Marysville Cemetery
Marysville Cemetery also known as Historic Marysville City Cemetery, is a no longer active city-owned cemetery that was established in 1850, and is located in Marysville, California. Historically this cemetery has been prone to flooding.[1]
| Marysville Cemetery | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Established | 1850 |
| Closed | 1983[1] |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 39.162277°N 121.589169°W |
| Type | City |
| Owned by | Marysville Cemetery Commission |
| Size | 14.5-acres[1] |
| No. of graves | approximately 10,0000[1] |
| Find a Grave | Marysville Cemetery |
This cemetery is divided into many sections, including the Japanese, Chinese, Chileans, African American, Jewish, Babies’, Masonic, Odd Fellows, the Grand Army of the Republic, and a Potter's field for the indigent or unknown deceased.[1]
History
Marysville Cemetery was founded in 1850, and is 14.5-acres in size with nearly 10,000 burials.[1] Most of the burial records between 1850 and 1870 were stolen by the former coroner, Ebenezer Hamilton as blackmail for a larger salary.[1] The missing records were never found.[1] The last body was buried in this cemetery was around 1983.[1] Many burials for the Marysville-area are now held at Sierra View Memorial Park in Olivehurst, California.[2]
In 1855, the Jewish portion of the cemetery is located in the southeast corner and was formed by the Marysville Hebrew Benevolent Society and their fundraising efforts through the 1860s.[3] Many of the gravestones are in Hebrew and list the place of birth as either Prussia or Germany; the exception being the graves of children born in California.[3]
The Chinese portion of the Marysville Cemetery was founded in 1862, and features funerary burners that are over 100 years old, similarly these were also found at the Chinese Cemetery in Auburn, California.[2][4] The Chinese portion has a Victorian style brick oven created in 1889, for offerings.[2]
In 2017, the cemetery was flooded after water from the Oroville Dam crisis, which submerged the graves underwater and causing some of the grave markers to collapse.[1][5]
Notable burials
Many survivors of the Donner Party can be found at this cemetery,[1] including Charles Covillaud and Harriet Frances Murphy Nye.
- Black Bart (1829–1888), outlaw, Wells Fargo stagecoach robber noted for his poetic messages; it is unknown if this is his true grave.[6]
- Edward Duplex (1830–1900), politician, civil rights activist, gold miner
- Henry Peter Haun (1815–1860), United States Senator.[7][8]
See also
References
- Johnson, Lizzie (2017-02-25). "Gold Rush-era cemetery in 'eerie' state of suspension after flood". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- Chung, Sue Fawn; Wegars, Priscilla (2005). Chinese American Death Rituals: Respecting the Ancestors. Rowman Altamira. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-7591-0734-2.
- Kahn, Ava Fran (2002). Jewish Voices of the California Gold Rush: A Documentary History, 1849-1880. Wayne State University Press. pp. 363, 366. ISBN 978-0-8143-2859-0.
- Yalom, Marilyn (2008-05-15). The American Resting Place: Four Hundred Years of History through Our Cemeteries and Burial Grounds. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 328. ISBN 978-0-547-34543-7.
- "Historic Marysville Cemetery Damaged by Floods". FOX40. 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- Large, Steve (2017-06-03). "Is Black Bart Buried In Historic Marysville Cemetery?". 13 CBS Sacramento. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
- Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Clearfield, Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-8063-4823-0.
- Encyclopedia of California. Vol. 1 (8 ed.). St. Clair Shores, MI: Somerset Publishers. 1997. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-403-09862-0.