Serving all faiths and families since 1847

Welcome

As a 501(c)(13) non-profit cemetery, we have a tight budget, and some recent storms have really been hard on our internal roads. They have been failing over the years, and the storms in July 2024 really took a toll on them, washing out many of them. The cost to repair them is more than we can possibly handle. We are asking for any and all help in raising funds to get the roads fixed or replaced. Please help if you can. All donations are tax deductible.

Cedar Bluff Cemetery is located on the city’s east side at the intersection of Longwood and Rural Streets. It is one of Rockford’s oldest cemeteries, established in February of 1847.

Formerly known as the East Side Cemetery, it was renamed Cedar Bluff at the suggestion of Dr. Josiah Goodhue.

 
Cedar Bluff is tree-lined with ornate tombstones and rolling hills. People here have just as rich histories. Some of Rockford’s founding families were laid to rest here. Isaac Wilson, one of Rockford’s first African-American businessmen, is buried here. The Spafford family is interred here, including Carrie Spafford Brett, who was engaged to Elmer Ellsworth, the first Union Officer killed in the Civil War. Some claim that she can still be seen here, dressed in her black mourning clothing, sobbing over the graves of her family.
Emma Jones and her husband Frank have their graves here. Frank owned a transportation company, and Emma kept house in their very unique home on First Street. The story of Emma and her sad decline is one of Rockford’s most enduring ghost stories.

There are soldiers here, including George Whitmore, a veteran from the Spanish-American War, and Azor Goodwin, who lived through the Civil War and returned to Rockford to serve the community as a doctor. Grant Damon and Alexander Folz, two young soldiers killed in World War I, are also here, along with countless others.

Other, less well-known people, but still an important part of Rockford’s history, were also laid to rest here. 14-year-old Barbara Hamilton lies in a tomb built by her grieving father, H.H. Hamilton. There is a legend surrounding this little girl. It seems she loved horses, and when her beloved horse passed away, rumor has it that the family buried it here on this hillside so that it could be close to Barbara. Psychics visiting the area in Cedar Bluff have been confused and startled to see a horse running through the cemetery.

Cedar Bluff Cemetery continues to operate to this day, averaging 70-100 burials per year, and provides burials at a lower cost than other local cemeteries.

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