Jan. 4, 1996 Independent: Van Buren Township’s oldest known grave is in Tyler Cemetery

By Bob Doane, Belleville
Two cemeteries were platted out the same year, 1832, in the area that three years later was to become Van Buren Township in 1835.
These two were the Soop (now called Pleasantville) and the Tyler cemeteries.
At the time, Van Buren Township was part of the original Huron Township, Wayne County, Territory of Michigan, before it was later divided into one of four separate townships (see accompanying article) three years later on April 6, 1835.
The cemetery for this article is known as the Tyler Cemetery and is on Tyler Road east of Belleville Road, between Haggerty and Hannan roads.
Tyler Road earlier was known as Tyler Street.
A small, infant child was buried earlier the same year, 1832, on family property before the cemetery was platted for burial grounds, although Soop Cemetery is recognized as the oldest of the two cemeteries in the township and both also prior to Van Buren’s existence.
Tyler Street (Road) Cemetery:
Sally D. French
Age 7 months and 23 days old
Born Wednesday, July 20, 1831
Died Tuesday, March 12, 1832
Some of the above is not printed on the stone.
Daughter of John and Mercy French, she was a granddaughter of Benjamin French.
Being involved in genealogy (tracing family histories) since 1967 and my interest in state and local history, among others, I have been working on the Hillside (Belleville) Cemetery and I thought about who might be the first to be buried in Van Buren Township, which Belleville was once a part of.
I had problems with different references giving differ dates for Sally D. French.
I relied on two sources which I put trust in and my style of reading faded headstone inscriptions and came to the conclusion of her death year 1832, and thus the oldest grave.
Her headstone is now broken into two parts. Perhaps, someone or a group will mend it together and preserve it as the oldest burial at Tyler Cemetery and Van Buren Township.