Odd Fellows' Cemetery Association - Oakland

1884-1885 directory listing ⁴

The Odd Fellows' Cemetery Association was a group of Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) members in Oakland trying to create a local IOOF cemetery in the late 1800s. Many towns and cities have or had IOOF cemeteries; San Francisco's existed until 1935 when remains were moved to Colma, a move that began in 1929.

The association was created in 1874 by a group of "one hundred public-spirited citizens, and members of the Order." ⁹ Later that year the association sold 23 acres of land "adjoining the Catholic cemetery" to H.P. Livermore for $10,500. ¹ That land later became part of the Claremont Country Club.

The association continued meeting, and acquired land "at the head of Fruit Vale Avenue", but in 1880 they abandoned the idea and sold the land as homestead plots. ² A parcel near Lincoln not far from the head of Fruitvale Ave. is labeled IOOF on an 1880 county map. ⁸

The cemetery is listed in the 1880-1881 directory. ³ Curiously, it's still listed in the 1884-85 directory. ⁴

In 1888, local IOOF members met and decided to purchase of 15 acres in Mountain View Cemetery. ⁷

A brief obituary for Alexander Hoy in 1888 noted that he was one of the people who had helped start the idea of a local IOOF cemetery, and fittingly, was being interred "in the cemetery which he helped to locate", Mountain View Cemetery. ^5,6

Question: why is the Odd Fellows Cemetery listed in the 1884-85 directory?

Question: Is the Odd Fellows' 15 acres in Mountain View Cemetery still intact?
NAParish: I don't think so; there's no separate Assessor's Parcel on the Assessor's map for the cemetery.
Gene: I emailed Dennis and Michael about it. My thought was that it was more like the Elk's plot or GAR plot -- distinct, but the land still owned by MVC.