Due to the recent passing of my stepfather. I didn’t get a chance to post the events of May 16th when I trekked downtown to Elmwood. I also went there on the 23rd, and again today. So this will be three “Graveside Recaps” crammed into one. I have a lot of things to discuss about those hunts.  So please bear with me.

Final resting place of Frederick Williams in Sec: O, Lot: 80 of Elmwood Cemetery

Starting with May 16th. Recently to spice things up a bit I’ve devoted some time during the recent treks at Elmwood to find the gravesites of African-American notables. I kicked off the day with finding the grave site of Fred Hart Williams who’s remains are located in Sec: O Lot: 80. Fred was a patron of the arts, as well as a writer, historian, and civil servant. His large family came to Detroit around 1849 via the Underground Railroad.

Strolling along the tranquil hills,  and colorful trees, in Sec: 4 Lot: 64 I came across the final resting place of Dr. William Thomas Love. His claim to Detroit notoriety has to do with the fact that he was the first African-American appointed Wayne County Medical Examiner.

Closing out the day on May 16th another final resting place I found in Sec: I Lot: 13 was of Hervey Parke. His claim to fame involves being the co-founder of Parke-Davis & Company which at the time of its founding was the premier pharmaceutical company.

All in all due to the day being cut short after finding out my stepfather Joe passed away I found six gravesites within a two-hour time frame.

Continuing on to May 23rd.  To kick-off the days trek I found the grave site of Kermit G. Bailer. Located in Sec: 5, Lot: 103 his claim to  notoriety involved being a Tuskegee Airman during WWII, along with being an Attorney for the Ford Motor Company, and the NAACP, he was also the head of the Detroit Law Department. Another thing worth mentioning is that he was appointed as head of the Civil Rights Commission by President Kennedy.

Strolling along  in Sec: J, Lot: 17 I came across the grave site of Alexander Lewis.  He was an insurance executive, and grain merchant by trade. He also served as Mayor of Detroit (1876-77).

Lewis family monument in Sec: J, Lot: 17 of Elmwood cemetery

Douglas Houghton's final resting place in Elmwood Sec: L, Lot: 5

Closing out my trek on May 23rd I found resting calmly in Sec: L, Lot: 5, the final resting place of Dr. Douglas Houghton. His claim to fame involves being the first state geologist,  as well as an experienced explorer, physician, and Mayor of Detroit in 1842. He lost his life in the wilderness of northern Michigan drowning at Eagle Harbor after a canoe he was in with four others capsized during a storm. Houghton Lake, County, Township, and City in Michigan are named after him.

Patrick Colbert's final resting place in Sec: N, Lot: 144 of Mt. Elliott

Bringing you up to speed. Today I went to Elmwood & Mt. Elliott which are located not even a mile from one another.  At Mt. Elliott cemetery I found the final resting place of Patrick Colbert who is buried in Sec: N, Lot: 144,  Patrick served as a Coxswain aboard the Union ship USS Commodore Hull, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism during the Civil War battle for Plymouth, North Carolina on October 31st 1864. After being wounded painfully and the man beside him killed, he remained at his post, braving enemy fire, as if he were merely at target practice.