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Spring Valley Cemetery
Spokane County, Washington

T21N R44E Sec 29
Lat 47°30'54"N, Lon 117°16'17"W

Contributed by Maggie Rail, Jan 27, 2001, updated Aug 26, 2002 [mrail@asisna.com]. Total records = 2.

Spring Valley Cemetery is located in the former town of Spring Valley, on Prairie View Rd about ½mi east of the intersection with Spring Valley Road, on the property of Ken and Ida Clausen. It is situated on a hill behind their home.

A combination of writings provided by Glen Leitz of Fairfield WA and Colleen Brandt Anderson, direct descendant of Cornelius Brand is included. Colleen's information is listed with an asterisk * Glen's with two asterisks**.

According to the family of Cornelius Brand, his original surname was Rynbrandt, often shortened to R'Brand, Brandt, or Brand. The family believes that Cornelius's wife, Sarah Owens Cox Brand, is also buried here with him. In recent years the family has repaired the stone, which is now upright and no longer fallen. *

On 18th Apr 1961, when the cemetery was visited, it was enclosed with barbed wire fencing, grown up to weeds and shrubs, and appeared to have been abandoned for many years. The occupants of the farm on which it is situated, and other nearby residents, had no knowledge of when any burial was made in this cemetery.**

At that time it was not possible to determine where graves might be in the cemetery, or how many. There were a number of very old wooden stakes in places, indicating that at some time it had been divided into lots. The area of the cemetery appeared to be about one fourth acre.**

According to an article in the Spokesman Review on Apr 23, 1998 Page B8, there has been no burial in this cemetery in 70 years. The one lone stone is still standing amid the weeds. *

In Spokane County records, Plat Book D, 1 to 52, page 49, there appears a record that the land was given by Jacob Roy and Elisbeth Roy, his wife, recorded on 14 Nov 1898.

I visited this cemetery on Aug 26, 2002. To access it you must go through the farm of Ken & Ida Clausen, it is best to get permission. Ken says he estimates there were at least 13 graves he remembers seeing as a child visiting the cemetery. Most of these had wooden markers, which disappeared when a fire swept though the area. I found one possible stone marker, which was face down, it also may have been just a broken stone. The only existing stone is that of Cornelius Brand.

It is possible there could be buried and hidden markers. The overgrowth is such that it was impossible to find any others.

- Maggie Rail

Brand, Cornelius, b. Mar 17, 1830, d. Jul 08, 1898, 'Asleep in Jesus, Blessed sleep'
Brand, Sarah Owens Cox, no dates