Richard Lantz, 1872-1878

Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial location is unknown.

Birth: April 1872, Oregon or Washington, USA

Death: 20 August 1878, Seabeck, Kitsap County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Bengta Lantz

American Revolutionary War Patriots*: None

Richard Lantz was born in April 1872, approximately two years after his parents emigrated from Sweden to North America. It’s unknown where exactly he was born, but it was likely somewhere in Oregon or Washington.

By 1878, Richard was living with his family at Miami Beach, Washington Territory, where his father worked as a fisherman. On August 20, 1878, Richard drowned at the age of six years and four months. An inquest was held the following morning, with the verdict recorded as accidental drowning.

The death and burial arrangements were documented in detail by Jacob Hauptly in his diary:

August 22, 1878:
“The little boy (6 years & 4 mo. old) of John Lantz was drowned last night. I held an inquest on him this morning. Verdict – accidental drowning. I was busy all day going round with subscription to raise money to pay burying expenses and to give the balance to the mother of the boy. Husband a no account. I collected about $55.”

August 23, 1878:
“I was busy arranging for burial of the corpse (Richard Lantz drowned). We had the funeral after supper, quite a turnout.”

August 26, 1878:
“I paid Mrs. Lantz $35.50 and gave Maggie Davis $12 to make some clothes for Lantz’s children. Kept out $5 for making the coffin.”

Richard was buried in Seabeck Cemetery shortly after his death. The exact location of his grave is unknown, and there is no record of a grave marker ever having been placed.

Richard’s mother, Bengta Arvidsdotter Lantz, died on April 4, 1880, less than two years after his death, and is also believed to be buried in Seabeck Cemetery. The burial locations of both mother and son remain unidentified in existing records.