The History of Sheldon Cemetery
Canton Township, Michigan
Sheldon Cemetery was once just a potato patch on the property of William Smith located just north of Michigan Avenue on Sheldon Road.
In the spring of 1835, several men approached, William Smith and requested to bury the body of an infant boy, Grant Palmer, the son of George Palmer, which is claimed to be the first burial in the cemetery. Later, neighbor Richard Barker, also requested to reserve a spot for burial, and William Smith started what was to be known as Sheldon Cemetery in 1835.
Although the body of Timothy Sheldon is buried here, the grounds were named, Sheldon for it's location on Sheldon Road. Later additional burial land was donated by Pearl Doyle, to enlarge the property.
William Smith, had immigrated here from England and built a log cabin on the west side of Sheldon Road, south of the original cemetery plot. His great-granddaughter, Ruby Smith Hoops who was born in 1889, in a wooden house on the east side of Sheldon Road still resided on this propery in the 1970's. Her home was built by her father, George Smith II.
William Smith and his wife, Mary, who died November 20, 1864 are buried in a family plot along with thier son, John who died January 3, 1846 and John's two-year old daughter, who died just 3 days later on January 6, 1846. George Smith Sr died at the age of 58 years on March 20, 1884. His first wife, Charlotte, had died April 4, 1856, at the age of 25, and his second wife, Matilda died May 24, 1872, when she was only 34 years old. Ruby (Smith-Hoops) mother Mary (1860 - 1949) and her father, George II (1859 - 1943) and her husband, Edward Hoops who died in 1967, are also all buried here.
Other early Canton Township pioneers and their decendants who have been interred in this cemetery are:
Eliphalet Carleton, who died October 8, 1850 at the age of 86 years. His nephew, Eliphalet, the son of M. & S.A. Carleton died July 17, 1863 at the age of 19 years from wounds received at the Battle of Gettysburg. Milton Carleton, the founder of the Carleton Brickyard was born in 1845 and died in 1911. Raymond Owen Carlton who had attended school with Ruby Smith. Hannah (Smith) Gill, the sister of George Smith; un-named infant twins who died April 7, 1852 and Mary Ellen Smith who died August 28, 1855 at age 11 months are other Smith family members buried here.
John Mott II, relatives to the Smith family and his family are buried here. Along with Richard and Elzabeth Barker, John and Emeline Simpson, Augustus and Mary Cilley, Phillip and Aurelia Sines, Nathan Horton, Hiram Ebelle, Hannah Billing, B. and Abigail Hodgekinson, James Lilley Jr, Collins Coykendall, Clarissa and Sarah Padley, David Boldman, John and Henrietta Hoffman, Phillip and Marie Dingeldey. There are also, four Palmer family graves, seven for the Andrews family, a large group of Truesdells, Sitlingtons, and Fischers. The pioneer Hasselbach family are also represented.
The five children of C.E. & E. Lohr who died during an epidemic between March 15 and March 21, 1871, are probably of the saddest burials in this cemetery.
