Historical cemetery tour rescheduled

The Marquette Regional History Center hosts cemetery tours each year, and this year the center decided to focus on some of Marquette’s first residents.

One tour of Holy Cross Cemetery allows people to see the burial place of many of the early settlers of Marquette, mostly the French Canadians, Italians and other members of the Roman Catholic Church.

“We’re able to share the stories about some school teachers that lived in Marquette that were Irish women, the Paveglio family who were carvers and carved up a lot of the monuments that you see here, and also the Vierling family who built a very large mausoleum here,” Rosemary Michelin, Head Librarian at the Longyear Library in the MRHC said.

Michelin said cemetery tours are popular because there is a resurgence of people learning their genealogy.

“Everybody’s interested in learning about their ancestors and telling stories,” she said.  “So hopefully they’ll learn some things and also gain some tips on how to gather information themselves, and where they can go to find information.”

“A cemetery is a great place to look up the history of a family.”

Since storms rolled through the area last Thursday just as the tour got underway, the tour has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Marquette.

There is no charge for the tour, but a $5 donation is suggested.

For more information, contact the Marquette Regional History Center at (906) 226-3571, or visit their website, marquettehistory.org.