Draft:Redford Cemetery

  • Comment: I agree with the previous assessment that this cemetery is likely notable for our purposes. However, we have an over-reliance on primary sources and no sources for the "notable burials" section (save for one person).  — MWFwiki (talk) 01:26, 7 April 2026 (UTC)
  • Comment: A notable cemetery but the way this article is written sounds more like what you would find on a website of the cemetery, the use of “Our country” isn’t neutral or encyclopaedic (it would be odd if all people referred to a site as “our country” on Wikipedia, especially because millions of users worldwide use it). Also a lot of the paragraphs are unsourced and I think the list of known surnames buried at the site should be placed in an external links area as opposed to at the very start, also this is a nitpick but I believe it would be better if the infobox was higher in the text but that’s just my view on aesthetics.
    Also the “Looking ahead” section strengthens my earlier point on it sounding like what I’d find on the website itself, also finally I don’t think all the names of veterans are required, a handful, perhaps notable or high up officers or ones with Wikipedia pages or other external sources should be mentioned. Mwen Sé Kéyòl Translator-a (talk) 08:45, 2 February 2026 (UTC)



Redford Cemetery
Historic arch at the main entrance of the Redford Cemetery facing telegraph Road in Redford Township, Wayne County, Michigan USA.
Details
Established1831
Location
15898 Telegraph Road, Redford, Michigan
TypeNon-profit
Size10 acres (4.0 ha)
No. of gravesApproximately 2,000
Websitehttps://redfordcemetery.org/
Find a GraveRedford Cemetery

Redford Cemetery (formerly known as Bell Branch Cemetery and Redford Pioneer Cemetery) was founded in 1831[1] and is one of the oldest cemeteries in Michigan. It is located on Telegraph Road in Redford Township, Wayne County, Michigan, USA. Among its 2,000 burials, its oldest include notable early settlers and veterans who served in the American Revolutionary War and many who passed in the 1840s-1880s as veterans of the War of 1812[2]. The cemetery is the final resting place for over 100 veterans who also served in the Toledo War, Mexican-American War, American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and the Vietnam War.[1] These veterans include fathers and their sons as well as nurses and immigrant soldiers from Ireland, France, Canada, and England.

This non-profit cemetery is operated by the elected volunteers of the Redford Cemetery Association[3] with burial rights maintained through assessments and endowments of the descendants of the Redford pioneers and their families.

History

Redford Township, originally named Pekin, was organized on October 29, 1829[4], and later renamed Redford Township in March 1833. In 1831, Israel Bell, a Pekin Village commissioner and early settler (buried at Redford Cemetery, 1805-1885), gave a very small parcel of land to the village for a cemetery.[5] It was originally called Bell Branch Cemetery, referring to the settlement founded in 1818 and later also known as the Redford Pioneer Cemetery. Its name was changed to Redford Cemetery after Pekin was renamed Redford Township[6].

In 1926, the City of Detroit annexed a portion of Redford[7] which included 70% of the cemetery. This remaining Western portion along Telegraph Road (US 24) remains in Redford Township.

In March of 1933, the Redford Cemetery Association (RCA) was established as a non-profit corporation. Following petition to the Redford Township Board and the City of Detroit, in 1933 the Township deeded to the Association the land the cemetery occupied in Redford Township and the City of Detroit granted a lease in perpetuity of the rest of the land occupied by the cemetery. The lease was issued because the Common Council of the City of Detroit did not have the power under the city’s charter to deed away cemetery property. These changes recognized the municipal borders that remain in place today from which the front of the cemetery resides in Redford Charter Township, and the remaining, rear (Eastern) portion of the cemetery resides in Detroit.

In 1994, the cemetery coordinated with local governments as they worked to improve and preserve the parameters of the adjacent Rouge River. In exchange, the historic fence was replaced, a new arch installed, cemetery roads were expanded and paved, landscaping was improved, and rear fences installed. The original, historic arch was later restored and remains on display at the Redford Township Historical Commission[5]. The new arch installed in 1994 was restored in 2024 by the students and staff of SMART within the Sheet Metal Workers Local 80 Apprenticeship Training Center in Warren Michigan.

Historic designation

Historic Marker noting Redford Cemetery as a Michigan Historic Site.

On June 13, 1986, Redford Cemetery was listed in the State Register as Michigan Historic Site number 1317[8]. On June 11, 1989, an historic marker was officially placed and dedicated at the cemetery which reads, "In 1831, Israel Bell, a Pekin Village commissioner, gave one acre of land to the village for a cemetery. Originally called Bell Branch Cemetery after the river and the settlement founded by Bell in 1818, its name was changed to Redford Cemetery after Pekin's modern name, Redford Township. Additional acreage obtained in 1840, 1854 and 1883 expanded the cemetery to ten acres, of which half is in Redford Township and half is in Detroit. A wrought iron fence was built for the cemetery in 1886 with money contributed by Redford Township citizens. Among those buried here are Israel Bell and many war veterans, including two from the Revolutionary War, and many from the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War I."[9]

Notable burials

Early settlers

  • Israel Bell (1805 – 1885) – Early settler, commissioner, and donor of initial Redford Cemetery land.[5]
  • Susan D. Chaffee (1800 – Dec 1, 1832) – first recorded burial at age 32; one year after her marriage to Job Chaffee who passed 51 years later and is buried at her side[1].

Revolutionary War veterans

Toledo War (Michigan Militia v Ohio Militia) veteran

  • Pierce, Onesimus O.: 8/16/1809 – 5/6/1876, born in NY, served as a MI state representative from 1/1/1873 until his death on 5/6/1876 and previously as the Redford Township Clerk and Supervisor. Father of school principal, publisher, lawyer, and state senator Charles Sumner Pierce.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Bevis, Marjoria Norris; Gilbert, Regina (2007). Records of Redford Cemetery (originally Bell Branch Cemetery). Redford Cemetery Association.
  2. ^ Carstens, Patrick Richard (2011-01-01). Searching For the Forgotten War - 1812: United States of America. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4568-6755-3.
  3. ^ "Redford Cemetery". Redford Cemetery. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  4. ^ Olar, Jared L. (2026-01-22). "Planning and platting Pekin's Old Town". Pekin Public Library. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  5. ^ a b c "Redford Cemetery". Redford Township Historical Commission. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  6. ^ "Redford Township". www.waynecountymi.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  7. ^ "Detroit Annexation 1806-1926 | Drawing Detroit". www.drawingdetroit.com. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  8. ^ "Redford Cemetery Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  9. ^ Ashlee, Laura R. (2005). Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-03066-8.

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