Old graveyards have more to offer than stone monuments bearing names and dates.
They have stories to tell and history to share. All you have to do is listen.
That’s exactly what Oxford resident Jim Lehtola is doing. He’s in the process of gathering information about the old township cemetery, located on the north side of W. Burdick St., and the people buried there.
‘I have a general interest in history and I was kind of poking around for a project,? he said.
Lehtola, who has served as the township’s ordinance enforcement officer since 2009, is tinkering with the idea of publishing a self-guided tour of the cemetery
‘There’s some neat stories in there,? he said.
Take Elbridge G. Deming, for example.
An inscription on his 1860 headstone tells all that he was the ‘First Resident of Oxford.?
Lehtola said Deming bought land here in 1823 and later moved his family to Oxford.
Many veterans of 19th century wars were laid to rest in the old township cemetery.
Peter Stroud is one of those soldiers. He served in the War of 1812.
As a member of the New York State Militia, he fought British forces in the Battle of Buffalo (also known as the Battle of Black Rock) on Dec. 30, 1813, according to Lehtola. The British won that battle and burned the majority of Buffalo to the ground.
Stroud lived a long life after the war. He died in June 1880 at the ripe old age of 89.
Many Civil War veterans are also buried there. One of them is Joshua P. Losey, who lived from 1842 to 1918 and participated in ‘Sherman’s March to the Sea.?
During this famous campaign, Union soldiers, under the command of Gen. William T. Sherman, victoriously marched through Georgia from Atlanta to the port city of Savannah, which they captured on Dec. 21, 1864.
Losey enlisted with the 14th Michigan Infantry at age 21, but also served with the 16th Illinois Infantry for a period. Both regiments participated in the March to the Sea.
Losey also fought in the battles of Buzzard’s Roost, Tunnel Hill, Dallas, Big Shanty, Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, Chattahoochee River, the siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Florence, Averasborough and Bentonville, according to the ‘Old Burying Grounds: Oxford Township, Michigan,? published in 1989 by the North Oakland Genealogical Society.
Lehtola is busy researching other aspects of the cemetery besides who was laid to rest there. Take the old cannon that sits atop a hill, pointed to the east. It’s a Model 1845 that once fired solid round-shot weighing 32.4 pounds.
According to Lehtola’s research, back in the day, this cannon had a range of 1.1 miles. Basically, if it was still functional, he said it could hit the Beaver Stair Co., located at 549 E. Lakeville Rd.
‘I (measured it) with my car,? said Lehtola, who served more than 34 years with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. Twenty-one of those years were spent as a fire investigator.
Lehtola is hoping people will contact him with other interesting stories, facts and tidbits about the cemetery and its inhabitants. He wants to help ensure the ‘sacrifices? and ‘contributions? made by the people who built the township and village are remembered and passed on to future generations.
‘I think it’s important to recognize them and understand how the community developed,? said Lehtola, an Oxford resident since 1973.
This isn’t the first time Lehtola’s engaged in historical research. Prior to his retirement from the sheriff’s office in 2006, he wrote a history of the agency from 1820 to the present.
He noted one of the county’s sheriffs, James Samuel Butler (1866-1934), is buried in the township cemetery. He was elected sheriff in 1920 and served two terms.
Much of Butler’s life was spent in public service as he was the county drain commissioner for 17 years and the county’s chief probation officer for seven years. He also held township offices in Addison, served as president of Oxford Village and even spent several years as the school principal in Leonard.
Those interested in providing Lehtola with information regarding the cemetery can contact him through the township office located at 300 Dunlap Rd., north of Seymour Lake Rd. The phone number is (248) 628-9787.