Tuesday's Children: Russell & Morris VAN CLIEF

RUSSELL

VANCLIEF

Sep. 18, 1897

July 28, 1900

MORRIS

VANCLIEF

Jan. 7, 1900

Oct. 13, 1900

Russell and Morris VANCLIEF are buried in the Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California.

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I believe that Russell and Morris were part of the George W. and Alice E. Van Clief family. They are found in Lompoc, California in the 1900 U.S. Census listed as "George R." and "David M." The birth dates given in the census would be correct, and since this census was enumerated on July 9, 1900, both boys would still have been alive at that time.

George W. Van Clief  is also buried in the Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery. He died on October 21, 1936. It does not appear that Alice is buried in this cemetery.

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Headstone of Russell and Morris VanClief photographed by Elizabeth O'Neal, November 23, 2007, Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California.

1900 U. S. Census, Santa Barbara County, California, population schedule, ED 158, page 11B, dwelling 247, family 247, George VanClief; digital image, Ancestry.com; from National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 110.

Copyright © by Elizabeth O'Neal

Central Coast Cemetery Scavenger Hunt!

If you're like me, you probably haven't participated in a scavenger hunt since you were a kid. In this cemetery scavenger hunt, 15 items were found at various cemeteries around the Central Coast.

CROSS - Found at Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.

HEART - Found at Oak Hill Cemetery, Ballard, California.

FRATERNAL SYMBOL (Masons) - Found at Goleta Cemetery, Goleta, California.

MONUMENT - Found at Oak Hill Cemetery, Ballard, California.

FLOWER - Found at Arroyo Grande Cemetery, Arroyo Grande, California.

HAND - Found at Lompoc Cemetery, Lompoc, California.

ANGEL - Found at Santa Barbara Mission Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.

BIRD - Found at Santa Maria Cemetery, Santa Maria, California.

TREE - Found at Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.

STAR - Found at Santa Maria Cemetery, Santa Maria, California

OBELISK - Found at Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.

FOUR-LEGGED ANIMAL (front) - Found at Oak Hill Cemetery, Ballard, California.

FOUR-LEGGED ANIMAL (back)

PHOTO - Found at Oak Hill Cemetery, Ballard, California.

MILITARY GRAVESTONE - Found at Arroyo Grande Cemetery, Arroyo Grande, California.

MAUSOLEUM - Found at Santa Barbara Mission Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.

This post was composed for the July 2010 Edition of the Graveyard Rabbits Carnival: Scavenger Hunt.

All photos in this post by Elizabeth or Ben O'Neal, photographed on various dates..

Copyright © by Elizabeth O'Neal

Tuesday's Child: Charlie Malone

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.

Copyright © by Elizabeth O'Neal

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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

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.

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

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.

Copyright © by Elizabeth O'Neal

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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.

Tuesday's Child: Homer C. Douglass

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.

Copyright © by Elizabeth O'Neal

The Tragic Demise of Mary L. Sargent

"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.

Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal