Transcription of South Martin Cemetery in Martin, Michigan, taken in 1935 and containing all gravestones found at that time. In addition, town records were consulted for additional information and burials where gravestone no longer existed.
The South Martin Cemetery was originally the burying ground of the First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church of Martin (later the United Presbyterian Church). The land was donated for that purpose by Thomas Monteith, Sr. Upon organization of the church, Feb. 5, 1842, he was elected elder and the first meetings were held in his house and barn. (Hist. of Van Buren and Barry Cos., Mich. pp. 276-7) Since the church records were destroyed some years ago when the house in which they were stored was burned, the exact date of the gift is not known. The deed is recorded in Liber 10, p. 583 Deeds of Allegan County, Michigan, Thomas Monteith to Trustees of First Reformed Church of Martin.
April 12, 1853.
Thomas Monteith and Jane his wife of the Township of Martin, Allegan Co., Mich. deed to the Trustees of the First Associate Reformed Church of Martin 1 acre and 9 rods “commencing 80 rods S of the N.E. section corner of section 1 town 2 north of Range 11 west and running west thence 13 rods thence north 15 rods thence east 13 rods thence south 13 rods and parallel with the section line, containing 1 acre and 9 rods with the understanding the Trustees build fences and keep in repair the above conveyed premises is conveyed with the understanding that the above described land is conveyed for a burying ground in and for the First Associate Reformed Church of Martin.”
Signed Thomas Monteith, Jane Monteith. Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of Jason Gillespie, Allen Haggart.
Many years later the Martin Township Board took over the cemetery but most of those buried there, except quite recent burials were members or adherents of the United Presbyterian Church.
The first burial recorded in the Cemetery Record is that of Walter Monteith d. Sept. 12, 1897.
In cases where the Death or Cemetery Records give data additional to that on the tombstones, that has been included. With the Monteith family, the added data has come from family records which I have.
Ruth M. Monteith
Martin, Michigan
August 18, 1935
This listing is done by lot owners, there being 145 lots in 1935. You may need to search through all of the lots to find everyone for a particular surname.
Lot Owner Surnames
This is a list of surnames of the lot owners. There are additional surnames represented by those buried in the lots that are not listed here.
Anderson, Andrews, Atkins, Baker, Barnes, Barrows, Blair, Brewer, Brownell, Campbell, Carp, Carruthers, Collie, Cowan, Crans, DeForest, Divine, Fenner, Finlay, Fisk, Gillespie, Gilmore, Gordon, Hall, Henry, Hollands, Irwin, King, Kleis, LaFountain, Lemmon, Leppen, Mathews, McDonald, McKeag, McLeod, McVean, Meston, Middleton, Monroe, Monteith, Moore, Mullen, Munger, Murray, Nesbit, Norman, Oviatt, Pardee, Paterson, Patterson, Ritchie, Robertson, Ross, Russell, Sayers, Shepherd, Smith, Sornsbury, Spohn, Templeton, Tishouse, Walker, Winne, Woodman, Wylie.