Ocean City Cemetery, Grays Harbor County, WA

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Submitted by Mr. Jean F. Coston email address: geniejean@msn.com.

Submitted Dec. 15, 2004

This is a partial submittion.

Two tenths of a mile north of the junction of state route 115 and
109, back in the woods about a hundred yards, lies a white picket
fenced in pioneer cemetery.

In bygone years, pioneers of the area have cared for it. In recent
years the land was purchased by the American Adventure camping
organization and they have maintained it. Within the past year or
two, a new camping club has moved in and is caring for the land.

In late 1886 Sampson Johns and his brother, Johnny, rescued the crew
of a stormed tossed ship, the Chilean bark named the Lillie Grace,
a Chilean wood and metal, 545 ton ship, in a voyage from Point
Discovery, WA to Valparaiso, Chile. It began to leak off of Cape
Flattery on Dec 14, 1886. Captain Charles Wall had the crew build and
board rafts. Five days latter the rafts broke from their towing
ropes behind the Grace. When the water in the Grace got about 12 feet
deep, a storm came up from the ocean and the Lillie Grace was
grounded short of the mouth of Grays Harbor. The next morning Sampson
and his brother, Johnny went out in a dougout canoe to find the
remains.

The cemetery was started by Simpson Johns when the Abercon, sailing
from Maryport, England, heading to Portland, OR, upon trying to
enter the Columbia River, ran into dense fog, drifted north past the
Willapa and Grays Harbor came to rest on the beach about ten miles
north of the entrance to Grays Harbor on January 12, 1888. The bodies
were picked up from the surf or off the beach and placed in his
family burial ground.

Sampson and Mary John’s heritage was Lower Chinook Indian on his
father’s side and Chehalis Indian on his mother’s. Mary’s heritage is
from the Puyallup Indians.

Their work in this matter did not go unnoticed. The U. S. Congress
rewarded then both with a Medal of Honor. A metal form Queen
Victoria of England was awarded to Sampson also. An article appeared
in the Aberdeen Herald, now known as the Aberdeen Daily World,
Jan. 15, 1891.

Because the cemetery is on privet property the location given here is
for reference only.

Southeast corner elevation 52 ft. N 47 degrees 3 minutes 354 seconds,
W 124 9 minutes 759 ft.Northwest corner elevation 53 ft. N 47
degrees 3 minutes 362 seconds, W 124 9 minutes 772 ft

In the cemetery are the following seven stones.

Chenois, Maggie     Sept. 11, 1866-Feb. 21, 1923

Halaskin, Tom       1822-April 1902

Johns, Annie        Died Nov. 17, 1895 age 20 years

    "  , Dallie     "    Feb. 18, 1908 age 17 years

    "  , Sullivan   "    April 9, 1914 age 19 years

    "  , Toney      "    Sept. 1903

    "  , Wilson     "    Nov. 5, 1917 age 19 years

Wain, Robert             1855-1930

In the cemetery there is a large evergreen tree that may have one or
two graves under it.

For the full history about this cemetery, anyone can go to the Ocean
Shores public library and ask to read the Hogans Corner booklet.
It’s in the genealogy reference section.