Elmwood was given to the city of Holyoke in 1955. It is a very old cemetery with its oldest burial being from 1755.
- Private GROUP TOUR (COSTS) is one hour long for this Elmwood Cemetery walking tour. Also a one hour indoor presentation can be given.
- A free public tour comes up every five years.
- A self-tour is available for anyone using the maps and text seen below. – LOCATION
stop 1 – Lawson Long
Lawson Long (FINDAGRAVE) is the first medical doctor of Holyoke. He opened office on Nov 15 1847 on Race Street. In the summer and fall of 1849, the Patch section of the Hadley Falls area of Ireland Parish was hit by Asiatic cholera. Drought hit during the summer of 1849 and instead of drinking rainwater from buckets, people were drinking from the Connecticut River. Coffer dams had stopped the water. Cholera was not understood at that point. The water had developed the cholera and the people were drinking it. 1200 Irish immigrants were living in the Patch. 300 of them would die here in that year. (One family of 8 were all alive on Monday and all dead by Saturday. They were buried in the only Catholic cemetery in Western Massachusetts – Saint Matthew’s Cemetery in Springfield – where an enormous potter’s field was started.
stop 2 – Thomas Rand
Thomas Rand (FINDAGRAVE) was one of the many ministers of the First Baptist Church in Holyoke. He also started a school in 1805 on Back Street for the religious community – it was called the Baptist Seminary. Today Back Street is Homestead Avenue. The school was moved to where the Blessed Sacrament Church is now.
stop 3 – Bushman Fuller
Bushman Fuller (FINDAGRAVE) was an Afro-American that bought his own freedom from his master. He also bought the freedom of a woman named Flora Perry and then married her. He is buried in the southeast corner of the cemetery. The stone for his daughter-in-law is still here but his other family members have lost their stones to erosion. He most likely was buried off to the side of this cemetery due to his race.
The clip above is from page 10 of the book In Memory of Susan Freedom from Bob Drinkwater published in 2020.
Bushman Fuller lived at 540 Homestead Avenue. The house is from about 1771.
stop 4 – Eunice Day
Eunice Day was the mother of 11 children with Joel Day. Joel and Eunice are first cousins with the same last name Day. Joel and 5 of the sons fought in the Revolutionary War. Robert died (August 27 1777) and is buried in Ticonderoga New York. He was not a soldier but rather was bringing supplies and food to the fort with a group. He was ambushed and killed. Edward died that same year of 1777 while in Troy New York. He was hurt in a skirmish and died a few days later of an illness (October 25). The Daughters of the American Revolution chapter in Holyoke called themselves the Eunice Day Chapter. If existed from October 21 1922 (chartered February 12 1923) to the 1980s. It merged with the South Hadley chapter in the 1990s and was called the Dolly Woodbridge – Eunice Day Chapter.
| name | born | died | burial | |
| father | Joel Day | Elmwood | ||
| mother | Eunice Day | Elmwood | ||
| 1st | Joel Day | 1751 | 1830 | Elmwood |
| 2nd | Tryphena Day | 1753 | 1803 | Ashley in West Springfield |
| 3rd | Jedediah Day | 1755 | 1839 | Elmwood |
| 4th | Edward Day | 1759 | 1777 | Elmwood |
| 5th | Eli Day | 1761 | 1833 | Smiths Ferry in Holyoke |
| 6th | Robert Day | 1764 | 1777 | Elmwood |
| 7th | James Day | 1768 | 1841 | North Cemetery in Gill |
| 8th | Alexander Day | 1769 | 1848 | Elmwood |
| 9th | Eunice Day | 1770 | 1844 | Elmwood |
| 10th | Lucy Day | 1774 | 1842 | Elmwood |
stop 5 – Nathaniel Parks
Nathaniel Parks (FINDAGRAVE) was accidently shot in the head by Luther Frink while out hunting. Parks was wearing a raccoon hat while in a small hole. Frink mistook his hat for a live animal. Frink is also buried within this cemetery.
Hope that you enjoy you stay in the Elmwood Cemetery. Wander around here and also visit the Calvary Cemetery that adjoins this cemetery.