Cemeteries & Burial Records
The cemeteries of Hubbardston — final resting places of the Irish founders, their descendants, and generations of community members.
St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery
The primary burial ground for Hubbardston's Irish Catholic community, St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery is located near the church complex on South Washington Avenue.
History
The cemetery was consecrated in 1884. The land was donated by five founding Irish families: Roach, Welch, Hogan, Cahalan, and Connell — the same families who built the church and anchored the community.
The oldest burials in the current cemetery date from 1875 — these were bodies moved from the original Catholic cemetery located approximately one mile west, at the site of the first 1857 church on Section 11. The original cemetery had been in use since the 1850s.
What the Gravestones Tell Us
The headstones at St. John the Baptist Cemetery are primary sources for understanding Hubbardston's Irish heritage. Many inscriptions include:
- County of origin in Ireland — the McKenna headstone, for example, cites "County Monaghan" for the father and "County Wexford" for the mother
- Birth and death dates spanning from the early 1800s (born in Ireland) to the present
- Family relationships revealing the tight intermarriage patterns of the Irish community
- Gaelic inscriptions on some markers
Father Fox Shrine
At the cemetery entrance stands a shrine honoring Father Eugene R. Fox, who served St. John's parish from 1938 to 1986 — nearly half a century. The shrine is a testament to the deep bond between pastor and community.
Michigan Historical Marker
The Michigan Historical Commission marker at the church site specifically references the cemetery, noting that it "contains the graves of the Irish founders of the parish and their descendants."
The Original Cemetery (1850s–1884)
Before the current cemetery was established, burials took place on John Cowman's hilltop meadow on Section 11, near the first church. This original cemetery was used from the 1850s until 1884, when burials were moved to the new site near the village church.
The original cemetery site — now on private farmland — is one of the oldest European burial grounds in the Hubbardston area.
Township Cemeteries
In addition to the Catholic cemetery, North Plains Township has several township and family cemeteries that pre-date the Catholic community. These cemeteries contain burials from the earliest (non-Irish) settlers of the 1830s and 1840s.
Researching Burial Records
For genealogical research:
- Find A Grave has photographed and indexed many headstones at St. John the Baptist Cemetery
- Diocese of Grand Rapids Archives holds parish burial records from 1855 onward
- Ionia County death records are available through the county clerk and state archives
- Township cemetery records may be held by the North Plains Township clerk
The cemeteries of Hubbardston are more than burial grounds — they are a genealogical archive written in stone, connecting the present community to the Irish immigrants who founded it.