12 Graves of Christmas - Sgt. John Cameron

Sgt. John Fraser Cameron, 1878-1905
Veteran of the Spanish American War
 
Buried in Porter Cemetery, exact location unknown

(Image courtesy of the Veterans Administration)

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John Fraser Cameron, born January 1878 in Memphis, Tennessee, is believed to have been the son of Col. John Fraser Cameron, Sr. and his wife Mary A. Myers. Since John Sr. and his wife died in 1882 and 1883 respectively, it is likely that their six orphaned children were raised by relatives. Three of the Cameron daughters—Mary Belle, Chloe Ann, and Nancy Louise--made advantageous marriages.
 
John F. Cameron was working as a telephone lineman when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Galveston on April 28, 1898. It was just a few days after President McKinley had declared war on Spain. 
 
Cameron was regarded as a very good soldier. He rose to the rank of sergeant in Company C, 30th U. S. Infantry and might have made a career in the military, had he not contracted tuberculosis.
 
He was at Fort Bayard, New Mexico, when he was discharged on May 16, 1905, as unfit for duty. Fort Bayard was a decommissioned frontier fort which was being used as a tuberculosis sanitarium for Army personnel. A week later, Cameron was awarded a disability pension.
 
Cameron then traveled to Arizona to join his older brother Allen, who was living in Sayer. However, he died in Wickenburg, Arizona, on December 26, 1905, and was buried in Porter Cemetery. Without a marker, the exact location of Cameron’s grave is not known.
 
© 2021 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 29 November 2021.

This December, we will commemorate 12 pioneers from our historic cemetery who passed away during this month. Through this countdown, we honor their contributions to our community, reflect on the challenges they faced, and remember the impact they had during their time. While some of their stories are somber, they are an important part of our history, reminding us of the resilience and humanity of those who came before us.

If you would like assistance researching our interred, you can find more information on our website. You can contact us at [email protected] at any time. Thank you for your interest to preserve the history of Arizona's pioneers!