
home of record. The incident date is April 26, 1967. Pilot, Tactical Fighter-Bomber (F-105
Thunderchief) North Vietnam. He was shot down over North Vietnam. He is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
Paul Joseph Petersen. December 28, 1945-June 1, 1967.Specialist Four, A Co., 3RD BN, 12TH
INFANTRY, 4TH INF DIV, USARV Army of the United States. Taylor is his home of record.
He was killed in Pleiku Province, South Vietnam. He is buried in Ferndale Cemetery in
Riverview.

SP4 Larry Micheal Robinson. November 2, 1949-August 13, 1969. Specialist Four, E CO, 1ST
BN, 26TH INFANTRY, 1ST INF DIV, USARV, Army of the United States. He died in Binh
Duong Province, South Vietnam.
SP4 Burton Irving Sharp. March 20, 1944-May 19, 1967. Specialist Four, 336TH AHC, 13TH
AVN BN, 164TH AVN GROUP, 1ST AVIATION BDE, USARV, Army of the United States
He was killed in Ba Xugen Province, South Vietnam. He is buried in Parkview Memorial
Cemetery in Livonia.

SP4 James Estill Tankersley. December 18, 1949-May 10, 1969. Taylor is his home of record.
Specialist Four D BTRY, 4TH BN, 60TH ARTILLERY, 1 FIELD FORCE, Army of the United
States. He died in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam. He is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in
Woodhaven.
TSGT Carl Delbert Tomlin, Jr. April 19, 1943-October 31, 1971. Taylor is listed as his home of
record. Technical Sergeant, 600TH PHOTO SQDN, 7TH AF, United States Air Force. He died
in Khanh Hoa Province, South Vietnam. He is buried in Ferndale Cemetery in Riverview.
SP4 Donald David Wielkopolan. April 6, 1948-January 18, 1968. Specialist Four A CO, 229TH
AHB, 1 CAV DIV, Army of the United States. Taylor is his home of record. He was killed in
Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam. Donald is buried at St. Helwig Cemetery in Dearborn
Heights, Michigan.
Veterans
David Allen Beard, Sr. Private, U.S. Army.
1943-2003. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Pvt. John Block. 1895-1918. He is buried in
West Mound Cemetery.
John Riley Brooks. He served in the U.S.
Army from 1958-1960. He is buried in Oak
Grove Burying Ground, Taylor.
Dennis J. Burford. Pv1, U.S. Army. He is
buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Stanley S. Delestonicz. 1896-1942. Seaman,
U.S. Navy. He is bu
West Mound Cemetery.
Steven A. DeWaegeneer. Sgt. U.S. Army.
He is buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground,
Taylor.
James Flower. U.S. Army. He is buried in
Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Herbert Walter Frazer.Pvt. First Class. 152
Signal Corps. World War II. He is buried in
Oak Grove Burying Ground.
August W. Hartwig. Pfc. U.S. Army, World
War II. 1896-1974. He is buried in West
Mound Cemetery.
William R. Labelle. U.S. Air Force. 1938-
1994. He is buried in West Mound
Cemetery.
Francis. R. Merritt. S1 U.S. Army. He is
buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Otto J. Moss. 107th Michigan Engineers. He
is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Leroy W. Ogen. A2C U.S. Air Force. He is
buried in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Kenneth M. Pionk. AT2 U.S. Navy, 1959-
2000. He is buried in Taylor Cemetery.
Dennis Patrick Reid. U.S. Navy. He is
buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Richard Roy Reynolds. U.S. Marine Corps.
1952-1993. He is buried in Oak Grove
Burying Ground.
Lee R. Stone. U.S. Air Force. 1939-2002.
He is buried in West Mound Cemetery.
Sgt. Tony Torres. 1947-1995. He is buried
in Oak Grove Burying Ground.
Gunman Admits Tavern Death

Traverse City Record Eagle, October 8, 1945

Detroit, October 8 (UP) State police today held two men who reportedly admitted
the fatal shooting Friday night of a father of five in a Taylor Township tavern.
The men who confessed the slaying are Leon (Smoky) Weir, 21, of Romulus,
Michigan, and Grover L. Sells, 32, of Detroit.
Dead from shot gun fire during the attempted hold up is 52-year old Clifford C.
Melven of Romulus. Melven’s death left five children fatherless.
Captain Donald S. Leonard of the state police said Weir admitted he was the
gunman during the hold up according to the story told police by Sells. Melven
attempted to foil the two bandits when they entered the tavern brandishing
shotguns.
Police said Weir fired at Melven when the middle-aged man grabbed a beer bottle.
Some of the pellets from Weir’s weapon struck Mrs. Lee Kerr, 57, the tavern
keeper. Mrs. Kerr is recovering from slight wounds.
Following the shooting, Sells hitchhiked to Detroit, leaving his gun in front of the
tavern while Weir told police he emptied the cash register and escaped in his car.

Flashlight Was Make Believe Gun

Traverse City Record Eagle, January 9, 1946
Flashlight Was Make Believe Gun
Detroit, January 9 (UP) Wyandotte. Police today held Jean Hunington, 27, Taylor
Township, for investigation in connection with an attempted unarmed robbery of
the Callahan Drug Store.
Police allege that the woman using a flashlight as a make-believe gun, forced Mrs.
Ralph Juehartz, cashier, to give her $61. They said she was caught by two men as
she ran out of the door.

Stole Cash in Cedar Chest

Traverse City Record Eagle
April 15, 1947
Flat Rock, Michigan, April 15. (UP) August Frederick told police today that
thieves broke into his Taylor Township home last night and stole between $15,000
and $16,000 in cash from a cedar chest.
Traverse City Record Eagle

Master of Music Sweeps Floors, but Still Plays Piano

One Time Musician How Plays for Kids Who Have Real Tastes

Taylor, Michigan. April 15. By day, James Fields’ calloused hands push a mop at
Edgewood School in Taylor Township. After school and at night, his hands coax
Beethoven and Debussy or Irish folk songs from the ancient and tinny piano in the
basement. Then the mop-wielding hands are gifted. Once upon a time they played
in a chamber music quartet for the royal family of England and on the concert
stages of Paris and London.
“And once I told the King of England to “go hoot,” says James Fields. “He wanted
me to come to Windsor Castle in the spring with the household orchestra. But I
was in love and I’d not leave London and the lass. So they fired me.”
He doesn’t tell the youngsters at Edgewood to go hoot. To them, he’s the greatest
musician they ever heard because he plays the music they want to hear. “’Tis not
my past that counts,” says Fields. “Tis the now, I’m the happiest man there is , for I
love children and I love to play for them.”
‘And for a man whose heart is in it, you’ll be surprised no doubt when I say I gave
away my piano. I have none. Too many folks were always coming to the house and
asking me to play at all hours of the day and night. Now the kids, they have music
in them, and it’s not boogie woogie, it’s melody. I’ve written a song for them.
They love that. I don’t suppose the higher ups in the school think much of a janitor
writing songs and teaching the kids music. But I can’t help it.”
He had his master’s degree in music, but Fields wanted adventure so he left his
piano and shoveled coal on a tramp steamer for six months.
“One night I jumped ship in the Mediterranean and swam ashore. For a while I
made bread and cakes by playing in the dives of Marseilles. Me with an M.A. in
music.
Fields stood his mop pail and broom beside the piano in the school basement. He
crashed into a Hungarian rhapsody, and answered a question:
“Hiding my talent? I’m smarter than you,” he said. “I’m doing what I like.”
Toledo Blade, February 18, 1957
Observers ordered in Michigan Vote
Taylor Township Election Hot Spot
Lansing, Michigan, February 18
A team of investigators was ordered into Taylor Township by Secretary of State
James M. Hare to observe the primary election there today.
Elections in the township in recent years have led to complaints of election law
abuses and there was violence in 1953.
Mr. Hare said the group, numbering 12 or more, was led by Billie S. Farnum, an
assistant secretary of state, who directed an investigation of the 1955 election in
Taylor Township.
Township affairs have come under grand jury scrutiny, with some indictments
resulting, including that of Harold Rippe, township supervisor, who resigned
afterward.
Bibliography

Books

Burton, Clarence M. and Agnes, editors. The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-
1922. Volume 2. Detroit: S.J. Clarke, 1930.
Coan, Peter and George. Coan Genealogy, 1697-1982.
Farmer, Silas. History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan, a
Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present. New York: Munsell &
Company, 1890.
Fulton, Ruth Coan. Coan genealogy, 1697-1982 : Peter and George of East
Hampton, Long Island, and Guilford, Connecticut, with their descendants in
the Coan line as well as other allied lines
Nowlin, William. The Bark Covered House or Back in the Woods Again. Detroit:
Earl W. De La Vergne printed for William Nowlin, 1876,

. Newspapers and Periodicals

The Michigan Troubadour, Vol. 13 No. 1. January 1963. Michigan District of the
Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in
America, Inc.

She Puts Blind Children to Work. Bernard Asbell. Saturday Evening Post, July 30,
1960. Vol. 233 Issue 5, p26.

Newspapers

Benton Harbor News Palladium

Daytona Beach Morning Journal

Mellus Newspapers

Ocala Star Banner

Toledo Blade
Traverse City Record Eagle
The Tuscaloosa News

On Line Sources

Find a Grave

Michigan Roots