From "Sweet Home: In the Oregon Cascades" by M. Carey & P. Hainline:

The Ames Cemetery just off Highway 228 on the western edge of Sweet Home, is on the John T. Ames claim [Note: Metsker map of 1930, BLM data indicates DLC of Lowell Ames Sr.]. The first burial was Ames' father, Lowell Ames, pioneer of 1852 and patriarch of the large Ames family whose claims covered most of what is now Sweet Home, except for Foster. Lowell Ames, 1799-1863, built the first sawmill in the valley, in 1856, at the mouth of Ames Creek. He also founded the first church in Sweet Home, which was Mormon....

For many years burials were limited to members of the Ames family. Later, friends and neighbors were allowed to use the cemetery. Florence M. Feighum, 1880-1936, who wrote about Sweet Home in many newspapers as Mrs. O. Feigum, is buried here. Among other families represented are Keeney, Malone, Simons, Rolfe, Morris, Rowell, Rozell and Putnam."

The following information is transcribed from the WPA Linn County Cemetery Survey, researched & prepared by Leslie L. Haskin on June 7, 1939

The Ames Cemetery receives its name from the Ames families who were early settlers in the Sweet Home Valley, probably about the year 1852. There were five members of the family who took up Donation land claims here. Their names were- L. Ames Sr., L. Ames Jr., J. t. Ames, William Ames, and Alonzo Ames. Apparently this cemetery is a part of the J. T. Ames claim. The small creek running through the village of Sweet Home is known as Ames Creek, also in honor of this family. It is also claimed by some that it was the musical whistling of one of the Ames boys in rendering the old familiar song of "Sweet Home" which gave this valley its poetical name. It is but fair, however, to say that this latter statement is hotly denied by members of the Nye family who claim the honor of first using the name.

So far as can be learned this burying ground was started as a private lot for the burial by members of this family though burials here are not strictly limited to Ames relatives but the privilege has been extended to certain friends and neighbors of the family.

The Ames family and their neighbors, the Morrises, who came at about the same date, were members of the Church of The Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ (Mormons), and some of the descendants still remaining in this community still adhere to that faith.

The first burial of record in this tract is that of Lowell Ames who died March 18, 1863. The second death date of record is that of Anna Ames, believed to be the wife of the last, who died March 11, 1868. The earliest birth dates here are those of two members of the Ames family. Their records read- Anna Ames. Died march 11, 1868. Aged 69 years. This makes her birth date 1799. Lowell Ames. Died March 18, 1863. Aged 63 years, 11 months, 27 days. His birth date is therefore the same- 1799. These are believed to have been man and wife.

Online Transcriptions:

   Surveyed in 1999 by Jan Phillips and available on her website.

Return to Linn County Cemeteries

Home

References used to prepare these cemetery pages are provided.
Lisa L. Jones prepared and is solely responsible for the content of these pages. 
Copyright 2001.