A Forgotten Township Worth Remembering

Just 28 miles northeast of Stockton, and only six miles north of Lockeford, sits a cemetery forgotten in time. People pass through this area daily without batting an eye, never knowing that the farmland they are driving through at one time was the Elliott Township.  Now considered part of Galt, this area was once a bustling little town full of people and businesses, but you would never know from the looks of it.  All that is left as you drive up to the area is the oak trees and a few visible monuments in a small cemetery off the side of the road. Headstones wore out by the hands of time, basking in the sun and the shade of the trees, showing the affects the elements have had on them is all that is left of the town legacy, the graves.

Thankfully, not everyone has forgotten the cemetery or the people from Elliott Township. A handful of people including the cemetery caretaker, many local volunteers, historians and a young man by the name of Drew Klaege are all determined to bring this cemetery back to life again. I had the pleasure of speaking to Drew and his mother Pam a few weeks back and I was really impressed with the passion this young man has for working on preserving the history and the cemetery of Elliott.

When I asked Drew what sparked his interest in the cemetery, he explained that two years ago he had met the caretaker of Elliott Cemetery, Eric Schneider, and after learning about some of the history he became interested in it.  Although time had passed, the thought was never far from his mind, and when the opportunity arose to become involved in restoration effort of the cemetery, he took an idea and ran with it. 

In order to earn his Eagle Rank in Boy Scouts, he had the opportunity to lead a community service project. Naturally, Drew thought of building a kiosk for the cemetery in order to allow visitors to learn the history of the Elliott Township and those who are buried there. The idea was a home run!

Along with being the leader of the project, which involved designing, planning, financing  he also had to bring his idea to fruition by being an overseer of the job.  The task was not an easy one, according to Pam, "The process of getting the project approved took three separate presentations. After gaining approval from the Boy Scouts, the cemetery caretakers and finally the Galt Historical Society, Drew's project was on its way."

After appropriating the funds totaling  $1,000.00 by way of donations, Drew was able to gather the materials needed in order to build a kiosk for the cemetery. The kiosk will feature the names of those interred at Elliott Cemetery as well as historical information on these people, the town's history and several photographs to be displayed for posterity.

History of Elliott Township 

According to Pam Trassare, Elliott was originally known as Hawk's Corner, for the general store built by Mr. Hawkins on the northwestern side of Liberty Road and the intersection on Elliott Road.  Later, when John Hurd Hickey purchased Mr. Hawkins land,  he and his brother, along with fellow resident Mr. Johnson, renamed the town after the pioneer rancher, Dr. George Elliott who developed the settlement of Dry Creek just two miles north of Elliott. Being that Dr. Elliott had just died a few years earlier in 1858, it is safe to assume that the naming of the town was done as an effort to honor the doctor, posthumously.

By November 25, 1863, it was officially a town with the opening of its very own post office.  Old township records show that at one time there was 51 farmers, 1 merchant, 2 doctors, 2 carriage makers, 1 civil engineer and a stock raiser living within the township. Although a small area, the little town was certainly growing, eventually building a school house for the children. It was recorded that by the 1880's, 70 percent of the men working in the area were farmers.

The photo to the right above was provided to Drew by Don and Gayle Gibson. The image shows the boarding house which was located in Hawk's Corner along with some of the early residents: the Ralphs family and the Hart family.

According to the book"Lockeford's Beginnings: A Pioneer Doctor's Dream" by Delia Marcella Thorp Emerrick, a county tax for schools was passed in legislation, allowing for 5 cents to be taken out of the 30 cents tax for every $100 of property to allow for a school fund.  A name that may be familiar, Dr. George Locke, of "Lockeford," was the clerk for the newly established school district, while G.C. Holman was the school commissioner.   Unfortunately there wasn't enough taxes collected to make a dent in building the school, so it was documented that all bachelors in the area donated $5 each to appropriate the funds necessary to build the school house. The cost was $100, and the building was known as the "Rag School House" due to its construction of wood frames and floors, with canvas walls.

The town seemed to flourish for a good twenty years or so, but according to journals of Delia Hammond Locke, it appears as if the Elliott Township started to feel the effects of the economy by the 1890's and dwindled down to nonexistence. "There was a railroad strike that greatly affected the residents in the town," stated Pam Trassare. "That and the possibility of fatal outbreaks in the area during the same time period could have all played a part."  An outbreak of tuberculosis in Clay Station, as well as a Diphtheria outbreak in Lockeford during that very time period, could very well have affected the population of the small township of Elliott. It seems like the perfect storm: health crisis, economic woes due to the railroad strike, all leaving residents without food, supplies, etc. It was a recipe for disaster, more than likely forcing most residents to leave.  Other historians such as Amy Berkebile have been researching the history of Elliott as well as the residents interred at the cemetery, and there is a lot of history to be told and much left still to be uncovered.

The Cemetery

The Elliott Township Cemetery appears to have been there long before the town officially was. The sign outside says the cemetery was established in 1859. Interestingly, the oldest grave there is dated at 1822. I know in many cemeteries relatives were often disinterred from their original burial place and reburied in other cemeteries to be closer to family, and perhaps that could account for the gap in years from the earlier burials to the year that the cemetery was officially established.

The Elliott Methodist Church was later built in 1876 on the cemetery grounds, although there is no trace left of it today. In all there are 80 residents documented at the Elliott Township Cemetery that caretakers know of.  When I interviewed Drew, he mentioned one particular grave that stood out to him. It was the grave of Joseph Steely.

Joseph Steely

"I like history," Drew explained, " and here was this unmarked grave of a civil war veteran. They just recently found his grave and put a new gravestone, so I became very interested in who he was."

Joseph Steely was born in August of 1828. Although born a native to Ohio, Joseph's family stemmed from Old English roots. He married in 1854, to Rachel Briggs, and later enlisted in the military after the news of Fort Sumpter's attack in 1861.  Documented as First Sargent for Company B of the 3rd Regiment in the Ohio Infantry, Joseph was stationed at Camp Chase in Columbus. He continued his service, reenlisting twice up until the middle of 1864. When his service was finally over, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri and again to Johnson County, Kansas and raised his family there. Sadly, his wife passed away in 1881, and Joseph was permanently disabled after an accident at a saw mill. From then on, he depended on his sons to care for him and the household. Eventually the idea to move to California came up, when his now adult sons had the opportunity.

The California Great Register's list Joseph Steely as being a resident in Elliot in 1884. It also lists him as living in Clements in 1892, 1894 and Mackville in 1896. He later passed away on May 18, 1898 and was buried at the Elliott Cemetery.  His children, sons Marcus and George lived in nearby areas, while his daughter Mattie lived in Clements. In all he had 5 children: 2 sons and 3 daughters. His oldest son, Marcus later committed suicide in 1941 at the age of 81.

There are many people buried at the cemetery with fascinating stories still left to be told. Take the story of Eliza Ann Peter whose broken and forgotten headstone is all that remains left of her memory. Her beautiful epitaph reads,

 "Remember me, as you pass by, 

As you are now, so once was I;

 As I am now, you soon will be,

 Prepare for death, and follow me."

Her cause of death still eludes researchers to this day. In hopes to get answers, I tracked down a gentleman named Jim, who is a descendant of Eliza's husband. Merriman Peter, whom I will be writing about extensively in an upcoming blog, was Eliza's husband. I have found out more about him than I have Eliza, although his story is quite interesting as well. Combined with the research I completed along with Jim's information, I have been able to come up with a short biography on Eliza.

She was born as Eliza Ann Peck on September 27, 1841, in the State of Texas. When she was just a child, her family moved to California, as the Census records for 1852 state that she was 11 years old living in San Joaquin County. She later popped up in archived marriage records, in Sonoma, when she wed Merriman Peter on October 20, 1859.

The Census records for 1860, lists Eliza and Merriman living in Petaluma with an infant (one of their daughters) and a young boy, John (9 years old). This couldn't have been Eliza's son, for she had only been married to Merriman less than a year and she was only 19 years old. Merriman had been married once before, and his wife died in childbirth, so it is possible that this was his son from his first wife he had in Missouri. The child's state of birth was also listed as Missouri, which strengthens my theory.

At some point Merriman moved out to Dry Creek which was just a few miles north of Elliott, and there they settled. Eliza gave birth to three daughters: Marietta (born 1860), Josephine (born 1862) and Amelia (born 1864). Sadly, Eliza died on July 27, 1865, due to reasons unknown. In an old interview published in the Stockton Record, honoring Merriman Peter's life, it briefly mentioned his marriages, noting :

  “Peter has been married three times.  His first wife, taken when he was 24 years of age, in western Platt County, Missouri, died nine months later in child birth.  In 1858, while farming in Sonoma County, Peter again married.  Three children, all daughters, were born before death again reached into the life of Merriman Peter, snatching the second Mrs. Peter away six years after the wedding. Peter, as he explains, then became both a father and mother to his three little girls, until some years later he "finally found a mother for them, a good mother, too, and we raised them up all right."---

Unfortunately, I was still unable to find out the cause of Eliza's death, although it still remained a tragedy.  In the end, I bet if we were to take each and every person buried at the Elliott cemetery we would find a plethora of history and fascinating stories. I was very happy to be able to write this short blog about this lovely and historic cemetery, as well as bring attention to the fine folks who are so passionate and willing to restore it. I hope that more and more people will be drawn to the wonderful history of this place, and that it will never be forgotten again.

 COPYRIGHT- 2015, J'aime Rubio (originally published on April 10, 2015)

Sources:

Census Records, Marriage Records, 

Ancestry.com, Familysearch.com, Findagrave.com

"Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: Memories of Elliott, California"- 

San Joaquin Historian, Peggy Ward Engh, 1996

Records from: “History of San Joaquin County 1879” by Thompson & West.

Interviews with Pam Trassare & Drew Klaege

Photos from: Drew Klaege, Pam Trassare, Don & Gayle Gibson, Amy Berkebile, San Joaquin Historian, Friends of Elliott Cemetery Facebook Page.

"The History of Clements." by Margaret L. Lathrop

Newspaper article c/o Jim Carpenter

"Lockeford's Beginnings: A Pioneer Doctor's Dream" by Delia Marcella Thorp Emerrick

First African-American Churches in Stockton

If you visit Stockton Rural Cemetery, in Stockton, you will find many well known names. Names for which streets and even surrounding towns have been named after. You will also find pastors, preachers and ministers from many churches. After all, Stockton was once referred to as the "City of Churches."  Today I will reflect on the first two African-American Churches in Stockton and their humble beginnings.

The very first African-American church in Stockton was the African Methodist Episcopal Church founded by Reverend Virgil Campbell in 1854. The wooden church was dedicated on May 20, 1855, by Reverend Phillips, and presided over by Reverend Campbell. By 1858, they decided to build a more lasting structure, this time designing their new church to be constructed of bricks.

The cost for the church was $ 1,800 at the time, and the cornerstone was laid on March 11, 1859, by Reverend J.B. Hill. There they stayed at 121 S. Commerce Street (corner of Commerce and Washington) for 20 years. Once it was noticed that the exterior of the building was beginning to deteriorate, funds were raised to hire Mr. Beasley, to remodel the church.  On May 2, 1880, the congregation rededicated their church, presided by Reverend J.D. Coyle. By 1880 their membership had grown to 19 adults, and 28 children attending Sunday School, which was superintended by J.B. Barton.


List of Earliest Pastors (up to 1880):

Virgil Campbell

A.M.E. Church on Stanislaus/Channel Streets

James Fletcher

Thomas Green
J.H. Hubbard
E,L. Tappan
Jesse Hamilton
Jeremiah B. Sanderson
J.H West
and J.D. Green.

By the 1950's A.M.E. purchased the former church of Grace Methodist on the corner of Channel and Stanislaus Streets, where they have been ever since. --


---------------------------------

The African Baptist Church

First organized by Reverend Jeremiah King in September of 1854, the congregation did not officially have a church building until 1859, when they moved into the old Pioneer Presbyterian Church on Captain Weber's land. Weber donated his parcel to Reverend Jeremiah King for their congregation, although the church did pay for the structure at a very discounted price. Originally sold for $14,000 in 1850, the building was sold to the African Baptist Church for a mere $800. A fraction of the original price.

Reverend Jeremiah King looked after his congregation, and it was said that he only missed one sermon out of all the years he served his congregation as pastor. The one time having Samuel Reed conduct the Bible Study. By 1880, the congregation had 16 adult members and 30 children attending Sunday School.  Sunday School teacher Mrs. True*, worked for 8 years, while Mrs. Stowe* worked for 5 years.  (*Caucasian).

There is a marker on the south side of Washington Street just east of Madison in Stockton that marks the spot where Reverend Jeremiah founded his Baptist Church, and where history will forever remember it.--


(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio, originally published June 30, 2015)
Source information from,
"History of  Stockton"- George Henry Tinkham
all photos are copyright protected

Block 27, Stockton Rural Cemetery

In a previous blog post back in March of 2015, I touched on the subject of Block 27 within the Stockton Rural Cemetery. I also proved that it was NOT a segregated "colored only" section, despite the fact that it has been erroneously spread as such.

Apparently the truth wasn't good enough for some individuals who went ahead and contacted the news to tell a different story to the press. Before anyone knew it, Fox40, KCRA and even the Stockton Record did segments on the alleged "racial" story that Block 27 was the "colored" section of the cemetery, where the early African-American pioneers were buried there and forgotten, while their graves were purposely neglected. The news jumped on the story without even bothering to see if it was true. I don't know about you, but that says a lot about where journalism is going today, doesn't it?

I am also a journalist, I also write for a newspaper as well as my own blogs, but I have integrity for what I write about, and I refuse to tell a story without checking on the facts and finding proof to back it up or debunk the claim before telling others about it. Unfortunately it seems most "professionals" today don't do their homework, leaving it up to people like me, the ones who actually go out there and do the research to tell the truth for the world to read for themselves.  

First off, if anyone who reads this blog feels the need to fact check my findings, feel free to do so. In fact, I encourage it! People need to start questioning what they read and what they see on the news and in the newspapers, books, and at schools and colleges. Do not believe everything you are told, even if it comes from what you expect to be a reliable source. More often than not, people just don't do their homework and keep regurgitating the same old stories over and over without even trying to see whether or not it was fact or fiction.

History of the Cemetery

Before we dive into the whole "Block 27" issue, lets go into a short history of Stockton Rural Cemetery, shall we? 

The land the cemetery is on was originally owned by Captain Weber. Stockton Rural Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Stockton. According to the History of Stockton  by George Henry Tinkham, Captain Weber deeded the land for the cemetery to "rural associates" who then brought in plants and trees to make the cemetery more like a park. When Captain Weber was still alive, he was often seen there in the cemetery spending a lot of his time working on the grounds. In his older years he was more reserved and spent a lot of time gardening and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the cemetery as well as other gardens. 

History of Block 27

In 1862, Reverend Jeremiah King approached the trustees of the Rural Cemetery asking for a place for members of his congregation to be buried together. The trustees allowed King and members of his congregation to be buried in the non-endowment section, along with everyone else who could not afford to pay endowment care fees. Perhaps at one time they considered that small area within Block 27 to be a "colored section" for that particular church group, but Block 27 as a whole was not a segregated section of the cemetery. No, it was just an non-endowment care area just like Block 36 and Block 14 that are adjacent to Block 27 on both sides.

Even the Stockton Pioneers book written by the late Glenn Kennedy, who was a long time part of the history of Stockton Rural Cemetery even mentioned the fact that from the time Reverend King requested a spot for his people, that they had "reserved a special place" at their request. Did you catch that?  They granted a request, meaning they wanted to be buried together, not that they were forced to, and not because of segregation. In fact he went on to add that Reverend King was "loved and respected by all the people of the community as a builder of men."  If anyone knew the relationship Reverend King had with people in Stockton they would know that he was a respected man, and even Captain Weber himself gave King the land for the African Baptist Church. 

It appears that the earlier African-American settlers who were buried at Stockton Rural Cemetery chose to be buried next to one another, not because of being forced to due to segregation but instead because they wanted to.  Reverend Jeremiah King requested that they all be buried together and the cemetery granted the request.   

All those who were buried in Block 27 were not all African-American either. No, in fact there are many burials and headstones in that block that are Caucasian, and I have done the research to prove this.  

What about the rumored 300-700 unmarked graves?

There have been rumors spread within a few news articles that Block 27 holds the remains of several hundreds (somewhere along the lines of 300- 700) of African-Americans that are unmarked. I believe this to be false. This rumor started in a newspaper article in the Record.net back in 2006, yet when I have written the cemetery, its manager and its trustees to question them about that subject as well as many other things, they have failed to respond time and time again. 

Could it be because they actually have no proof of these alleged "unmarked" graves? I think so.

Personally, it doesn't seem possible given the size of the area that encompasses Block 27 along with the graves that are already there, to have that many people buried there without any markers or any additional information. Another fact we must consider is that from 1860, 1870, 1880 and even up to the turn of the century, there weren't more than a few hundred African-Americans total living in the entire county, let alone Stockton. 

If you look at the chart below, the circled numbers show going backwards from 1880, 1870 & 1860 the population of African-Americans in San Joaquin County. As you can see during 1860 there were 126, In 1870 there were 223 and in 1880 there were 328.

If you read my earlier blog about the first African-American churches you would see that by 1880 there were only 16 adults and 30 children in attendance at the African Baptist Church, while there were 19 adults and 28 children attending the African Methodist Church in 1880.  These numbers correlate these statistics below. Remember the list below shows all African-Americans in the county, not just Stockton. It is safe to say more than likely even by 1880 there weren't more than a few hundred, if even that many living in Stockton who were African-American, adults and children included. With these statistics in mind it would be mathematically impossible that there were so many hundreds of unmarked graves of African-Americans buried there.   

Personally I think someone down the line has confused this "unmarked" grave story with the forgotten graves on the other side of the fence facing California Street. That open space beyond the chain link fence was once one of the two burial grounds that once belonged to the State Hospital and now it is just a forgotten field, with hundreds and upwards to thousands of remains buried there, literally forgotten in time. You see, that is a story worth looking into, and one with actual proof that it exists.- Please see: History of Stockton State Hospital Cemetery & Its Decline

So far I have recorded about half of the visible graves in Block 27 and what I have found has proven to be more interesting than any conjured up story! There appears to be just as many Caucasian burials as African-Americans in this block which disproves the "colored-section" theory.

The truth shall set you free

The area that is known as Block 27 is simply a non-endowment area, meaning that it is not maintained like an endowment care area is supposed to be. If people are looking for someone to blame about the non-endowment care areas, you really can't blame anyone, not for that. Back when Stockton Rural Cemetery was established, the area was dry in the summer and plush during the other seasons. There was no irrigation systems for that part of the cemetery. The people who purchased plots there knew what they were getting, a dry spot on the east side of the cemetery. 

Pioneers graves buried for years (block 26 & 28 areas)

Time and the elements haven't been kind to some of the headstones, especially the ones flat to the surface of the ground. As time went on and little to no maintenance done, eventually many of the flat stones have been buried under overgrowth of grass, weeds or dirt. Again, this isn't anything you won't find at other cemeteries with non-endowment sections. (ex: Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland). If you look at many of the nicer monument headstones, a lot of them are African-Americans too, not just the Caucasian headstones. Like I said, it wasn't about color, it was about money.

See the overgrown hedges? This is in an endowment care area. 

There are plenty of other areas in the cemetery that are considered to be endowment care areas and they are in worse condition than Block 27. The cemetery staff have failed at keeping sight of the fact their job is to maintain a historic cemetery, not just a business. By the way, the cemetery is a non-profit but seems to act like they are a for-profit business. They have plenty of assets and money to be keeping up the historic grounds of the cemetery properly yet they fail to do so. The areas where they sell plots and have funerals is always kept up nicely, but the other parts of the cemetery are forgotten, even in the areas that were paid for endowment care.

In Block 26, 28 and 35, which are endowment care areas, there are headstones of early pioneers laying flat in the dirt and encased in years of mud build up, basically cementing them into the ground. Broken stones covered by twigs and leaves intentionally by the landscaping staff at the cemetery and no one is doing a news story about that. These were the original pioneers of Stockton, the 49ers who came during the Gold Rush. Their graves are forgotten, broken and ignored. Where is the outrage over that? What about the pioneers buried there? Are they less important that those in Block 27? No. 

What about the west end of the cemetery, at Blocks 19 and 22? They have been clearly neglected for years, with dirt, debris, leaves and build up covering row after row of flat markers. What about the family crypts that are not protected from thievery, or the plots such as the E.S. Holden plot or Stewart-Smith plot, where the hedges are so overgrown you cannot even reach the crypts or monuments from their entrances? 

Sections 19 & 22 (west side) are in worse shape than Block 27
Where's the outrage??

Everyone deserves to be remembered and everyone deserves to have their resting places treated with care and respect. Sadly, the staff at the cemetery doesn't seem interested in preserving the history of the cemetery and it appears that the only time the cemetery staff fix anything is when you report them to the state for not doing their jobs. When and only when the staff starts treating all areas of the cemetery as a historic ground that needs some TLC and preservation, and when they step up to the plate and fix the entire cemetery, not just one block, will all these deceased residents of Stockton Rural truly be vindicated. But I don't see this happening any time soon. Instead they choose to look the other way. The saying, "out of sight, out of mind" seems to come to my mind for some reason. 

In the end, the facts are the facts and neither you nor I can change that to suit an agenda. There are African-Americans buried in Block 27, but there are African-Americans buried all over the cemetery from Block 26, Block 14, Block 35, as well.  And remember this, there are Caucasians buried in Block 27, too, meaning it was not the "colored section." 

I hope this article will settle the segregation debate once and for all. I suggest that next time a news channel or newspaper reporter decides to do a story on this subject that they at least do a little homework before hand.

(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio) Originally posted June, 2015
Photos by: R. Boulware & J. Rubio
All research and data compiled by J. Rubio

All photos are copyright protected.

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission by the author/publisher, J’aime Rubio

The Life of Sheriff Sibley

Sheriff Walter F. Sibley

During my research on the story of Stockton's infamous murder of Albert McVicar committed by the black widow of Amador County, Mrs. Emma LeDoux, I learned of Sheriff Sibley. He was the one in charge of bringing Emma LeDoux as well as many other criminals and fugitives to justice in his long career. After looking into his life in further detail, I decided that his story would be a great addition to my new blog on Stockton history.

Walter Frank Sibley was born in Eddington, Maine, in 1858. His parents were Julia and Frank Sibley, who were native to the area, having descended directly from passengers who arrived on the Mayflower. After growing up and attending school, he decided to head west at the age of twenty.

It was said that with only five dollars to his name, he boarded a train headed out west to start a new life. He first began working on a farm owned by John Lyman Beecher, where he literally fell in love with the farmer's daughter, Clara Beecher. While working for Beecher, he saved every penny he could to attend Stockton Business College. Soon he married the love of his life, Clara Beecher on September 23, 1881. Wanting land of his own, and a business of his own, he leased land and began farming on it, becoming quite the successful businessman. With the profits, he turned and bought land of his own to farm barley and wheat crops.

During his life in Stockton, Sheriff Sibley owned around 1000 acres of land in the area, including part of the Mormon Slough. He was a staunch Republican, and considered a man faithful in his work. He was a member of the Morning Star Lodge No. 68, Free and Accepted Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights Templar, the Elks, Oddfellows, Woodmen of the World and Red Men fraternal orders. He was known to be a very generous contributor to various charities, and often used much of his salary as Sheriff to do so.

In the 1898 election for Sheriff, Sibley was voted into office. On the day he took office, January 1, 1899, his predecessor, Sheriff Cunningham offered him some words of wisdom when handing over his pistol and handcuffs:

"I have never had any use for it. It is only to be used when your life is in danger or when you are positive that a prisoner who has committed a felony is trying to escape." 

"These are not for exhibition, but for use when you arrest a man whom you have reason to believe will attempt to escape, it is your duty to put them on him. Otherwise you hold out an inducement for that man to kill you and thus commit another crime in endeavoring to escape."-- Stockton Evening Mail (1/3/1899)

Sheriff Sibley faithfully served three full terms as Sheriff, first elected in 1898, and was beginning his fourth term when he became ill.  On June 4, 1911 while in Berkeley, Walter F. Sibley succumbed to illness caused by Bright's Disease (a fatal form form of kidney disease and nephritis). He had been ill for nearly 6 months before he died.  His estate which totaled about $45,000 was left to his wife. Most of the fortune was tied up in land and their home which was located at 144 E. Willow, in Stockton (corner of Willow and Hunter streets).

"The funeral for the late Sheriff Walter Sibley, will be held Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock from the First Congregational Church and will be under the auspices of Morning Star Lodge No. 68, Free and Accepted Masons. The remains will be shipped from Berkeley tomorrow afternoon. The members of  The Stockton's Merchant Association will close their stores from 10 to 11 o'clock."- San Francisco Call, (6/6/1911)

He was buried at Stockton Rural Cemetery, in Block 24. His wife Clara, died on September 21, 1949 and was buried in the family plot. Their two daughters, Gladys and Hazel are also buried at Stockton Rural Cemetery.

(Copyright 2014- J'aime Rubio)

Originally published May 21, 2014

Some sources:
FamilySearch.com
"History of The New California"-Leigh H. Irvine, 1905.
Stockton Polk-Husted Directory 1909-1910
Stockton Evening Mail (1/3/1899)
Lodi Sentinel (6/6/1911)
SF Call (6/10/1911)
SF Call (12/23/1910)
SF Call (6/5/1911)
SF Call (6/6/1911)

What Really Happened To Dr. Harry Cross?

One tranquil afternoon, during a casual stroll through Stockton Rural Cemetery, I came upon the Cross family plot. Located in a section near "Millionaire's Row," sits the grave of Dr. Harry Cross. Why his grave stood out to me is unknown, but I felt compelled to find out who he was. The more I dug, the more interesting it turned out to be, finding out just who he was and how he met his death in 1922.

Harry Cross was born to parents, Lester Emmett Cross and Imogen Lyon on May 8, 1867 in Michigan. At some point before 1880, the Cross family moved to Stockton to set up residence, while Lester set up his medical practice. Dr. Lester E. Cross' nickname was "Dr. Stork" due to the large amount of births that he delivered during his prominent career as a physician in Stockton.

His son, Harry followed in his father's footsteps, eventually graduating from Cooper Medical College, class of 1889-90.  Being raised in a family of physicians, no doubt there was a level of pressure that Dr. Cross must have felt. According to records, he seems to have done quite well for himself even at a very young age. He eventually married a young lady by the name of Sophia, and purchased a lovely home at 330. W. Magnolia in Stockton (on the corner of Magnolia/Van Buren).  His office was located at 42 N. Sutter Street, Suite 313, inside the Elks Building.

Dr. Harry Cross' Home, 330 W. Magnolia

Elks Building, 42 N. Sutter Street, Stockton

Patent # US1349751 A

Unfortunately, an unforeseen medical emergency took place when Harry was 42 years old. According to the December 2, 1909 edition of the San Francisco Call, states:

"PHYSICIAN UNDERGOES SERIOUS OPERATION, [Special Dispatch to The Call] STOCKTON, Dec. 1.—Dr. Harry Cross, one of the most prominent of local physicians, yesterday underwent a serious operation for appendicitis and hernia. He was operated upon at St. Joseph's home by Dr. Ellis Harbert, Dr. Fred Clark, Dr. S. N. Cross and Dr. L. E. Cross. The patient is doing well."--  Thankfully Dr. Cross recovered from his appendicitis and hernia surgery and eventually went back to work.  

During Dr. Cross' life he seemed to have been quite the genius. In fact, there's a record of him dabbling in inventions besides being a physician. The U.S. Patent Office holds the records of one of Harry's inventions. a Dust-Fuel Carburetor, that was filed on February 12, 1919 and patented on August 17, 1920. 

Interestingly, newspaper accounts mention that he had also opened a tuberculosis hospital in French Camp, that I have not been able to locate as of yet. However, the account also mentions that he had invented some type of elixir that was actually improving patients health who had been suffering from tuberculosis, and that he had gained some success with it. Unfortunately, for reasons unsaid in the article, the hospital had closed just prior to Dr. Cross' death.

Mysterious Death 

According to the Bakersfield Californian, Dr. Harry Cross was traveling with one of his patients to Los Angeles for further medical treatment, but stopped for the night along the old Ridge Route at the Sandberg Summit Hotel.  Lee Smythe, Dr. Cross' patient, revealed to the authorities that he woke up in the morning after sleeping at the resort, only to find Dr. Cross' lifeless body with a gunshot wound to the head and a pistol nearby. The two were sharing the same room. According to Smythe's statement, the two were on their way to Glendale to seek further medical treatment for a "condition" Smythe had been suffering from, which Dr. Cross had been treating him.  

As I read the article more I noticed something that did not sit well with me. Instead of raising the question of why Smythe did not hear the gunshot, since he had been sharing the same room, but instead the newspaper insinuated that Dr. Cross committed suicide, left a bad taste in my mouth. Why were the authorities so quick to rule this a suicide? 

from www.ridgeroute.com

Another oddity was that they mention an "alleged" nervous breakdown that Dr. Cross had suffered from, which supposedly took place years earlier. It even claimed that he stayed at a Sanitarium for a brief time.  I could not locate any records that would verify this allegation, nor could I disprove it. 

It went on to say that after his nervous breakdown, that he went back to practicing medicine again.  I am not sure if that was common to allow a doctor to go back to practicing medicine after a nervous breakdown, but again, I could not find any proof of this, not even in the Stockton newspapers.

I started thinking about the fact that Dr. Cross had come up with a treatment for tuberculosis, that allegedly worked. He was starting to get noticed for this, and then suddenly his hospital is closed down? Was this somehow connected with his death? 

Why was he traveling to Glendale with a patient? Was he there to prove to other colleagues that Lee Smythe was one of those patients he successfully treated? Was he there to look into further medicinal treatments? We may never know.

Lee Smythe was a resident of Merced, I looked into his background and didn't find much. He was a day laborer and a cook at different times in his life. He was born, Leander "Lee" Vincent Smythe on February 11, 1876.  His sister was Belle Gribl, the Superintendent of the Merced County School District during the 1920s. Lee was married to Lotta Viola Goldman in May of 1901. By 1918, he was a cook on a dredger, W.W. Hutchinson out of Antioch, Ca. His address was the Santa Fe Hotel in Antioch, based on  his WWI registration card.

So, was Lee a suspect? I think so. I find it quite odd that he did not hear the gunshot that killed Dr. Cross, especially since they were sharing the same room. I find it even stranger that the record of Dr. Cross' death discreetly disappeared out of any further local papers in that area. It is as if his death was swept under the rug, and he was quickly buried and forgotten. I had contacted several historians who were well acquainted with the history of the Sandberg Hotel's history, and even they had never heard of this strange death that took place there. That intrigues me even more.

The question as to why Dr. Cross died will remain as much a mystery to us as how he died. Did Dr. Cross travel all the way to Los Angeles County only to shoot himself in the head? Was he really as "nervous" as the newspaper account tried to paint him?  Why didn't Lee Smythe hear the gunshot? Had Cross really committed suicide in the same room or was he murdered? What really happened in that hotel room along the old Ridge Route?

The answers to those questions unfortunately went with Dr. Cross to the grave, leaving us only to speculate and imagine to this day. Now the only reminder of his existence is that small, concrete headstone tucked back in the heart of Stockton Rural Cemetery. A permanent resting place for a man we will never fully know.

Rest In Peace, Dr. Harry Cross.

(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio, Historian)

Originally posted January 5, 2015
Thank you- Roland J. D. Boulware, Harrison Irving Scott, Margie Campbell, Bonnie Kane and Peter Mack. 

Sources:

FamilySearch.com
Census, birth and marriage records
Polk-Husted Directory, Stockton City 
and San Joaquin County Directory, 1920
San Francisco Call, (12/2/1909)
Bakersfield Californian (8/18/1922)
Stockton Rural Cemetery

Photos: photos of headstone and home, copyright J. Rubio
Sandberg Summit Hotel (c/o Harrison Irving Scott, Author, 
www.ridgeroute.com)
all other photos are in public domain