The Baird Cemetery was originally located in southern Milan, TN, but the cemetery stones were lost. However, they were rediscovered, having been moved and reburied a short distance from the original location.
The stones were moved to Oakwood Cemetery in Milan and are located to the left of the main gate. They look oddly out-of-place in this fairly new part of the cemetery (of course they are).
I documented the tombstones while at their current location at Oakwood. Remember that no one is actually buried under these stones. This is just a memorial to those buried at the Baird Cemetery.
In front of the stones, there is a fairly new stone reading: "In Memory of the John Baird Family and Cemetery"
JONES, Wm. T. b. _____, d. Oct. 24, 1851 4 yr's 8 days
JONES, Jamima A. b. _____, d. Mar. 19, 1864 Wife of J.W. Age 42 ys. 11 ms. 16 d's
BAIRD Chas C. b. Jan. 20, 1825, d. April 24, 1861
BAIRD, John b. _____, d. Sep. 13, 1851 Aged about 70 yrs.
JONES, James b. _____, d. Sept. 23, 1849 1 Mo & 20 days
McFARLAN, Mary E. b. _____, d. Jan. 3, 1868 Wife of J. W. Aged 25 yrs. 1 mo. 9 das.
Stone inscribed "J.A.J." (probably for Jamima A. Jones above)
BAIRD, Elizabeth b. Aug. 13, 1814, d. May 7, 1858 Wife of
Wilson (Stone broken)
GOODRICH, Nancy b. May 1, 1825, d. Mar. 4, 1906 Wife of G.
GOODRICH, G. b. Feb. 28, 1824, d. Sept. 21, 1910
Illegible stone. I checked with Jere Cox and he had older transcriptions listing it as:
STEWART, Seth b. Jan./June 6, 1844, d. May 7, 1871
BURK, John b. _____, d. June 8, 1858
BAIRD, Donymoo or Donymud???? b. Aug. 4, 1872, d. Aug. 20, 1872 (Name very hard to read) Son of W.T. & M.G.
Stone inscribed "M.C.B."
Stone inscribed "N.F.B."
BAIRD, Mary Jemima no dates (Wm. Elam reports a dob as July 9, 1846)
BAIRD, Frances Malisa b. Aug. 31, 1856, d. May 13, 1870 Daughter of Wilson & Elizabeth 13 yrs. 8 m's 12 d'sBAIRD, John Wilson no dates
BARID, Sarah Emaline no dates
One stone Jere had that I didn't see was:
COLDWELL, Malicy b. Sept. 5, 1856, d. Mar. 10, 1884
The Destruction of Baird Cemetery
contributed by Adam McCartney
John Baird and his family moved to Milan, Tennessee, from the Middle Tennessee area of Wilson County in the 1830s. He procured a large area of land in what is now southern Milan. On this plot of land, John Baird was laid to rest upon his September 1851 death. Many other members of his family were buried afterwards. It is reported that the latest burial took place in 1940.
After the last burial, the cemetery was allowed to fall into ruin, or at least to some extent, became unkempt. It was overgrown with weeds and no one kept the grass mowed. Then, the land, which was designated “forever” to be a cemetery, was somehow sold (in dubious legal terms) and the owner constructed a home on the hill just on the north side of the cemetery. It was reported that the land owner had Halloween Parties at his home because “they had a cemetery.”
At some point a few years later (in the late 1960s), this homeowner decided he wanted an in-ground swimming pool installed in his backyard. Without regard for the sanctity of the cemetery, the headstones were cast over the fence into the remainder of the cemetery and the digging ensued. While residents looked on in horror at pieces of tombstones and what they assumed to be caskets, legal action couldn’t be taken in a timely manner. So part of the cemetery was literally excavated for leisurely purposes. And that was that.
However, the remainder of the cemetery stayed a few more years in disrepair behind his property until a developer decided to “purchase” the remaining land and build his own home on it. This was on the south side of the cemetery.
Members of the Baird Family sprang into action, demanding an injunction to immediately halt the further degrading of the hallowed ground. However, the damage was done swiftly and with that, a century-and-a-half worth of history was decimated. The remaining headstones were removed and taken to Oakwood Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Milan, and were placed northeast of the main entrance on U.S. Highway 45E with a simple stone placed in front reading,
“In Memory of The John Baird Family and Cemetery.”
