Ceremony at Oak Knoll Cemetery ~ Was Cancelled

Apparently the ceremony which I posted about in my last post here and was to have been held last Saturday, had been cancelled. Daniel apparently forgot to send me that message. I was informed it was cancelled due to weather conditions, although I went there and it was nice. A bit windy and cool maybe, but no rain at all, and that was to be the only reason for cancellation that I was aware of.

I had spoken with Daniel via e-mail and had hoped to take a few pictures to share on the blog here, which seemed ok with him, well, at first anyway. Upon returning home there was an email that had been sent to me that they preferred not to have photos. Ok, I only wish that was said up front, I can and would have respected that if I had been aware.

I was disappointed when I went to Oak Knoll and no one was there. I decided to walk through the area anyway, and took some pictures. The place could use some clean up for sure. It isn't drastic, but some clean up would be nice.

The Old Oak Knoll Cemetery Grounds. Livermore, California. Photo taken March 18, 2012 by Cheryl Palmer

This site was a bit sad for me, seeing the blanket. Knowing there are homeless in the general area of course it made me wonder if someone had been making this area their home, or should I say "their bedroom." To the right of the blanket is a little hole in the shrubbery where someone could crawl in and be a bit protected from the rain and cold. The garbage here and there on the property isn't unusual as high school kids use the grounds as a short cut on the way to school.

One section at the bottom of the hill is planted every year with Daffodil bulbs.

In the spring they bloom. A side street to this hill is a fairly busy street going into and out of Livermore, and you can see the flowers from there as well. This area is know as Daffodil Hill. The flowers were blooming when I was there last weekend. The next pictures I am sharing are from the bottom of the hill, close to that street.

The Old Oak Knoll Cemetery Grounds. Livermore, California. Photo taken March 18, 2012 by Cheryl Palmer

The Old Oak Knoll Cemetery Grounds. Livermore, California. Photo taken March 18, 2012 by Cheryl Palmer

The Old Oak Knoll Cemetery Grounds. Livermore, California. Photo taken March 18, 2012 by Cheryl Palmer

As I was finishing up walking and picture taking, I happened to stop to admire a view over the high school and off into the hills. I was in a kind of daze when all of a sudden I heard someone speaking. I jolted and did a quick turn to look to see who it was. It was a lady walking down the hill on the path towards me. I looked back in the direction I had been gazing when I heard this woman say "She is just standing there."

It felt as though she had actually stopped walking and started whispering when she said this, but I heard her. She kept walking and talking right on by me. I had an immediate feeling she was associated with what would have been "the ceremony." I watched her as she walked right next door to the high school parking lot to where a yellow Jeep was parked, right in front of my view.

There were a couple people in the Jeep waiting for her. The feeling I had was that this group made their way over to see the area for themselves. The woman had been scouting the grounds, and I believe saw me and knew who I was. I am terribly disappointed that she didn't stop to talk to me, and that they didn't perform their ceremony. I also have a feeling they may be back to hold the ceremony, but won't be apt to fill me in on when.

Copyright © 2012 by Cheryl Palmer

THIS SUNDAY ~ Ancestor-honoring Ceremony at Oak Knoll Cemetery

This Sunday, March 18, from 11am-3pm at Oak Knoll Cemetery in Livermore, Daniel Foor will be conducting an "Ancestor-honoring Ceremony." The following is reposted (with permission) from Daniel's website, Ancestral Medicine explaining this event. His website gives details about his ancestral work, earth offering rituals, personal sessions and ministerial services. There is a section "About Daniel" along with some testimonials and a place where you can subscribe to his newsletters. Take a peak at his website and maybe I will see you at Oak Knoll on Sunday!

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Places of burial are seen as a sacred ground by both secular and religious cultures worldwide, and conversely, desecrated graves are seen as potential sources of spiritual disturbance. By assuming communal responsibility for honoring the local dead, we can enjoy nourishing relationships with the ancestors and support our communities to be places of spiritual vitality and health. This community teaching and ceremony will focus on ways to honor the ancestors of place and will be held at a historically desecrated and abandoned cemetery near a public high school in Livermore, Ca. Oak Knoll Cemetery was the final resting place of about ninety early Livermore residents from 1873 to 1931; however there are no longer any grave markers or monuments. The area is now a public park in a state of disrepair and a popular destination for ghost hunters. Upon arrival, we will clean up any garbage from the area, and discuss in circle beliefs and practices regarding the ancestors. We will then offer an inclusive, heart-centered ceremony to convey our respect and goodwill to the spirits of place. No prior experience is necessary and the offering will be interfaith and welcoming to people of all backgrounds.

Logistics:We'll gather from 11am-3pm (2:30-3pm time for group lunch after ceremony, bring your own). We'll still gather in light rain and cancel for severe weather. Please bring a simple natural offering (e.g., flowers, cornmeal, tobacco, ash, spirits/whiskey/etc.) to contribute to the ritual. $40 suggested contribution. Confirmation in advance is helpful.

Copyright © 2012 by Cheryl Palmer

Oak Knoll Cemetery - Part 10 - The Secret

William Mendenhall was Gregg’s great-great-great-grandfather. Descending downward, there is an Asa V. Mendenhall, whose son was Gregg’s grandfather. One day, Gregg (who shared this story with me), his mother and grandmother attempted to visit the family grave sites at Roselawn Cemetery. The three drove several miles to get to the cemetery, not one of them lived in Livermore. So very disappointed were they to find the cemetery gates were locked. The grandmother, I am sure was reminiscing a bit while sitting in the car. She stated that when Asa passed away, they was very poor. The family did not have the money to bury him properly in the cemetery, and had to take care of things themselves. One night, in the middle of the night when no one would be able to see them, she and her husband, Asa’s son, went to the cemetery and buried Asa’s urn outside the cemetery fence!

So, somewhere outside the cemetery, a Mendenhall is buried. When Gregg first came to the cemetery and we met, he had stated to me that he wasn’t doing so well. The reason was because there has been a lot of construction done on two sides of the cemetery, which surprised and disappointed him. One day he hoped to try to find Asa’s urn. His mind told him that the two areas where there had been construction, was where Asa would have been buried. Although I hadn’t been in the car when this story was told, I felt that Asa might have been buried in a different area. If I were his family burying him, I would want to bury him as close as possible to the rest of the family, which would be one of the other two sides of the cemetery. One of those sides would be the main road, so someone could have seen the family digging around. The other side though was off the main road and closest to the family plot, and it has basically been untouched. What were the parameters of the cemetery when Asa was buried? Could they have changed?

Gregg is looking for permission to poke around a bit to see if Asa’s urn can be found. This is one of the main reasons for bringing this story forward. Can you imagine, a Mendenhall being secretly buried outside the cemetery in Livermore? The three of us had discussion on how to proceed, and Jeff was going to look into a few things.

Gregg and I spent the majority of the day together. Jeff invited us to an opening of the old historical garage which we attended and was quite fascinating. From there, I was able to show Gregg Mendenhall Middle School. We drove to the grounds of the Oak Knoll Cemetery and walked the area together. We had lunch. We talked and talked and talked. I have learned so much, and hope this fascinating story doesn’t end here.

I did my job, kept the secrets I was suppose to keep and introduced Gregg and Jeff. From here on out whatever procedures there are will be between Gregg and Jeff. I do hope I am kept in the loop with updates however!

Oak Knoll Cemetery - Part 8 - Mendenhall Phone Conversation

Part seven in this series left off with phone numbers being exchanged between Gregg and I. We finally had that phone conversation a few weeks back. He called me one evening at about 9:30 and we spoke for three and a half hours. Can you believe it? I thought it was three hours but I have been corrected.

For me this was a most fascinating conversation. I learn more and more about the Mendenhall history and family all the time. It is amazing what one remembers when it involves your own family. Gregg remembered and shared so much with me. Everything was so exciting, it was difficult sometimes to believe I really wasn't part of the family. I have found history much more appealing these days compared to when I was in school and it was presented in such a dry manner. I really appreciate the stories I hear from family descendants, they aren't just dates and places, they are the meat and bones of the family.

We discussed what brought us together in the first place and why. I was given more explicit information regarding a story he wanted to share. He seemed content to have me present when the time comes that he meets the Historical Society President. What an honor, I was going to be present for this meeting!

I believe had it not been so very late when we ended the phone conversation we would have talked much longer. However, by the end our conversation Gregg was ready to meet with Jeff. Within a couple of days I was speaking with Jeff electronically. Jeff agreed to a meeting place and time. We were to meet on a Sunday morning at 9:00 and our meeting place was to be Roselawn Cemetery in Livermore.

Gregg had some doubts about the whole meeting. I totally understood. Maybe Jeff wouldn't be interested in what Gregg had to tell him. Several years ago, Gregg had tried to tell this story to someone else, but the person he spoke with wasn't interested. Why would this encounter be any different? One benefit he had this time was that he had me. I was interested. It would be a few short days and we would all finally be meeting. I sat and wondered...what if Jeff wasn't interested? It didn't matter to me. I knew the story and would be able to reveal it once this meeting took place, no matter the consequences. Gregg gave me permission.

Oak Knoll Cemetery - Part 7 Mendenhall Descendant

It has been awhile since I have posted on this series. There has been a reason. I was contacted a few weeks ago by a descendant of William Mendenhall! Can you image my surprise? This descendant contacted me via email wondering if William Mendenhall's headstone had been returned to Livermore. At the time I was not certain, but let him know I would try to find out.

I contacted the president of the Heritage Guild, Jeff Kaskey, and found out that he was personally the one who had driven to Southern California to bring the headstone home. I posted a picture of the headstone and the story of it's return here. Gregg, the descendant of William's, was very happy to know that the headstone for his distant grandfather had been returned to Livermore.

Jeff was very interested when he found out I had contact with a Mendenhall descendant. He informed me that he would love to speak with any descendants of the Mendenhall's who may be contacting me. I emailed Gregg to let him know this. Gregg had stories on his mind and said he was willing to speak with Jeff, eventually.

Gregg, in his second e-mail to me, told me some of the family stories. Apparently, no one else outside the family had been told these stories. I was a bit shocked that they were told to me, and so soon after meeting me online. It was later explained to me that I showed interest in his family, doing the series of posts, and he felt who better to tell? Who else could possibly be as interested? After all he had gone a good percentage of his life with these stories, and up until this point, no one seemed interested.

Needless to say, I felt honored that he spoke so open and freely with me regarding his family and the stories. I was asked not to repeat any of it, which I didn't. Jeff in the meantime was not wanting to waste time meeting Gregg, but I told Jeff we needed to be patient until Gregg was ready for the meeting. Jeff also shared some information with me, again I was asked not to mention it to anyone, which I haven't. Now I really felt in the middle!

Gregg and I exchanged phone numbers. All of a sudden it seemed I knew more about the Mendenhall family than I did my own! Gregg suggested that we have a phone conversation before meeting with Jeff. That was fine, I let him know he was welcome to call at any time. I immediately let my husband know that at some point and time a man would be calling me and his name was Gregg.

Oak Knoll Cemetery - Part 6 - Mendenhall Headstone Back in Livermore!

I contacted the President of the Livermore Heritage Guild, Jeff Kaskey, earlier this week. People are curious, myself included, if William Mendenhalls headstone made it back to Livermore after being found down south. (William Mendenhall was the father of the founder of Livermore and he was originally buried in Oak Knoll Cemetery)

I thought I would have seen or heard something regarding this in the newspaper and was surprised when I didn't. I figured if anyone would know anything Mr. Kaskey was the one to ask, he could always direct me elsewhere if need be. Lo and behold, I contacted THE right person!

Mr. Kaskey responded promptly to my email, even though he was out of town on personal business. He informed me that he personally went down to El Monte, which is in Los Angeles County, to pick up the headstone. It has been about two weeks since the headstone has been returned to Livermore. When it came to town it was placed in the Historical Society's History Center for a few days. Oh, how I wish I had been aware of this!

Even though I wasn't aware of the news, the local newspaper was! Mr. Kaskey informed me that the town newspaper, "The Independent," posted an article and a picture on the front page of their newspaper. I hunted down the article online, which was in the Independent's August 6, 2009 Weekly Edition. I received permission from the Independent Newspaper to reprint the picture here. A newspaper photographer took this picture of the stone when it was at the Heritage Guild's History Center in the Carnegie building located in downtown Livermore.



The Heritage Guild has made contact with distant family members of William Mendenhall who will ultimately decide what will be done with this headstone.

Oak Knoll Cemetery ~ Part 5

I know some of you thought I had reached the end of my reports on this cemetery, however I have a bit more to share with you, believe it or not!



This is the hill where Oak Knoll Cemetery once was. For many years this hill has been better known as "Boot Hill." Upon researching, I have found that this term was used for Wild West-era cemeteries. The men buried in these cemeteries were men "who died with their boots on" such as those men who may have died in gunfights. Livermore supposedly didn't have gunfights as you see in the movies though. Another story I have heard is that the students at the high school nicknamed it "Boot Hill."



This is the dirt path I went up to view the grounds of the old cemetery. When I reached the back of the hill, you could see the ball fields from the nearby high school. Hopefully now you have an idea how close the school actually is to the hill, where many students cut across every day of the school year.



I walked around the property, which isn't all that large. The top of the hill is an acre and a half. My most recent understanding is that the top of the hill is privately owned, although I have no idea who owns it. Apparently the city has never taken the time nor the effort to take title to the hill. Part of the land towards the lower area is owned by the city and some is owned by the school district.

As I proceeded around the property, oh wait, what is this hole...?



A closer look brought me to the following site. Surprising to say the least. I can't even imagine this hasn't been filled...especially with all the people going through here! What a field day this could be if someone were to be injured from this...and a reminder that remains of those buried here were never actually removed...



Here I am close to the top of the hill, and there is the road below.



There are some fenced areas, although the gate is open here, so a lot of good this one does!





And the brush needs tending to~



However, can you image back in the day? Before all the building, obstacles and such, what a view there must have been!





Photos - Boot Hill, July 19, 2009, Livermore, California. Digital Images. Held by Cheryl [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] California. 2009
Source - Livermore Heritage Guild, lhg.org, Valley Times news clippings from March 7, 1999.

Oak Knoll Cemetery ~ Part 4 ~ They found WHAT in their Backyard?

Last weekend there was an article printed in our local newspaper that just about blew me away! If you have been following this blog at all, you are aware that I have been writing a series of posts about the Oak Knoll Cemetery in Livermore, California. If you remember correctly, I spoke about the Mendenhall’s in these posts, that they were the founders of Livermore and owned the property where Oak Knoll Cemetery used to be? If you haven’t read this series of posts, I suggest you stop now, and read that series first before you continue on reading here. You can find the posts here. Start at the bottom with post number one and move up with each post.

Now that you are caught up on the series, I will continue with this article that was in the newspaper.

The story centers in El Monte, California, which is in L.A. County. A home on Crossvale Avenue had been occupied with new owners. A field deputy, Jorge Morales, receives an unusual email, requesting help in exhuming a 136 year old body from this property!

It appears that the new owners found a historic tombstone in the backyard of their new home, hidden behind a shed. Now, are you ready for who this historic tombstone belonged to? None other than William Mendenhall, the father of the founder (also William) of Livermore!

Mr. Morales found out through city officials that the county coroner can only exhume the body if there is a court order OR with permission from next of kin. In his attempt to find next of kin, he soon came to realize that the body of William Mendenhall was buried 350 miles away. They state they are not so sure how the headstone got so far away, but I can take a guess! I am sure you can also, if you have read the series I have been posting.

In the meantime, once Livermore found out about the tombstone of William Mendenhall, they stated that they wanted it back! This was an important piece of Livermore’s history and they would love to have it back.

The younger William Mendenhall established Livermore in 1869 in the hopes of capitalizing on construction of the final leg of the transcontinental railroad, according to this article. The article goes on to explain that his father died four years later, where he was buried and much of the same information about the flooding, Chinese immigrants, the 1906 earthquake, etc., which I have blogged about previously.

Remember earlier it was stated that it was unknown how the headstone got so far away from where William was buried? Well, later in the article it says, it is believed that when Oak Knoll was no longer a cemetery and the loose tombstones were taken to the city yard, a great grandson of Mendenhall, Chester Langan, picked up the headstone. Public records states that a Chester Langan lived at this particular address in El Monte in the 1990’s. This is exactly where my mind had gone. A relative must have picked it up from the city yard!


Efforts were made to reach the family of Chester to no avail. The Livermore Heritage Guild offered payment to have the tombstone shipped home. The tombstone is to be placed in the city’s historic center. It won’t be added back to Mendenhall’s plot, as the property is now a park and not a cemetery, but the tombstone will be in the correct town. It is believed that Mendenhall’s body is still buried somewhere on the hill where the cemetery once stood, but no one knows for sure. Remember, because of the poor records, not everyone who was buried there could be accounted for. Plus in those days bodies were buried in wooden boxes and after all of this time, the feeling is that the wooden box wouldn’t have held up so well.

Now, what are the odds of this coming to light as I am writing my series on Oak Knoll Cemetery and the Mendenhall’s? Timing was unbelievable!



The article is in the Tri Valley Herald Newspaper. Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, California. Saturday June 20, 2009. Page A1, continued on page A11.

The Story of Oak Knoll Cemetery - Part 3

On April 14, 1956 visitors from San Francisco arrived and stated that the condition of the cemetery was appalling! The grass was as high as their waists, cattle were roaming all over the grounds and headstones had been broken and knocked over.

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Swent Jr. saw the cemetery in this condition. Mr. James Swent happened to be a descendant of William Mendenhall. While at the cemetery, the Swent's took inscriptions of the four Mendenhall headstones that could be found. Mrs. Swent wrote to another descendant of William "Phil" Mendenhall, Mr. Chester Langan, and to Mr. Maitland Henry to inform them of the condition in which they saw the cemetery.

Chester Langan went to Livermore and spoke with several people about the condition of the cemetery. Chester removed the headstone of William Mendenhall at that time because he didn't feel anything could be done about the conditions there.

From 1956 until 1962 the Swents visited this cemetery. Their last visit was on December 9, 1962. By this time all of the Mendenhall stones had been removed or broken into bits. There were no signs that Medenhall's had ever been buried here. More desecration had continued to take place. The cattle had disappeared by this time, the grass was lower, but there weren't many stones to be found in the cemetery.

At this point, it was hoped that something would be done by the citizens of the town. A new high school was planned to be built just below the knoll on which the cemetery had been located. It was believed that the pioneer cemetery area should have been kept as a memorial to the pioneers who had developed the valley, and not be kept in the state it was currently in.

In April 1963, Oak Knoll was formally abandoned as a public cemetery. The existing gravestones were removed. If family members could be found, the headstones were given to them to do with as they wished. If family members were not located, the headstones were taken to the city corporation yard.

Oak Knoll Cemetery was no more. The city built heavy wooden play structures and the land was dedicated as a public park. But all to soon the park became dilapidated and most of the structures were torn down.

[Parts of this information was probably written by Mr. and Mrs. James Swent Jr. of San Francisco sometime after December 1962. A copy held by Herb Hagemann, Jr.]
My thanks to the Livermore Heritage Guild and L-AGS.org

The Story of Oak Knoll Cemetery - Part 2

Oak Knoll Cemetery was officially recognized as a cemetery when a plat map was filed in 1878 with the County of Alameda. The oak trees that were all around the hill, are what gave the cemetery it's name. These oak trees have long since disappeared. Most of the trees in this area now are eucalyptus.

During the summer of 1889 the Echo newspaper reported "Last Sunday afternoon as a lot of Chinese were burning joss-sticks (a type of incense) and performing their customary annual ceremony over the graves of their countrymen buried at Oak Knoll Cemetery, they carelessly set fire to the grass, and the entire cemetery was burned over, destroying all of the enclosures and doing a large amount of other damage."

About the turn of the century three new cemeteries were opened in Livermore. With this, there were fewer burials at Oak Knoll. Some family plots at this original Livermore cemetery were totally abandoned. Some families even went so far as to move their relatives' remains to one of the new burial sites.

One specific story of moving family remains lies with the Block family. It has been told that Walter Block had his father, Andrew, help him move the remains of a deceased uncle to one of the new cemeteries. "In the process the casket broke open. Walter Block never fully forgave his father for the incident."

In 1906, apparently the San Francisco earthquake caused damage to this cemetery. (Livermore to San Francisco is about 45 miles, with the roads we have today) Many of the headstones were knocked down. Then part of the hill was washed away in 1907 by floods. The Hearld newspaper reported in one of it's future articles - "It is suspected that a number of bodies went down with the heavy slide of a few weeks ago. A party of young people who visited the cemetery last week reported that a coffin was uncovered on the edge of the slide and that the bones of it's occupant were exposed."

As I explained in Part 1 of this story, the last sexton of the cemetery left inadequate records of the burials at this cemetery. When the sexton, Robert Adams, died in the early 1900's there were actually no records found in his papers of the grave plots. With the damage from fire, flooding and the earthquake, along with missing records from the sexton, it is quite understandable now why we may never know who every person was that was buried there.

(My appreciation and thanks to the Livermore Heritage Guild and the Livermore-Amador Genealogy Society for making this information available.)

The Story of Oak Knoll Cemetery in Livermore - Part 1

My husband introduced me to the fact that there once was a cemetery on the corner by where my children went to high school. I have lived in this city for over twenty years and was unaware of this fact. All I knew was that this area is currently known as “Boot Hill.” Very interesting indeed! With the assistance of my husband, some researching and reading, I have learned more about this cemetery that has disappeared. Let me tell you the story…

On the outskirts of Livermore there once was a cemetery named Oak Knoll. It was located on a small hill (knoll) of about 40 feet surrounded by otherwise flat land. The area was filled with oak trees, which makes it very clear how it received its name.

Many of the early pioneers to this valley were buried here. Reportedly, in the book “Centennial Year Book of Alameda County” by William Haley, the father of the founder of the city of Livermore was the first person buried here, William Mendenhall, Senior, on January 12, 1873. This book was published in 1876. (The statement can be found on page 349)

The wife of a descendant of William Mendenhall’s claims “This was evidently the first Mendenhall cemetery, for Mendenhall’s were buried there from November 1855, when Sophia, daughter of Martin Mendenhall (William’s brother) was buried there.” This was so stated by Mrs. James Swent. This statement is listed in a report in the Livermore Heritage Guild Newsletter on January 1988.

It has been said that William’s obituary notice refers to William as the first person to be buried in the “new cemetery at Oak Knoll.”

According to a copy of an 1874 map, the land surrounding the cemetery was owned by three Mendenhall brothers. They were William (Phil), Martin, and Absolom. I am not sure which of the brother’s donated some of their land for the cemetery. From what I have read it sounds like two of the brother's possibly donated the land, William "Phil" and Martin. The old map supposedly shows they would have been the ones who owned the property were the cemetery was located. This has not been verified with county records.

Accordingly then, Sophia was buried on the land when the brother’s owned it, “The Mendenhall Cemetery.” After they donated some of their land and it became “Oak Knoll Cemetery," William was the first person to be buried there.

Along with Mendenhall (we have a middle school named after this family) there were other important pioneers buried at Oak Knoll. Henry Clay Smith was considered the “Father of Alameda County.” He died in 1876. Henry C. Smith, the father of Emma C. Smith (there is an elementary school named after Emma) also had a final resting place at Oak Knoll. A physician in the area for 46 years by the name of Dr. William Stewart Taylor was also buried there in 1931. He was the last person to be buried at Oak Knoll.

Apparently there were at least 87 people buried in this cemetery, but there were many unmarked, broken and undecipherable markers. The last sexton of the cemetery left inadequate information. Because of these things, there has never been an accurate account of records, so it may never be known how many people were actually buried there, nor who they all were.