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Dexter in Washtenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Forest Lawn Cemetery

 
 
Forest Lawn Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, April 23, 2021
1. Forest Lawn Cemetery Marker
Inscription. Forest Lawn Cemetery was part of a parcel owned by Samuel Dexter, who came to Michigan in 1824 from New York State. He purchased 926 acres of land that was incorporated as the village of Dexter. For years, Dexter offered cemetery plots free to anyone. To this day the cemetery includes a potter's field.

In 1826, when Washtenaw County was organized apart from Wayne County, Dexter was appointed a judge. He and his second wife are buried here, as is the Civil War hero Colonel Harrison Jeffords. Also buried here are Nathaniel and Sylvester Noble, the first settlers of Dexter Township, as well as the Newkirk and Copland families, and Calvin Fillmore, brother of U.S. President Millard Fillmore.
 
Erected by Washtenaw County Historic Distric Commission. (Marker Number DV-23.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial SitesSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1842.
 
Location. 42° 20.14′ N, 83° 53.441′ W. Marker is in Dexter, Michigan, in Washtenaw County. It is at the intersection of Grand Street and Broad Street, on the left when traveling west on Grand Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Dexter MI 48130, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan and in Greater Detroit. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker
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, measured as the crow flies: Frederick Pelham: Bridge Engineer (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dexter Area Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Alice Frances House•Library (approx. Ό mile away); History of Mill Creek Dam (approx. Ό mile away); The Pat and Paul Cousins Memorial Trail (approx. Ό mile away); St. Joseph Catholic Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Dexter Depot / Track Pans (approx. half a mile away); Labyrinth (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dexter.
 
Also see . . .  Gettysburg Off the Beaten Path: The Fall of Harrison Jeffords. Excerpt:
Sword in hand Jeffords leapt forward and struggled with a Confederate for his beloved banner. One account states that Jeffords “his hat off, his eyes flashing with the light of battle, with sword drawn…”
(Submitted on April 24, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.) 
 
Forest Lawn Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, April 23, 2021
2. Forest Lawn Cemetery Marker
Lichgate for Forest Lawn. The 'Y' is missing.
Colonel Harrison Jeffords image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, April 23, 2021
3. Colonel Harrison Jeffords
Col.
H.H. Jeffords
Of the 4. Mich Infantry Vol.
Killed at the Battle of
Gettysburg July 3, 1863
Aged 26 Years
Forest Lawn Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, April 23, 2021
4. Forest Lawn Cemetery
Plots of Forest Lawn showing location for those mentioned on the historical marker. A note says a veteran from every major U.S. armed conflict since The Civil War is buried here.
Judge Samuel W. Dexter image. Click for full size.
Public domain c. 1860
5. Judge Samuel W. Dexter
Donated the land for and is buried at Forest Lawn. Namesake of the City of Dexter.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on April 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 1,278 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 24, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
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Jun. 6, 2026