You would think looking at death certificates would be a dark subject, but Glen Lake's 8th graders today eally got into it. We learned about some good long lives and far too many short ones.

The first man buried at the Glen Arbor Cemetery in 1879 perished in the shipwreck of a small vessel.

The last person was buried there in 1927. That was John Trumbull, of Trumbull Road fame. He died in that big beautiful farmhouse at the top of the hill as you leave the Foothills Motel behind on 675. The students were shocked that he died at home.

They were shocked that babies were not born in hospitals.

We found a 7 year old boy who drowned. The certificate noted his occupation as "scholar." They didn't know what a scholar was. now they know that they are all scholars, too. The boy's grave, like most of these which had wooden markers or crosses, is unmarked now; we don't know where it is because there are no cemetery records.

We found immigrants from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. One student found a woman whose maiden name was the same as his mother's family. Are they related?

There was a murder when a man caught his wife coming out of the woods with his male cousin; a suicide, and four Civil War veterans, one of whom lived 40 years longer and died felling trees for DH Day.

There were far too many stillborns and one old man who had had 11 children; only five were living when he died.

The tragedy here is that these graves for the most part are unmarked, and the records have been lost or misplaced. Through the efforts of local historian Andrew White, we have the beginning of a paper trail, but much research must be done before we can say we know who is buried at the Glen Arbor Cemetery. Thirteen tombstones, but at least 38 graves, and counting.

I presented a slideshow about the cemetery to the kids last Monday. I think I'll put some of this information together for a presentation I can make to women's clubs and rotary clubs and loval senior groups. What do you think?