The Project
The South King County Genealogical Society (SKCGS) began the restoration project in 2004. We have organized many cleanup events: In November 2004, a Cub Scout group collected and chipped fallen branches. About 30 volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent two days filling up two walk-in dumpsters with debris in September 2005, and SKCGS participated in the Make a Difference Day in October 2005. In August 2006, another huge SKCGS volunteer work party took place when several huge piles of debris were chipped. Spreading newspapers and plastic around the headstones and then covering it with these chips helps to slow down the weed population and greatly improve the landscaping. In March 2007 the AGHOST (Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle-Tacoma) organization helped with a work party. In August 2007, five teenaged scouts came out to help reset the last two loose headstones. All of the headstones are now secure once again. There have been at least four Eagle Scout projects (1980, 1991, 2001, and 2002); numerous other scout groups and civic groups have worked in cleaning this cemetery. Progress is made, but doesn't last very long, as nature tends to keep on growing and growing. Small groups of SKCGS members, friends, and family continually work to tackle the blackberries, ivy, vinca, trees, weeds, and grass.
We have recovered three original headstones (J.S.H. Johnson and his daughter, Julietta; and Ole C. Hoff) and reset them. Repairs to Johann Kasbaum's headstone were done and memorial markers for him, his wife, and their daughter were made. Memorial markers have been made for Mr. and Mrs. Lusk and Benjamin Pittman. The Department of Veterans Affairs has contributed two new Civil War headstones. While preparing the ground to reset a loose and broken headstone, its base was discovered several inches down, next to a footstone with the initials I.N. engraved on it. This led us to believe another child of Kittie A. Nelson is buried next to her and her other deceased child. There are four headstones that are completely missing from the cemetery; they are Ella Miller, Oscar Liesinger, Willis Ross, and Margaret E. Saar. Other discoveries are out there just waiting for us to uncover. There are many people buried in Saar that have no headstone. We are planning a large memorial marker with all their names on it.
There are five Civil War Veterans buried here: William Button (Union), Elias Clark (Union), Nathaniel Hoag (Union), James Iddings (Confederate then Union), and Lewis Warren (Union). SKCGS is currently researching everyone buried here for a biographical book to be published the first part of 2009.
White River Valley and Kent area pioneer names you might recognize are Burke, Clark, Guiberson, Iddings, Liesinger, Maddocks, Monster, Neely, Saar, Shinn, Smith, Stephenson, and Willis.
A complete listing may be found at Interment.net and on Findagrave.com.
