The Lacota Cemetery Vandalism (March 2016)

Last Saturday, I made the short trip from my home to a tiny corner of South Western Michigan to see the cemetery where my Eichler and Reames ancestors were buried. This trip was due to the fact that I had found out that vandals had knocked over around 33 gravestones, many of which appeared from the local new stations photographs appeared to be old.

Instantly upon seeing the article and name of the cemetery, I feared for the graves of my 5x great grandparents: Silas Zane Reames and Mary Polly Phillips Reames. I was also concerned about my 3x great grandparents graves: Minerva McKeeby Eichler and Platt Eichler. Walking into the cemetery was surreal, toppled stones laid every where. My heart sunk more when I realized the markers that were damaged were among the oldest in the cemetery. I quickly located the Eichler family plot (luckily the family stone was not damaged) Minerva and Platt’s stones to the left stood sturdy as they had for 52 and almost 100 years, respectively.

I continued looking around for the grave of Silas Zane and Mary Polly Reames, Minerva Eichler’s maternal grandparents. While I looked, I considered the life of my ancestors. Silas Zane moved his family to the area from Indiana to Cass County, Michigan where at 45 he left his occupation as a sawyer and became a Union Soldier fighting in the Civil War. Following the war, Silas returned to Michigan and worked as a farm laborer up until he was unable to work, probably due to heart trouble and asthma. On March 19, 1910 his bedridden wife of nearly 65 years passed away at the home of their son Isaac Reames in Casco, Allegan, Michigan which is very close to Lacota. Silas died May 18, 1910 and the two were buried under a shared stone in the Lacota Cemetery.

On the 106th anniversary of Mary Polly Reames’ death three bored kids (two fifteen year old boys and a thirteen year old girl) decided to knock over some of the stones in the more historic portion of the cemetery. Perhaps they figured no one cared since the stones were older. But inscribed at the very bottom of Silas and Polly’s marker are barely legible words that still ring true 106 years later: “…not forgotten.”

It is my sincere hope that these kids will realize that people still care about the individuals beneath these old markers, and maybe someday they will grow into the kind of person that will care about individuals buried beneath old stones as well.

Who was Doris Althouse?

In 1910, in the home of my 3x great grandparents Platt and Minerva McKeeby Eichler in Lee Township, Allegan County, Michigan, there was a two year old little girl named Doris G. Althouse and she is listed as the daughter of 50 year old Platt and 41 year old Minerva – not impossible, but unlikely seeing as their next youngest child would be Elba Eichler, 18. Doris was born in Illinois, her mother in Michigan, and her father’s birthplace was not known.

Doris G. Althouse, 2, in the home of Platt and Minerva McKeeby Eichler – Lee Township, Allegan County, Mich., 1910.

In 1920, Doris is not listed with the Eichler family, Platt died in 1916 and Minerva remarried in 1918 in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan. I finally located Doris, 11, living in the Children’s Home on South Westnedge in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Children’s Home was not solely for orphans, but also for children who came from troubled families. The Home was an industrial school where girls were instructed on household duties.

The marriage record for Doris (Georgia) Althouse and Charles Ulam ,1925

Doris’ parents names were Nina Elwell and William Althouse per her marriage record. They were married on November 11, 1903 in Oceana County. Nina was the daughter of Jane Reames and Bert Elwell, Jane Reames Elwell was a witness on the document. On November 26, 1907 the couple became the parents of Doris Georgia Althouse in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. By 1909, the marriage between Nina and William had dissolved and in January of that year William married Laura Star Butler back home in Oceana County. Nina was remarried in South Bend, Indiana in October of that year to John Berg, a German immigrant. In 1923, she married Rueben Parish in Paw Paw, Van Buren, Michigan.

Doris’ mother,  Nina Elwell, was the daughter of Lovina Jane Reames McKeeby, who later in life went just by “Jane”, and Burton “Bert” Elwell. Bert was Lovina’s second husband whom she married after the death of her first husband, Henry McKeeby. My 3x great grandmother Minerva McKeeby Eicher was the daughter of Lovina and Henry; making her and Nina Elwell, Doris’ mother, half-sisters. Perhaps Platt and Minerva intended to adopt Doris following the divorce of Nina and Mr.Althouse.

Asenath & Dean Eichler

Dean Eichler, my 5x great grandfather, was born in February 1825 in Chenango County, New York to John Eichler and Ruth Warner. Asenath Elvina Nostrant, was born in August around 1825-28 in Onondaga County, New York to James Nostrant and Laine VanPetten. The two were married in about 1847-1850 in Onondaga County, NY.

In 1850, the Eichlers are living in Lafayette, Onondaga, New York with their daughter, 2 year old Ellen Eichler.

Between 1854 and 1856, the family moved to Michigan. In 1860 Dean, Asenath, Ellen, Rosette, William, Sarah, Ruth, and Platt (my 4x ggfather) were living in to Pokagon, Cass County, Michigan where Dean farmed. Asenath’s maternal uncle Arent “Aaron” Van Patten died in Millgrove (in Valley Twp.), Allegan, Michigan in 1857.

In 1870, the family was living in Keeler, Van Buren, Michigan and now included Matilda, Ida, George, and Mary. Dean was still farming and his son William helped on the farm.

In 1873-74 the family moved from Keeler to Lee, Allegan County. Youngest child Lana was born there, their second youngest David was born in Keeler. Dean was still farming and was ill on the day the enumerator came in 1880, but I can’t make out what it says specifically. Widowed daughter Rosette Eichler Houghton and her two children were living in the household as well. Rosette remarried later that year to a widower named Silas Randall of Pine Grove, Van Buren, MI.

In 1900 the couple was living with their daughter Mary J. Eichler Nightingale and her family in Hamilton, Van Buren, Michigan. In 1910, Dean and Asenath are living in Marcellus, Cass, Michigan with their daughter Ida Eichler Knoll and her family. 

Dean died in about 1911 (I haven’t located his death certificate on Seeking Michigan yet). Asenath died August 12, 1919 in Benton Harbor, Berrien, Michigan, according to her death certificate she was buried in the Grand Junction Cemetery.