Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Historic Salem #5 (continued): Diamond Square & Waller Vault at Lee Mission Cemetery

IMG_8335 Diamond Square at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Diamond Square at Lee Mission Cemetery on August 12, 2007

Diamond Square included some of the earliest graves in the Lee Mission Cemetery, including some of Salem's early pioneers, including Reverend Jason Lee, his first wife, Anna Marie Pittman, Alanson Beers and Reverend Josiah L. Parrish.

Reverend Jason Lee

IMG_8328 Reverend Jason Lee Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Reverend Jason Lee at Lee Mission Cemetery

Reverend Jason Lee died at his family home in Stanstead, Canada on March 12, 1845 at the age of 41. In 1906, his remains were reinterred here. The marker identifies him as the first missionary in Oregon, a colonizer from 1834 to 1843 and founder of Willamette University.

IMG_8327 Reverend Jason Lee Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Reverend Jason Lee at Lee Mission Cemetery

Additional Links:
Jason Lee's Gravestone at Salem Online History

Historical Photos:
Jason Lee Gravestone (Oregon State Library)

Anna Maria Pittman Lee

IMG_8330 Anna Maria Pittman Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Anna Maria Pittman Lee at Lee Mission Cemetery

Anna Maria Pittman was the first wife of Reverend Jason Lee. She sailed from New York in July 1836, landing in Oregon in June 1837. She married Jason Lee on July 16, 1837. She died June 26, 1838 at the age of 35, shortly after giving birth to a son, who also died. The two were interred together. The marker identifies the grave as the first sod "ever broken in Oregon for the reception of a white mother and child."

IMG_8329 Anna Maria Pittman Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Anna Maria Pittman Lee at Lee Mission Cemetery

Historical Photos:
Anna Marie Pittman Lee Gravestone (Oregon State Library)

Alanson Beers

IMG_8331 Alanson Beers Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Alanson Beers at Lee Mission Cemetery

Alanson Beers was born in 1804. He was involved in the founding of Oregon's provisional government at Champoeg on May 2, 1843. He was also involved in the early construction of Salem and Willamette University, and later went into the mill business with George Abernethy in Oregon City. He died in 1853. The current marker includes a plaque placed by the Multnomah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in May, 1931.

Rev. Josiah L. Parrish

IMG_8334 Reverend J.L. Parrish Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Rev. Josiah L. Parrish at Lee Mission Cemetery

Reverend Josiah L. Parrish was born in 1806 and died in 1895. His marker states that he left New York in 1839, coming with Jason Lee around Cape Horn on the Lausanne, arriving in 1840. He was a missionary to the Indians, who called him "the man of peace." He was also involved in the in the founding of Oregon's provisional government at Champoeg on May 2, 1843, and the marker includes a plaque placed by the Multnomah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in May, 1931.

IMG_8332 Reverend J.L. Parrish Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Rev. Josiah L. Parrish at Lee Mission Cemetery

IMG_8333 Reverend J.L. Parrish Tombstone at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Tombstone of Rev. Josiah L. Parrish at Lee Mission Cemetery

Historical Photos:
Portrait of Rev. Josiah L. Parrish (Salem Public Library)

Rev. Alvin F. Waller

IMG_8336 Family Vault of Reverend A.F. Waller at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Family Vault of Rev. Alvin F. Waller at Lee Mission Cemetery

Near Diamond Square is the family vault of Reverend Alvin F. Waller. It is the only vault in the Lee Mission Cemetery.

IMG_8337 Family Vault of Reverend A.F. Waller at Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon on August 12, 2007
Family Vault of Rev. Alvin F. Waller at Lee Mission Cemetery

Continue to 5 (continued): More Notable Graves

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