Hello, I am interested in the cemeteries in the small Town of Ayer (MA), and the 2 cemeteries I have visited turn out to be not municipal cemeteries. Town Hall has said that the 2 cemeteries across the street from each other are controlled by 2 different churches. One is by St. Mary's, and, if I understood correctly, the "Woodlawn Cemetery" where a HUTCHINSON is born is run by a "federated? church." I was wondering if anyone knew more information about this. I just looked for a brief history of Ayer, and found out that up until ~1870, it was part of Groton. So, it seems that people living in Groton, but in the part which became Ayer, might be buried in Groton. (There are no municipal cemeteries in Ayer.) FYI: Ayer's history dates back to 1667 when the first mill, used to grind corn in the agricultural community, was built. Originally part of the town of Groton, Ayer was incorporated in 1871 and named in honor of Dr. James Cook Ayer, a prominent resident of Lowell who provided the funding for the construction of Town Hall (1873-76). The Town's growth was influenced by a period of rapid development of railroad transportation during the mid 19th century. Though only 9.5 square miles in area the Town became a major junction for both east-west and north-south rail lines, and developed into an important commercial center. During the Civil War an army training camp, Camp Stevens, was located near the Nashua River. Camp Devens, which eventually became Fort Devens, was established at the onset of World War I. The presence of thousands of military and civilian personnel on the base shifted Ayer's commercial development towards meeting their needs until Fort Devens was closed in 1994. http://www.ayer.ma.us/index.html Ayer is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Originally part of Groton, it was incorporated in 1871 and became a major commercial railroad junction. The town was home to Fort Devens, an army camp established in the Civil War, until its closure in 1994. The population was 7,287 at the 2000 census. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayer,_Massachusetts ... As you see, the history of "Fort Devens" in MA is also a history of Ayer. I didn't realize that "Camp Devens" was initially an "Army training camp" during the Civil War ! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Devens,_Massachusetts How many have a parent or grandparent, etc., who lived at "Fort Devens?" (Now no longer an Army facility, I believe.) Betty (near Lowell, MA)