Canemah Neighborhood Association

Canemah Cemetery

The history of the pioneer Canemah Cemetery

The history of the pioneer Canemah Cemetery starts with the people who donated the land from their DLC Absolom Fouts Hedges came west in 1844 from Morgan County OH. He was born there Oct 13, 1817. He died Mar 6, 1890 in N. Yakima, WA. He married Elizabeth Jane Barlow daughter of Samuel K. Barlow of Barlow Road fame. She was born in Indiana in 1830 and came across the plains in 1845. She died in Tacoma, WA Dec 1, 1898.

The Canemah Cemetery Assn was formed in Jun 1864 with President, Alwin M. Harding, Sec-Treas Joseph Hedges, Directors George Jerome, Isaac F. Beals and Joshua P Blanchard. An ax blaze in a fir tree marks the east boundry and it can still be seen today.

Joseph J. Hedges and William Barlow, sons of Absolom Hedges and Sam Barlow laid out the townsite of Canemah. Canemah is an Indian name meaning canoe place. The Cemetery was started in the early 1830's. It consists of 8 Acrs and is only open to relatives of pioneers for burial. It has 298 known graves, 4 of which are servicement. There are 1162? unknown about 40 of which are vacant. The cemetery holds 1500. The plots should have been numbered from the gate to the back of the cemetery instead of the way

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Contributed by Deanna Warren