Travel Log, July 9, 2009, Sacramento Cemetery

‘Got to the Old Sacramento cemetery. I took a lot of pictures but forgot the cord to get them loaded in the computer.

We started off at 9am from Corona, Calif. We filled our ice chest with drinks and snacks (trying to go on the cheap) and headed up the I-15 to the 210, then to the I-5 which we stayed on all the way. Nate started off driving, he says my driving is scary (but who taught him to drive?) We didn’t see anything eventful along the freeway except along the road in Northern California we saw one big fire. It looked big to us but people were zipping by without batting an eye (although it was difficult to see peoples eyes going at 70 mph).Not one emergency vehicle in sight
I keep worrying that we wouldn’t make the cemetery before it closed. But we arrived at 4:00pm. There was nobody to get a map from. No opened front office. I told Nate to drive around, we can get a feel for the cemetery then walk it. I saw a man walking around and I asked him if he worked there. He said that he volunteered. Oh! My kind of man! Of course I talked his ear off and he didn’t care one bit but did get me to his co-volunteer and she helped me out. She let me in the museum which was closed and gave me a pamphlet walking tour and some brochures and I bought every booklet they had. They have really cute T-shirts, but not one in my size (everyone isn’t a small, ya know). I thought about buying a smaller one and losing weight, but I paused long enough to come to my senses.

Nate took charge. He read the walking tour then drove to number one. We got out of the car and as I oohed and ahhed and took pictures, he read the narrative to me and went looking for number two. He is very good at finding the tombstones. Along the way there were so many interesting ones to look at. I get distracted so easily. OK, I know it is no Disneyland and I need to have more respect but there are so many things to learn about in the cemetery. There was all the California History I learned about in college right under my feet. Railroad Magnets, Governors, John Sutter, Jr., Donner Party survivors, pioneers, son of a U.S. President. What I liked most were all the beautiful stones. I am sure there is certainly a story about each one but I don’t know what it is. Oh! And there is a section of just volunteer fireman on a small hill, maybe a plateau, but it made it attractive and I wanted to see it.

I had Minda’s (Minda Powers-Douglas) book Translating Tombstones with me because I can’t remember anything. I was glad I did. There was a marker for a little girl with a hand pointed down. Shouldn’t it be pointing up? I looked in the book and it said “God’s hand reaching down to take soul to Heaven.” Isn’t that sweet for a child? I can imagine God’s gentle arms carrying the child back through the clouds to His home.

One of the signs told that the cemetery grounds are maintained by the city, but each plot is maintained individually. They ask for people that will adopt a plot. You can see that some were once lovingly planted but somehow have been more recently neglected, others look like they haven’t had attention is years and a few are kept up ever so nice.

It was a wonderful cemetery that deserved more time on my part, but as Nate kept reminding me, we are on a time schedule.

I Wanna Go!!

Why am I obsessed with news articles about cemeteries? I just am. My sister in law sent me this news story from The Wichita Eagle by Beccy Tanner. This reporter says “Sounds strange, but some times the best places to explore in Kansas are the cemeteries along forgotten back roads.” I need to introduce her to some Graveyard Rabbits!

She talks about so many places I really want to see.
At the Lincoln cemetery she writes about a tombstone shaped like a suitcase. It belongs to a traveling salesman. The epitaph says “”Here is where he stopped last.” That would make any GYR get out the camera!!
You can check this travel news story out for yourself.http://www.kansas.com/news/local/story/871080.html


I love to take the news stories and see what else I can find about it. There is more information from Rootsweb about the suitcase tombstone. It says here that it is so detailed that the keyhole is even perfect. I have to get to this one!http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/lincoln/suitcase.htmn/suitcase.htm

One cemetery she didn’t mention, and how could she mention them all? is Sunnydale Cemetery on Emporia in Valley Center. As far as I know there are no Civil War soldiers laid there, it is not a historical cemetery in the state of Kansas. But it is important in the Wright Family History. Many inlaws and outlaws and friends are buried there. From a California girl’s point of view it is the typical Kansas cemetery. The rows are wide apart because at one time they used horse and cart to mow. Also there is still a water pump standing. It was used before they got city water out to the cemetery.

How come it is that a cemetery a great distance away is so much more fun than the one just down the road? Maybe that is why I like news stories so much.

Cemetery Road

I am finally on the road again! Well, I will be in a couple days. My son is going to Washington State for a job interview and I begged to come along. I am sure he really doesn’t want Mommy, but Mommy is good at pleading her case.

I love to travel. The open road and no responsibilities except where to eat and where to sleep.

But….I have a secret goal. I really, really want to go to the Old Sacramento City Cemetery. I have heard it is just wonderful, and it so happens that we drive right through Sacramento.

I named this blog Travels Wright because I love to travel. I thought I would be moving about and across the country covering cemeteries as though I were a news reporter. Oh the fantasies!

I broke the news to my son today that there was one stop I wanted to make. I told him that members of the Donner party needed a visitor. He used to be amazed at the Donner story before he grew up. Of course he figured out that I was talking about a cemetery. Also some governors are buried there as well as Captain John Sutter. Thousands of early settlers are buried there too. Some of the first interments in the City Cemetery are over 600 victims of the Cholera Epidemic in 1850. They say that the cemetery is designed as a Victorian garden.
I can’t wait to go.

But the best is yet to come. In October my husband and I are going to the New England states for two weeks. I am trying to be discreet about wanting to go to the cemeteries. It is hard to keep my joy tame. I bought a couple new books about New England cemeteries and now there are more than I ever dreamed of to visit.

Traveling! Oh traveling! If I could sing I would burst into song.”On the road again…..”

Annie. E. Wright for July Carnival

This was a fun challenge! Here is Annie Elizabeth Wright, my husbands great grandmother.

The best part of the story is of how I got the cemetery picture. Grandma Annie is buried in Dallas, Texas. I planned to go to the cemetery when I got there from California, but nobody would go with me. I was a stranger so I wanted someone to go with me. Nobody would go. I called the cemetery and talked to the sexton, a very nice man, and he assured me she was there and he would take me to the grave. But still nobody that I knew would go with me. I called the local police to ask if it was safe to go there alone. This is what I was told after alot of hemming and hawing: :"A white girl in a late model car shouldn't go there." Well, now I am scared, but I still wanted a picture.

So this is what I did. I mailed a disposable camera and a self addressed stamped bubble envelope in another bubble envelope to the cemetery and enclosed a small donation and a note to please take photos of her grave. In a week or two I recieved it back. This darling man took the whole roll, every angle possible of the stone.

Now I always think of that story when I think of Annie E. Hockenberry Wright.

Look at this postcard carefully. Toward the right are two men standing by an old car. Why do they have the car in the cemetery? This postcard was mailed in 1907. On the back it says

"Dear Mother,

Thinking you would like this scene I sent to town by Jesse last night and got it.

Mary"

Some postcard history: In the lower left it is written "Published by E.E.N.Corn, pharmacist" Often the drug stores in small towns, would go around and take photos, make postcards and sell them in their stores. In larger towns there might be a postcard store that would sell not only postcards with images of their towns on them, but postcard albums, photo corners, glue or anything that would have to do with postcards. They also would sponsored "card parties." People would meet at the store, perhaps in the basement or back room, and swap postcards and show off what they have collected. Naturally, they would end up in the store to buy more supplies.

Barnes, Kansas is a small town of 150 people. In spite of the small population there are 5 cemeteries, however, two are private family cemeteries. Find a Grave has 85 postings at this graveyard. There is also a couple of family genealogy sites that post Maplewood Cemetery as the final resting place. Kenneth Rigel has posted several pictures of this cemetery.This little town has put together a great website. There is also The Barnes Trust for Historic Preservation.

The Kansas Rabbit

My husband is from Kansas so we visit there often. I do like it there, it is a big contrast to California.

So...I am trying an experiment. Lets call it a virtual experiment. I wrote a new blog and titled it The Kansas Rabbit. I noticed that there wasn't a Kansas Rabbit so I am going to hop to Kansas via my current collection and the web, with a occasional visit to the Sunflower State.

Please visit me at http://thekansasrabbit.blogspot.com/ I can't wait to tell you Kansas Stories.

Sunnyslope Cemetery Stroll Report

The Mourning Lady, and yes, I know sunglasses are wrong!

Our 14th Cemetery Stroll is underway. We have had so many themes is the past. We portrayed people who lived on Grand Blvd., shop keepers, churches in early Corona, and early trustees of the cemetery to name a few. This year we are portraying Civil War soldiers that are buried in Sunnyslope. Surprisingly some are from California.

Most people do not associate California with the Civil War, but the state played a very important part. Some regiments were assigned to protect the Overland Mail routes. Other regiments got gold to the East to keep the Union effort going.

Our final five are................
Josiah Countyman, 2nd Cal Cav, Company C
John L. Merriman, 2nd Cal Cav, Company E
Daniel H. Kathan, 2nd Cal Cav, Company K
Barnabus E. Savery, 24th Mass
Ethan P. Kidder, Ill 139th, Company E

It is a coincidence that three are from California. We just keep collecting all the soldiers, then we have to figure out a logistical route through the cemetery, after all it is a stroll!

There are some guys that I really want to research in more depth more but they are too close together or too far apart. Maybe there will be a Part Two since there are so many soldiers from the Civil War.

Real Civil War Re Enactors will portray the soldiers. Except for one soldier who gets me as his mother. It is selfish but I have to be there right in the middle of it all.

I have the urge to tell you all about it but then you wouldn’t come to the 2009 Sunnyslope Cemetery Stroll.

To see stories of past Strolls go to:
http://www.corona-history.org/corona-cemetery-walk.html