Tombstone Tuesday - Silva-Symbolism

Location: Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery

MIS. SILVA

BORN IN

WESTERN ISLANDS

1847

DIED

SEPT. 18, 1893

AGED

46 Y'RS.

_____

REST IN PEACE

There is a cross and a crown at the top of the headstone symbolizing both victory and Christianity. Sometimes this symbol denotes a member of the York Rite Masons.

Copyright © 2012 by Cheryl Palmer

Crittenden Headstone

First, let me transcribe this headstone for you.

Breyman L. Crittenden

Born in Otis, Mass. May 9, 1836,

Died in Pleasanton, Cal. March 17, 1907

I just love these old stones. I have been away from them far to long.

In the 1870 Federal Census I see Breyman was still in Mass. He was 34 years old at the time and worked as a farmer. I did not find him anywhere else with a quick look at Family Search.com, but that doesn't mean he isn't there, he may have gone by a different given name. I checked to see if his monument was entered on Find a Grave and I see it has been done. This is such a clear, beautiful memorial which sets at the Pioneer Cemetery in Pleasanton, California. Let's hope it stays that way, beautiful and clear. Maybe one day we will learn more about Breyman!

Copyright ©2011 Cheryl Palmer

Wordless Wednesday ~ Garthwaite Plot at Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery

Copyright © 2010 Cheryl Palmer

Wordless Wednesday ~ Johnston

Johnston grave site. October 23, 2008. Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery, Pleasanton, California. Digital image by Cheryl. [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] California. 2010

Copyright © 2010 Cheryl Palmer

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Anderson

John R. Anderson. October 23, 2008. Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery. Digital Image. Held by Cheryl [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] California. 2010

John R. Anderson, born in Westerwick, Sweden, 1847. Died in Sunol 1906. Rest In Peace.

Copyright © 2010 Cheryl Palmer

Wordless Wednesday - Thomas Mitchell

Thomas Mitchell Headstone. October 23, 2008. Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery, Pleasanton, California. Digital Image. Held by Cheryl [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] California. 2009

Tombstone Tuesday - G. Johnston

I appreciate the beauty of this gravesite and thought I would share it with you. It sits on the hill at Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery. The cemetery itself is very "brown" in nature, so this view is one of the best, as it shows a bit of greenery with the trees in the back ground. The headstone of the G. Johnston gravesite is rather large so it stands out beautifully.

I found G. Johnston in the book "Fifty Years of Masonry in California, Volumne 1." It states that on October 14, 1871, G. Johnston entered apprenticeship with the Pleasanton Lodge #218. In 1873 the meeting place was moved to Livermore and the Lodge was then called the Mosaic Lodge, #218.

This link, Cal Data Nook SF Genealogy states that G. Johnston is George Johnston and he was a Master Mason.

Wordless Wednesday

Someones grave. October 24, 2008. Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery, Pleasanton, California. Digital Image. Held by Cheryl [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE] California. 2009

Memorial Day Ceremony

On May 25 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm there will be a Memorial Day Ceremony at Pioneer Cemetery in Pleasanton, Ca. The address is 5780 Sunol Boulevard. There will be music given by the Pleasanton Community Concert Band, free. If you are interested and would like more information you can call 925-846-5897 or visit the website at www.pleasantonband.org. Sounds like a great time!

"Mr. Parade"

On one of my ventures out on a cemetery visit I hopped on over to Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery. I have passed this cemetery many times in the last 20 years and never knew it was there. It sets on a main road going towards the outskirts of Pleasanton. There is a small driveway, which is difficult to see unless you know it is there. With brush along the side of the road for quite a stretch, you do not expect to see a cemetery entrance here. There isn't any sign of "life" in the general vicinity. Although the cemetery isn't visible from the street it is a perfect place for a cemetery. With address in hand I drove past the cemetery, missed it the first time around. Almost missed it the second time around also, however there were some maintenance trucks by the entrance and that caught my eye. The grounds crew were working on the entrance and actually had the main sign blocked so I couldn't get a good picture of it. But I found the entrance and drove up a little hill into the cemetery.I took a stroll through the grounds and knew it had been through some changes. It was a nice, warm, pretty day in California but the cemetery struck me as old and sad. Sad simply because it was a cemetery and seemed so lonely. But more on the cemetery at a later date, for now I want to share a specific headstone. Carrying the feeling of real sadness as I was walking through, I happened to cross this headstone, and it gave me such a smile!"Mr. Parade!" Edward Joseph Kinney, December 1, 1937 ~ April 29, 2005. And a smiley face! I think this man was a very happy person. But what convinced me all the more was when I looked at the back side of the headstone and saw this...I am sure "Smilin' Ed" brought much happiness to those who knew him. Even after his passing he brought a smile to at least one strangers face, mine.