Pioneer Cemetery, Nevada city, Nevada County, CA Submitted by Kathi Bristow 22 Apr 2005 [kgbristow@comcast.net] This file is part of the California Tombstone Project http://www.usgwtombstones.org/california/californ.html ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. ********************************************************************** KEY: ! Denotes Information provided by Nevada Co. Historical Bulletin V. 44 dated Jan. 1, 1990 and now those tombstones or plots cannot be found. & Denotes tombstones found during transcribing, but not listed in the Historical Bulletin that was found at the Dorothy Foley Library under "Cemeteries" History File. # Denotes other info at end of list of names - from Thompson & West 1880 or otherwise stated. The Pioneer Cemetery was the first cemetery in Nevada City, established in 1851 when the city was a booming mining town. The cemetery itself sits beside St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery on Broad Street in Nevada City. Many of the headstones now are broken, or missing and many small wooden crosses dot the hilltop under the pines, but we will not know who these people were. Many are deteriorating or broken and many mounds of pine needles blanket many unmarked graves. page 227 From T&W 1880: Pooler, John: John R. Pooler lives 1 1/2 miles from Nevada City and owns 160 acres of land valued at $1000. He was born in Nova Scotia in 1801, and in 1809 went to sea and followed until 1833 when he farmed in Maine, until 1854, when he came to this county which has since been his home. He followed mining for 8 years and has since been farming. In 1833 he married Miss Matilda O'Hara who was born in Canada and has 1 daughter residing in Virginia City. From T&W 1880: Sigourney, T.W.: T.W. Sigourney lives in Nevada City. He was born in Albany, New York in 1832 and remained there until 1852 where he was engaged in hotel and merchandising, then he went to California and started a store in Placer County and at the same time in Nevada County was elected County Treasurer in 1856 and served 2 terms and has since been engaged in mining and loaning money. He also is a business manager of Nevada County Narrow Gauge Rail Road Company. He married Sarah Cross in 1860, a native of St. Louis who died in 1876. They had four children, 2 of whom are living; T.W. Jr., born 1864, and Wilson H. born 1867. page 230 From T&W 1880: Grover, Henry : Henry Grover lives on Oustomah Hill in Nevada City and owns 40 acres valued at $1000. He was born in Ohio in 1833, moved with his parents to Joliet, Illinois in 1835, and in 1840 moved to Iowa, then in 1847 moved to Wisconsin. In 1852 he crossed the plains and mined in the American Valley in Plumas County until 1863. Then to Fraser River, British Columbia until 1865, Plumas County again in 1866, and then to this county which he has continued to mine. He married Mrs. Christiana Gallagher, a native of France, and has 1 son and 1 daughter. Mrs. Gallagher had 6 sons and 2 daughters living and 1 daughter deceased. page 219 Articles from Dorothy Foley Library titled "Nevada City's First Cemetery" from the Cemetery Files Gillet, Felix "Started the first nursery west of the Rocky Mountains. Gillet was considered one of California's finest horticulturists." There is a lengthly article in Thompson & West 1880 on Felix Gillet. Henry Meredith: "Another headstone reveals the tragic death of a young civic leader who left Nevada City to join an Indian war at Pyramid Lake, in what is now Nevada, where he was shot from his horse and killed. He said, when his comrades returned to remove him from danger, that they should escape with their lives while they could as the Indians were ready to attack. They left and then returned for the body of Henry Meredith which was transported to the Pioneer Cemetery for burial in June of 1860. The trip took nearly one month as Meredith was killed on May 12th and buried on June 10th." Aaron Augustus Sargent "was also one of the area's first district attorneys and was the owner of a large water company near You Bet during the gold rush period." From an article in the Grass Valley Union dated Tuesday, April 4, 1978: "Aaron August Sargent was another of the notables in history who was laid to rest forever in Nevada City's quaint Pioneer Cemetery at the top of Broad Street. A Nevada City newspaper editor, a lawyer and county district attorney, a delegate to the national convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln, a U.S. Congressman and Senator and one-time minister to Germany - Sargent is remembered by a vault moved here as a monument to his pioneering deeds. His ashes were scattered over his Quaker Hill mining claims." "William Alphonse Sutter, son of the famous General Sutter of Sutter's Mill, is among the pioneers here. He left the new family" headquarters near Sacramento to live an adventure-filled life until illness overtook him and he came to Nevada City to live with his uncle James J. Ott - the famous assayer - to regain his health. But the mountain air failed in healing powers and William Alphonse died and was buried here in 1863 at the age of 31." from the article dated April 4, 1978. From the "Nevada City's First Cemetery" article: "One of the most interesting sites uncovered is the grave of William Alphonse Sutter, the son of General Sutter, who returned to Nevada City where he died of a respiratory ailment in 1863 at the age of 31." KEY NAME DATES MISCELLANEOUS ! Abbott, William no transcription, no data Anderson, Franklin Died 2, Sept. 1860 Age 25 yrs - a Native of Harden Co., Illinois & Anderson, ?Gwen Bigelow 1904-1992 ! Armstrong, Geo. B. Died 17, Jan. 1859 Age 32 yrs - of Almond, N. Y. Ashburn, Charles E. 1840-1917 ! Austin, Willard C. Died 24, May 1925 Age 69 yrs Beaird, Wm. B. Born 1818 - Died 8, Dec. 1853 Age 36 yrs - Native of Monroe Co., In(diana) ! Beck, Herman H. Died 12, Sept. 1935 Age 81 yrs ! Beffa, Vincenzo Died 22, Dec. 1866 Age 39 yrs Bigelow, Nora E. 1874-1949 One marker for all Bigelows Bigelow, Richard 1874-1948 Bigelow, Sara F. 1867-1941 Black, Elizabeth Died 4, Dec. 1868 Age 41 yrs - wife of J.M. Black ! Booth, James Died 3, Nov. 1865 Age 44 yrs - Native of Baltimore Brock, Joseph 1869-1939 Brock, Thomas 1832-1915 Brock, W.H. Born 21, Dec. 1859 Died 6, May 1865 One marker for all Brocks Burnett, M.W. Age 46 Burnett, Wilson Age 5 mths 3 days - Our little angel has gone home to God ! Cain, Hannah Age 55 yrs Cain, Thomas F. Died 5, Jan. 1866 Age 23 yrs - son of E & H Cain Cain, Wm. Ophir Died 9, Nov. 1860 Age 7 yrs 11 mths - son of Elmer & Hannah Cain Church, Ensign Died 18, June 1857 Age 33 yrs - of Canfield, Ohio ! Clark, Mary A. Died 9, May 1860 Age 26 yrs Ducray, Jean-Baptiste Died 20, March 1890 Age 65 yrs 10 mths Ducray, Julia Catherine Died 1, Aug. 1890 Age 60 yrs - wife of Jean Dulac, Aveline V. Died 10, Jan. 1911 Age 3 mths 6 days - One tombstone under Gillet Dulac, Julia T. Died 8, Feb. 1913 Age 44 yrs 3 mths 18 days Dunlap, Sergt. Theo. H. Died 5, Dec. 1906 Co. D 2 Kans. Cav Dunlap, Mrs. Theo. H. "Beloved Wife" ! Enderlein, William cement enclosure - no data Fletcher, Sherman W. Died 19, July 1856 Age 24 yrs - Native of Littleton Co.,Mass. Late D.A. of Nev. Co. Foster, Thomas H. Died 5, Feb. 1856 Age 25 yrs - Native of Southampton, Long Island & Gallagher, Charles no other data - inscribed on Grover's tombstone & ? Gartsh, Maria Anne Born 15, Feb. 1837 Died 14, Oct. 1911 ! Gates, O.P. Co. A 1st Me. Cav. - no other data # Gillet, Felix Died 27, Jan. 1908 Age 72 yrs 10 mths 2 days ! Green, Samuel S. Jr. Died 19, April 1854 Age 36 yrs - of Medford, Mass. & Grover, Alice 1873-1968 # Grover, Newton F. 1873-1929 Harrison, Joseph S. no dates "My beloved sleepeth aground do not wake him" Hendrickson, Peter Died 19, July 1856 Age 29 yrs - born in Albany, N.Y. Herzinger, George Died 18, Nov. 1861 Age 3 yrs 6 mths - son of J.L. Herzinger Herzinger, Louise Died 17, Nov. 1861 Age 10 yrs - daughter of J.L. Herzinger & Hicks, Henry cement enclosure - no data Hill, R. Died 18 Sept. 1902 Age 65 yrs ! Hill, Evelyn Died 23, Dec. 1928 Age 2 yrs 8 mths 22 days Hinch, Geo. Died 15, Sept. 1860 Age 26 yrs - born in Addington Co., Canada - "In the midst of life we are in death" ! Hoel, James T. Died 10, Sept. 1864 Age 74 yrs Jefferson, Henry Died 8, Aug. 1857 Age 32 yrs - formerly of St. Andrews, Canada East & Jepson Plot cement enclosure - no data Johnson, David Died 4, Nov. 1856 Age 26 yrs - born in Philadelphia - "He cometh forth take a flower and is cut down" Jones, Ann Virginia Died 7 Sept. 1857 Age 10 yrs (only wording left on broken tomstone says "Children of W. P. and E. Jones" no names or dates are left - data from bulletin Jones, Josephine Died 10, April 1860 Age 3 yrs 6 mths. Keller, Fredrick Born 7, Aug. 1868 Died 6, Sept. 1868 1 mth Keller, Nicholas Born 17, Nov. 1828 Died 5 Feb. 1899 Native of Germany Keller, Rosa Died 16, July 1899 Age 68 yrs - "His Wife" ! Kelsey, Edward Died 28, Feb 1860 Age 36 yrs - of Medford, Mass. ! Logue, Mrs. Isabella H. Died 2, Feb. 1867 Age 31 yrs 11 mths ! McArthur Plot cement enclosure - no data # Meridith, Henry Born 1826 - Died 12, May 1860 Age 26 yrs - born in Hanover Co., State of Virginia - Died in battle at Pyramid Lake his body was buried here on the 16th day of June 1860 ! Miller, Marshall Died 13, July 1859 Age 36 yrs ! Montague, Dr. Seth Died 21, March 1851 Age 42 yrs - of Crawford Co., Illinois Moore, Samuel C. Died 4, Aug 1851 Age 37 yrs - of St. Charles, Mo. Ophir, Emerson Died 18, 1863 Age 46 yrs Pennel, Joseph Died 26, Aug. 1853 "Age about 30 yrs - of Portland, Maine Pier, Harriet G. no other data # Pooler, John R. Died 3, Dec. 1881 Age 80 yrs ! Ragon, John H. Died 26, May 1928 Age 69 yrs & Quigley Plot cement enclosure - no data Rowe,, Cyrus Died 12, Dec. 1858 Age 50 yrs # Sargent, Aaron Augustus Born 28, Sept. 1827 Died 14, Aug. 1887 Born at Newburypoint, Mass. Died at San Francisco, California Printer, Lawyer, Senator, Minister, Plenipotentiary Schellhorn, Albert Died 29, Sept. 1865 Age 31 yrs - Schellhorn, J.H. Died 10, April 1861 Age 67 yrs - Native of Germany # Sigourney, Sallie Died 5, May 1864 Age 2 yrs 3 mths - daughter of T.W. & S.M. Sigourney # Sutter, William Alphonse Died 14, Aug. 1863 Age 31 yrs. - son of General John Sutter Taylor, C.F. 1840-1923 Todd, John H. Died 1, Dec. 1852 Age 44 yrs - Native of Paris Co., Ky ! Turnham, Kate Died 26, March 1859 Age 5 mths - daughter of W. & L. Turnham Waters, Elijah Died 17, Sept. 1854 Age 35 yrs - of Indiana Watson Plot cement enclosure - no data Williams, David H. Died 16, April 1860 Age 46 yrs. - Native of Breconshire, So. Wales Yates, Robert Died 19, March 1854 Age 63 yrs