The Friends of Potter Cemetery Association is a non-profit group, incorporated in the State of Michigan. Our sole purpose is to renovate Potter Cemetery located at Labo and Swan Creek Rds., Ash Township, Monroe County, Michigan, however the cemetery is landlocked and surrounding landowners refuse to allow us entrance to the cemetery.

In June 1860, Royal L. Potter and his wife Mary Ann Chapman Potter of Ash Township, Monroe County, Michigan deeded about 1/2 acre to the Trustees of Swan Creek Cemetery Company for the purposes of a public burying ground. At the same time John D. Flint and his wife Margaret Robertson Flint, also of Ash Township, Monroe County, Michigan, deeded another 1/2 acre to the Trustees of Swan Creek Cemetery company for the same purposes. These deeds were recorded on February 29, 1864 in Monroe county. The Potter 1/2 acre makes up the west half and the Flint 1/2 acre makes up the east half of what is known today as Potter Cemetery.

The cemetery is located east of Swan Creek Road and just west of Interstate 75. It is bounded on the south by Labo Road and on the north by Sigler Road. Today it is landlocked and access is refused by the surrounding landowners. To date, no recorded easement has been found.

In 1860 when Royal Potter deeded his 1/2 acre he and his family lived on Swan Creek Road. Access to the cemetery was either through the back of the Potter farm, over Swan Creek and through the field or on the east side along the "farmer's lane" between the woods and the fields. Prior to the official deeding of the cemetery, burials had already taken place. Roswell Flint, the father of John D. Flint, was the first burial, having died April 9, 1847. Roswell Flint was the original land owner of the east side, having taken out a patent on the land in 1834. Royal Potter's father, Arvin W. Potter, took out his patent on the west side in 1833. The second to be buried was Rosella M. Potter, first wife of Royal and was in February 1849. In all there were eleven burials before the property was deeded in 1860. The last known burial was in July 1930.

The current list of burials has 79 names on it. This includes six Civil War veterans. There is also a marker in the cemetery for Royal Potter even though he died in Libby Prison and his remains were never recovered. Despite the list having only 79 names there could be as many as 200 people buried there.

The cemetery was apparently taken care of until the early 1940's. After that it is unclear what happened to it but no one took responsibility for it and years of neglect set in. In 1982 descendants of the Potter and Chapin families returned to the cemetery to find it in very bad condition, overgrown with trees, weeds and vines. Being that it was so overwhelming nothing was done.

In 1998 another generation came along. Mark Armbruster, the great, great nephew of Royal Potter, along with his girlfriend Shelly Hamilton, rediscovered Potter Cemetery. Mark had remembered hearing about it from his mother and aunts and went searching. He found it in deplorable condition, even more overtaken by trees, weeds and vines. Stones were knocked over, some even broken. Mark very much wanted to clean it up, to restore and preserve this final resting place of his ancestors and the others buried there.

After talking to family members and others it was decided to form Friends of Potter Cemetery Association in November 1998. The group is incorporated in the State of Michigan and began as descendants of the Potter and Chapin families. However, through flyers, the newspaper, word of mouth, the group has grown to include descendants of the Rousson, Manor, Chapman, Kemnitz, Neidermeier, Southworth and LaBeau families as well as a few friends and interested people.

The group has had nine work days before access was cut-off completely. Trees, vines and weeds have been cut down but without easy access it's been difficult to haul much away. With the use of probes nineteen headstones have been found under the ground. Another headstone remains outside of the cemetery in the woods. Headstones have been cleaned and uprighted but still need professional remounting. Flags have been placed for the Civil War veterans whose graves have been found. Remnants of the original fence on the south and east sides have been found. The group hopes to be able to get a new fence.

According to the cemetery commissioner in Lansing, Michigan, the record shows Potter Cemetery as inactive and abandoned, ownership unknown. It did not, in 1968 when a survey of cemeteries in Michigan was done, revert to the state, the county or the township. The group has sought information from various sources, all to no avail. However, Ash Township has supported the clean up effort as has the Monroe County Historical Commission. Also supporting the endeavor has been Dr. Guy Woodward, the great grandson of Royal Potter.

The group is continuing to search for other descendants, especially those of the Tear, Bulger, Cackett, Post, Hawley, Griffy, Colburn, Shippee, Ward, Mattison and McKenzie families and is also seeking information about who the original Trustees of Swan Creek Cemetery Company were or their successors. Annual membership is available for $10.00. A legal fund has been established to earmark funds for the eventual court costs the association will incur when it seeks ownership of the cemetery. All donations will be gratefully accepted. Interested persons may reach the association by calling Sue Donovan at (734) 675-5162 or Mark Armbruster at (734) 261-6108. You may also write to Friends of Potter Cemetery Association at 30066 Marr, Gibraltar, Michigan 48173-9426.