From the Supplement to the History of Union County #3 By Bernard Hug
History of Union County, Oregon; No. 03
“Mayor Rex Roulet owned a farm in the northwest part of Cricket Flat that was in the old Cunningham School District and joined farms owned by Jim and John Gekeler. He called this farm the “Graf Place” because an aunt of his and her husband, who was Emile Graf, owned it in early days.
Some70 years ago, the Graf family were living here with their three small daughters. It was harvest time and Mr. Graf was away harvesting.
One evening Mrs. Graf left the girls at the house while she went to the barn to milk the cow. The oldest daughter, Lily, who was about school age, wishing to have the kitchen fire ready for her mother to prepare supper when she returned from the barn, was adding more fuel when she accidentally caught her dress on fire.
She became frightened, screamed and ran for the barn where her mother was. Mother heard her and ran to meet her and extinguished the blaze by rolling her in the dirt. However, she was so badly burned and had inhaled flame so much that she lived but about a day, even though all was done that medical science could provide in that day.
Heartbroken neighbors came to comfort the mother and the little girl as she lay on her death bed. Grandma Boly brought her a big red apple. She clutched this apple in her little hand and continued to hang onto it as she strove to hang onto her young life.
When the little grave was made at Cricket Flat Cemetery, kind friends planted the seeds of the red apple on the grave. An apple tree grew at the grave and for years after, each spring, blossoms spread a memorial canopy over the resting place of Lily Graf. In late years porcupines pealed the old apple tree to cause it to die, and its gnarled form was removed.”
Lily was five years old at the time of her death. Charlotte was 7-months pregnant at the time, giving birth to Lenora two months after Lily’s death, and she would lose Lenora 10 years later…
The Highland Cemetery (formerly Cricket Flat Cemetery) lists a great number of early pioneers.
Memorials in Highland Cemetery – Find a Grave
Highland Cemetery – Union County, Oregon
