Title Info: Mount Olivet Cemetery

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Introduction The Mount Olivet Cemetery index lists individuals interred at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Roslyn, WA (Kittitas County). See photos. It is one of 27 identified burial places in Roslyn, WA. View information about Roslyn’s cemeteries here. Index information about an individual may include: name, birth date, birth place, death date, and names of family members. Index data was compiled by Maggie Rail, a member of the Washington State Cemetery Association, who has transcribed over 400 cemeteries since 1993.

Abbreviations used in this index:
b.= born
c/o= child of
d.= dead
h/o= husband of
P= Plot
s/o= son of
s/w= stone with
w/o= wife of

There are 59 individuals listed in this index.

Notes from transcriber Maggie Rail, October 2001:
Mount Olivet Cemetery is located on the lower road. After you have turned left onto Memorial Road coming up from Pennsylvania Ave, you stay on Memorial road and keep right. It is next to the Old City Cemetery. Lat: 47° 13' 13"N, Lon: 121° 00' 03"W T20N R15E Sec 17. See map.

Willie Craven is the current Sexton and the one who maintains Mount Olivet, with the help of his brother Wesley and others. It was Willie and Wesley's father who was the official Grave Digger and Watcher over the cemetery until his death.

This cemetery has had other names. It has been referred to as the Old Black Cemetery, or the Black Miner's Cemetery. It was rededicated Aug 05, 1995 as Mount Olivet Cemetery. There has been and still is a busy crew working here since 1995 trying to fix the cemetery up to a condition they can be proud of. I thought it looked very good.

Prince Hall Masons of the Washington Jurisdiction were responsible for the masonry work and the white crosses, plus other costs to make the renewal of the cemetery possible, and continue to assist with maintenance of the cemetery since 1995, along with Willie and Wesley Craven. It was an especially sad time for the Craven family the week I was there. Willie had just lost a son in the 30 Mile Forest Fire a few days before. I was unaware of it when there or I would have asked him about it. I will add the name as soon as I get it.

When I was reading the cemetery I was able to interview Willie and Wesley Craven, because they were there busy at work. Willie said the many white crosses show how the people in the early days were so poor they could not afford a marker of any kind. He is still working very hard to find all the names of who are buried here, assisted by his brother Wesley. I acquired the information I have presented from my own readings and either the city hall or the cemetery sexton, which might include old records.

I used a digital camera to read this cemetery. Some I had to use my notepad, and some I could not read. The first two entries or names are completely missing. I walked and read this cemetery Aug 19, 2001. Transcribed Oct 02, 2001, last edited Mar 22, 2010.


This index is in English.

This index is open for research.

Citation: Preferred Citation:[Identification of item], Mount Olivet Cemetery Index, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov,[date accessed].

Source: Index and transcription notes were donated to the Washington Historical Records Project by Maggie Rail, Historical Records Project, August 2009.
Notes Mount Olivet Cemetery Photos 0.1 MB