Chinese Cemetery Field TripOn Sunday, September 10, our volunteers were given a special invite to visit three Chinese Cemeteries in the South Bay. We started in South San Francisco with our hosts Sonia Ng, Roland Hui, and Norman Cheng giving us an exclusive peek into their cultural traditions and practices. We learned that there are three main structures to a Chinese Cemetery outside of its grave markers, the funerary burner(s), the altar(s), and a monument to the Earth God. This invaluable information will help us rebuild the Alhambra Cemetery Potter's Field Chinese Funerary Burner(s) and Altar(s). Ancestral Honor RitualAt the second cemetery in Colma, Sonia demonstrated the Chinese tradition of the tomb sweeping ritual to honor their ancestors using the Altar\mass grave for unknown Chinese-American remains found recently in San Francisco. The ceremony begins with a bow facing the altar, then with the burning of incense (usually Joss Sticks in a grouping of three). An offering of freshly cooked chicken and pork along with fruit (of any type) is placed on the altar. Next, a favorite wine or liqueur is poured into three cups, and then spilled onto the altar to allow the ancestors to drink it. Every person who attends the ceremony repeats the ritual of filling the cups and spilling them onto the altar. Lastly, the ancestors would consider it an insult if the food was not then shared and consumed by those in attendance as they reminisce fondly of the person or person(s) they are honoring. Funerary Burner & Altar ExamplesWe were shown an array of many altars and burners, especially at the large Six Mountains Cemetery in Daly City. Burners are never placed in front but always to the side or a short distance from the altar for burning paper imitations of money, I phones, cars, computers, etc., that their ancestors can use in their afterlife. Each altar and burner is associated with a specific clan, behind which their members are buried. It is interesting to note that the more prestige, money, and size a clan has the more ornate and elaborate their altars and burners become. We also found alter\burner combinations located at both the bottom and the top of their clan section. Archaeology DayIt was another grand archaeology day at Potter's Field, this past Saturday, September 16. Fortified by information we learned from the three Chinese Cemeteries, we eagerly began our next steps in rebuilding the Chinese Funerary Burner. After the experts consulted with each other, volunteers were divided into groups for excavating bricks, sifting for possible artifacts, and removing mortar. Refreshments of water, various fresh fruits, and healthy trail mixes kept the body and morale up for the day. With the new trail opened for cyclists, many stopped by for the first time. Once their questions were quenched with nourishing answers, some donated to this fine enterprise. Bricks and CleaningThe auspicious job takes a great deal of patience and tenacity. Several volunteers dedicated themselves to this meditative Zen task, including Fremont brick expert, Dan Mosier, who only occasionally came up for air. He went on to give us a mini lecture on how our bricks were made and by whom. We actually discovered samples from four different manufacturers and periods contained within our brick pile. One sample from the late 1800's was made by hand utilizing wooden molds that left a wood grain look to the finished product. Sifting For ArtifactsLike taking lumps out of flour, volunteers sifted through the earth with diligence utilizing the excellent tutelage from our two archaeologists Sean Dexter (hailing from Martinez) and Shauna Mundt (from the City of Concord). However, not much of an artifact to write home about, a fish vertebra was found in the dirt surrounding the burner! Besides being a sea port, many of the Chinese worked in the Martinez cannery in the 1800's. It would only be natural for them to offer fish to their ancestors. Like the miners who found gold in California, our volunteer sifters earthen faces were still smiling! Excavation ProgressMuch was accomplished with shovels in hand. Volunteers carefully moved the earth around the burner while others chipped and pride apart chunks of brick like peanut butter from white bread. After the last exciting discovery of finding the brick chambers, excitement came again when the bottom seemed to be reached. Nevertheless, like the Roman temple ruins or the chambers of an Egyptian pyramid, there were even more layers beneath! What mysteries will we find next? Stay tuned to find out...
We wish to offer special thanks and recognition to all of our dedicated volunteers and experts who participated in Saturday’s Archaeology Day and our special field trip: Lisa Adkisson, Norman Cheng, Dawn Curren, Sean Dexter, Roland Hui, Carolyn Mac Kenzie, Dan Mosier, Shauna Mundt, Sonia Ng, Christian Rousset, Karen and Ray Wallace, Della Washington, Bili and Matthew White. Without these fine folks, there would be no project. For more information on the Martinez Historical Society’s - Potter’s Field Restoration Project, please visit our website MartinezCemetery.org. Do you have a Potter’s Field resident story to tell? We welcome any pictures or information on anyone or anything regarding Potter’s Field. Please email us at martinezcemetery@gmail.com or call us at (925) 335-9396. To find out more about Martinez and Contra Costa County history: Martinez Museum – 1005 Escobar Street, corner of Court Street. Open Tues and Thurs 11:30 a.m. to 3p.m. First 4 Sundays 1-4 p.m. 925-228-8160; www.martinezhistory.org. Contra Costa County History Center – 610 Main Street, Martinez. Open Tues through Thurs, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 3rd Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 925-229-1042; www.cocohistory.com This Article was published in the Martinez News-Gazette on 9/3/2017When last we wrote, Aaron and his family decided on freedom, but Nathaniel was still entrapped by William Rice. William, like any other post Southern slaveholder, would have many reasons for wanting to find a way to keep their slaves. California was perfect for year round farming of wheat due to its need for little water, rich soil and perfect temperature. Other motives were more acquisitive: low cost labor made profits higher. Post southerners also believed that pro-slavery democrats would remain in office and continue to loosely enforce California’s Constitution against slavery. Since the majority of slaves were prevented from becoming literate when they lived in the South, it was then easy for slaveholders to prevent them from knowing they were free. Many slaveholders promised their slaves freedom for a price. In Aaron’s case, he might have been given a garden plot to grow and sell his own produce. Or worked for someone else on his off day (Sunday) and kept the money. Or rented himself out under the Hiring-out System for a small portion of the money. In California, many slaves were told of its constitution and laws regarding slavery via other free blacks or abolitionists, such as Rev. Thomas Starr King. Most likely it was Rev. King, who informed Aaron, his family, and the other slaves of their rights during that fateful meeting in April of 1860, that they were already free and didn’t have to purchase their freedom from William. The fact that Aaron’s wife Charlotte and father, Robert purchased land from William Russell on September 17, 1860 only a few months after their meeting, supports this theory. According to the account published in the History of Contra Costa County by W. J. Slocum & Co., William still felt resentment for Aaron’s exit, “In April, five of the six Negroes that Mr. Rice had brought across the plains with him, left him, and afterwards the last, with his son, wished also to severe his connection with his benefactor.” His Southern attitude can be further explained in C. W. Harper’s article, Black Aristocrats: Domestic Servants on the Antebellum Plantation, “Usually the white family looked upon desertion by a favorite domestic as a personal insult to the family.” In one case, Harper states, “Robert Phillip Howell's servant, Lovet, disappointed him more than any of them. “He was about my age and I always treated him more as a companion than a slave. When I left I put everything in his charge, told him that he was free, but to remain on the place and take care of things. He promised me faithfully that he would, but he was the first one to leave…”” In 1860, it was a disunited time for California and our country, with the 1860 U.S. Census caught in the middle of it. Dr. Olson-Raymer states, “By 1860, California's black population was 4,000. After the constitutional ban on slavery and the admission of California as a free state, blacks in California were technically free. However, the California Fugitive Slave law of 1852 left blacks in an ambiguous status - they were neither slave nor citizen in California.” Local and congressional favoritism would flow from the results and handling of the census. U.S. Marshals would assign assistant marshals to canvas the population in their territories. Melissa Jacobson accurately describes California census taking in her article, The “MO” 1850s Census Mystery (published in the Martinez News-Gazette, December, 2012), “Until 1960 the census takers went door to door, and in 1852 it was done this way as well -- except on horseback and probably by boat.” From the US Census taken on July 12, William is listed as 46, living in Napa City in Napa County, farmer, with a personal estate of $14,225. Additionally listed within his household are his family and Aaron’s oldest son Nathaniel 14 as servant. From the US Census taken on July 23, Aaron, his wife Charlotte and their youngest son Louis are also counted by name for the first time, living in Napa with no personal wealth listed. They are listed as Aaron 45 day laborer; Charlotte 48 servant; Louis 12 (who was actually 10). According to an essay by Diane L. Magnuson at IPUMS USA, “The pre-eminent concern for discussants at the time was whether partisan loyalties would lead these officials to falsify returns to affect apportionment, swelling the count in areas where their parties held sway and purging the rolls elsewhere.” Due to pro-slavery Californians, along with the effects of the Fugitive Slave Law still lingering, concerted efforts were made to affect the results by attempting to limit the number of African Americans counted and other such actions. Perhaps this explains why we cannot find Robert and Dilcy’s enumeration, as they might have remained with William (to protect their grandson) who prevented their Census inclusion. It is our belief that after becoming free, Aaron’s family decided to continue working for William and his family for payment of services rendered and to prevent the California Fugitive Slave Law being used against them. However, William refuses to pay Nathaniel. Believing that his family was done with William’s bondage contracts, Aaron finds the courage to legally challenge him, despite the law preventing their testifying against a white man, the looming fear of potential imprisonment, or excessive fines. The August 20, 1860 Napa Register writes, “Almost an “Archy Case” at Napa.--The Napa Reporter says: On the 10th August, Aaron Rice, a colored man, swore out a habeas corpus, declaring that his son, a boy of 17 or 18 years, was unlawfully restrained of his liberty by William Rice, who resides in this valley, and that the latter claimed said boy as a slave. The writ was granted by Judge Jacks, and Mr. Rice arrested.” Aaron could not have found a better judge than the Honorable Pulaski Jacks. As written previously, Delilah Beasley describes in her 1819 book, The Negro Trail Blazers in California, “California Reports, No. 2, p. 424: “By the set of April 20, 1852, the power of hearing and determining writ of habeas corpus is vested in the Judge of every court of record in the State. The final determination is not that of a court, but the simple order of a Judge, and is not appealable from or subject to review.” Judge Jacks was a Republican and thereby most likely an abolitionist sympathizer born in the free state of New York on December 14, 1812. As a young man he started out selling watchcases and jewelry. He brought his family to California during the gold rush to continue his occupation as a jewelry merchant and started a business in San Francisco, “Pulaski Jacks & Co.” with his two brothers, William and Hamlet. According to the U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, ending the year in June 30, 1860, Judge Jacks owned 100 acres of farmland in Napa. With William’s immediate arrest, Aaron Rice becomes the first of four known formally enslaved African-Americans to charge their former masters in court in the great State of California… 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 8/30/2017The day began at 9 AM with volunteers signing in at our Volunteer Booth, eager to begin! The mood was of excitement, wondering what might be discovered. Especially for one young man who has an interest in archaeology and made this his school project. Most volunteers were from Martinez, but some came as far away as San Ramon. It was a productive work day leaving no one disappointed. During the still cool and quiet morning, volunteers prepared the Chinese Funerary Burner location by clearing excess brush and weeds. Meanwhile, the Wallace's began the process of finishing Aaron Rice's headstone by reinforcing its small base with new cement. Throughout the peaceful morning and early afternoon, all you could hear was the sound of small manual tools chipping away old mortar from brick, while cyclists rode by and a few deer looked on. With steady hands and competent direction from Christian Rousset, work progressed smoothly. Local Chinese Historian, Sonia Ng, gave us the rich Chinese heritage background of honoring ancestors using an altar and funerary burner, which recharged our efforts. By the end of the day, Aaron’s new base was completed and two courses of brick removed. We discovered a major part of the burner’s foundation utilized brick joists\channels. As we stood there in awe, our imaginations took us to the late 1800s, early 1900s when Chinese laborers built this burner brick by brick. Our initial theory was they were created to save brick. However, upon further examination we realized they were a clever way to give flexibility to the foundation while also serving as water drainage. Special thanks to all of the volunteers who joined us Saturday: Lisa Adkisson, John Burgh, Dawn Curren, Carolyn Mac Kenzie, Sonia Ng, Christian Rousset, Karen and Ray Wallace, Bili and Matthew White, and Jennifer Wiseman. “Many hands make light work”, was never more true that day. For more pictures check out our Gallery.
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 7/30/2017By JOSEPH & JUDIE PALMER Special to the Gazette When last we wrote, in April of 1860 William Rice was searching for ranch land in Walnut Creek, while Aaron was tending to William’s farm in Napa. During this time, Rev. King, (whom we wrote about extensively in our last column), visits Aaron. The only account we have of Rev. King’s visit is from John Grider in Delilah L. Beasley’s 1819 book, The Negro Trail Blazers in California, “Rev. Thomas Starr King went to a ranch near Napa, California, and emancipated a number of slaves. Among the number were the following named persons: Aaron Rice, Old Man Sours, Wash Strains, Old Man Sydes. Their names were given to the writer by a Mr. Grider, who was a member of the Bear Flag Party. He said that these persons were the slave-property of a gentleman in Walnut Creek, and had been taken to Napa to continue as slaves, when the word reached Rev. Thomas Starr King, who proceeded to go to this place and emancipate them.” Whether Rev. King actually emancipated them or just informed the men of their rights is unknown. Mr. Grider on the other hand had received his own freedom earlier through mining. Delilah Beasley states, “Mr. John Grider came to California in 1841, with Major Barney, Dick Gardner, and Major Wyeth, owners of fine horses. They came from Silver County, Tennessee, through Mexico to California. He acted as horse trainer for the party. After reaching California, Mr. Grider decided to follow mining. He worked in the mines at Murphy’s Diggings, which was located seventy miles from Stockton. He was very successful and paid Major Wyeth $800 to bring his mother to California. Upon her arrival, he purchased her a home in Marysville, where Mrs. Caroline Grider spent the remaining days of her life. Mr. Grider has practiced as a veterinary surgeon in Vallejo almost continuously since 1851.” To give more understanding and context for what happens next for Aaron and his family, more information regarding this period is needed. Slaveholders like John Grider’s were rare. According to the National Humanities Center’s Toolbox Library, The Making of African American Identity: Volume 1 1500-1865, “Opportunities for most enslaved African Americans to attain freedom were few to none. Some were freed by their owners to honor a pledge, to grant a reward, or, before the 1700s, to fulfill a servitude agreement… Many ran away to free territory, and some of these "fugitives" succeeded in avoiding capture and forced to the South… A rare option was "self-purchase" (the term itself revealing the base illogic of slavery). In 1839 almost half (42%) of the free blacks in Cincinnati, Ohio, had bought their freedom and were striving to create new lives while searching for and purchasing their own relatives.” California’s Fugitive Slave Law of 1852 dramatically effected African-Americans. Charles Perkins had come to the gold mines of California on his father’s money and failed. With enough in his pocket for himself, he returned home to Mississippi without his three slaves in the spring of 1851. From BlackPast.org, historian Stacey L. Smith writes in her article, Pacific Bound: California’s 1852 Fugitive Slave Law, “Like other slaveholders who hoped to keep their bondpeople from running away in the mines, Charles Perkins struck an informal emancipation bargain with the men. If the three slaves worked faithfully for six months under the supervision of one of Perkins’s friends, they would earn their freedom. Accordingly, Perkins’s friend released the men in November of 1851.” The three freed slaves began a business of their own and became very successful. Unfortunately, their freedom was short lived. During the night of April 31, 1852, Stacey writes, “While the three men slept, a group of armed whites broke into their cabin. The invaders tied up the black men, loaded them into their own wagon, and hauled them to Sacramento using their own mule team. There, a justice of the peace pronounced the men to be fugitive slaves and ordered their deportation back to the Slave South.” She continues, “Crabb and his southern-born allies in the proslavery branch of California’s Democratic Party pushed for a state fugitive slave law that would allow masters to hold the slaves who they had brought to California before statehood and take them back to the South. Any enslaved person who resisted this process would be criminalized as a fugitive slave.” Crabb’s bill passed the assembly in 1852, but was challenged by northern senators in the senate. Smith writes, “Southern-born Democrats managed to outmaneuver Broderick and won moderates to their side by appending a “sunset clause” to the bill. This clause stipulated that masters would have only one year to claim their slaves and remove them from the state. They could not hold slave property in California indefinitely. Optimistic that the new law struck a careful balance between protecting slaveholder rights and preserving California’s antislavery constitution, moderates joined proslavery men in passing the law. It went into effect on April 15, 1852.” A small African-American community in Sacramento funded and hired a white lawyer to defend and release the three, but to no avail. Beasley writes, “California Reports, No. 2, p. 424: “By the set of April 20, 1852, the power of hearing and determining writ of habeas corpus is vested in the Judge of every court of record in the State. The final determination is not that of a court, but the simple order of a Judge, and is not appealable from or subject to review.”” Smith writes, “Once the men got their day in court, a proslavery mob intimidated the presiding judge and he found in favor of the slaveholder. With financial backing from free African Americans, Cole and his colleagues appealed to the California Supreme Court… Hugh C. Murray of Missouri and Alexander Anderson of Tennessee, the two justices who presided over the case of In re Perkins were southern-born Democrats. They ruled that the fugitive slave law was, in fact, constitutional… The court found in favor of the slaveholder. Perkins’s agents took custody of the men and departed for Mississippi.” Smith finishes, “Even free African Americans could easily fall victim to kidnapping and fraud because California’s black codes prohibited them from testifying against whites in state courts. Most importantly, the law’s sunset clause proved malleable in the hands of proslavery politicians. In 1853, and again in 1854, the state legislature voted to extend the fugitive slave law another year. Slaveholders had until the spring of 1855 to claim and remove their slaves, making enslaved people vulnerable to deportation five or six years after most had arrived on California soil. Newspapers reported stories of nearly two dozen slaves arrested and sent back to the South between 1852 and 1855. Even after the lapse of the fugitive slave law in 1855, masters informally held slaves in California until 1864.” Aaron would have heard about this case and others like it and therefor carefully considered his choices and their potential impact on his family and himself. The other three men it is safe to assume fled as no later record of them can be found. Aaron and his family chose freedom, and to fight back. However Nathaniel (Aaron’s oldest son) was still entrapped by William.
Special Thanks to Historians and Authors: Stacey L. Smith, Sharon McGriff-Payne, Alexandria Brown who graciously gave generously of their time and research to insure the accuracy of Aaron's and his families story. Thanks also to BlackPast.org, the California State Library, the California Supreme Court Historical Society, Starr King School for the Ministry, The University of North Carolina Press, for their generous contributions. 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) Saturdays: Aug 26, Sep 16, Sep 30 9 am - 2 pm Sponsors: Martinez Historical Society - Potter's Field Restoration Project, SOLS Break out your inner archaeologist, or Indiana Jones Adventurer and help clean and excavate the Chinese-American Funerary Burner in Potter's Field. Be part of the potential discovery of an older and very rare earlier version underneath. Work with Sean Dexter from Condor Country Consulting our resident Archaeologist & Christian Rousset our Project Manager and master craftsman. Tasks: 1) Deconstruct Chinese-American Funerary Burner; 2) Clean bricks of old mortar; 3) Uncover potential remnants of earlier Burner. Refreshments, Water, First Aid, Bug Spray & Suntan Lotion generously provided by SOLS. Wear comfortable clothes, a pair of gloves & protective eye-wear. If you have any tools that you feel could be useful for removing old mortar from brick, please bring them. Otherwise tools will be provided. Besides our cemetery cleanups, we are engaged in ongoing research to uncover the genealogy of the residents of Potter's Field. By using County records, City of Martinez's decedent lists, information from the few existing headstones, vital records, past newspapers and more we are discovering the lost history of Martinez and California's origins. 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 7/30/2017By JOSEPH & JUDIE PALMER Special to the Gazette When last we wrote, William Rice had brought Aaron and his family with him to Napa by early 1860, when he then purchased land from longtime friend and ex Gov. Lilburn Boggs, of Missouri. His family resided at 720 Seminary Street, (the home of another former Missourian Major John H. Seawell) while Aaron and his family were most likely regulated to small cabins on Boggs’s property. After William oversaw the seeding of his land, he left Aaron, Aaron’s family, and other enslaved individuals to work his farm while he set out to find a permanent location for his new ranch. Before we can continue with their story, some early California history is needed for context. California became a Free State on September 9, 1850, and yet many were still entrapped. Before California was admitted into the Union, discussion regarding its impending status as either “Free”, “Slave”, or splitting in two was highly contentious. The Californian of March 15, 1848 wrote, “We entertain several reasons why slavery should not be introduced here. First, it is wrong for it to exist anywhere. Second, not a single instance of precedence exists at present in the shape of physical bondage of our fellow men. Third, there is no excuse whatever for its introduction into this country (by virtue of climate or physical conditions). Fourth, Negroes have equal rights to life, liberty, health and happiness with the whites. Fifth, it is every individual’s duty, to self and to society, to be occupied in useful employment sufficient to gain self-support. Sixth, it would be the greatest calamity that the power of the United States could inflict upon California. Seventh, we desire only a white population in California. Eighth, we left the slave states because we did not like to bring up a family in a miserable, can’t-help-one’s-self condition. Ninth, in conclusion we dearly love the ‘Union,’ but declare our positive preference for an independent condition of California to the establishment of any degree of slavery, or even the importation of free blacks.” Although The Californian was thought to represent the many moderate and intelligent voices of the state, the Seventh and Ninth points are very revealing of its white supremacy streak. From the PBS KED program, New Perspectives On The West, “1850 California enters the Union. With miners flooding the hillsides and devastating the land, California’s Indians find themselves deprived of their traditional food sources and forced by hunger to raid the mining towns and other white settlements. Miners retaliated by hunting Indians down and brutally abusing them. The California legislature responds to the situation with an Indentured Act which establishes a form of legal slavery for the native peoples of the state by allowing whites to declare them vagrant and auction off their services for up to four months. The law also permits whites to indenture Indian children, with the permission of a parent or friend, and leads to widespread kidnapping of Indian children, who are then sold as “apprentices.”” In People vs. Hall, the California Supreme Court ruled in 1854 that the testimony of Chinese men who witnessed the murder of Ling Sing, a Chinese miner, by George Hall was inadmissible. It stated, “The appellant, a free white citizen of this State, was convicted of murder upon the testimony of Chinese witnesses…The 394th section of the Act Concerning Civil Cases provides that no Indian or Negro shall be allowed to testify as a witness in any action or å proceeding in which a white person is a party. The 14th section of the Act of April 16th, 1850, regulating Criminal Proceedings, provides that “No black or mulatto person, or Indian, shall be allowed to give evidence in favor of, or against a white man.” …We are of the opinion that the words “white,” “Negro,” “mulatto,” “Indian,” and “black person,” wherever they occur in our Constitution and laws, must be taken in their generic sense, and that, even admitting the Indian of this continent is not of the Mongolian type, that the words “black person,” in the 14th section, must be taken as contradistinguished from white, and necessary excludes all races other than the Caucasian… For these reasons, we are of opinion that the testimony was inadmissible. The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded.” A reading of the entire ruling reveals the truly vile racist mindset of the court and the state. Not until 1873 did California pass a law invalidating all previous testimony laws. Prior to 1860, California was on the verge of becoming a Slave State as the legislature and Governor where controlled by the pro southern\slavery wing of the Democratic Party. However, the 1860 election changed everything as the abolitionist movement gained enough power within California’s parties to prevent secession to the confederacy, and elected Abraham Lincoln President. Albert S. Broussard in his work, Civil Rights, Racial Protest, And Anti-slavery Activism in San Francisco, 1850-1865, writes about the abolitionists, Rev. Thomas Starr King, and Jessie Fremont (the wife of John C. Fremont, the Republican candidate for president in 1856), “These individuals congregated intermittedly at the San Francisco home of Jessie Fremont, known as Porter’s Lodge. …Jessie Fremont, according to one writer, established “San Francisco’s first literary and political salon.” Rev. King was a highly sought after abolitionist from New England who fielded numerous plum offers from around the country. Broussard continues, “King, a transplanted New Yorker, migrated to San Francisco in 1859, and served as pastor of the Unitarian Church in San Francisco. Because of his liberal views and the power and uncompromising tenor of his oratory, King immediately became a highly respected figure in San Francisco’s African American community. He was fervently antislavery, a fact that he made no attempt to disguise.” With his great power of oratory, he traveled the state extensively to convince citizens to support the Union. He was credited as, “the orator who saved the nation” and President Lincoln stated he “single-handedly kept California in the Union.” Due to his tireless efforts for God and Country, he contracted diphtheria and pneumonia from exhaustion and died on March 4, 1864. He is one of the very few individuals to remain interred in San Francisco, while also having two streets named after him, King St. and Starr King Way. Rev. King also raised funds for flood and drought relief in Northern California, and worked for the rights of enslaved Americans. In April of 1860, he intervenes on behalf of Aaron Rice and his family to free them from William…. 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 7/16/2017In order to tell the story of Aaron and his family’s journey to California we had to rely solely on William Rice’s account and information. When last we wrote, William and his family were about to leave Missouri for California on April 28, 1859. He had heard from Major John Seawell and ex-Missouri Gov. Lilburn Boggs (slave owners, formerly of Missouri) about the fertile lands of California. William brought with them 890 head of cattle, 6 wagons, 24 oxen, 1 ambulance for his family, 30 horses and mules, along with 17 hired hands and of course Aaron’s entire family. (The U.S. Census of 1860 confirms that William’s “six favorite negroes” were indeed Aaron, his wife Charlotte, their two sons, Nathaniel and Louis, and Aaron’s parents, Robert and Dilcy Rice.) From Wikipedia, “The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail followed the same corridor of networked river valley trails as the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail, namely the valleys of the Platte, North Platte and Sweetwater rivers to Wyoming. In the present states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, the California and Oregon trails split into several different trails or cutoffs.” From several sources, we found mention that William seemed well prepared for the journey. However, like many other Southerners with traditional attitudes and lifestyles of slavery, he over purchased rifles and ammunition to ward off attacks and left behind more important supplies needed for the trip. (We highly recommend reading Wikipedia’s “California Trail” well written description for understanding the harrowing pioneer experience.) From W. A. Slocum & Co., History of Contra Costa published 1882, “During the first part of their journey our voyagers began to make the acquaintance of the unfriendly elements, high waters and muddy trails being their companions. Near Lawrence, Kansas, some of the cattle were stolen; on the North Platte, the cattle commenced to die; they continued to drop off throughout the distance.” William’s southern hospitality was a bit naïve when it came to the “Yankee” pioneers as well. Slocum continues, “At the last‐named place, five men from Michigan, travel‐stained, foot‐sore and weary, were added to the band by Mr. Rice, under contract. Time was given them to recuperate, and such is the gratitude of human nature, so soon as these ingrates had recruited, they stole away and have not been seen since. …Mr. Rice assisted several people to cross the plains, with the promise of payment in California, but he has never seen the borrowers nor their money since.” Despite misfortune, there was also a bit of good luck as Slocum continues, “After the Thousand Springs valley was left, the journey was pleasant though arduous. The following curious circumstance Mr. Rice relates as having happened on the 6th July. The day was particularly hot as they entered Ice valley, a small vale coated with thick, luxuriant grass. On digging down about a foot, a layer of pure ice was found, some five inches in thickness, a beneficent provision of nature that was quickly garnered and stored for several days in blankets.” William reached Sacramento by the Honey Lake Route (an alternative to the Donner Pass Route for crossing the Sierra Mountain Range) with far less than he started with. Since California was in a drought and winter was coming, he had left behind his cattle with his eldest son, Archibald, in Willow Creek (located in the Trinity/Shasta/Cascade Region of California near the Oregon border). Slocum states, “…it would be expedient to leave all cattle on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, which, after branding was done, those remaining (one hundred and ninety head and two valuable mules had died on the plains) were driven to Willow creek.” Slocum adds, “…While there, Mrs. Rice, their son Thomas, and two of the hired men, were prostrated from sickness, which caused a detention of twelve days,” most likely from cholera. From Wikipedia, “The preferred camping spots for travelers on the trails north and south of the muddy Platte River were along one of the many fresh water streams draining into the Platte or the occasional fresh water spring found along the way. These preferred camping spots became sources of cholera infections during the third cholera pandemic (1852–1860). Many thousands of people used the same camping spots whose water supplies became contaminated by human wastes.” Slocum continues, “… Here he parted with several of his hired men. Our hero now started to cross the mountains. …With but four wagons and the “family coach,” some cattle, and a man or two, the difficulty of climbing the Sierras was surmounted; the descent on the western side was soon made, and the declining hours of the month of September found them in the valley of the Sacramento.” By late 1859, William reached Napa. According to Turalu Reed Brady’s book, Lakewood: A History of Walnut Creek’s Unique Neighborhood, “The Rice’s first bought a farm at Napa and the family stayed there while William looked for a permanent home for both his stock and his family.” While his family resided in the house of Major John Seawell, he rented land for a small farm from Gov. Boggs. Before he can begin his search, Gov. Boggs dies on March 19, 1860, allowing William to purchase the land along with three slaves from Gov. Boggs’s widow. When William finally leaves, he takes Nathaniel with him and rents Aaron plus her former slaves back to her to work the remainder of her property. During William’s search for a permanent home, Slocum states, “His Son, Archibald, who, it may be recollected, was left at Willow creek with the cattle …and moved them to Honey Lake, where they remained until the month of May. …Mr. Rice …quickly proceeded to Honey Lake, arriving during the last days of April, where he found his stock much reduced in quality and quantity; …In August they were all transferred to Fresno county, to a pasturage that had been selected for them.” Meanwhile, San Francisco was experiencing the powerful oration from the famous, highly sought after, abolitionist and Unitarian minister, Rev. Thomas Starr-King, who had just arrived to make it his home in April of 1860. While John Grider, an African American veteran of the Bear Flag Revolt (one of only a handful) and a recently freed slave was living in Napa. Both were about to play a substantial part in changing Aaron and his family’s lives forever… Special thanks to The National Oregon/California Trail Center & Wyoming State Historical Society for the generous use of their photographs in illustrating the Rice's story. The National Oregon/California Trail Center Address: 320 North 4th Street, P.O. Box 323 | Montpelier, Idaho 83254 Toll Free: (866) 847-3800 Email: info@oregontrailcenter.org Wyoming State Historical Society Emial: Editor@wyohistor.org 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 7/01/2017On July 31, 1906, Aaron Rice (an African American who was one of the first freed slaves to vote in Napa, California) was interred in the Contra Costa County’s Potter’s Field of Alhambra Cemetery, where they buried the impoverished, unclaimed, and discriminated. His gravesite borders the more prominent section of the cemetery where William and Louisa Rice (his former slave owners) are also buried. Our surprise in finding Aaron’s headstone (being one of only four to have survived) and the uncovering of his remarkable story has resulted in his becoming very special to us. However, it has left us with a couple of questions, which we have so far been unable to answer. 1) Who paid for his headstone? 2) What does the phrase “The Faithful” refer too? For the enslaved American, census data did not include them until after slavery was abolished. Therefore, to tell Aaron’s story we had to rely on information from authored books, various organizations, a written oral account, along with whatever official documents could be found, in order to piece together Aaron’s life prior to 1860. We found through documentation that Aaron Rice was born, January 1819 in Caswell, County, North Carolina to Robert and Dilcy Rice. Aaron and his family were the property of Archibald and Sally Jane Rice, who owned a cotton farm. In the early 1800s in North Carolina, enslaved Americans would work on small to medium sized farms, unlike their counterparts on the larger plantations found throughout the rest of the South. As a result, they were responsible for a larger variety of jobs including carpentry, fieldwork, and domestic duties. They were also afforded more interaction with other enslaved Americans on other farms. Perhaps it was his desire to want a plantation (or his land wearing out) that caused Archibald Rice to eventually relocate from North Carolina to Missouri. From the Friends of the Rice-Tremonti Home Association’s (Association) website, “Archibald and Sally Rice moved from North Carolina to Missouri in the 1820s, settling finally in Jackson County by the 1830s.” According to William’s oral history account published in History of Contra Costa County by W. J. Slocum & Co., he states, “…until October, 1826. In that Fall, Mr. Rice, Senior, disposed of his property in North Carolina and emigrated to Howard County, Missouri, where he rented a farm for one year. ... In the Spring of 1828 he accompanied the family to Rolls (now Monroe) county, Missouri, where they settled in the midst of the forest, …In the Fall of 1831 their lands in Monroe county were sold, and the following Spring the family located near Independence.” William’s account continues with his return trip to North Carolina, “On May 19, 1833, our subject was dispatched to North Carolina, …to wind up the estate of his maternal grandfather, …Matters being settled, he returned to Missouri, arriving September 25th, with a family of eight negroes, the property of his parents.” Perhaps Charlotte, Aaron’s future wife, was among them. Again from the Association’s website, “In 1836 the Rices settled on a claim of 160 acres in what is now Raytown. The Rice homestead was located eight miles from Independence on the Santa Fe Trail,” Aaron was 17. Continuing, “The family cleared the land and established a new home site and by 1838 had the northwest corner of Section Five nearly under fence; seeded with corn and wheat.” Archibald’s family lived in a two-story log cabin until the gothic-style farmhouse was finished in 1844. Their enslaved Americans lived in smaller cabins built for them. Once they abandoned the two-story log cabin, it was immediately converted into additional slave quarters. As it was in those times, slave quarters were always close to the main house to insure against their escape. Their website continues, “…The Rice Farm quickly became a popular camping site for travelers bound for Santa Fe and California. There was space for wagons, springs for watering, corn and prairie grasses for feeding animals. At least 27 original accounts by travelers (dating from 1838 to 1849) spoke favorably of Archibald Rice's hospitality.” During 1849 alone about 490 men and 132 wagons lingered at the Rice campground. Written accounts say that both sides of the trail were lined with emigrants waiting to head westward. Consequently, the entire community of Jackson County was involved in some manner with the business of the trails. Farmers grew corn to feed the animals, raised and butchered hogs for trail supplies. Thousands of Spanish mules and oxen were fattened on the good grass made available to travelers. Local men left their families and served as teamsters for the freighters. According to William’s account again, “The next important event in the life of our subject was his marriage, February 26, 1840, to Louisa, daughter of William and Martha Ish, a native of La Fayette county, Missouri. He now settled about five miles from Independence, on the road to Lexington, where he engaged in farming, stock‐raising, and buying and selling horses and mules.” It was the custom of the day to give slaves as wedding presents. Perhaps this is how and when Aaron’s entire family, become the property of William and Louisa. For some context, we would like to make mention of some of the violent, bloody events happening in Missouri in which both William and Archibald were known and willing participants. 1) The Mormon war of 1838 - Mormons emigrating from northern states during the 1830’s were natural abolitionists, completely at odds with its Slave State status. Governor Lilburn Boggs, signs the 1839 Mormons Expulsion Act legalizing the earlier violent removal of all Mormons from Missouri. 2) 1838-1839 Border War – armed conflict occurs between Iowa and Missouri with both states installing militias along their border, over territorial disputes and again slavery issues. 3) Bleeding Kansas 1854 – 1861 – hundreds of people murdered to determine its status in the Union as either a Free or Slave State. More from William’s account, “At the time politics ran high; and being somewhat mixed in the Kansas Troubles, our subject, thinking "discretion to be the better part of valor,” determined to leave for California; therefore he sold his property. … and on April 28, 1859, left Independence, his train consisting of eight hundred and ninety head of cattle (mostly heifers), six wagons with four yoke of oxen to each, one ambulance for his family, thirty head of horses and mules, seventeen hired men and the six negroes.” They were Aaron’s entire family: his parents Robert & Dilcy, his wife Charlotte, and their sons Nathaniel (born 1846) and Lewis (born 1850)... 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 6/14/2017In our previous column, we discussed the almost complete anonymity of those buried in Potter’s Field. However, George Homan Johnson is one of only four who have headstones that reside in the original property of Potter’s Field. Despite his headstone having the least damage and the most information depicted on his stone, his life has proven to be one of the most difficult to discover. Despite missing documents and countless hours of research, we nevertheless were able to create a sketch of his adventure on the high seas. George was born on March 11, 1870, in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, the eldest son of William and Charlotte Tinker Johnson, both age 30, after his older sisters Mildred Charlotte and Olive Brindley and before his brother William Francis. By March 19, 1872, George’s family had already moved a couple of times, relocating to the village of Quarndon, Derby, Derbyshire, England. On January 5, 1879, George's parents decided to baptize their children at the Cathedral of All Saints in Derby, when George was eight. By 1881, they are living at 35 Uttoxeter New Road in the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Werburgh Church, Derbyshire, when George is 11. His father has gone from being a leather tanner to owning a shoe factory employing "20 hands + 3 boys". His family also employed a domestic servant, 19 year-old Ann Atkins from Newhall. On November 16, 1888, 18 year-old George embarked on his lifelong interest in seeing the world by becoming a British Merchant Marines apprentice aboard the Drumelton. An apprenticeship required a deposit of £10 – 20 or a premium of £40 to be paid through indentured servanthood. George chose indentured servanthood to the Liverpool shipowners, Gillison & Chadwick in London, England. (Perhaps his father wanted George to take over his shoe factory and therefor refused to pay for his apprenticeship training, as a sailing career was also not held in high esteem.) His apprenticeship contract was for four years with his wages garnished to pay the fee, while they provided George with food, living arrangements and clothing. According to his “List of Testimonials and Statement of Service at Sea”, George "deserted" (quit) the Drumelton on July 16, 1891. (During this time, numerous companies abused their apprentices with physical beatings utilizing hardwood bats.) On August 6, 1891, he becomes an “Able Seaman” aboard the iron ship, Benicia owned by Ismay, Imrie & Co. of the White Star Line, which carried goods and some passengers. From there he moves to the Culmore from March 10, 1892 till May 30, 1893. After the Culmore, he serves on two more ships before working on the Strathdon, from October 5, 1893 to June 25, 1894, of the Aberdeen White Star Lines traveling to and from London to Australia. By June 30, 1893, George applies for examination to become an officer listing the Fountain Hotel on West Street in Sheerness, County Kent, England as his permanent address. (His father William, owned the hotel employing a staff of 10, from an accountant to a barman, while his mother and sister, Mildred lived there as well.) George had spent 4 years, 10 months and 25 days at sea, when at the age of 24 he received his “Certificate of Competency” on July 19, 1894, number 028065, as a “Second Mate in the Merchant Service”, by the “Lords of the Committee of Privy Council For Trade”. As a Second Mate, charged with ship navigation and being emergency medical director on and off ship, George would have needed strong diplomatic and leadership skills in order to work well with and teach others. George’s “Certificate of Competency” is stolen. On his “Declaration of Lost Certificate”, he states it was, “last seen by me in New York, and it was stolen from my berth on board the ship when she was there about the 14th March, and tho’ I had made inquiries from the police authorities, I have been unable to recover the said certificate.” He is 27 and living at 1 Milk Street House, Milk Street, London, England in April of 1897. After paying 5 shillings, he receives his renewed and replacement “Certificate of Competency” number 031796 on June 3, 1897. Here is where our story had ended due to lost documents. According to his headstone, we knew he died on January 12, 1902. However, where? How? We contacted the County Recorder’s office of Contra Costa and applied for an informational copy of his death certificate. Unfortunately, no record was found. Over the years (as Counties transfer records from one system to another) record indexing becomes incomplete, leaving countless records unable to be located even though they still exist. The California Death Index currently only records deaths from 1905 on. Fortunately, we discovered the Merchant Marines kept their own member death records under “British Deaths at Sea, 1781 – 1968”. We found George listed as a Second Mate on the James Kerr, having sailed from Antwerp, Belgium to San Francisco, CA on November 15, 1901. He died in Port Costa, CA, on January 12, 1902 from an “Injury sustained by being knocked down (and run over) by moving train, when crossing railroad track.” This raised another question, why was he in Port Costa? The life of a seaman was not very glamorous and paid very little. According to the “Hearings Before the Merchant Marine Commission of 1904” to determine why Britain was losing most of its merchant sailors, it was found due to poor wages, hard work, and inability to support their families. Those that remained found temporary work during shore leave for extra income. Since they were idle from November through January, George probably found such work in Port Costa. We further found that George had the unique opportunity to serve under Captain Thomas Yardley Powles on the James Kerr. Captain Powles, along with his wife Jane (also a Second Mate) were known for treating all their men with curtesy, liberty and kindness and creating a family atmosphere. Mrs. Powles would have been George's "mom" on ship as she would "nurse the men when ill, help them when they were in trouble, and even darn their socks."
Four days later on January 16, 1902, the James Kerr left the port of San Francisco for Australia without their beloved second mate, George Homan Johnson whose desire was to see the world. Not having family in America, he was buried in Potter's Field because his family would have not have been notified in time to make other arrangements. Perhaps it was the kind and compassionate Captain Powles who commissioned such a nice headstone for him. 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 5/31/2017When we founded the Potter’s Field Restoration Project of the Alhambra Cemetery, it was due to 99% of its inhabitants not having an informational headstone to tell their story. The only evidence of their existence and final resting place are their cement markers we refer to as “Stones”. Their Stones are either numbered or blank and with the original County records incomplete or missing, it has caused those buried under them to become anonymous. Virginia Menezes-Costa is one of the approximate 1,700 residents marked by a Stone, whose story (thanks to her granddaughter Mary Leanos) can now finally be told. The term Potter’s Field is of Biblical origin, referring to a ground where clay was dug for pottery, later bought by the high priests of Jerusalem for the burial of strangers, criminals and the poor. An online article by Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan on New York’s largest Potter’s Field, Hart Island says it all, “...There are a few ways to end up on Hart Island. One third of its inhabitants are infants—some parents couldn’t afford a burial, others didn’t realize what a “city burial” meant when they checked it on the form. Many of the dead here were homeless, while others were simply unclaimed; if your body remains at the city morgue for more than a few weeks, you, too, will be sent for burial by a team of prisoners on Hart Island. These practices have given rise to dozens of cases where parents and families aren’t notified in time to claim the body of their loved one. It can take months (even years) to determine whether your missing mom, dad, sibling, or child ended up at Hart...” However, after much research, Alhambra Cemetery’s has some striking differences to a typical Potter’s Field. First, the County purchased the property in 1892, inheriting an unknown number of preexisting graves with headstones. Second, the County replaced 99% of its headstones with Stones (most likely in the 30’s). This means not all of our Potter’s Field residents were homeless, poor or unclaimed. Additionally, some were from foreign countries who died in the County Hospital and buried before their families received notification, while others as non-white were prevented from being buried anywhere else. Last September, Mary emailed the Martinez Historical Society requesting help in locating her grandmother, Virginia Augusta Menezes-Costa’s grave. Mary had been looking for many years and stated, “I was about to give up until you called.” She also stated that, “My brother had visited her grave sometime in the early 70’s before he died and described its location as being in a cemetery full of small markers, abandoned, overgrown, and in disrepair located in Martinez.” With most of the County records lost (and Virginia not included on any of the Alhambra or St. Catherine’s Cemeteries Decedent Lists), this was not going to be an easy task. First, we found a Virginia M. Costa in the California Death Index listing her burial location as “07”, Contra Costa County. Next, Mary provided us with a copy of Virginia’s death certificate indicating she was 25½ yrs. old when she died at the County Hospital in Martinez. The undertaker listed was H. J. Curry who (according to the U.S. City Directory and California State Roster, 1899 Government and Military Records) was the County Coroner. With Mary’s brother’s description and this strong circumstantial evidence, we can safely assume that she is indeed buried in Potter’s Field. Virginia Augusta Costa was born to Antonio Menezes and Josephine Augusta in Estreito da Calheta, Madère, Portugal on December 21, 1900. According to the Immigration Passenger List, of the White Star Line’s (Titanic Fame) SS Canopic, 16 year-old Virginia arrived in Boston Harbor on August 20, 1916 after sailing from Ilha de São Miguel, Portugal on August 14. Her destination was Lowell, MA to stay with “her brother” Manuel Ferreira Costa, (in reality her soon to be future husband). According to the Massachusetts Marriage Index of 1916 – 1920, they married in Fall River, MA in 1917. Mary stated her grandparents “were dressed rather nicely for their wedding picture which must have meant that my grandfather was working at that time and had the means to purchase nice clothing for the two of them.” While still living in Lowell, Massachusetts, Virginia and Manuel had three children, Mary Costa born June 15, 1920, Claude Ferreira Costa born August 15, 1921, and Anthony F. Costa born on December 21, 1922. Virginia’s family migrated to California, in February of 1925. According to her death certificate, she’s listed as “Housewife” living in Crockett, CA. when she is admitted to the County Hospital on June 17, 1926 and dies June 18 at 11:30 pm from tuberculosis. She was buried June 21. We don’t know for sure the reason for her family’s move to California. However, we suspect that they came for the drier air, with the belief that it would help relieve her symptoms. Tuberculosis can be mistaken for allergies/asthma as it can take a year or more (when symptoms are present) to be fatal. We had the chance to meet Mary when she came to visit her grandmother during the 2016 October Cemetery Cleanup. Although Mary does not know where her grandmother’s exact burial plot is, she is very relieved to have found the location of the cemetery where she is buried. Thank you to Mary Leanos for letting us tell your grandmother’s story. 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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