Janice Bevill

Janice L Bevill was born on 20 February 1938 to Mr & Mrs J W Bevill of 1709 SW Morrison. Her death is recorded in the Oregon Death Index on 17 April 1938, and her burial on 18 April according to the cemetery records.   We have not yet seen a copy of her Death Certificate.

Her temporary marker indicates she was intended to be in Section A, Lot 112, the lower half of grave 3.  Her temporary marker however, is in Section C, Lot 38, grave nr 1. 

Richard V Beymer

Richard Vani Beymer, according to his WWI Draft Registration, was born July 10, 1873 while his Death Certificate indicates he was born in 1872. Regardless, we do know that Richard worked at a mine in Ely, Nevada in 1918 while in 1920 he was living with his parents and working as a laborer in a sawmill in Falls City, Oregon. Richard never married. Richard died at home at 9704 SE 59th on July 1, 1926. Friends were invited to attend his funeral on July 3rd. He lies in Section A in the Park.

The Morning Oregonian, July 3, 1926, pg 16.

"Thank you so much for finding Hattie Abra's grave site. I have been trying to find out about her without any luck until recently when someone told me about Find A Grave. I'm saddened to find she only has a temporary headstone."

Nearly three years ago Eric and I started a project of listing the graves at Multnomah Park on the website Find A Grave.  We thought there were several thousand graves at the cemetery and frankly didn't know where the project would lead us, and really still don't know where the project will take us.  We don't know, or understand fully, what drives us to record the graves at The Park.  People wonder why we spend the time uncovering, cleaning and photographing markers and monuments for people we don't know and aren't related to; people who in life we may not have associated with or even liked.
But we both know that we feel 'called' to work on this project of recording their stories, for each person buried at The Park has a story that needs being told. 
Our efforts are appreciated.  That we know.  All you need to do is look at the many comments left by people on Find A Grave who appreciate the fact that we have taken the time to list a relative on Find A Grave. 
Part of the journey that this project is taking us on involves the history of Morningside Hospital at what is now Mall 205.  Why either one of us is interested in a mental hospital and it's story is a question.  Maybe the answer lies in the fact that both of us have relatives who were in mental hospitals at one time.  We don't know, but we do know that the stories of people sent from Alaska, prior to statehood, to Portland's Morningside Hospital touches a nerve with us.
As a result of our, and especially Eric's, interest in Morningside Hospital, Eric and I are travelling to Anchorage next week to meet up with some Alaskans who would like to know why two guys in Portland care about the Lost Alaskans.  The Lost Alaskans are people who were separated from their families for reasons as small as the fact that they were epileptic and sent from their villages in Alaska to spend the rest of their days in a foreign place.

David

Photo Essay

Cemetery Elder

In the process of completing the photo survey of Block D, Mike Dalton took this photo. Mike is meticulous when it comes to documentation of burials, for which we are grateful.

The United State was just 34 years old when Henry Huxley was born in 1810. Lewis & Clark had just returned home from their trek to the Pacific Ocean; George III was the monarch of Great Britain. James Madison was the U.S. President.

As far as we know, Mr. Huxley is the cemetery elder, having been born before anyone else who currently resides in Multnomah Park. We hope to find some interesting facts about him and post it to the blog.

Eight Loggers Die When Tree Falls on Train Near Astoria

Buried in Section D in an obscure grave with no marker is the Swedish immigrant Carl Berg who died on 23 March 1917 near Grays River, Wahkiakum County, Washington. He, along with about 140 other, mostly single, loggers were heading back to the logging camp they lived in at the end of the day. There was a serious spring storm with high winds, heavy rain, and sleet. There was coastal flooding and heavy snow and avalanches in the North Cascades.

In 1917 the loggers were transported from logging operations to a base camp by open air rail cars. The train was noisy and the wind was blowing and the rain added to the misery of travelling on open air rail cars. The train's engineer and brakeman, who were in the cab of the train didn't see it coming and were aware of anything amiss until the 18 inch hemlock hit the car right behind the engine. The approximately 140 employees didn't see it coming until it was too late. The tree hit the rail car killing 7 outright, 1 died on the way to St Mary's hospital in Astoria, and three more later died there.

A survivor, Martin Arcey, who received comparatively minor injuries, a broken arm and cuts, was able to give an account that was quoted in Portland "The Daily Journal": "It came so sudden that the first thing I knew was a black streak above and ahead of me. then the awful crash. I was thrown on my head forward, so I really did not see how the others were injured. I know that a few were directly under the tree, and others must have been against and partly under it as the train moved ahead. All of those who were killed died instantly, I believe."

The coverage in "The Daily Journal" reported: "Both of the cars which carried the men were flat cars. Falling at an angle, the tree pinned the men bneath it, and as the train moved ahead about 20 feet after it was hit, others who were not struck direclty by the tree were swept partly under it and crushed to the floor of the car. the dead were mangled."

Carl is one of two of the deceased who are buried in Portland. The other is fellow Swedish immigrant Axel Dahleen who is buried with his brother and sister-in-law at Rose City Cemetery. According to the death certificates we have located from Clatsop County four of the other deceased are buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Astoria. We have not yet located the five other deceased.

Legislative Act Senate Bill 113, 1943

In the Oregon State Senate, Military Affairs Committee, a Bill for an Act to profide for the acquisition, ownership, control, management, care and preservation of the Multnomah Park Cemetery, etc.

Passed in the Senate on February 6, 1943
Passed in the House on February 10, 1943

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE BY THE STATE OF OREGON

SECTION 1: That Multnomah County, by and through its board of county commissioners, be and said county is vested with authority to accept in the name of the county, by conveyance from the owners thereof, ownership and control of the Multnomah Park Cemetery, located in Multnomah County, Oregon, and said county, upon the acquisition of such ownership and control, shall have and is hereby given authority to provide for the restoration of the grounds, the walks and the graves therein, and the future care of such cemetery.

Section 2: Said board of county commissioners hereby are authorized and empowered to appoint a caretaker for said cemetery and to prescribe his duties and fix his compensation. Said caretaker shall serve at the pleasure of the county commissioners.

Section 3: Said board of county commissioners, upon acquiring ownership and control of said cemetery, shall thereafter include in its annual budget an expenditure covering the cost of maintenance of such cemetery.

The Oregon State Archives contains all kinds of interesting facts from the past.

Daniel Bonner

Daniel Bonner has the record for being the oldest known person in the cemetery. He appears in the 1880 Census of New York City, living with his family. The census record gives his date of birth as 1816. The earliest birth date of cemetery residents goes to Mrs.Agnes Otty, who was born in 1814. Daniel appears in the 1860 census of Philadelphia and again in 1863 in the rolls of the Union Army Draft Register of Pennsylvania. He is listed in the 1910 Census of Hillsboro at 92 year of age.
Daniel was a resident of Hillsboro, but died in the Multnomah County Poor Farm in Troutdale - now McMenamin's Edgefield Manor on November 27, 1918. He was one of over 1300 Oregonians who lost their lives during the Influenza pandemic - most in a two month period.
Daniel, a coal miner from Ireland, was a resident of the Multnomah Farm for 2 months and ten days. He had been living in the country for about 65 years, and was widowed.
His place of interment is currently unknown.

June 30, 1934

On June 30th, 1934, Portland City road crews were out in our neck of the woods taking photos of streets for the City Planners. This photo shows the Park on the left. The entrance pillars can be seen. They were painted white with a painted sign across the top. There was no fence and it looked like the grass was tall. The O.P. Lent monument can be seen. This is the first old photo of the cemetery we have been able to locate. It came from the City of Portland Archives.