French Jesuit Priest May Have Oldest Recorded Burial In Michigan
The oldest recorded burial in the state of Michigan could very well be in Niles, and there are markings and memorials to back it up.
The grave belongs to a French priest named Father Claude Allouez, and the story of how he came to Southwest Michigan is pretty incredible.
He was born in France in 1622, and he lived there for almost 40 years, where he eventually became a Jesuit Priest. He was one of the most influential missionaries in New France, a territory which, at the time, what would eventually become the state of Michigan was a part of.
Born in France in 1622, Father Allouez studied at Toulouse and was ordained in 1655, setting sail for Quebec just three years later and then traveling the Great Lakes region, which is when, according to Nile's site, he made the biggest impact:
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A few years before the land grant, Father Allouez arrived in the area now known as Fort St. Joseph (now Niles) from Illinois Country with potential Miami converts. He died in 1689 and was buried near this spot, a wooden cross marking his grave site. In 1918, the Women’s Progressive League marked the site with a more permanent granite cross.
The monument, which is a 10-foot granite cross, still stands on Bond Street. While digging the footings for the cross, workers uncovered coffin nails and human bones, confirming that Father Allouez was indeed buried there.
It's crazy that the oldest recorded burial in Michigan came 150 years before Michigan was given statehood, and you can visit the grave here in Southwest Michigan.
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Gallery Credit: Lauren Gordon