St. John Cemetery
11851 WA-23
St. John, Whitman County, Washington 99171
509-648-3859
Also known as Pleasant Valley Cemetery
To reach St. John Cemetery, drive southeast out of town on Hwy 23 for about 2 miles, then turn left into the cemetery.
St. John Cemetery was established as Pleasant Valley Cemetery, probably named that because of the beauty of the valley it is in. The first deed for this cemetery was recorded in 1889, although there are burials earlier than that, one as early as 1879. Today, it is operated by a board under Cemetery District #3 in Whitman County. This cemetery is unique because it is situated in the corner of four sections in Township 18N at Range 42E.
The central part of this transcription is from my cemetery survey. I have added records found in older readings, sexton records, obits, and relatives' records, denoted by an * asterisk. For those records without a stone, I was unsure if the date was the death or burial date.
I listed the cemetery in what I called Sections. These may not be how the board keeps records, but they helped me track where I had been. The Lot numbers came from old sexton records. I am not sure they use the same today.
One stone was in Chinese. I am grateful for the help of Pam Wagner and one of her students, who assisted me in translating it.
According to courthouse records, Margie Robertson reported that the aging stone for Edward St. John was replaced with an incorrect death date.
I have transcribed the headstone readings acquired when I walked and read this cemetery using a digital camera on August 16, 2006. I found it to be very well maintained and in excellent condition.
- Maggie Rail
http://www.mrail.net/data/cemete/wash/whitman/stjohn/index.htm
Visit the St. John Cemetery Website
