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Salem Cemetery
Ralston, Adams County, Washington

Lat: 47° 00' 08"N, Lon: 118° 23' 08"W
T18N R35E Sec 34

Contact: Randy Roth
509-659-0893

Contributed by Maggie Rail, © Dec 26, 1999. last edited Aug 13, 2010 [mrail@asisna.com]. Total = 80.

To reach cemetery head north on State Highway 261 from Ralston, go one mile turn left (west) onto Roloff Road, go 2 miles and turn right (north) on Kramer Road. Cemetery is 1/8 mile up that road on left side.

This one time Congregational Church Cemetery lies 1 mile north and 2 miles west of Ralston on a plot of land about 2/3 acre in size. The church was located beside the cemetery until 1955 at which time it was torn down.

There were a few white crosses, so I obtained a copy of an earlier reading done in 1975 by Georgia Hays from the Ritzville City Hall, making it possible to add about 10 more names.

The Adams county Centennial Committee furnished a new sign for Salem cemetery, making it very easy to spot. The sign says, "Salem Cemetery Established 1899". I surveyed this cemetery 100 years later in 1999.

Entries followed by NS were taken from the above mentioned and the Old Bessarabian Church records, microfilmed and kept at Salt Lake City, church records of the Salem Evangelical Congregational church as translated and transcribed by LaVerne Kautz and made available to me by the Adams County Historical Association.

In 2004 a group of interested neighbors and family organized and took on the challenge of bringing this cemetery back. For a year volunteers worked at redoing the landscaping of the grounds, replacing the fence with a new vinyl fence, a 12 ft wide, 8 ft high arched entrance way with a new sign. There is still more work to be done as time and money allows. Descendants of those buried at the site donated over $9000 to use for those improvements and a informational sign.

This 'Germans from Russian' community kept their early Pastoral Records in German as mentioned above. This record by Mrs Kautz was updated by the committee and a copy of the book was given out to each person who worked and later attended the rededication of the cemetery in June of 2005.

Randy Roth provided me with a copy of the book which the committee published. It contains the complete history of the church, which closed in 1955 and a map and listing of all buried in the cemetery, which are known. The names listed at the end were church members, who may not be buried here.

Earliest birth date listed - 1828
Earliest death date listed - 1899
Most recent death date listed - 1990

I walked and read this cemetery on Oct 02, 1999, including all existing stones and markers at that time.

- Maggie Rail

Legend:

b. = born c/o = child of d. = died h/o = husband of m/o = mother of * = church records

NS = no stone P = plot s/o = son of s/w = stone with w/o = wife of ( ) = not on stone

Ballou, Ernuiz?, b. Apr 28, 1878, d. Jan 11, 1922, Row 2 #14
Bauer, Christian, b. Nov 19, 1902, d. Jul 22, 1903, s/o Gottlieb & Louise Schmidt Bauer
Bauer, Marie Kathrina, d. Dec 17, 1903, Infant
Beak, Ida, b. Jan 05, 1901, d. Jan 26, 1901, d/o Samuel & Rebecca (Schutz) Bich, Row 1 #1
Beck, Christine Lack, d. May 31, 1902, *NS
Birkholz, Gottfried, d. Mar 10, 1905, s/o Nathaniel, Row 1 *
Gerling, Daniel, Jan 28, 1848, NS *
Gerling, Louise, Mar 15, 1832, NS *
Grams, Albert Emil, b. Mar 03, 1918, d. Dec 31, 1918, NS, Row 3 #8
Grams, Richard Daniel, b. Oct 10, 1929, d. Feb 07, 1930, s/o Reinhold & Maria Mann Grams, NS
Gross, Albert, b. Feb 16, 1910, d. May 29, 1910, Row 3 #8
Gross, Amelia, b. Aug 13, 1889, d. Jan 30, 1919, NS
Gross, Daniel, b. Mar 24, 1891 (Kulm, Russi), d. Dec 03, 1911, Row 2 #13
Gross, Daniel, b. May 05, 1918, d. May 05, 1918, s/w Willie, Rudy & Matilda, s/o Gottfried & Marie, Row 3 #1-2
Gross, Emelia Fechner, b. Aug 13, 1889 Eigenheim, d. Jan 30, 1919, d/o Michael & Louise Fechner, w/o Johann Gross Jr, *NS
Gross, Gottfried, b. (Mar 07) 1876, d. (Feb 15) 1932, (h/o Marie), Row 4 #1
Gross, Gotthilf, b. Oct 03, 1887, d. May 15, 1937, 49yr 7mo 12da, s/w Rosina, Row 4 #4
Gross, Johann, b. Aug 01, 1854, d. Mar 19, 1938, h/o Karolina, Row 4 #5
Gross, Karolina Radke, b. Jan 16, 1857, d. dec 04, 1915, w/o Johann Sr, *NS Row 1 #20
Gross, Marie (Teschner), b. Dec 25, 1878, d. 1956, Row 4 #2
Gross, Matilda, b. Feb 01, 1900, d. Mar 21, 1906, s/w Willie, Rudy & Daniel, d/o Gottfried & Marie, Row 3 #1-2
Gross, Olga, b. 1910, d. 1974, d/o Gottfried & Marie, Row 4 #3
Gross, Rosina, b. Sep 23, 1893, d. Aug 10, 1990, s/w Gotthilf
Gross, Ruben, b. 1912, d. 1973, (s/o Gottfried & Marie), Row 3 #3
Gross, Rudolph, b. Aug 17, 1905, d. Mar 16, 1906, s/w Willie, Matilda & Dan, s/o Gottfried & Marie, Row 3 #1-2
Gross, Willie, b. Jun 01, 1903, d. May 11, 1906, s/w Rudy, Matilda & Dan, s/o Gottfried & Marie, Row 3 #1-2
Groß, Carolina (Radke), b. Jan 16, 1857, d. Jul 04, 1915, Groß=Gross in German, w/o Johann Sr, Row 1 #20
Guse, Christian, b. Oct 05, 1888 Eigenheim, d. Mar, 08, 1911, age: 22yr 5mo 5da, s/o Daniel & Louise Radke Guse, NS
Guse, Gotthilf, b. Nov 24, 1886, d. Apr 09, 1909, age: 22yr 4mo 2da, s/o Daniel & Louise, *NS
Gust, Baby, b. Feb 14, 1902, d. Feb 18, 1902, d/o Gottlieb & Elizabeth Zeller Gust *NS
Gust, Ida, b. Apr 11, 1902, d. Apr 13, 1902, *NS
Gust, Infant, b. Aug 04, 1908, d. Aug 04, 1908, Inf of Gottlieb, *NS
Gust, Otilia Kuhn, b. 1889, d. 1914, (w/o Jacob, d/o David & Caroline Loeffelbein Kuhn), Row 1 #19
Hille, Gustaf, b. 1896, d. (Feb 25) 1906, s/o Johann & Marie, Row 3 #4
Hille, Johann, b. Jan 24, 1858 (Kulm, Bessarabia), d. Jul 26, 1926, Row 2 #21
Hille, Marie Roloff, b. Feb 02, 1861, d. Aug 30, 1899, w/o Johann Hille, (stone has Hill), Row 2 #2
Hille, Mary Caroline, b. (May 25) 1917, d. (Dec 01) 1918, (d/o Christian & Melisina (Jennie) Roloff Hille), Row 3 #12
Hoffman, Daniel, b. Dec 13, 1853 Kulm, d. Oct 31, 1925, age: 71yr 10mo 18da, Row 1 #28
Hoffman, Eweld A., b. 1909, d. 1910, Row 3 #6
Hoffman, Magdalena (Roloff), b. (May 20) 1861 (Kulm), d. (Nov 08) 1933, w/o Daniel, Row 1 #30
Hoffman, Marie M(agdalena), b. (Sep 11) 1916, d. (Mar 08) 1917, d/o Johann & Mathilda Hille, Row 3 #10
Hoffman, Mathilde Hille, b. Apr 12, 1886 (Kulm), d. Mar 08, 1921, Row 2 #18
Kison, Bertha, d. Oct 10, 1902, age: 8yr 7mo 21da, d/o Johann & Christina Priess Kison *NS
Kison, Clara, b. 1905, d. 1906, (d/o Gottfried and Marie Staib Kison), Row 1 #13
Kison, Emma Floether, b. Nov 14, 1892 Eigenheim, d. Apr 24, 1923, age: 30yr 5mo 10da, Row 2 #20
Kison, Friedrich, b. Mar 10, 1861, d. Nov 18, 1916, h/o Marie Roth, Row 1 #21
Kison, Gottfried, b. (May 11) 1871, d. (Apr 30) 1905, Row 2 #6
Kison, Marie, d. Jun 28, 1901, 4yr 2mo, d/o Friedrich & Rossina Radke Kison *NS
Kleinknecht, Christina, b. Dec 07, 1869, d. Dec 28, 1910, w/o Daniel, Row 1 #18
Kleinknecht, David, b. Dec 21, 1910, d. Dec 21, 1910, s/o Daniel & Christina, Row 1 #18
Kleinknecht, Emil Otto, b. Mar 23, 1902, d. Feb 05, 1905, s/o Daniel & Christina, Row 1 #10
Knodel, Eva Pearl, b. 1917, d. 1931, Row 1 #29
Kuhn, David, b. Oct 07, 1869, d. Sep 15, 1920, s/w Karolina, age: 50yr 11mo 8da, Row 2 #17
Kuhn, Karolina Loeffelbein, b. Apr 02, 1870, d. Feb 27, 1921, s/w David, Row 2 #17
Lobe, Karolina, b. May 07, 1817, d. Jul 26, 1906, m/o Sophia, might be same as above, NS*
Lobe, Karoline, b. 1828, d. 1906, Mother, Row 2 #8
Nickolaus, Johann, d. Jan 20, 1906, s/o Nathanial *NS
Pflugrath, Samuel, b. Feb 04, 1909, d. Feb 06, 1909, s/o Adam and Sophia Dammel Pflugrath, *NS, Row 1 #2
Radke, Elenora Bobermin, b. Jun 18, 1836 Kulm, d. Sep 18, 1920, age: 84yr 2mo 28da, m/o Gottlieb Radke & Karoline Gross, Row 1 #23
Radke, Rudolph, b. Oct 21, 1896, d. Aug 10, 1907, s/o Gottlieb & Louise (Stelter) Radke, Row 2 #9
Roloff, Alma, b. Nov 20, 1927, d. Dec 06, 1927, d/o Reinhold & Renata, Row 3 #17
Roloff, Arthur, b. Jun 28, 1900, d. Aug 02, 1900, c/o Daniel & Magdalena Isaak, twin to Dena, Row 1 #3
Roloff, Child, b. Jan 28, 1900, d. Aug 02, 1900, c/o Artin & Dina
Roloff, Dena, b. Jun 28, 1900, d. Aug 02, 1900, c/o Daniel & Magdalena Isaak, twin to Arthur, Row 1 #3
Roloff, Leverna, b. Oct 10, 1925, d. Nov 14, 1925, d/o Reinhold & Renata Schumaker Roloff, Row 3 #16
Roloff, Simon, b. Jun 08, 1896, d. Sep 01, 1916, s/o D.K. & Magdalena, Row 2 #15
Roth, Henry, b. Feb 25, 1871, d. May 01, 1954, Row 2 #22
Roth, Marie, b. Feb 06, 1874 Neufall, Bessarabia Staib Kison, d. Aug 20, 1920, Mother, w/o Friedrick Kison #1, Henry Roth #2, Row 2 #16
Schumaker, Reuben, b. Jun 14, 1921, d. Jun 17, 1921, headstone reading, Row 3 #13
Schumaker, Ruben, b. Jun 04, 1920, d. Jun 09, 1920, (s/o August & Adeline Kuhn), NS*, Row 3 #14
Schutz, Child, b. Apr 04, 1918, d. Apr 04, 1918, c/o Gustave & Emilia
Schutz, Gottlieb, b. Nov 08, 1855 (Kulm, Bessarabia), d. Apr 06, 1936, (old church record in Salt Lake says b. Jul 28, 1855), Row 3 #22
Schutz, Gustave, b. Apr 29, 1878 Kulm, Bessarabia, d. Jan 11, 1922, age: 43yr 8mo 13da, h/o Emilia Teschner Schutz, Row 2 #19
Schutz, Sophia (Lobe), b. Aug 14, 1860 (Kulm, Bessarabia), d. Jul 26, 1953, w/o Gottlieb, Row 3 #21
Stelter, Johann, b. Apr 06, 1842, d. Jun 17, 1925, NS, Row 1 #24
Stelter, Karoline Tiede, b. Nov 26, 1847 Kulm, Bessarabia, d. Jun 08, 1917, w/o Johanna, NS, Row 1 #22
Taxis, Emil, d. Jun 30, 1906, s/o Johann & Karoline Wegner Taxis
Tiede, Richard Francis, b. Jul 26, 1921, d. Mar 20, 1922, s/o Daniel & Mathilda Tiede, per Tommye Schwerin, NS
Tiede, Rubin, no dates, per Tommye Schwerin, NS
Troster, Jacob, d. Sep 21, 1902, age: 32yr, *NS

Misc:
Jerke, Dorothea, d. Sep 12, 1902, d/o Theodore, bur. in Ritzville Mem. Cem *NS
Legler, Anna Katherina, b. Nov 04, 1903, d. Jan 15, 1904, bur. in Ritzville WA *
Reiman, Christina, d. Nov 24, 1918, bur. in Ritzville WA *
Taxis, Caroline, b. Jan 05, 1858, d. Jun 23, 1934, bur. in Ritzville WA *
Taxis, Johann, b. Jun 23, 1865, d. Apr 23, 1934, bur. in Ritzville WA *

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