Community > Funerals and Burial Sites
Funerals and Burial Sites
View of Rose City Cemetery. Photograph courtesy of Steve Schreiber.
Many Volga Germans, both those born in Russia and their descendants, were buried at the Rose City Cemetery on NE Fremont Street. Rose City Cemetery was founded in the early 1900's; the first burial was in 1906. The cemetery has been privately-owned for its entire history (as of Sept. 2018).
Given that the Volga Germans began arriving in Portland in 1881, other burial sites such as Lone Fir Cemetery and the Columbian Cemetery were the primary options for those early pioneers.
The Columbian Cemetery (now the Historic Columbian Cemetery) was founded in 1857 and is now a patch of land that falls within the Interstate Cultural Boundary and underneath the I-5 overpass at 1151 N. Columbia Blvd.
The first burial at the Lone Fir Cemetery occurred in 1846 on what was then privately owned land in a rural setting. The land was later platted as Mount Crawford Cemetery in 1855. At the time, Portland existed only on the west side of the river. Because of marshy ground, the city closed graveyards at Ankeny and Front, Washington and Stark at 10th, and Burnside at 11th. Many bodies were then re interred at Mount Crawford. Mount Crawford was renamed Lone Fir in 1866, for the once solitary tree in its northwest corner. (It’s still standing.) The cemetery is located at Southeast 26th Avenue and Southeast Washington Street. Some of the earliest Volga German pioneers are buried here.
It was common up to the 1920's to have the body of the deceased person brought in a coffin to the home and placed on open display in the living room for family and friends to view. Pallbearers would then carry the coffin to the church for the funeral service. Following the funeral service, the body would be transported to the burial site at one of the local cemeteries.
In later years, it became more common to hold the funeral service at a private chapel. Mortuary and funeral services were often provided by Pearson Mortuary and Ross Hollywood Chapel.
Following the afternoon cemetery burial, it was common to have a late afternoon reception for family and friends at the deceased persons church.
Given that the Volga Germans began arriving in Portland in 1881, other burial sites such as Lone Fir Cemetery and the Columbian Cemetery were the primary options for those early pioneers.
The Columbian Cemetery (now the Historic Columbian Cemetery) was founded in 1857 and is now a patch of land that falls within the Interstate Cultural Boundary and underneath the I-5 overpass at 1151 N. Columbia Blvd.
The first burial at the Lone Fir Cemetery occurred in 1846 on what was then privately owned land in a rural setting. The land was later platted as Mount Crawford Cemetery in 1855. At the time, Portland existed only on the west side of the river. Because of marshy ground, the city closed graveyards at Ankeny and Front, Washington and Stark at 10th, and Burnside at 11th. Many bodies were then re interred at Mount Crawford. Mount Crawford was renamed Lone Fir in 1866, for the once solitary tree in its northwest corner. (It’s still standing.) The cemetery is located at Southeast 26th Avenue and Southeast Washington Street. Some of the earliest Volga German pioneers are buried here.
It was common up to the 1920's to have the body of the deceased person brought in a coffin to the home and placed on open display in the living room for family and friends to view. Pallbearers would then carry the coffin to the church for the funeral service. Following the funeral service, the body would be transported to the burial site at one of the local cemeteries.
In later years, it became more common to hold the funeral service at a private chapel. Mortuary and funeral services were often provided by Pearson Mortuary and Ross Hollywood Chapel.
Following the afternoon cemetery burial, it was common to have a late afternoon reception for family and friends at the deceased persons church.
Sources
Lone Fir Cemetery Website
Historic Columbian Cemetery Website
Rose City Cemetery and Funeral Home Website
Haynes, Emma S. My Mother's People. N.p.: 1959. Print.
Historic Columbian Cemetery Website
Rose City Cemetery and Funeral Home Website
Haynes, Emma S. My Mother's People. N.p.: 1959. Print.
Last updated October 2, 2018.