Rock Creek Cemetery, Baker County, Oregon

As the story on Haines Area History continues we recall the beginnings of the Haines and Rock Creek Cemetery's.

"Known all men", "Forever quick claim", these are some of the fancy words on the deed drawn up, three days of June 1895 to purchase a School District. The parcel of land runs about 800 feet along the Rock Creek road east of the School House. I. H. Ingram prepared the deed as the Oregon Notary Public of Oregon, county of Baker. signing as trustees of the new Cemetery were Henry K. Fisher, Alonzo Long, Joseph Savage, Samuel Hearing, L. S. Pobst, F. O. Anderson, Ellen Anderson, H. P. Fisher, M. A. Savgae, Julia A. Long, Annie Pobst and S. J. Hearing. It is believed the site was just to swampy for a good cemetery. At the funeral of Chas. Ashwood's first wife, the ground was so wet, the coffin was floating and would not stay down, to they had to pile rocks on it to keep it in place.

James Oliver Maxwell was in attendance and he thought "good night this is terrible". and so he went looking for a better spot.

Ed Coles and his two sisters owned the land South of the Cemetery Hill and east of the railroad tracks, and on it was a bone dry hill covered with rocks and sage brush. For the sum of fifty dollars James Oliver Maxwell bought the premises to with 800' by 250' over looking the Power River. Elmer F. Hill and wife Florence Coles Hill, Edward W. Coles and wife Ollie and John Richmond and wife Sara (Coles) sold the parcel of land to Mr. Maxwell to be used only as a cemetery (forever). This became known as the Maxwell Cemetery.

When Mr. Maxwell died (approx 1916) the cemetery passed on to his ten children. Other cemetery's started to fix up their grounds with grass and trees, and the area residents started asking the Maxwell's to clear off the sage brush and rocks to make the Cemetery nice. Glen and Omer started to yank the sage brush and finally turned the land over to the Haines Cemetery Board so they could hire a caretaker to take care of the facilities. All of Mr. Maxwell's children were living and each had to sign the deed.

The Rock Creek Cemetery ceased to be used and many graves were opened and contents moved to the Haines Cemetery. Late one of the caretakers of the Rock Creek Cemetery burned off the dead grass and accidentally burned most if not all of the old wooden markers. Only those with granite markers or stones survived, but local residents were able to locate some of the pioneer grave sites and remarked them. One such was a pioneer grave belonging to George S. Miller, better known as Butcher Knife Miller, Mountain Man and as he married Minerva Creighbaum in 1865, was related to many families in this area.
Record Courier, Used with permission

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LAST	First	Middle	Maiden	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Notations
ANDERSON	Melvin	A.	.	1895Apr 03	1895 Nov. 03	Son Of Frank O. and Ellen
ASHWOOD	Elizabeth	.	.	1823 Feb 14	1911 Nov 05	.
ASHWOOD	James	.	.	1820 July 20	1886 Mar 18	G. A. R. By A Pine Tree
B FZL 80	.	.	.	.	.	West & Co. Marker Not Readable
BLIZE	Pearl	J.	.	1889	1890 May 04	Aged 1 Year 4 Mo. Daughter Of Wm. & M. L. Blize
BLIZE	William	John	.	1853	1890 July 17	Aged 37 Years 5 Mo 2 Days
BRAIZER	Arthur	.	.	1895	1895 Sept 10	Age 10 Days Old
BRAIZER	William	.	.	1888	1888 Feb 12	Age 3 Days Old
BROWN	Charles	Henry	.	1851 May 12	1895 Nov 12	A.O.U.W. Born In Iowa Co., Wisconsin
BROWN	Wade	G	.	1956 July 31	2000 Mar 22	.
BURNSIDE	Bessie	M.	.	1909 Dec 04	1910 Jan 03	Dau. Of J. E. Burnside. No Marker, Funeral Record
BURNSIDE	George	.	.	1908 Jan 20	1908 Jan 27	Son Of Isaac Burnside. No Marker Funeral Record
BURNSIDE	Jno	Co.C	.	.	1892	6 Mo. Cav Date Scratched On Marker, Difficult To Read And Understand Marker
CARTMILL	Rosa	.	.	.	1899 July13	Aged 12 Years 3 Mo. 13 Days, Daughter Of D. M. & Alice Carmill
CLARK	T	G	.	.	1903 Dec 26	Aged 24 Yrs 8 Mo 11 Days
COLE	Solomon	.	.	1831	1890 Jan 17	Aged 59 Yrs
COLES (2)	Elizabeth	.	Spearman	1868 Dec 04	1917 Dec 19	.
COLES	Lydia	.	Weisner	1842 Nov 01	1917 Feb 20	.
COLES	May	.	.	.	.	Twin Of Ray, Babies Of Clarence & Elizabeth Coles
COLES	Ray	.	.	.	.	Twin Of May, One Stone Marker For Both Babies
COLLINS	Mary	E.	.	.	1899 July 17	Aged 30 Years 7 Mo.
DETHLOFF	William	J.	.	1923 Feb 07	1998 Nov 03	Veteran
FAVORITE	Dayton	.	.	1837 July 17	1893 Mar 27	.
FAVORITE	Martha	Melissa	Coyle	1842 Apr 16	1917 Apr 29	.
FERGUSON	Anna	Eliza	Naylor	1827 Dec 14	1921 Jan 21	Burnside Was Her First Marriage
FERGUSON	Stephens	.	.	1823 Aug O6	1921 Jan 24	Marker Has 'S' On End Of Stephen
FISHER	Ben	.	.	.	1898 Oct 11	Aged 2 Yr…no Marker Found. Funeral Records
FISHER	Benny	.	.	.	1900 May 07	Aged 17 Yr….No Marker Found..Funeral Records, Ordered By Henry Fisher
FISHER	Ira	Alonzo	.	.	.	South Of The Big Tree No Marker
FISHER	Rosa	May	.	.	.	Born In May-No Marker
FLAT	.	.	.	.	.	Granite Stone-No Marks.
STONE	Roland	P	.	1861 Aug 13	1890 Sep 19	.
GREEN	Joseph	E.	.	1876	1890 Aug 25	Aged 14 Year 6 Mo. 5 Day Killed At Railroad Crossing-Team Ran, Son Of W. A. & E. L. Green
GREEN	Lillie	May	..	1882	1883 Jan 25	Aged 7 Mo. 28 Days, Daughter Of W. A. & E. L. Green
GREEN	Nathaniel	.	..	1888	1888 Aug 09	Aged 4 Mo. 1 Day, Son Of W. A. & E. L. Green
HALL	Wm.	Lester	.	1916 Jan 22	1916 Apr 16	Aged 2 Months Old
HARDY	Mable?	.	.	.	.	Cement Hand Made Marker/Warfield, Relative..Unable To Read First Name
HEARD	Maud	F.	.	1892 June 07	1894 July 09	Daughter Of F. S. & L. Heard
HEARING	Geo.	Allen	.	1873	1879 June 03	Aged 6 Years 5 Mo.. Son Of S. P. & S. J. Hearing
HEARING	Henry	Thomas	.	1875	1876 Mar 01	Aged 1 Year 10 Days, Son Of S. P. & S. J. Hearing
HEARING	Infant	.	.	.	.	Daughter Of James & Lydia Hearing. No Dates On Marker
HEARING	John	.	.	1833 Apr 12	1862 Sept 29	Aged 29 Years. His And His Mother's, Susannah, Names Are On Same Marker
HEARING	Oscar	Lee	.	1878	1879 June 29	Aged 1 Year 11mo. 4 Days, Son Of S. P. & S. J. Hearing
HEARING	Susanah	.	Helmick	1810	1862 Sept 26	Aged 52 Years, Son, John's Name Also On Marker
HORN	Amanda	.	.	1896 May 27	1896 May 27	Daughter Of J.E. & A.J. Horn Suffer Little Children To Come Unto Me
HORN	William	C.	.	1861 June 16	1894 Mar 05	In Memory Of Our Brother He Being Dead Yet Speaketh
KERNS	Janette	.	.	1911	1982	Wife Of Tom Kerns
LONG	Alfred	Marion	.	1882	1882	Son Of Alonzo And Julia Long Unable To Read Rest Of Writing
LONG	George	Emel	.	1890	1891 Aug 22	Son Of Alonzo And Julia Long Aged 11 Months 5 Days
LONG	James	Louis	.	1883	1883	Son Of Alonzo And Julia Long Unable To Read Rest Of Writing
LONG	Ray	P.	.	1888	1888 July 8	Aged 1 Mo. 18 Days, Son Of Alonzo And Julia Long
LONG	Thomas	Sylvanis	.	1878 Dec 31	1879 July 02	Aged 6 Mo. 1 Day, Son Of Alonzo And Julia Long
M.F.H.	.	.	.	.	.	No Dates Readable
MARKER	.	.	.	.	.	West &Amp; Co. Marker Not Readable
MARKER	.	.	.	.	.	Board Marker -- No Writing Readable
MARKLE	Mary	.	Ford	.	1916 Apr. 14	No Marker, But Death Certif States She Was Buried Here-Wife Of Richard
MARKLE	Richard	Bruer	.	1818 May 15	1890 Jan 14	No Marker, But Death Certif. States He Was Buried Here-Husband Of Mary
MCCULLOUGH	Martha	E.	.	1863 Aug 13	1898 Aug 16	Wife Of H. E. Mccullough By Lilac Bush
MILLER	Charlie	.	.	.	.	No Dates Readable
MILLER	George	S.	.	1824	1916 Aug 17	Father Of Isaphine Miller Warfield
MILLER	Minerva	.	Creighbaum	1835	.	Mother Of Isaphine Miller Warfield Unable To Read The Death Date
MOORE	Mrs. James	.	.	.	1900 May 02	Ordered By James Moore & John Shaw, Funeral Record…no Marker Seen
MOORE	James	.	.	.	1893 Jan 31	Aged 14 Yr. Ordered By George Whited, Funeral Record…no Marker Seen
MORGAN	B.	F.	.	.	1893 Dec 04	Aged 38 Yrs. Funeral Record, No Marker Seen
MORGAN	William	H	.	1850	1893	Cement Slab On Grave 4 By 8
MORIN	(Child)	.	.	.	1900 Nov 06	Aged 6 Yr. Child Of W. C. Morin, Funeral Record..No Marker Seen
PHILLIPS	Balam	.	.	1845 Dec O1	1924 Oct 13	Father Wife Is Clara
PHILLIPS	Clara	Ann	Burnside	1848 Dec 14	1930 Oct 03	Mother Husband Is Balam. Father John Burnside, Mother Anna Naylor
RAMSAY	(Son)	.	.	1922 Nov 03	1922 Nov 03	Son Of E. G. & Ollie..No Marker Seen, Funeral Record
RAMSAY	O. L. Ollie Lura	Addie	Sinclair	1884 Mar 28	1922 Nov 03	Wife Of E. G.
SAVAGE	Ivy	Myrtle	.	1883 Apr 19	1885 Mar 09	Daughter Of J. L. & M.A. Savage
SAVAGE	William	Franklin	.	1868 Sept 08	1886 Mar 26	Son Of J. L. & M.A. Savage
SCOTT	Samuel	.	.	1846 Oct 28	1898 Sep 02	Born In Murray Co., Tenn. Lo-Stone Erected By W.O.W
SHURTLEFF	Lionel	D.	.	1906 Apr 14	1997 Dec 02	.
TAYLOR	Elizabeth	Ann	Smelser	1822 Oct 12	1888 Mar 28	Wife Of James
TAYLOR	James	.	.	1822	1887 Mar 12	Son Of T. & R. Taylor Age 65 Years (Mother's Initial Should Be H.)
TIPTON	Leo I.	Budel	.	1925	1977	Middle Name May Be Budd…but Marker, Has Budel.
TIPTON	Viola	E.	Hearing	.	1886 May 19	Aged 19 Years 7 Mo. 10 Days, Daughter Of S.P. & S.J. Hearing
TONEY	Julia	S.	.	1864 Aug 08	1891 Jan 11	Wife Of Jesse D. Toney
TONEY	Rozier	.	.	1888	1890 July 14	Aged 2 Years, Son Of Jesse & Julia Toney
UNKNOWN	.	.	.	.	.	Marble Stone With No Writing
VALIANT	Geraldine	R.	.	1936	1990
WARFIELD	Isaphine	.	Miller	1867 June 01	1908 Jan 20	Grandmother Of Bertha Boesch And Glen Warfield
WARFIELD	James	.	.	1857	1913	Handmade Cement Marker Made By Glen Warfield
WILLIAMS	Alice	May	.	1921 May 01	1921 May 01	Unknown Grave Site..Wooden Marker, Destroyed In Grass Fire
WILLIAMS	Louleolio	.	Markle	1870 Mar 17	1929 Dec 01	Wife Of Vasco
WILLIAMS	Milo	B.	.	1857	1929 Jun 01	Funeral Record Has Birth As 19 Dec. 1856
WILLIAMS	Vasco	.	.	1864 Jan 01	1923 Mar 28	Husband Of Louleolio
YOUNG	Rumford	.	.	.	.	No Marker..Funeral Record States Buried 07 Oct. 1908 In Rock Creek