TONQUIN BURIAL
Pacific County WA

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Burial list of Tonquin Cemetery transcribed and submitted 
by T Sheldon June 2002. Both above notices must remain 
when copied or downloaded.

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Transcribed this 5th day of May, 2002, by T Sheldon.

Being near the Pacific Ocean, there seemed to have been a lot of beach 
burials.  This burial is no different than many others of this time 
period.

Near Baker's Bay (near Ilwaco) there was a burial of an Hawaiian 
Islander who had drowned on 26 Mar 1811.  His untimely death occurred 
when the ship TONQUIN was attempting to cross the Columbia River bar.  The currents of the Pacific were then guaged by those traveling from the eastern states (via water) as passable by going first to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) then proceeding to the western US coastline.  In making the stop at the islands, men were recruited from Hawaii to aid in navigation and as deckhands once shore was reached.  This Islander lost his life trying to cross the bar, which has had crashing effects on many a ship.  

The exact location of the burial is unsure, but the nearest location
 would be known best as 'The Willows' at the port where Willow Street 
meets Baker Bay.

There were other deaths during the same occurance on the TONQUIN, but 
there is a question whether all the bodies were buried in the same 
place.

AIKEN, Mr.
COLES, Mr.
FOX, Mr.
LAPENSEE, Mr. and Mr.  {two brothers}
NADEAU, Mr.