The Graveyard Rabbit of the California Central Coast

Tuesday's Child: Annie Grace YOUNG

2009-12-01T02:42:00.000-08:00

ANNIE GRACE

YOUNG

Nov. 15, 1894

Apr. 26, 1896

Annie Grace YOUNG is buried in the Goleta Cemetery, Goleta, Santa Barbara Co., California, Section 1 East, Lot 3, Space 8.

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Headstone of Annie Grace Young." Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, September 27, 2009.

Sarah E. YOUNG

2009-11-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

SARAH E.

wife of

D. A. YOUNG

MARCH 26, 1854

JUNE 25, 1888

Sarah E. YOUNG is buried in the Goleta Cemetery, Goleta, Santa Barbara Co., California, Section 1 East, Lot 3, Space 1.

D.A. YOUNG does not appear to be buried in this cemetery.

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"Headstone of Sarah E. Young." Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, September 27, 2009.

Upcoming Event: Santa Barbara Cemetery Walking Tour

2009-10-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

David Petry, author of the book, The Best Last Place: A History of the Santa Barbara Cemetery, will host a walking tour of the Santa Barbara Cemetery this Halloween weekend:

Saturday, October 31, 2009
10 AM to 12:30 PM
901 Channel Drive, Santa Barbara
$15 per person
Meet at the Cemetery Chapel

The Santa Barbara Cemetery is unique among cemeteries. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the cemetery is home to actors, industrialists, authors, musicians, sports stars, and many of the town’s founders and leaders. It was, for the duration of the Reagan presidency, the chosen site for the Reagan’s burial plot. The Cemetery Chapel is the only sacred structure designed by famed architect George Washington Smith; inside are the only completed murals of Mexican muralist Alfredo Ramos Martinez. Where most cemeteries are corporate-, church-, or government-owned, the Santa Barbara Cemetery is owned and operated by a nonprofit board whose by-laws were originally drafted in 1867.

More information about this event is available here.

P.S. I have a copy of Mr. Petry's book, and it is excellent. The history of this cemetery is really quite fascinating!

Upcoming Event: Picnic in the Cemetery

2009-10-07T05:12:00.000-07:00

The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, in collaboration with the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society, is sponsoring a Picnic in the Cemetery.

Saturday, October 24, 2009
10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON
Oak Hill Cemetery
2560 Baseline Avenue, Ballard
Cost: $25 for members of SBCGS and SYVHS; $32 non-members
Reservations and payment due by October 15.

Seven cemetery residents will delight you with their stories along with a little gossip about some of the other residents. Boy, did the Los Olivos and Ballard communities have some exciting and interesting characters.

A picnic lunch will be served at the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society Museum and Carriage House after the Cemetery visit.

Please contact the SBGCS for reservations and information.

Tuesday's Child: Emma Caroline Ufken

2009-10-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

EMMA CAROLINE

Beloved dau. of

J.G & T E. UFKEN

Died

Feb. 24, 1893,

Aged

5 Y's, 4 M's, 2 D's

Emma Caroline UFKEN is buried in the Goleta Cemetery, Goleta, Santa Barbara Co., California, Section 1 East, Lot 25, Space 1 .

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Headstone of Emma Ufken." Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, September 27, 2009.

Tuesday's Child: Charlie Malone

2009-09-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

Our Little
CHARLIE
Son of
O.G. & S.E. MALONE
DIED
April 19, 1891
Aged
1 year, 8 mos.
Our darling boy gone so soon.

(At bottom, the word "ONE" is visible. The bottom left corner is missing. The stone has fallen and is laying on the ground.)

Charlie Malone is buried in the Lompoc Cemetery, Lompoc, California.

I have no further information on Baby Charlie Malone's family. His parents do not appear to be buried in the Lompoc Cemetery.

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"Headstone of Charlie Malone." Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, September 4, 2009. Privately held by Elizabeth O'Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2009.

At Cemetery, the Plots Thicken

2009-09-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

By Dave Bemis/Associate Editor
September 5, 2009

They say the troubles are over for the residents of a cemetery, but people in the Santa Ynez Valley who wish to join them some day could have a big problem: The Valley's only public cemetery is running out of room.

"We’re down to 10 to 15 years left," said Oak Hill Cemetery District manager David Jakkola. "People need to realize, 'My grandchildren may not have a place to go.'"

Read the rest of the story at The Lompoc Record.

Assembly Bill No. 124 Approved

2009-08-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

Assembly Bill No. 124 was approved by Governor Schwarzenegger on August 5, 2009.

AB 124 authorizes the appointment of a temporary manager for a private cemetery when the current manager is unable or unwilling to perform his/her duties:

This bill would, notwithstanding any other provision of law, authorize a court of competent jurisdiction, based upon the court's finding that a cemetery manager of a private cemetery has ceased to perform his or her duties due to a lapse, suspension, surrender, abandonment, or revocation of his or her license, to appoint a temporary manager to manage the property of, and certain services provided by, the private cemetery, as provided, for a limited term of 6 months or until a new licensed cemetery manager is hired. The bill would permit the court to authorize the payment of reasonable compensation for the temporary manager's services, to be paid by the trustees from available income from the cemetery, as provided.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

AB 124 adds Section 9723.3 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to cemeteries. You can read more about AB 124 here.

Santa Maria Cemetery District Asks Public to Keep its Grounds Clean

2009-08-15T10:30:00.001-07:00

Reported by: Jimena Martinez
August 14, 2009

The Santa Maria Cemetery District is asking for the publics help to keep its ground clean.

The district's policy states that only fresh or artificial flowers can be placed at the gravesites.

The public is encouraged to remove flowers or objects left at grave sites before Monday.

Cemetery personnel will be removing all items, including fresh and artificial flowers, flags, balloons, and stakes next week.

Story via KSBY 6 Action News San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara.

Tuesday's Child(ren): Marvin & Evelyn Arkley

2009-08-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

Marvin S. Arkley died on December 17, 1886, at the age of 5 months, 11 days.

Evelyn Rena Arkley was born in 1889, and died on February 13, 1890, at the age of 1 year, 2 months, 3 days.

Both were the children of William and Agnes Arkley, and are buried in the Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery, Lompoc, California.

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SOURCES:

"Headstone of Marvin S. and Evelyn Rena Arkley" Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, May 22, 2009. Privately held by Elizabeth O'Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2009.

Bumann, Fran, editor. "Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery Records." Burbank, California: Southern California Genealogical Society, 2003.

"Ghosts of Cemetery Park" to be Featured in Ventura

2009-08-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

Meet ghost hunters Richard and Debbie Senate mid-park on Poli Street with your camera and flashlight to hear their tales of spirits inhabiting Ventura's first cemetery.

WHEN: Saturday, August 22, 2009, 8:30-10:00 p.m.

WHERE: Memorial Park, 1500 Poli Street, Ventura

Tickets are $20.00

More information: Discover Ventura.

Tuesday's Child: John Gregory Nielsen

2009-07-28T17:14:00.001-07:00

John Gregory Nielsen was born on August 2, 1952, in Santa Barbara County, California. He died on August 14, 1957, at the age of 5 years. He is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard, Santa Barbara County, California.

John's parents are unknown; however, according to the California Birth Index, 1905-1995, his mother's maiden name is Rasmussen. I did not find John in the California Death Index, 1940-1997.

There are many Nielsens buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery.

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SOURCES:

California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics. "California Birth Index, 1905-1995." Database. Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com/ : 2009.

"John Nielsen's Headstone at Oak Hill Cemetery." Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, April 2, 2009. Privately held by Elizabeth O'Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2009.

Tuesday's Child: John Leslie Bruce

2009-05-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Today's "Tuesday's Child" is John Leslie Bruce.

John was born on July 5, 1905. He died on November 20, 1907, at the age of 2 years, 4.5 months. He is buried in Arroyo Grande Cemetery, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, California.

I do not know the names of his parents; however, there are several people buried in this cemetery with the surname Bruce. To search the PDF database of the Arroyo Grande Cemetery, click here.

J. Leslie Bruce's Headstone, Photographed by Elizabeth O’Neal, September 13, 2008. Privately held by Elizabeth O’Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2009.

Tuesday's Child: The Kelley Children

2009-04-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today’s "Tuesday’s Child(ren)" are the Kelley boys: Hugh P., Leo, and Willie. According to their headstones, all three are the children of H.S. and E.M. Kelley. They are buried in the Santa Maria Cemetery, Santa Maria, California.

According to cemetery records, Leo Kelley was interred on January 6, 1887. Willie Kelley was interred on January 15, 1887. The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society’s online database indicates that both boys were born in 1887, so they were most likely twins who died shortly after birth.

Hugh Perry Kelley died May 16, 1903, at the age of "15 yrs, 4 mos, & 8 d’s."

Buried next to the three boys is Ella M. Kelley, born in 1859 and died March 30, 1890 at the age of 30. Ella is most likely the boys' mother.

In the 1900 U.S. census, a Hugh S. Kelly is found living in Santa Barbara County, California, 8th Township. Hugh is now married to Sadie, and is living with son Hugh P., age 13, and daughters "Lotte," age 3, and Mildred A., age 1.

It’s obvious that Sadie is not Hugh P.’s mother because Sadie is listed as having had 2 children, 2 of which are living. Sadie was born in 1875, which would have made her only 13 when Hugh P. was born – not impossible, but also not likely! Finally, under "Nativity," Hugh P.'s mother's place of birth is listed as Iowa. Sadie is listed as having been born in California. So this is more evidence that Ella M. Kelley is indeed Hugh P.’s deceased mother.

1900 U.S. Census (Click to enlarge)

Hugh S. Kelley is found in the 1910 U.S. Census at the age of 50 living with wife "Sarah," age 35, and daughters Charlotte E., age 13, and Mildred A., age 11.

Sadie is found in the 1920 U.S. census listed as the 43 year old, widowed, head of household, living with daughter Charlotte, her husband George Radke, and their 1 year old son Hugh R. Also in the household are daughter Mildred, now 21 years old, and sister-in-law Charlotte Quinn.

[Note: Hugh R. is listed as "son," which would technically make him Sadie's son, since she is the head of household. However, George is listed as "son-in-law" and Charlotte is listed as "wife." Charlotte is obviously not the wife of Sadie, so it's more likely that the enumerator made an error, and Hugh R. is Charlotte’s son, not Sadie's.].

Hugh Sylvester "Keley" is buried in the Santa Maria Cemetery. He was interred on December 2, 1917. Sadie (Bradley) Kelley is also found in the Santa Maria Cemetery. She was born on July 12, 1875, and died on February 14, 1958 at the age of 82. I do not have photos of either grave... yet.

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SOURCES:

All headstones pictured in this article were photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, November 11, 2008. Privately held by Elizabeth O’Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2009.

California Department of Health Services. "California Death Index, 1940-1997." Database. Rootsweb.com, http://www.rootsweb.com/: 2009.

California. Santa Barbara County. 1900 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Heritage Quest. http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/: 2009. From National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 110.

California. Santa Barbara County. 1910 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Heritage Quest. http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/: 2009. From National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll 105.

California. Santa Barbara County. 1920 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Heritage Quest. http://persi.heritagequestonline.com/: 2009. From National Archives microfilm publication T625, roll 146.

"Santa Maria Cemetery, 1872-2001." Database. Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society. http://santabarbaragenealogy.org/Santa_Maria_Cemetery/Santa_Maria_Web_8Feb04/: 2009.

Tuesday's Child: Homer C. Douglass

2009-04-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

Amy, the author of "We Tree," did an interesting post this morning called "Tombstone Tuesday: Between Censuses." In it, she featured the headstone of a child who was born and died during the 10 year span between U.S. federal censuses. Her purpose was that since these children are never recorded in the U.S. Census, records of their existence just seem to fall through the cracks.

I've been photographing cemeteries for several years, and it makes me so sad to see the graves of these forgotten, little children, particularly the ones with no family graves nearby. You just know that someone once loved them very much, and was devastated by the child's passing. But now that child is alone... no visitors, no flowers. It's possible that living relatives don't even know they ever existed.

So I would like to start a series called "Tuesday's Child" in which I'll feature photos of the graves of children. Hopefully somebody will see them and make a connection so these little angels will not be forgotten.

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Today's child is Homer C. Douglass.

Homer was the son of W.H. and M.B. Douglass. He died on September 17, 1896, at the age of 1 year, 2 mos., and is buried in the Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery, Lompoc, California.

Photo of Homer C. Douglass Headstone, Photographed by Elizabeth O’Neal, January 24, 2009. Privately held by Elizabeth O’Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2009.

Photo Headstones: A Genealogical Treasure

2008-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

During previous visits to the Santa Maria Cemetery in Santa Maria, I’ve noticed that a few of the headstones display photos of the deceased. This is not uncommon, of course, as photo headstones are found in cemeteries everywhere.

However, on a recent visit, I discovered that the Santa Maria Cemetery has an entire section of these photo headstones. What a genealogical treasure!

Here's an example of one of the photo stones in this section:

Headstone of Manuel and Belvina Madruga.

Detail of photos and dates on Madruga Headstone.

Photo of Manuel F. Madruga found on headstone.

Photo of Belvina G. Madruga found on headstone.

I would be absolutely thrilled to find such a gem of a headstone for any of my ancestors!

*****

Manuel Felipe Madruga was born in 1871/72 in Poco, Azores, Portugal. He emigrated to the United States in approximately 1888, and was naturalized as a citizen on May 12, 1902, in San Luis Obispo, California. He lived in Nipomo and worked as a rancher in San Luis Obispo County. Manuel died in 1922.

Belvina Gularte Madruga was born on September 14, 1881, in California. She died on November 16, 1940 in Santa Barbara County, California. Belvina must have remarried after Manuel died because she is listed as Belvina Gularte Lewis in the Cemetery's records.

Manuel and Belvina were married in abt. 1900, and had at least five children.

SOURCES:

California Department of Health Services. “California Death Index, 1940-1997.” Database. Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com/ : 2008.

California. San Luis Obispo County. 1910 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/ : 2008. From National Archives microfilm publication T624, roll 104.

California. San Luis Obispo County. 1920 U.S. census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/ : 2008. From National Archives microfilm publication T625, roll 144.

Madruga Headstone Photos, Photographed by Elizabeth O’Neal, November 29, 2008. Privately held by Elizabeth O’Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2008.

Manuel Madruga Passport Application. U.S. Passport Applications, January 2, 1906-March 31, 1925. Digital Images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/ : 2008. From General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Santa Maria Cemetery District, 1872-2001." Database. Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society. http://www.cagenweb.com/santabarbara/sbcgs/Santa_Maria_Cemetery/ : 2008.

The Tragic Demise of Mary L. Sargent

2008-11-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

"Mary L. Sargent's Headstone at Lompoc Cemetery" Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O’Neal, November 23, 2007. Privately held by Elizabeth O’Neal, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Santa Barbara Co., California. 2008.

My little bunny and I were out hopping around the Lompoc Cemetery last fall when we ran across this lovely, well-preserved headstone. The inscription reads:

Mary L. Sargent
Aged21 Y's & 8 D's
Murdered by Indians
Apr. 2, 1881

I had seen Mary's headstone on several previous trips to the cemetery, and had always wondered about her story. This time, I asked the cemetery manager for a bit of Mary's story. Apparently, it was quite a scandal!

Says the Lompoc Historical Society:

[Mary] had left on horseback to go to a neighbor for eggs in the Santa Rita District. Her horse returned without her that evening. A search party was formed and her body discovered in a shallow grave. An Indian sheep herder was held as suspect, since the footprints at the scene matched his. His clothes were also bloody, and there was blood on his lariat. He denied doing the deed and blamed it on another man, whom he could not identify. He was found guilty on the spot and hanged. The Chumash, who inhabited this area before European arrival were a peaceful people. The only instance of violence was an Indian revolt at La Purisima Mission. The sheep herder was of Chumash descent and had come from the Santa Cota Reservation in Santa Ynez.

Can you imagine anyone being found "guilty on the spot" today?

One of the things that struck me about this headstone (other than the "murdered by Indians" declaration) is that it is in such tremendous condition, and almost completely free of mold, moss, lichens and other nasties that grow on gravestones in moist climates. So many of the historic headstones here are rendered nearly (or entirely) unreadable, but Mary's stone is in practially pristine condition.

Perhaps her stone receives special care? I'll have to ask someone the next time I visit.

You can read more about Mary Sargent's tragic demise here.

Welcome!

2008-10-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

I am so honored and excited to have been asked by esteemed genea-blogger, Terry Thornton, to become part of his new project, The Graveyard Rabbit!

As many of you know from reading my companion blog, Little Bytes of Life, Papa Rabbit and my little bunny and I regularly make the rounds of the local cemeteries. We've been members of Find A Grave for about 4 years, frequently filling photo requests for people all over the country. Papa Rabbit and I have photographed about 4 entire cemeteries, between the two of us.

I hope you will enjoy The Graveyard Rabbit of the California Central Coast as much as we'll enjoy sharing our finds with you!

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"Ocean View Eternity" (Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co., California). Digital image. Photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, July 19, 2008.