Cass County MI Archives Cemeteries.....Mt. Zion Cemetery - Partial Survey More to Come
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Marshall H. Sanders, Jr. sanmarjr@sbcglobal.net and Maurice  W. Sanders mauricews@att.net May 13, 2006, 5:24 pm

Abstracted By: Marshall H. Sanders, Jr.

       A History of Mt Zion AME Church and Cemetery

Mt. Zion Cemetery is located in rural Cass County, Calvin 
Township at the intersection of Mt. Zion and Kessington 
Rds. 

Directions from I94:
1. Take exit 74 south. Take Hwy 131 south 23 miles.
2. Take Hwy M60 west thru Vandalia to Calvin Center Rd.  
3. Take Calvin Center Rd. south 5 miles to Mt. Zion Rd.
4. Take Mt. Zion Rd east 2 miles to intersection of 
Kessington Rd. 

Lat: N 41 50.499
Lon: W 85 53.850

Mt Zion Church was organized in 1849 by Matthew T. Newsom. 
Meetings were first held in private homes.  In 1850, 1.5 
acres of land was purchased by Hardy Wade.  A 12'X16'log 
church was erected on part of the land and the remainder 
was used for the cemetery.  

In 1854 a larger building was constructed which measured 
30' X 40'. The trustees were Richard Woods, Benjamine 
Hawley, Lemuel Archer, Lawson Howell, William Scott and 
Joseph Allen.  

The two churches were built by a group of African American 
pioneers, some of who migrated from Northampton, County 
NC, to Logan County OH and finally to Cass County, MI and 
settled in Porter Township and Calvin Township. 

The charter members of the church include Joseph and 
Rececca Allen, William and Winne Anderson Allen, Fannie 
Allen, Bennett Allen, John H. Anderson and Rachel Allen.

In 1882 the congregation numbered 200 and the church 
property including a parsonage in Calvin Center, MI was 
valued at $3000. 

Mt Zion was referred to as the mother church of the 
county.  Churches in Volinia, Calvin Center, Cassopolis 
and Dowagiac were organized later.

Mt Zion Church now lies vacant, abandoned and surrounded 
by trees.  

The cemetery has no sign to mark its presence or 
entrance.  The cemetery is maintained by Calvin 
Township.   

The conditon of the markers range from very good to broken 
and unreadable.  A number of markers are missing and 
several markers were found face down buried at the edge of 
the woods.  The surrounding woodland has engulfed a number 
of upright markers. 

Every attempt has been made to provide a digital photo of 
each marker.

Last Name     First Name    Middle Name   Birth        Death        Comment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVINS         Sarah         C                          20 Feb 188?  ae 86y ?m 20d, wife of M. H. Evins
GRADY         Melvin                      1866         19??         s/w Rachel Grady
GRADY         Rachel                      1873         1944         s/w Melvin Grady
BYRD          Elisha                      1871         1938         
MULLINS       Donna         A             29 Jun 1933  22 Sep 1994  



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