Jane Waer (c.1822-1865) - First Burial at Mountain View Cemetery

[Photo of Waer gravestone by Michael Colbruno]

Jane Waer (c.1822-1865) Plot 1, Lot 293

Jane Waer was not a famous person in life, but hers is the first burial entered in Mountain View Cemetery’s records.

She was born in New Jersey, and died in Oakland on July 26, 1863, two months after the cemetery had held its dedication ceremonies. Her husband, Philip H. Waer, who died in 1903, is also buried in this plot, as is George A. Waer, presumably their son, although their burials are not listed on the marker. The cause of her death was listed in cemetery records as “a bilious fever.”

The gravestone itself is a modest obelisk which has been broken and badly mended. A form letter from the cemetery dated August 31, 1949, states, “During the night of August 30, 1949 vandals knocked over the monument on (this lot) and some thirty others. Although the Cemetery Association is not obligated, the Trustees have ordered these replaced, where not broken, at the expense of the Cemetery Association.” Jane’s monument may have been broken when it was restored to its upright position. Certainly, the mending was done by an amateur repairman.

In September 2003, thanks to the generosity of the Raffo Bronze Company, a plaque was designed and placed at the base of the Waer obelisk indicating that Jane’s was the first burial at Mountain View.

(Biography courtesy of Mountain View Docent Gaye Lenahan)

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