This Article was published in the Martinez News-Gazette on 10/22/2017On Saturday October 28, we invite everyone to participate in the City’s fall Alhambra Cemetery Cleanup day rescheduled from the 14th. By volunteers de-weeding, removing debris, visiting headstones, and sealing the Chinese Funerary Burner’s excavation site for the winter, they will be giving reverence to its residents. It is also a chance to contemplate the world customs for honoring ancestors and appeasing ghosts of its many foreign-born decedents. HalloweenFrom the History Channel website, “The American Halloween tradition of “trick-or-treating” probably dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.” Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)Combining Catholic and Aztec beliefs, and coinciding with All Souls’ Day, Mexico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal immigrants would have celebrated Dia de los Muertos for a three-day celebration. On October 31 (Halloween), heaven opens up at midnight conjoining the deceased with the living for two days. On November 1, deceased children have 24 hours to visit their families while deceased adults have 24 hours on November 2. Home altars were prepared with fresh marigolds, candles, fruits, meat and bread. Altar offerings consisted of toys, candies, cigarettes or alcohol for their loved ones. Nothing was spared for this visit and included lavish parties and specialty foods. However, in California during the late 1800s to early 1900s, so much expense was difficult for many Hispanic immigrants. Decorations offered by the church were very expensive to purchase. Instead, they might have improvised with marigolds, homemade candles and sugar art. Sugar art (such as sugar skulls) was an inexpensive family activity. Sugar skulls with their loved ones name written on the forehead represented a departed loved one. On the last day of the celebration, the community would gather at the cemetery to place the sugar skulls on their ancestor’s gravesites. They would hold a picnic, play music, engage in familial activities, and tell stories about their loved ones The Hungry Ghost FestivalChinese Taoist immigrants would have engaged in the “Hungry Ghost Festival”, held on the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. During the full moon, they believed a bridge was built between the living and the dead. This allowed some souls with attitudes and cranky ancestors to bother the living. By performing ceremonies and following specific traditions, they would appease the unwelcomed ghosts. By honoring their ancestors, they solicited their protection from the malicious ghosts. Chinese immigrants would have respected three important days of the Hungry Ghost Month. On the first day, they would visit a cemetery to offer worldly things to satisfy and keep the hungry ghosts away. Utilizing a funerary burner, they made offerings of fake money, while using an altar to burn Joss sticks and offerings of food to the ghosts. On the 14th or 15th day of the month, they held the Hungry Ghost Festival. Ancestor’s pictures were placed on a table, and then incense burned while asking for blessings or pardons. The table also held food for the attitudinal ghosts whom very hungry after two weeks of misdemeanors. On the last day of the month, the ghosts retreat to their underworld. The immigrants would use the funerary burner again to incinerate more imitation money and clothes so the ghosts could utilize these things in their hot location. They would return the pictures of their ancestors to their original location and engage in Taoist chanting to drive all ghosts home. Chongyang Festival (Double Ninth Festival)On Saturday October 28, is the Chongyang Festival. Annie Wu of China Highlights writes, “During the East Han Dynasty, there was a devil of the plague in the Ruhe River. As long as it showed up, people got sick and even died. There lived a man named Huan Jing who was told by an immortal that the devil of the plague would show up again on the ninth day of the ninth month, and he asked Huan Jing to go back to kill it. When Huan Jing went back, he asked the whole family to go to a mountain and sent everyone a Zhuyu leaf and a glass of chrysanthemum wine. When the devil of the plague emerged from the water, it got dizzy from the scent of the Zhuyu and the chrysanthemum. At that time, Huan Jing took the sword and killed the devil of the plague. Since then, climbing mountains has become a custom on the Double Ninth Festival.” Like the Hungry Ghost Festival and Dia de los Muertos, the Double Ninth Festival is also a time to remember one’s ancestors. Cemetery visits would have included bringing pork, fruit and chrysanthemum wine for the altar. Chinese immigrants, who visited Alhambra Cemetery’s Potter’s Field, would possibly have climbed to the top of the hill to drink chrysanthemum tea or wine in celebration. It is interesting to note the many similarities these different world customs possess. Despite oceans and many miles between us, we as the human race have much more in common in our traditions and ideas than one would otherwise think. Perhaps that is what we should all celebrate as we participate in our annual traditions and volunteer to maintain cemeteries and graveyards (our important cultural outdoor museums). Our next workday is Saturday October 28 from 9 am to 2 pm. Come join us to clean brick, winterize the Chinese funerary burner site, and clean Potter’s Field. Bring a chrysanthemum or marigold to celebrate the Chongyang festival and Dia de los Muertos.
Judie & Joseph Palmer are two of the founding members of the Martinez Cemetery Preservation Alliance (MCPA) and the Potter’s Field Project. Both have a passion for discovery, history, genealogy, anthropology and archaeology. For more info, please visit our website MartinezCemetery.org. Do you have a Potter’s Field story to tell? We welcome any pictures or information regarding the Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery or its Potter’s Field. Please email us at martinezcemetery@gmail.com or call us at (925) 316-6069. Alhambra Cemetery Potter's Field, Martinez
(Bottom of Hill) Saturday Oct 28, 2017 9 am - 2 pm Sponsors: City of Martinez, E Clampus Vitus, Martinez Historical Society, Potter's Field Restoration Project, SOLS Pay your respects to the many people buried there. Help clean-up debris and remove weeds from around the many graves or close the Chinese Funerary Burner site for winter of those that built our communities and made them what they are today, the laborers, builders, restaurant staff, railroad workers, farmers, veterans of our past and many more. Lunch for all volunteers generously provided by E Clampus Vitus Morning Refreshments, Water, First Aid, Bug Spray & Suntan Lotion for Potter's Field Project volunteers generously provided by SOLS. Wear comfortable clothes, a pair of gloves & protective eye-wear. Tasks will include sand bagging, removing old mortar from brick and de-weeding around the gravesites. If you have any tools that you feel could be useful, please bring them. Otherwise tools will be provided. For further information, donations or to volunteer: Please contact: Joseph Palmer Potter's Field Restoration Project Coordinator Phone: (925) 316-6069 Email: martinezcemetery@gmail.com This Article was published in the Martinez News-Gazette on 10/08/2017You may have recently noticed some significant improvements and restorations on the few remaining headstones of Potter’s Field. We would like to catch you up on the past year’s metamorphosis. Many thanks go out to the compassionate volunteers, families, and organizations that donated their time, labor, and funds to preserve these historical monuments. If you wish to join us, pay your respects and volunteer for the upcoming Fall Cemetery Cleanup on Sat Oct 14th from 9 am – 2 pm, please email us at martinezcemetery@gmail.com or call (925) 335-9396. E Clampus Vitus will be providing lunch. While there is plenty of work to do to maintain, preserve and restore this very important vital outdoor museum as the old saying goes, "many hands make for light work". Nikolao Glaros 1894-1915In our April 19 article for Nikolao Glaros, we wrote, “It had braved the elements, decades of water runoff and moisture abuse. A thick rusty nail stood in place of an object that once graced the top along with a large surface fissure distorting its Ancient Greek inscription...” Restoration began when Dorothy Glaros president of the Pan-Icarian Brotherhood of America, sent his monument to a Napa headstone maker. First, they extracted the nail, cleaned the white marble stone (originally from the Vermont Marble Company (VMC), the largest monument company in the country from the late 1800’s to the mid 1900’s) and filled the remaining space and fissures with marble paste. Next leaving the original engraving untouched, they attached a second white marble stone from Georgia to its back for reinforcement and to etch the complete Ancient Greek inscription. Meanwhile, project volunteers reinforced his base with new poured cement donated by SOLS. Nikolao’s headstone reinstallation was Monday, September 18 using two new stainless steel rods for securing it to the base. We continue to search for the origin of Nikolao’s monument. We contacted Jim Lucas, president of the Greek Historical Society who checked the funeral documents of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church of San Francisco, from 1904 to 1917. Unfortunately, he found no record. August Mueller 1846-1908On April 5, we wrote an article on one of our most spirited and tenacious personalities, Carl Ferdinand August Mueller, whose blue marble headstone (also from the VMC) was found separated and lying face down next to his base. After extensive research we found and contacted his twin great granddaughters Kristen Hawley and Kathleen Bauer, who we then had the pleasure of meeting on October 8, 2016. During our meeting we discovered that his monument was missing a large chunk from its back. As miracles happened, we found it at the bottom of the hill next to Nikolao’s stone, which immediately prompted its transit for repair. The same stone mason that worked on Nikolao also repaired August. First he reattached the wayward chunk to its parent, then filled in the cracks with matching marble paste. Next he engraved the back of the stone with the information from the front. While waiting for his stone’s reinstallation, the twins took it upon themselves to reinforce his base. On September 18, August Mueller’s monument and base were finally reunited utilizing also new stainless steel rods. Like his personality, he now glimmers in the sun with his original epitaph on the front and new itching on the back. Side note: Steve Simich (the stonemason from Napa Marble & Granite Works, Inc.) explained that unscrupulous headstone installers (in order to cut corners) would not use the iron rods. Instead they would complete their installation using only mortar. As the mortar aged and dried out, it shrank and cracked causing the stone to eventually fall from its base. There are many, many examples of this happening to monuments throughout the Alhambra Cemetery. George Homan Johnson 1870-1902While Steve was installing August & Nikolao’s stones, we asked on behalf of George’s Grandnephew Mike Hardisty to examine George’s headstone. Like Nikolao he too had an unknown small figure attached to the top of his monument. Unfortunately vandals remove the statues, exposing the nails used to attach them to their main stones. Steve explained to me that the nails then rust causing them to expand, cracking the marble. From there water penetrates the stone causing further deterioration and erosion. Fortunately George’s headstone had incurred only a small crack and no further harm unlike the extensive damage that Nikolao’s had suffered. After assessing George’s blue marble monument (also from the VMC) Steve graciously went about making repairs. First he removed the nail by drilling it out and filling in the space with matching color mortar. After letting the mortar set, he sanded the top of George’s headstone smooth insuring its beauty for years to come. When payment was offered, he declined saying it was his contribution to our project. To his Australian and English descendants, as well as ourselves, George’s headstone installation is still a mystery. However, during the time of his death it was quite common for British sailors to purchase headstones for their deceased shipmates. Aaron Rice 1819-1905Vandals most likely kicked the back of the former slave’s large blue marble monument (also from the VMC) some time ago until it broke, as evidenced by a bottom portion of his stone still attached to the base. During the 2016 Fall Cemetery Cleanup, E. Clampus Vitus volunteers reattached and repaired his stone using special glue. Recently project volunteers reinforced his base with a new cement pour supplied again by SOLS. Additionally they removed the excess glue exposing the original crack. This will be filled later using epoxy inserted with matching stone dust to hide the scar. Although we don’t know for sure who purchased and installed Aaron’s stone, we have strong circumstantial evidence pointing us in the right direction. Continue reading his bio in our upcoming columns to find out the answer. Ralph Vestor Walker 1923-1945It has been a year since Ralph’s gravestone and border were uncovered under many inches of silt. Steve mentioned that Ralph’s grave had sunk as a result of settlement over time, which also caused his cement border to crack. As a result his final resting place is in constant need of tomb sweeping to remain unburied.
Steve also revealed that his blue marble memorial headstone (source unknown) was inserted in a popular concrete form made available in the 70’s, which means that he didn’t receive his tombstone until a good twenty five or thirty years after he died. Most likely it was his mother who lived in the Bay Area at the time who made the arrangements. Judie & Joseph Palmer are two of the founding members of the Martinez Cemetery Preservation Alliance (MCPA) and the Potter’s Field Project. Both have a passion for discovery, history, genealogy, anthropology and archaeology. For more info, please visit our website MartinezCemetery.org. Do you have a Potter’s Field story to tell? We welcome any pictures or information regarding the Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery or its Potter’s Field. Please email us at martinezcemetery@gmail.com or call us at (925) 316-6069. This Article was published in the Martinez News-Gazette on 10/04/2017Good Morning! How are you?Ah, autumn in Potter's Field! The warmer summer mornings gave way to the slightly cooler air as everyone agreed autumn would soon bring its warmer glow as the day progressed. Like cats in a window, the deer watched the morning proceedings from afar while munching their breakfast. The smell of Joss sticks and paper filled the air as the day's proceedings began with a Chinese ceremony to honor the ancestors who were and are buried in Potter's Field. An introduction to the project and a recap of what has been accomplished so far was needed for the many new volunteers who came this day. Dan Mosier "The Brick Whisperer"While waiting for others to arrive, Dan Mosier, our resident brick expert, introduced all newcomers to the history behind the various manufactured and handmade bricks that we have discovered so far. As the saying sort of goes, "Who says you can't teach old dogs some new bricks!" Because of our newfound education, it made our Zen task of cleaning brick much more interesting. Our Archaeology TeamIt seems you can't keep a good project hidden from the archaeologists in this area! It just takes one, like Shauna Mundt, to spread the word and suddenly we have five archaeologists looking for good "field experience" in Martinez. Did you know that archaeology promotes dirty pictures? Before the day began, we tried to take a group picture of them, but they said "No!" Their secret code is, "Never allow your picture to be taken until your hair, clothes and body have been covered with excavation dirt!" Preparing the BrickHere we have pictures of the Zen art of brick cleaning. Notice how some of the volunteers, and professional\student archaeologists prefer being close to nature instead of, as they called it, luxury metal seating. Excavation ProgressAs with any archaeological site, removing bricks from this Chinese Funerary burner requires a great deal of focus and care. As each brick is lifted, the soil and leftover mortar is placed into a bucket and brought to the sifter to check for artifacts. Though no significant artifacts were found this day, we do believe that we finally hit bottom! Extras!Our project booth stands outside of the Potter's Field Gate so that all that pass by, and our volunteers, can easily get to it. It serves as the sign in\information center, first aid station (complete with suntan lotion\bug spray), and snack shack. Besides the usual personal sized chips, trail mixes and bottled water, our specials of the day were Honeycrisp apples, Cutie oranges, boxed fruit\veggie drinks and zero sugar lemonade. We must have done the right shopping as much of it was consumed! Every project day comes with break times and a lot of good conversation and humor. Our booth volunteer decided to take some candid pictures of what happens outside of the work. Cyclists, joggers and dog walkers continuously passed by; especially Martinez resident Annie Jarrett who stopped her car and asked questions. Excited about the project and archaeology, Annie returned later with her son, Kevin Crane to volunteer and join in our merry band of dirt magnets. All had a good laugh when Edgar Allen Crow presented himself on a post in his fossilized plastic body. Even our uber volunteer Dawn Curran brought her dog Jewels to supervise. (Unfortunately, he was bored and decided to take a nap instead). A much appreciated "Thank You!" goes to all of our enthusiastic volunteers, Virginia Bones, Christina Brenner, Kevin Crane, Dawn Curran, Sean Dexter, Annie Jarrett, Kierstyn Kirkus, Carolyn Knight, Nik Lucatorto, Dan Mosier, Shauna Mundt, Charli O'Malley, Ann Roos, and Christian Rousset, without whom this project would never have gotten off the ground. Our next workday is Saturday October 14 from 9 am to 2 pm. E Clampus Vitus will be providing lunch. While there is plenty of work to do to maintain, preserve and restore this very important vital outdoor museum as the old saying goes, "many hands make for light work". Join our growing community and have a good time in the process. Judie & Joseph Palmer are two of the founding members of the Martinez Cemetery Preservation Alliance (MCPA) and the Potter’s Field Project. Both have a passion for discovery, history, genealogy, anthropology and archaeology. For more info, please visit our website MartinezCemetery.org. Do you have a Potter’s Field story to tell? We welcome any pictures or information regarding the Alhambra Pioneer Cemetery or its Potter’s Field. Please email us at martinezcemetery@gmail.com or call us at (925) 316-6069. |
AuthorsJudie & Joseph Palmer are two of the founding members of the Martinez Cemetery Preservation Alliance (MCPA) and the Potter’s Field Project. Both have a passion for discovery, history, genealogy, anthropology and archaeology. Archives
October 2021
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