Crawford Family Cemetery

Name Birth Date Death Date Gravestone Photo
Crawford, Dewey E. 02-13-1899 05-09-1899 photo 1   photo 2
Crawford, James J 05-06-1880 12-12-1880 photo 1   photo 2   photo 3
Crawford, Pearl 08-13-1877 01-16-1881 photo 1   photo 2   photo 3   photo 4
Crawford, William N April 1829 09-23-1907 photo 1


I visited Crawford Cemetery in May 2016 at The Dalles Mountain Ranch State Park. This is a very small family plot that is now within the State Park. Unfortunately, during my visit, the vegetation was quite overgrown and therefore the grave markers were difficult to read, along with the deterioration over the last 100+ years.   (Photos WITHOUT the vegetation are available on Jeffrey L. Elmer's site and would be well worth the click to see it more clearly.) There are three clear grave markers in this small cemetery, with what appears to be foot stones for each grave. It is surrounded by a wooden fence.

The center monument is for the two small children of Julia [Decious] and William Crawford. It has markings on three sides. The east side is etched: Children of W.N. & J.A. Crawford. The south side is etched: James J. Born May 6, 1880 Died Dec 12, 1880. The footstone simply reads: J.J.C. The North side is etched: Pearl Born Aug 13, 1877. Died Jan 16, 1881. The footstone appears to be etched with P.C.

A smaller white monument is located just to the north. An image atop the monument is perhaps a lamb. The stone was very difficult to read. Jeffrey Elmer's description of this is that it is marked "Dewey E. Crawford Born February 13 and died May 9" with a footstone that is marked "DEC". Cited in the Klickitat County Birth Records (1891 to 1907) compiled by Jean A. Smeltzer, Dewey Crawford was born February 13, 1899 in Rockland, Klickitat County to Lillian [Emerson] and William Crawford. Death Records (1891 to 1907) compiled by Jean Allyn Smeltzer, state that Dewey E. Crawford died on May 9, 1899 at the age of 3 months of bronchitis.

The monument to the south is for William N. Crawford who was born in Ohio in April 1829 and who died on September 23, 1907 at the age of 78 years. There is what appears to be a footstone, but it was indecipherable. Jeffrey Elmer's description of the footstone states that it says "Father". William was the father of James and Pearl who are buried in this cemetery. In the 1900 census, William is listed as a farmer. His wife Julia [Decious] Crawford (died 1928), and their daughter Minnie [Crawford} Saxton (died 1934) are both buried in the Klickitat County Centerville Cemetery. I believe that William and Julia's son John is buried in The Dalles.

Dewey's mother Lillian and father William Crawford are both buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in The Dalles, Oregon.