Daniel C. Cameron

Deputy Sheriff Daniel Carlyle Cameron was 36 years old when he died at Melrose. He was appointed a deputy sheriff by Sheriff Calvin White about a year earlier to serve mostly in the courtrooms, according to the Oakland Tribune.  At the time of the incident, he was assigned to Alvarado (now Union City. Alvarado was the first county seat when Alameda county was formed in 1853). He left an aging father, Ashley Cameron, a rancher, who lived in Centerville. His mother died several years prior to this tragedy. He was also survived by four sisters. 

I had difficulty finding Deputy Cameron’s gravesite.  I noted that his funeral and subsequent burial was not with the four other heroes in Oakland. Since his father was described in news accounts as a prominent rancher in Irvington, I checked the oldest cemetery in that area, the Irvington Memorial cemetery. In Cameron's day it was named the Odd Fellows cemetery. The records there were difficult to review, consisting of a large box of very old 3X5 cards. I was able to find cards for his mother and father and noted that an unmarked grave was next to them.  Cemetery staff were subsequently able to determine that deputy Cameron was in this unmarked grave. 

Gustave "Gus" Koch

Oakland Township constable Gustave “Gus” Koch, was 33 years old.  He was unmarried and lived in the Temescal area of Oakland. He had been elected constable by the citizens of Oakland Township four years prior to this tragedy. (1) He was born in Tuolumne County and lived in the Oakland area for 25 years. He was an avid yachtsman as a member of the Marine Yacht Club of San Francisco. He also was a volunteer firefighter for the Temescal Volunteer Fire Department. Constable Koch’s mother died before him. He left a father who lived in Columbia, Ca (Gold country) as well as three brothers and two sisters, all who lived in Oakland.

 
I found constable Koch’s unmarked grave to be in Mountain View cemetery.  He was interred the same day as fellow Melrose victim deputy sheriff George Woodsum, in the same row, with one grave between them. Deputy Woodsum has a beautiful grave marker and constable Koch has nothing to mark his resting place. The reason why is unknown. 118 years is long enough. The final resting place of Gustave Koch will soon have a grave marker.

(1) Upon the creation of Alameda County in 1853, the county was partitioned into Townships that consisted of towns, ranches and settlements. In the mid-1880's the Townships were: Oakland, Alameda, Brooklyn, Eden, Washington and Murray. Here is an 1880's map of Alameda County.