John Melbourne Lightfoot ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7}

  General Notes:

Researching John Melbourne Lightfoot has become very interesting. I found his burial location at Pilot Rock Cemetery in July 2009 but as one enters the cemetery and views a large 4' x 8' index board of the names of the burials, you can see that John M. Lightfoot is listed with, according to records, a wife, Lenora, and a daughter, Betty. But all three have no specific burial location other than "buried in the roadway between section 15 and 6". Note that the existing record from the local Historical Society says between section 15 and 16 but Gail Benthen, the bookkeeper for the Pilot Rock Cemetery Association, said there is no section 16 and that she clearly visualizes that it must mean section 6 instead of 16. Additionally she stated that all of the original burial records were destroyed in a flood (probably the flood of 1948). In the early 1950s, the Historical Society undertook a manual walk and indexing of all the names of the existing gravestones and at that time somebody added the names of the three Lightfoots. I am trying to find out if they have any other information such as a source where they got the names, dates, and burial locations for the Lightfoots.

At one time during the early years of the cemetery, somebody thought it would be a good idea to put a horse within the confines of the cemetery in order to keep the grass down. Unfortunately, the horse damaged or destroyed what were presumed to be only wooden crosses for the Lightfoot and others. This was not noticed until well after a number of years had passed and roadways were established in the cemetery to accommodate the new automobiles instead of the old horse drawn hearses. When the manual indexing of the names and gravestones was accomplished in the 1950s, someone must have remembered the three Lightfoot names, perhaps a still surviving member of the Lightfoot family. It was then realized that the roadways were established right on top of the Lightfoot graves whose exact locations were no longer known.

Another strange aspect of the Lightfoot burials is that the daughter, Elizabeth (Betty), died only one day after her mother. The daughter was about 18 years old at the time of her death which was about 5 years after the death of her father, John. I would suspect either a communicable disease or perhaps pneumonia or other complications from extremely cold January weather.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He appeared on the 1870 US Census in North Salem Precinct, Marion County, OR on 24 June 1870. ⁵

1870 US Census
Page 75, Dwelling 641, Family 589
North Salem Precinct, Marion County, Oregon
John M. Lightfoot..5..OR
(Living with parents.)
.

• He appeared on the 1880 US Census in Upper Butter Creek Township, Umatilla County, OR on 8 June 1880. ⁶

1880 US Census
Page 88C, District 114, Family 61, Roll 1084
Upper Butter Creek Township, Umatilla County, Oregon
John M. Lightfoot..Son..15..OR..Farm Laborer
(Living with parents.)
.

• He appeared on the 1900 US Census in Willow Springs Precinct, Umatilla County, OR on 24 June 1900. ¹

1900 US Census
Page 26B, District 106, Dwelling 170, Family 170
Willow Springs Precinct, Umatilla County, Oregon
living in tent
married 11 years
John M. Lightfoot..Head..Apr 1865..35..OR..Day Laborer
(Living with wife.)
.

• He appeared on the 1910 US Census in Pendleton, OR on 20 May 1910. ²

1910 US Census
Sheet 13A, District 260, Family 217, Roll 1289
Pendleton, Umatilla County, Oregon
Home rented
married 20 years
John M. Lightfoot..Head..45..OR..Laborer, Working out
(Living with wife.)
.

• He appeared on the 1920 US Census in Precinct 62, Umatilla County, OR on 23 January 1920. ³

1920 US Census
Sheet 1B, District 173, Family 27, Roll 1504
Precinct 62, Umatilla County, Oregon
Stage Road; Home owned, with mortgage
John M. Lightfoot..Head..54..OR..Farm operator, grain ranch
(Living with 2nd wife and 1 daughter.)
.

• He appeared on the 1930 US Census in Pilot Rock, OR on 2 April 1930. ⁴

1930 US Census
Sheet 1A, District 87 , Family 9, Roll 1956
Pilot Rock, Umatilla County, Oregon
Main Street;
John M. Lightfoot..Head..64..OR..Laborer, Odd Jobs
(Living with wife and daughter.)
.

• He was buried after 24 June 1931 in the Pilot Rock Cemetery in Pilot Rock, OR.

There is no gravestone marker for John M. Lightfoot. At the entrance to the Pilot Rock Cemetery, there is a large information board with an index of all the names and provides the exact block and lot number for each name. However, John M. Lightfoot's name appears along with the names of a Betty Lightfoot and a Lenora Lightfoot both of whom died in January 1936. All three Lightfoots are noted as "buried in roadway between block 15". I'm not sure what to make of that other than is sounds as if they were all buried without any markers and perhaps when a roadway through the cemetery was later established it was discovered that the roadway actually went right over their grave sites. I have a local phone number of a person on the local Cemetery Association but attempts to contact that person to verify that situation have gone unanswered. (July 2009 - Brian L. Lightfoot)

Find A Grave Memorial #57982284
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John married Josephine A. McFarland in 1889.^{1 2} (Josephine A. McFarland was born in November 1866 in Indiana ^{1 2} and died after 15 April 1910.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1900 US Census in Willow Springs Precinct, Umatilla County, OR on 24 June 1900. ¹

1900 US Census
Page 26B, District 106, Dwelling 170, Family 170
Willow Springs Precinct, Umatilla County, Oregon
living in tent
married 11 years
John M. Lightfoot..Head..Apr 1865..35..OR..Day Laborer
Josie A. Lightfoot..Wife..Nov 1866..33..IN..0/0
.

• They appeared on the 1910 US Census in Pendleton, OR on 20 May 1910. ²

1910 US Census
Sheet 13A, District 260, Family 217, Roll 1289
Pendleton, Umatilla County, Oregon
Home rented
married 20 years
John M. Lightfoot..Head..45..OR..Laborer, Working out
Josie A. Lightfoot..Wife..44..IN..0/0
.

John next married Lenora E. about 1917.^{3 4} (Lenora E. was born in 1881 in Washington,^{3 4} died on 15 January 1936 ⁹ and was buried after 15 January 1936 in Pilot Rock, OR ⁹.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They appeared on the 1920 US Census in Precinct 62, Umatilla County, OR on 23 January 1920. ³

1920 US Census
Sheet 1B, District 173, Family 27, Roll 1504
Precinct 62, Umatilla County, Oregon
Stage Road; Home owned, with mortgage
John M. Lightfoot..Head..54..OR..Farm operator, grain ranch
Lenora E. Lightfoot..Wife...38..WA
Elizabeth Lightfoot..Dau..1y10m..OR
.

• They appeared on the 1930 US Census in Pilot Rock, OR on 2 April 1930. ⁴

1930 US Census
Sheet 1A, District 87 , Family 9, Roll 1956
Pilot Rock, Umatilla County, Oregon
Main;
John M. Lightfoot..Head..64..OR..Laborer, Odd Jobs
Leonora Lightfoot..Wife..48..WA
Betty Lightfoot..Dau..12..OR
.