Maple Hill Cemetery, Cadillac, Wexford, Michigan – Block B Lot 60

Maple Hill is a larger city cemetery, located on the south side of Cadillac, Michigan. I have collected a number of photographs from this cemetery and will post my photographs by lot number.

This lot is in an old part of the cemetery, and runs parallel to Mitchell Street. My dad showed me how to find it by walking southeast from the corner of a shed that is on the path closest to the graves.

This is the resting place of my Kaiser great grandparents. The three newer stones appear to have been purchased near the date of the death of William, or perhaps he purchased them before he died. They are not from the time Jane, my great-grandmother and his first wife died.

William Kaiser, born 30 June 1862 in Ontario, probably in Vaughan Township, York County; and died 23 December 1940 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. He was staying with his daughter Bertha Kaiser Ballou at the time of his death.

“Cecelia” 1887. This marker is what sent me to the city offices to look at the original burial logs. There was no record on the cemetery printout for Cecelia Kaiser who died 1887. In the original logs I found an entry for the burial of a baby and Jane “Jennie”. The baby’s record reads, Nov 21 1887, Kysor (sic) wm. inf. 3 months, white, male American. The white and male are written in the column with ditto marks of the record above. The burial location is: “BR”.

Just two lines later, January 29, 1888, Kysor (sic), Mrs Wm, white female, American, buried in block B. The Kysor has Kaiser written in above it. I have found no death record in Wexford or any other county for these individuals, it must have gone unrecorded.  Jane “Jennie” (Johnston) Kaiser was William Kaiser’s first wife, and my great-grandmother.

No one in my family ever mentioned this baby to me. She would have been a full sister of my grandmother, who was born in 1885. Aunt Bertha, who I mentioned above, was my Grandma’s half-sister.

Daniel Kaiser, born 6 June 1844, probably in Vaughan Township, York County, Ontario and Died 12 December 1907 in Cadillac, Wexford, Michigan. Daniel’s death certificate states he was born in Pennsylvania, and that his parents were Daniel Kaiser and Sarah Fisher. Both of these statements are errors. Daniel’s marriage, recorded on 1 January 1868 in Kent County, Michigan shows his birth place as Canada, as do his census listings for 1870, 1880, and 1900. His parents, Daniel E. Kaiser (1806-1872) and Hannah Fisher were members of loyalist families who traveled to Canada in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s. Daniel was a brother of my 2nd great-grandfather, William Kaiser. He was an uncle of my great-grandfather who owned, and is buried on this lot.

Also on this lot: Daniel Erlin Kaiser, a son of Daniel Kaiser and Amanda VanMeer. This little boy died on 22 April 1883, of scarlet fever. He was the only known natural child of Daniel and Amanda.

Gerald Catlin, 1885-1898. Gerald was visiting Daniel and Amanda when a horse kicked him and he subsequently died. Gerald was the son of Amanda’s sister Minnie VanMeer Catlin and her husband Sherman. The Catlins were residents of New York.