Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Salem Pioneer Cemetery is a cemetery
in Salem, Oregon
, United States
.
. The earliest burials center around the Methodist
missionary pioneer David Leslie
. The Methodist Mission
was founded by the Reverend Jason Lee
in 1834. This was the first mission to the Native Americans
in the Pacific Northwest
. After the end of the mission period, settlers poured into the Willamette Valley
to take advantage of the land that was being granted due to the passage of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, brought to Congress by early pioneer Samuel R. Thurston, Oregon's first delegate.
David Leslie became Jason Lee's principal assistant. He was a leader in the movement to organize the provisional government of Oregon, and a lifelong trustee of the Methodists' Oregon Institute
, which was charted as Willamette University
by the Territorial
legislature in 1854.
In 1985, the City of Salem's Parks Division agreed to be titleholder and steward of the cemetery, mainly due to work done by the Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery. The Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery consists of a group of concerned citizens working together to raise awareness of the rich local history and to raise funds to supplement the limited public monies available to maintain this historic site.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Overview
Salem Pioneer Cemetery is one of two historic cemeteries located next to each other at the intersection of South Commercial and Hoyt streets. It is just east of City View CemeteryCity View Cemetery
City View Cemetery is a privately owned cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States that was established in 1893. Its Mount Crest Abbey Mausoleum, opened in 1914, contains the remains of seven Governors of Oregon.-History:...
. The earliest burials center around the Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
missionary pioneer David Leslie
David Leslie (Oregon politician)
Reverend David Leslie was an American missionary and pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New Hampshire, he joined Jason Lee as a missionary at the Methodist Mission in the Oregon Country in 1836. In that region he participated in the early movement to start a government and his...
. The Methodist Mission
Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
was founded by the Reverend Jason Lee
Jason Lee (missionary)
Jason Lee , an American missionary and pioneer, was born on a farm near Stanstead, Quebec. He was the first of the Oregon missionaries and helped establish the early foundation of a provisional government in the Oregon Country....
in 1834. This was the first mission to the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. After the end of the mission period, settlers poured into the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
to take advantage of the land that was being granted due to the passage of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, brought to Congress by early pioneer Samuel R. Thurston, Oregon's first delegate.
David Leslie became Jason Lee's principal assistant. He was a leader in the movement to organize the provisional government of Oregon, and a lifelong trustee of the Methodists' Oregon Institute
Oregon Institute
The Oregon Institute was a school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European-Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist Mission, it was located in what is now Salem, Oregon, United...
, which was charted as Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
by the Territorial
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
legislature in 1854.
In 1985, the City of Salem's Parks Division agreed to be titleholder and steward of the cemetery, mainly due to work done by the Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery. The Friends of the Pioneer Cemetery consists of a group of concerned citizens working together to raise awareness of the rich local history and to raise funds to supplement the limited public monies available to maintain this historic site.
Notable burials
- Captain Charles H. BennettCharles H. Bennett (soldier)Charles H. Bennett was present at the discovery of gold that initiated the California gold rush in January 1848. Earlier he served in the United States Army and was captain of a militia unit of the Provisional Government of Oregon...
(1811–1855) plot #106 - Tabitha M. Brown (1780–1858) plot #44
- Asahel BushAsahel BushAsahel Bush was an American newspaper publisher and businessman in Salem, Oregon. As publisher the Oregon Statesman newspaper, he moved the paper to Salem when the territorial capital moved to that city...
(1824–1913) plot #66 - Governor John Pollard GainesJohn P. GainesJohn Pollard Gaines was a U.S. military and political figure. He was a Whig member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Kentucky from 1847 to 1849, and he served as Governor of the Oregon Territory from 1850 to 1853, stepping down after a turbulent term in office.-Early...
(1795–1857) plot #56 - Alonzo GesnerAlonzo GesnerAlonzo Gesner was an American land surveyor, Indian agent, and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he immigrated as a boy to the Oregon Country with is family where he became a deputy surveyor for the United States government...
(1842–1912) plot #549 - Hiram Gorman (c. 1835-1888) plot #184
- Rev. Lewis H. Judson (1809–1880) plot #306
- Thomas Lister Kay (1837–1900) plot #421
- Augustus C. KinneyAugustus C. KinneyAugustus Crouch Kinney was an American physician and scientist in the state of Oregon. A native of Iowa, his family moved to Oregon Country when he was an infant where he was raised and started his medical career...
(1845–1908) plot #603 - Robert Crouch KinneyRobert Crouch KinneyRobert Crouch Kinney was an American businessman and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he helped found Muscatine, Iowa, before crossing the Oregon Trail and settling in what became Oregon...
(1813–1875) plot #588 - David LeslieDavid Leslie (Oregon politician)Reverend David Leslie was an American missionary and pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New Hampshire, he joined Jason Lee as a missionary at the Methodist Mission in the Oregon Country in 1836. In that region he participated in the early movement to start a government and his...
(1797–1869) plot #135 - John McCourtJohn McCourtJohn McCourt was an American attorney and jurist in the state of Oregon. He served as the 51st Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Prior to joinng the court, McCourt had worked as United States District Attorney for the District of Oregon...
(1874–1924) plot #200 - Isaac R. MooresIsaac R. MooresCol. Isaac R. Moores was an American soldier and politician in Illinois and Oregon. A native of Kentucky, he would serve in the Seminole War and the Black Hawk War before immigrating to the Oregon Territory. In Oregon, Moores served in the Territorial Legislature and at the Oregon Constitutional...
(1796–1861) plot #9 - Isaac R. Moores, Jr.Isaac R. Moores, Jr.Isaac Ross Moores, Jr. was an American businessman and politician in the state of Oregon. The son of Isaac R. Moores, he was born in Illinois and moved to the Oregon Territory in 1852. In Oregon, he would serve in the Oregon House of Representatives, including as Speaker of that body.-Early...
(1831–1884) plot #18 - John H. MooresJohn H. MooresJohn Henry Moores was an American businessman and politician in the state of Oregon. The son of Isaac R. Moores, he was born in Alabama and moved to the Oregon Territory in 1852. In Oregon, he would serve in the Oregon State Senate and as the mayor of Salem.-Early life:John Henry Moores was born...
(1821–1880) plot #19 - George K. ShielGeorge K. ShielGeorge Knox Shiel was a Democratic U.S. congressman from Oregon.-Early life:Born in Ireland in 1825, Shiel immigrated to the United States and settled in New Orleans. He moved to Ohio where he was admitted to the bar and began a law practice. He moved to Salem, Oregon in 1854 and continued his law...
(1825–1893) plot #136 - Samuel R. Thurston (1815–1851) plot #076
- Dr. William Holden WillsonWilliam H. WillsonWilliam Holden Willson was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon and the founder of its capital city, Salem. A native of New Hampshire, he immigrated to the Oregon Country in 1837 to work at the Methodist Mission, and there would participate in the Champoeg Meetings...
(1805–1856)