Historic cemeteries reflect the heart and soul of a community through a treasure trove of history buried beneath its sacred ground. By organizing information about ninety-three known burials into a genealogical format, this book establishes the relationship between Brooks Catholic Cemetery, Brooks Church of Assumption and the small farming community of Brooks.  Located at the southern edge of the French Prairie around the area of Lake Labish in Marion County, Oregon, It was settled by. French Canadian trappers with Indian wives and subsequent generations of their blended families.  These early settlers were buried in cemeteries scattered around the French Prairie area. This book tells the personal and often tragic stories of those buried on a small grassy knoll that overlooked Lake Labish before it was drained. Their stories provide fascinating insight into the way people celebrated life and the hardships they endured. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the fire that destroyed the small Catholic Parish of Brooks on October 9, 1915, this book tells the stories of cemetery burials from 1891 through present day.

 

Genealogy is an essential element of historical research, and as you will discover here, the connections are long lasting as descendants of original settlers continue to be buried among their pioneer ancestors. This book is an invaluable resource for anyone with connections or interest in those buried in Brooks Catholic Cemeter.  It show cases the unique history of this part of the French Prairie in the Willamette Valley. Some Historic names buried here: Berdino-DeGobin-Gay-Genet-Gervais-Gigger-Goesch-Harris-Isham-LaFlemme-LaPratte  -Zielinski to name a few.