The following information is transcribed from the WPA Linn County Cemetery Survey, researched & prepared by Leslie L. Haskin on 12-1-1939:

The Riverside Cemetery is situated in the extreme northwestern portion of the City of Albany and in Section 12, Township 11 South of Range 4 West, Linn County.  The cemetery is bounded on the north by the right of way of the Oregon Electric Railway which, in turn, is situated on the banks of the Calapooia River….Beyond the lane is a portion of the north end of the Albany Masonic cemetery; these two burying grounds, both within the city of Albany, almost touching on adjacent corners….

To write a history of this cemetery is to write a summarized history of the Albany Region. In the year 1845 Mr. Abner Hackleman came to the region and staked out a claim.  With him was a young man named Hiram N. Smead.  Having located his new home Abner Hackleman desired to return to the East to bring his family so he left his claim in the care of Smead until he should return.  Smead likewise took up a claim to the west of Hackleman and including the present cemetery tract.  Neither Hackleman nor Smead ever proved up on these claims.  Abner Hackleman died before he could again return to Oregon.  Hiram Smead before taking title sold his rights to Walter and Thomas Monteith who came to this region from New York state in 1848.  (Abner Hackleman’s land rights were taken over by his son, Abram Hackleman, and Hiram Smead took up another tract of land further to the south and east.)

The Monteith brothers soon platted a town site and named it Albany.  They were very public spirited men and set apart lots for civic purposes an set apart a small tract near the west end of Walter Monteith’s land to be used for burial purposes.  This tract was used by public consent until some time during the 1860’s at which time it was formally deeded for cemetery purposes….

The first burial of record is that of a child, George W. , son of Geo. & Sarah Hughes.  He died on Nov. 12, 1847.  The second recorded burial was a child, Mary Jane Pentland, Oct. 6, 1853.  The third burial of record, and the first adult burial, was Samuel Hill on the “Ith [sic] day, 4 mo. 1854.  His age was “50 yrs., 3 mos. 6 days.”  The second adult burial was Charlotte Layton, Feb. 3, 1854.  The third adult burial was Rev. James Patterson Millar [sic] who died on April 18, 1854.  Of the above early burials both Hill and Millar did notable work in establishing the settlements here.

The earliest birth date recorded in this cemetery was Addick Cheadle, born in 1780.  Other birth dates recorded here previous to 1800 are—

                Rebecca Fanning.  1785               Rev. James Patterson Millar. 1793
                John Burkhart. 1787                       Benjamin Freeland. 1794
                Exum Powell. 1790.                        Drucilla Price. 1795.
                Jonathan Crow. 1790                     George Cline. 1799
                Joseph Hite Sen. 1793      

…The Albany Riverside Cemetery is, in area, one of the largest cemeteries in the county and in the number of graves which it contains it is by far the greatest.  Few cemeteries are so thickly filled with graves.

Historical & Biographical Notes:

Alfred E. Babcock. 1899-1919.  “Did in France”.  A local American Legion Post is named after this World War Veteran.

Hugh Nickerson. 1819-1896.  He was a pioneer of the year 1851.  His Donation Land Claim was about two miles east of Albany.

Serepta Nickerson, wife of the last.  1823-1862.  Also a pioneer of the year 1851.  She was a daughter of Rev. E. E. Parrish and his wife Elizabeth Bussey Parrish.  Hugh Nickerson was twice married.  Serepta was h is first wife.

George H. Hughes. 1816-1892.
Sarah (A.) Hughes. 1818-1909.
Man and wife.  George Hughes was a very early settler here and one of Albany’s first blacksmiths.  A son of this couple, George W. Hughes, was the first burial of record in this cemetery.

Dr. J. R. Tate. 1822-1878.  In the year 1860 a J. Tate, believed to be this man, was Representative from Linn County in the State Legislature.

Ashby Pearce.  1821-1902.  A prominent citizen in early days.  First ferryman at Albany.

Rev. S. G. Irvine D. D.   1826-1895.  A prominent Presbyterian Divine in early days.  A pioneer missionary of the year 1852.  Pastor of the Willamette Congregation at Oakville, Linn county, 1855.  A long (though rambling) account of his Oregon ministry is published in “Fiftieth Anniversary Souvenir of Willamette Church, Oakville Oregon”.  Published 1900 by the Columbia Synod of the United Presbyterian Church.

Rebecca A. Fanning. 1785-1881.  The oldest birth date record in this cemetery.  [NB: Haskin later corrected this statement – Addict Cheadle.

Samuel Hill.  1804-1854.  The first recorded adult burial here.  It is believed that this is the Samuel Hill who built the first publicly financed bridge in Linn County across the Calapooia River at Brownsville in 1853.

Sarah J. Mendenhall.  1848-1868.  a granddaughter of Rev. E. E. Parrish.  Certain of her family records, received from her grandfather when she was a girl, are in the possession of Mr. A. H. Parrish of Sodaville.

Catharine Parrish.  (No dates readable.)  She was the wife of Evans Parrish who was a brother of Rev. E. E. Parrish.

Evans Parrish.  1800-1852.  He was a brother of Rev. E. e. Parrish, pioneer Methodist preacher in Linn and Marion Counties.  Evans Parrish died on the plains in 1852.  He was something of a doctor and was treating the cholera patients with such remedies as he had.  He finally gave away his last medicine and three days later he was himself dead.  Buried beside the road on the plains.  A record of him, written by Rev. E. E. Parrish and now in the possession of Mr. Ala Parrish of Brownsville, Oregon, reads as follows—“This Edward Parrish who died on the way to Oregon.  Leaving his dear family to plod their weary way to this far off land as best they could.”  (Written in July, 1867.)

Dr. Heshbon Parrish.  1819-1885.  A son of Rev. H. H. Parrish, early Methodist preacher.  Born in 1817 according to other family records.  He was a brother of Serepta Parrish Nickerson already mentioned.  One of Oregon’s early doctors.  Came in the year 1851.

Edward Evans Parrish.  1852-1925.  A brother of the last.  A nephew of the Evans Parrish, second item above.

Exum Powell.  1791-1863.  A prominent Linn County pioneer.  Was a relative of Rev. Joab Powell.  One of the early birth dates here.

Demus Beach.  1812-1875.  A very prominent citizen of Albany at an early date.  His old house, used as an inn during steamboat days, still stands on the river bank just east of the approach of the present Albany bridge.  Albany City councilman in 1861 and 1875.  One of first trustees of Albany College.

Leighton E. Blain.  1842-1827 [sic, probably 1927].  A prominent clothing merchant in Albany for many years.  His store, under younger management, still [in 1939] carries his name.  He was a son of Rev. Wilson blain who was prominent in the founding of the United Presbyterian Church in Oregon, 1852.  The blains, father and son, were pioneers of the year 1847.

Samuel E. Young.  1838-1919.  A very prominent pioneer merchant at Albany.

Mary Jane Pentland.  1852-1853. One of the very early burials in this cemetery.

William H. H. Averill.  1846-1924. The oldest son of the pioneer H. J. C. Averill.  Both father and son were pioneers of the year 1852.  William H. H. Averill (William Henry Harrison Averill was his full name) was born in Illinois.  He was twice married, first to Mary G. Moss of the Sweet Home Valley, Linn County.  He settled after his marriage in Summer Lake, southern Oregon.  His wife was then the only white woman within twenty-five miles.  Averill was engaged in hauling freight from Oregon City to Summer Lake via Oak Ridge, this was in 1867.  The Indians then were quite troublesome.  Mary Moss Averill died in1890.  Later Mr. Averill married Martha Robinson of coos County.  She still [in 1930] survives and lives in Linn county about two miles east of Corvallis.

Rev. James Patterson Millar.  1793-1854.  This name is Millar, spelled with an ‘a’, not an ‘e’.  He was a Presbyterian Missionary to Oregon from 1851 to the time of his death.  He was sent by the Associate Synod of Pennsylvania.  Started for Oregon from Argyle, New York in April, 1851, arriving at Oregon City in June.  Located permanently at Albany.

Benjamin Hardman.  1824-1899.  A pioneer in the region between Albany and Lebanon.  One of the early members of the German Baptist church organized in the country there in the 1850’s and which is still [in 1939] active, their present building being on Santiam Road in Eastern Albany.

C. P. Burkhart.  1819-1907.  Prominent early settler.  His donation land claim was in Sections 10 & 15, about three miles southeast of Albany.  In 1868 he was a county Commissioner for Linn Co.

George W. Hughes.  1846-1847.  The first burial of record here.  This child was a son of George H. & Sarah A. Hughes.  He was an early Albany Blacksmith.

George Cline.  1799-1864.  One of the very early birth dates here.

Duncan B. Monteith. 1856-1898.  A member of the pioneer Monteith family.  The Monteiths were the founders of Albany.

Walter Monteith.  1816-1876.  One of the founders of the town of Albany.  A pioneer of the year 1848.  Deeded the land for this cemetery.

Walter Monteith.  1846-1867.  A son of Rev. W. J. Monteith.  He was born at Broadalbin, N. Y.  The Monteiths who found Albany named many things after their former home in New York.  Albany, Oregon was named for Albany, N. Y.  A street in Albany is named Broadalbin Street after the birthplace of this young member of the family.

Robert Crawford. 1829-1913.  A Crawford whose initials were R. H. Crawford was Linn County State Senator from 1866-1870.  Believed to be this man.

J. M. Burrows.  1828-1855.
W. H. Crow.  1826-1855. 
These two young men whose names appear on the same stone were Indian war veterans.  Both died on the same day and it seems probable that both were killed in action against the Indians.

Jonathan Crow.  1790-1863.  This early pioneer had a D.L.C. in the neighborhood a mile or so northwest of Knox Butte, Linn County.  He was a Civil War Veteran.

Anna Bond Reed.  1842-1936.
John G. Reed. 1838-1936.
Man and wife.  Prominent farm citizens of the Lebanon neighborhood.  Pioneers of 1853 & 1852.  They lived to celebrate their 75^th wedding anniversary.

Stephen D. Haley.  1805-1882.  An early pioneer.  Was County Judge of Linn County from 1853 to 1860.

John Burkhart. 1787-1856.
Rebecca B. Burkhart.  1800-1884.  Man and wife.  Both early birth dates.  Were prominent early settlers in the Albany region.

Olney Fry Sen. 1802-1894.  An early pioneer.  A station on the Lebanon branch of the S. P. Ry., situated on his D.L.C. is named “Fry Station”.

Joseph Hite Sen. 1793-1872.  A prominent early settler.  His D.L.C. was situated north of Knox Butte, Linn Co.

Hugh N. George.  1828-1871.  Was presidential Elector at time of Lincoln’s second election.  Was educated at Santiam Academy, Lebanon.

Leander C. Burkhart. 1823-1875.  Prominent early settler.  His D.L.C. was situated in apart of present East Albany.  His descendents still own portions of the original claim.

Rev. Charles H. Mattoon.  1822-1915.  A member of the first faculty of McMinnville College (Linfield College).  He was author of a book, “Baptist Annals” which is the standard authority on Baptist History in Oregon.

Elizabeth Baber.  1823-1874.  Wife of G. H. Baber who was a Linn County Commissioner from 1851-1853.

Charles B. Sprenger. 1836-1868.  Born in Connellsville, Ohio.  Son of Nicholas Sprenger.  Both father and son were pioneers of the year 1852.  A brother, Thomas Bird Sprenger, born in 1850, still [ in 1939] lives at Shedd, Oregon.

Daniel Freeman.  1864-1938.  Former Professor of Biology and Botany at Albany College.

William Rumbaugh. 1923-[1895].  A prominent early citizen.  A member of the Albany City Council in 1878.

Emily Gerber. 1854-1924.
Rheinhold Gerber. 1851-1924
Margaret Gerbig.  1890-1924
Paul Gerbig. 1899-1924.
Hilda Gerbig.  1914-1924
Marie Gerbig.  1917-1924.
Margaret Gerbig.  1919-1924.

These deaths, all occurring in 1924, represent a tragedy of major extent.  All were victims of botulism contracted at a large family dinner.  All died within a few days of each other.  The above is only a partial list of the victims.  In all, eleven persons died as a result of this feed.  The direct cause was a salad made from canned green beans.  So outstanding was this case that the United States health service published a bulletin on the tragedy. (All were relatives.  The funeral, held in Albany, was for all victims—eleven caskets at one time in a single church.)

Ubbe Peters.  1856-1933.  A man of Scandinavian blood who was a well known personage for many years in Linn County.  A layman preacher of the Apostolic Faith sect who went “Everywhere preaching the Gospel”.  A peculiar character but respected for his sincere zeal.  Ubbe Peter’s street meetings were known throughout the length and breadth of the county.

Olney Fry Jr.  1825-1905.  A pioneer of the region, his claim lying in the region between Albany and Lebanon.  Fry Station on the Lebanon branch of the S.P.Ry. is on the Fry claim.

J. G. Crawford.  1850-1929.  A well known pioneer.  Came to Oregon with his parents in 1852.  Was a pioneer photographer.  Had studios in Harrisburg and Albany.  Crawford and Paxton were among the first photographers here.  Was also an amateur geologist and anthropologist and collected a large mass of skulls, artificents etc. from the Indian mounds along the Calapooia River (Now in the museum at O.S.C.)

Clara Crawford.  1852-1936.  Wife of last.  A member of the Lebanon Pioneer Moist family.

Carey Crawford.  Son of the last two.  Drowned at Corvallis by falling from the gangway of a steamboat while playing in a band for an excursion.  His body was not found until a subsequent high water when it floated into the basement of a house being built by his father on the riverbank at Albany.

Joseph Sage. 1809-1890.  Born in Baden, Germany.  A pioneer of early days in the Brownsville neighborhood.  “A little, short fellow”.  He was a cabinet maker by trade and made many fine pieces from native Oregon Maple.  Many of these pieces are still preserved by pioneer families and show very fine workmanship.  One specimen is in the possession of Mrs. William Templeton of Brownsville.  It is a combined cupboard and chest of drawers.  It was made for a pioneer member of the Templeton family.  Another piece, a maple table, is in the possession of Mrs. Ida McHargue Hanson of Brownsville.  The name Sage, according to all old settlers of Brownsville, is pronounced with two syllables and with ‘a’ given the long sound.

Charles T. Ingrim.  1816-1889.  Born in England.  Emigrated to Belfast, Maine.  Came to Oregon in 1854.  Journey made by way of the Isthmus of Panama.  A great proportion of the party were forced to walk across the isthmus because of a lack of horses.

Philip Baltimore. 1810-1883.  A very early settler in the “Baltimore” neighborhood about six miles southeast of Albany.

H. N. Smeed.  1824-1888.  (The name is sometimes spelled Smead).  Hiram Smeed came to Oregon in 1845.  He reached the site of Albany, accompanied by Abner Hackleman, during the same year.  Smeed and Hackleman each took up claims and Hackleman left his land in the care of Smeed while he returned to the East to bring his family on.  Smeed spent the winter of 1845-1846 on the site of Albany, apparently entirely alone.  He lived in the first cabin ever erected on the site of Albany.  It was built on the banks of a little creek which ran into the Willamette River.  The exact spot was at the southwest corner of First and Ellsworth Streets.  In 1848 or 1849 he sold out his squatters rights to his claim.  The sale was to Thomas and Walter Monteith and the consideration was $400.  He then went to the California gold mines.  Staid there, on two separate trips, about one year.  Did well and returned to Albany with sufficient means to purchase a claim from “Uncle Chris Miller”.  This second claim was in what is now known as Sunrise Addition in Albany….

The first ferry ever established across the Willamette at Albany was situated just north of Smeed’s first cabin.  Hiram Smeed was a soldier in both the Cayuse and Rogue River Indian wars.  He was an orphan, his parents having died while he was quite young.  His trip to Oregon was in the company with Anderson Cox who also settled near Albany.  He married Rachel Jane Wood in 1848.  She came to Oregon in 1848 by a different train than that with which Smeed came.

James Dannals.  1825-1911.  Pioneer of Oregon, 1852.  Married Louisa Clover, daughter of the well-known Linn County pioneer, Paul Clover.  A son, Frank Clover Dannals, still [ in 1939] resides in Albany.

Louise C. (Clover) Dannals. 1834-1912.  Daughter of Paul Clover.  Came to Oregon in 1852.

Fred P. Nutting.  1856-1938.  A pioneer newspaper man of Albany.  He was editor of the Oregon democrat for many years.  During his life he was an authority on all historical matters connected with Albany.

Claibourne Stewart.  1855-1936.  Very prominent pioneer citizen of Albany.  Editor of the Albany Democrat for many years.  County Judge of Linn County.  Albany Councilman, 1878.  Authority on Local history.  His historical collections are now in the possession of the Albany Public Library.

Cora A. Stewart. 1854-1917. Wife of last.

James R. Templeton. 1842-1892.  A son of William H. Templeton who settled near Brownsville.  James came to Oregon with  his father in 1847.

James V. Pipe.  1857-1927.  Prominent Albany insurance broker, land agent.  He was a son-in-law of Thomas Monteith, one of the founders of Albany.  His wife still [ in 1939] survives and resides in Albany.

Thomas Monteith.  1824-1889.  A pioneer of 1848.  Purchased the land on which this cemetery is situated from its original squatter-owner, Hiram Smeed.  Gave the ground for the cemetery.  Was, with his brother, Walter Monteith, the co-founder of Albany.  Prominent in all civic enterprises in pioneer Albany.

Archibald Monteith. 1855-1938.  Son of the last.

John R. Bray.  A civil war veteran.

A. Hackleman.  1829-1904.  This is Abram Hackleman.  He was a pioneer of 1846 or 1848.  His father, Abner Hackleman came to Oregon in 1845 and took up the first claim  taken on the present site of Albany.  He then left his land in the care of Hiram Smeed and returned East for his family.  Before he could return to Oregon he died.  His son, Abram Hackleman, subject of this sketch, came and took up his father’s claim.  The Hackleman home was situated in East Albany and a grove there still bears the name of Hackleman’s grove.  The Hackelmans named their part of the town Takena, and for along time there was hot rivalry between the names Albany and Takena.  Albany was officially named Takena but later the name was changed.

Eleanor B. Hackleman.  1825-1899.  Wife of the last.  She was the first schoolteacher in Albany.  It is said that her custom was to teach the children their letters while engaged in picking her geese.  Came to Oregon with her husband in 1846 (?).

D. O. Woodworth.  1866-1935.  Prominent civic leader in Albany.  A druggist here for many years.

Frieda Messerli.  1894-1924.  The wife of a prominent Albany Lutheran pastor.

Sidney Montgomery.  1890-1918.  A world war veteran killed in action.

Silas W. Hoy. 1861-1922.  Born in Ohio. A deaf-mute printer.

Train. (No given name.)  1841-1923.  This may be the Mr. S. S. Train who was a prominent newspaper man at Harrisburg.  An inscription closely following in the text refers to “a daughter of S.S. Train.”

C. M. Kendall.  1867-1922. A former Sheriff of Linn County.  He was killed while investigating a moon shiner’s still.  Shot by the owner of the still.

Online Transcriptions:

The Riverside Cemetery Directory was compiled in the early 1980s as an Eagle Scout project under the direction of Joel Christensen. Under Joel's direction, a group of dedicated Boy Scouts recorded the names directly from the stones in the Riverside Cemetery, Albany, Oregon. The scouts recorded over 5,100 names.  This survey was subsequently formatted for the internet and is available at Jan Phillips' website.

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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.