Lake Ridge Cemetery in Macon, Lenawee County, Michigan is facing an emergency. As a descendent of many of those buried in this cemetery, including my 4X great grandmother, Sarah (Morfey, Maynard) Kenward (1783-1856) who came to America from England in 1831 with her second husband and their blended family, I am invested in the outcome of the care that my ancestors receive.

Lake Ridge Cemetery originated with early burials around 1833 to 1837 (the earliest documented burial was Elizabeth Stewart in 1837), and it was officially incorporated via deed and formation of an association board on October 30, 1855.

In 1906, the Macon Township board passed an early, stand-alone vote to allocate public funds towards the upkeep of Lake Ridge, however, this did not result in immediate and permanent control by the township.

Nine years later, in 1915 Macon Township officially assumed responsible care of the cemetery and provided grounds care and maintenance through 2023.

Although Macon Township maintained Lake Ridge Cemetery from 1915 through 2023 through the use of public funds, the township board determined in 2023 that it was no longer responsible for its upkeep. After 108 years of maintaining the cemetery, the board voted to reclassify it as ‘private’ and, therefore, outside of the township’s obligation. It should be noted, however, that under Michigan law, Lake Ridge does not meet the definition of a private cemetery. To date, efforts to reverse this decision has fallen on deaf ears.

I have been an avid genealogy researcher since 2011 and have had the good fortune that my paternal ancestors resided in Lenawee County since the mid 1800’s. I live in Monroe County, adjacent to Lenawee County, and often make trips to visit the libraries, historical museums, and cemeteries to honor and remember and learn about my people.

Not only are these people my family, they are, as a whole, the past residents of Lenawee County, caretakers of farms, cultivators of the land, members of the communities and times in which they lived. They deserve to be remembered and cared for as they have for 108 years by the township.

I’ve walked enough cemeteries throughout the country to know that it takes very little time for a cemetery to collapse into obscurity. Without regular attention and preservation, resurrecting headstones and caring for the burial land sometime in the future once it’s been neglected might prove to be an impossible task. Historically, Lake Ridge, like many cemeteries, has had it’s share of vandalism. Without intervention by the township, local history could be destroyed and lost forever. I think the former citizens of Lenawee County that are buried in Lake Ridge deserve better.

Mary Tommelein from the Lake Ridge Preservation group is relentlessly pursuing a resolution where Macon Township will continue to be the caretakers for the cemetery as they have since 1915. From the Lake Ridge Preservation Facebook page July 2026:

“In commemoration of America’s 250th Birthday might we reflect on the past and what the men and women buried in Lake Ridge have done for the township of Macon. Farmers, leaders and homesteaders and veterans of two wars. The cemetery originated in 1833. The township deemed it important enough to provide care from 1915-2023. During WW1, WW2, Korean Conflict and every war since. The tax payers provided $50 a year during the Great Depression to be sure ancestors were honored.

The Macon Township trustees meet on Monday, July 6 at 7 pm. They have rejected the petition signed by residents and descendants. They also have declined our request to form an ADHOC committee of residents, trustee representatives and descendants to seek a solution as well as our proposal for a Quit Claim Deed. If you have interest in this cemetery you can certainly attend as it is the right of any American citizen to attend a public meeting and speak in public.”

Mr. Ashley Chase, former Tecumseh historian, passed away last year. He was my father’s first cousin and my second cousin and was invaluable in helping me with my research. Before he passed, he and I discussed this situation many times and he was always perplexed as to why the township would take this stance and questioned the legality of it.

I am baffled as well.