N. Naga Mene (1867? - 1895) - Forgotten But "Found" in City Loosley Cemetery

Picture by Val (see below for more)

During one of our preservation days at the PMMP, Patty and fellow preservationists, angie and ann, found a grave marker lying on the ground in Loosley Cemetery.  All it read was "born in Japan".  Who was this mysterious unnamed individual buried in Loosely whose grave marker was unattached to a grave location?

Patty sprang into action and located the Thomas Hayden maps.  In the 1940's, Thomas Hayden visually mapped out all of the cemeteries in the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park.  He drew each existing grave marker and noted its epitaph and any identifying information.  It is a jewel of a record for the cemetery!

In the area in which the marker was found, Patty located the Hayden record.  There was a grave drawn in the same location on the map.  The record stated that the marker there at the time read "N. Naga Mene, Sept 5, 1895, Aged 30 Years, Born in Japan".  The upper portion of the marker was missing.  Our preservationists dug in the area of the marker's location, but did not find the rest of the stone.  

Donna, one of our living history researchers, stated that N. Naga Mene was definitely of Japanese descent, although his death certificate says "Mexican".  She suspects that the surname was probably "Nagamine" or "Nakamine".  

As an interesting note, she also stated that the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 did not apply to individuals from Japan, so they continued to immigrate to the United States.  In fact, after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, many of those who came from Japan desired to learn about and adopt the West's technological innovations.  They came here to seek out information and new experiences.

We hope to learn more about N. Naga Mene, and continue to search for the rest of his marker.  

(Story told by Patty and Donna.  Photo by Val)

 

                                                    

                                                    

Jay H. Miller (1865-1895) - A Mystery of Long Standing

PCA Archive

For over a century, the Knights of Pythias Cemetery has held an unusual grave marker.  Unlike the typical headstone, it was a large, smooth, pink granite boulder inscribed with a barely visible inscription: “In Adoring Memory of Jay.”  But who was Jay? 

In the late afternoon of November 25, 2006, longtime PCA volunteer Diane Sumrall was picking up trash in the cemetery.  As she passed Jay’s boulder, she chanced to glance up at the underside of the stone.  The setting sun was just at the right angle to reveal another faint inscription that had been hidden from view.  It read “H. Miller.”  Mystery solved!

Jay H. Miller was born in California on January 7, 1865, to James Miller of Tennessee and Susan Sawyer Miller.  Mr. Miller seems to have died before 1870, as the 1870 census records only Susan, a seamstress, her son Jay, and her mother Abigale in Sacramento.   By 1880, Susan was living with teenaged Jay and her new husband, John W. Hughes.  

Jay Miller moved to Phoenix around 1887, where he began working for the newly established Maricopa & Phoenix Railroad.  He eventually became the Maricopa & Phoenix Railroad’s commercial agent in Phoenix, responsible for running its freight department.  

With increased responsibility came a better salary.  Around 1892, Miller acquired a large lot at the southeast corner of Seventh and Pierce Streets. He hired C. J. Dyer to create a plat map and subdivided the lot into 10 individual smaller lots.  By 1895, the Phoenix Street Railway system had been extended so it ran along Pierce Street in front of Miller’s property; easy access to the streetcar line must have increased its value and potential for development.

On the evening of September 7, 1895, Miller shared some drinks with companions at the Cabinet Saloon on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Washington Street.  Around 10 PM, he stepped out into the alley behind his office with a Mr. Conroy.  A few moments later, two shots rang out and Conroy ran for help, saying that Miller had killed himself.

The Arizona Republican newspaper covered the coroner’s inquest in great detail.  Almost 50 individuals testified about Miller’s activities that night, and several indicated that he sometimes seemed despondent and had spoken of suicide in the past.

Jay Miller was buried in the Knights of Pythias Cemetery.   Since he had died intestate, his mother was his sole heir.  Undoubtedly it was she who had the pink granite boulder inscribed with his name and installed on his grave as a tombstone.

-         - by Diane Sumrall, Debe Branning, Derek Horn

 

 

Preservation Day at the PMMP - February 16, 2025

Video and Photos by Val Wilson

It was a great preservation day at the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park! Our preservation experts excavated for broken markers, reseated monuments, and restored epitaphs. Thank you to our dedicated preservationists for keeping the history of our pioneer cemetery alive!

#pcacemeteries #pcaevents #arizonahistory #phoenix  

Happy Valentine's Day - 2025

 

The Valentine

Library of Congress

Happy Valentine's Day!

Early Preservation at the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park - 1940

Arizona Republic

February 13, 1940

Early Preservation at the PMMP - In the 1940's, there were many damaged and missing grave markers at the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park. In this article from the Arizona Republic that was published on February 13, 1940, members of the Pioneers' Cemetery Association watch a stone mason repair a broken marker in City Loosley Cemetery. After years of caretaking, Mary Armstrong still looks good today (PCA Photo Archive)!

PCA Archives

Candido Diaz (1889-1919) - Copper Miner and Farmer

 

Courtesy of Grand Daughter

Candido Diaz was born February 2, 1889, in San Juan de Los Lagos, Jalisco, Mexico.   He was the oldest of ten children born to Juan Diaz and Maria del Refugio Garcia.

On January 17, 1913, he married Candida Guzman of the same town.  The young couple is believed to have had two little daughters, although only the second, Maria Engracia, has a birth record.  She was born on April 3, 1915, and christened a few days later.

The Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910, lasted until 1920.   Perhaps the Diazes hoped to avoid being drawn into the fighting.  By 1917, they were living in Tyrone, New Mexico, a mining town run by Phelps Dodge Corporation.  Supposedly, their first daughter died there.

In 1919, Diaz was a copper miner and farmer in Miami, Arizona, another Phelps Dodge town.  When he contracted influenza, he was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, where he died on February 7.

The virulence of the Spanish Flu epidemic made immediate burial necessary. His wife Candida, who spoke only Spanish, had to rely upon English-speaking strangers to make the arrangements. She never knew exactly where her husband was buried.

Nevertheless, Candido's story was passed on for nearly a century, until his grand- daughter, Dolores “Lola” Mendez, found his death certificate on line.  As was often the case with Mexican names, Diaz's death certificate was incorrectly filed; it’s under 'Candido Garcia'4, his mother’s maiden name.  Still, it was possible to positively identify him by the date of death.   He had been buried in the Maricopa County Cemetery, now known as Cementerio Lindo.

Although Candido Diaz has no grave marker and the exact location of his grave is forever unknown, his family is relieved to know that he was accorded a Christian burial and rests beside so many other victims of the influenza epidemic.

- by Donna L. Carr

 

Early Attempts of Improvement at the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park - 1939

Arizona Republic, December 27, 1939

 

Some "forgotten" picture of early preservation attempts at the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park, 1939. Note the "fence" of trees. The PMMP has taken on quite a few "appearances" in its day. (Arizona Republic, December 27, 1939)

Robert E. Lee Brown (1865-1902) - Mining Engineer and Adventurer

 

PCA Archives

R. E. L. Brown may be one of the most unique characters in the Pioneer & Military Memorial Park, both for his colorful life--and the speed with which he was forgotten after his demise.

Born May 31, 1865, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Laurence and Martha Brown, he trained as a mining engineer, then went out west to locate promising mines.

In 1889, Brown was surveying potential mining claims in Washington state. During a violent labor strike in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 1892, he started a newspaper called The Barbarian, which took the side of the mine owners versus the unionized miners.  This earned him the nickname “Barbarian Brown”.  Threatened with death during the strike, he caused a cannon to be wheeled into the street outside his office.

Much as he enjoyed the furor his newspaper editorials provoked, Brown remained first and foremost a mining engineer.  He speculated in mines and was well regarded internationally for his expertise.  Seeking new adventures, Brown journeyed to South Africa in hopes of securing some promising claims during a land rush in Witfontein in 1895. Competition was fierce for the best claims, but Brown hit upon a method that could outrun the swiftest horse:  a heliograph!  He set up heliograph stations by which he could transmit confirmation almost instantaneously to his confederates in the field who were waiting to stake his claims. 

On July 19, 1895, the day of the land rush, twelve thousand miners were gathered in Doornkoop to register their permits.  But Brown had devised a plan to ensure that he would be first in line.  A fan of American football, he recruited a group of rough men from local bars to form a “flying wedge” to cut through the crowd.  The ruse worked; however, the Pretoria government initially refused to honor his claims.  Brown sued the Boer government and eventually won a huge judgment, the exact value of which has never been ascertained.

Having worn out his welcome in South Africa, the brash engineer returned to North America where, on September 26, 1898, he wed Maud Higgins in Victoria, British Columbia. 

Brown was in London in 1901 when he apparently contracted tuberculosis.  In late 1902, he traveled to Phoenix in a private train car with his wife, his personal physician and a nurse.  Unfortunately, he had left it too late; he died on October 3, 1902, scarcely a week after his arrival.   Despite his fame and fortune, his death rated only a few lines in the local newspaper, and he was buried under a simple wooden headboard in Rosedale Cemetery.  

One can only speculate as to why Brown’s remains were not shipped back East and why a more elaborate headstone was never erected over his grave.

- 
 -  by Donna L. Carr

 

 

February Theme for Bios - Forgotten No More

bing AI

Our February theme for bios will be "Forgotten No More". The theme will highlight the lives of those who have been long forgotten in our cemetery. These individuals journeyed west for various reasons, some seeking a new life, others seeking health, only to pass away shortly after their arrival. Many came with hopes of recovery from tuberculosis or other ailments, believing the dry desert air would restore them. With no close family nearby and relatives back East who eventually lost touch, their stories faded into obscurity. In the next few weeks, we will be telling their tale and restoring dignity to those whose graves remain unvisited and whose histories deserve to be told.

Lindley Hogue Orme (1848 - 1900) - Maricopa County Sheriff

 

The Orme family of Arizona has a long and distinguished history, making many of their descendants eligible for membership in the DAR and other patriotic societies.

Lindley Hogue Orme was born December 18/19, 1848, in Montgomery, Maryland.  He was the fourth of eight children of Charles Henry Crabbe Orme and Deborah Brooke Pleasants.

When Lindley’s older brother, Charles Henry Crabbe Orme, enlisted in the 35th Virginia Cavalry (CSA) on March 1, 1863, Lindley accompanied him, although he was only about fourteen at the time.  Military records say that the brothers served in White’s Battalion, known as “the Comanches”.   Lindley was a private in Company B, while Charles was in Company D.

When Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union Army on April 2, 1865, Lindley was taken prisoner.  A few weeks later, he signed his oath of allegiance and was released.

According to his obituary, Lindley and his brothers drove a flock of sheep to California at some point thereafter.  Lindley then settled in Phoenix where he acquired three sections of land in central Phoenix and raised over 600 acres of grain.  He is credited with bringing the first threshing machine to the Salt River Valley. 

Orme wed Mary Florence Greenhaw on March 15, 1876.  Unfortunately, Mary Florence was suffering from tuberculosis, so she and Lindley had no children.  She died on March 16, 1883.  Lindley eventually married Mary A. Jeffries, with whom he had one son, Alfred.

Orme served as sheriff from 1880 to 1884. During this time he was also appointed a deputy U. S. marshal, not bad for a former Confederate.  Henry Garfias was one of his deputies.  In April of 1883, a smallpox epidemic broke out in Maricopa County.  As sheriff, Orme was directed to quarantine the afflicted families to prevent the spread of the disease. 

Water being essential to the future of Phoenix, Orme helped form the Agua Fria Water and Land Company in 1888.

In 1891 and 1893, Orme was again elected sheriff. The county was growing at such a rate that a new courthouse and jail equipped with electric lights were needed.  During Sheriff Orme's last term, he became something of a media celebrity when he foiled a plot by Dr. J. M. Rose to murder three members of a Williams family in Mesa.

Lindley Orme died 24 September 1900, at the age of 52, having been in poor health for some months prior.  He was buried next to his first wife in the IOOF Cemetery. 

-By Patty Gault, Val Wilson, Donna Carr

Photos PCA Archives

 

The Various Lives of Lawmen

 

AI Generated

In the rugged days of the Old West, being a lawman often didn’t pay enough to cover the bills. To make ends meet, many sheriffs and marshals took on unusual side jobs, creating some fascinating stories of dual lives. Some of them dabbled in mining, gambling, bounty hunting, and even owning a saloon.  For example, there was even a lawman up North who owned a funeral parlor.  He offered a package deal stating he could “shoot the bad guys, embalm them, and bury them” (True West, 2016).

This multifaceted lifestyle of early lawmen reflects the resourcefulness required to maintain law and order while keeping their own households afloat. It also adds a human dimension to the larger-than-life figures immortalized in history and folklore.

Edward J. Lowry (1855-1905) - Sheriff in Ferry County, Washington

 

Generated AI

Edward J. Lowry was born in 1855 in Carbon Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.  He was the son of Irish immigrants Michael Lowry and Bridget Conley. 

Huntingdon was coal-mining country, and Michael was miner.  He may also have been a member of the Molly Maguires, a secret society whose intent was to counter the exploitation and terrible working conditions of coal miners.  The Molly Maguires are sometimes considered a precursor to the labor unions of later decades.  If Michael was involved with the Molly Maguires, perhaps that was why the Lowry family left Pennsylvania for Saline County, Ohio.  By 1870, Edward, aged 15, was himself working in the coal mines there.

In 1877, Edward married Sarah Humphrey.  The young couple moved to Boulder, Colorado, where their first child, Edward, Jr., was born in 1879.  Edward continued to work as a miner, and he also became an organizer for a short-lived union, the Knights of Labor.

Something must have intervened in the late 1880s to set Edward on a different path.  Sarah was living temporarily with her parents in Bevier, Missouri, when the Lowrys’ second son, Ralph, was born on April 18, 1889.  A decade later, in 1900, the family had reunited in Republic, Washington, a sparsely populated region in the far West.  Edward and his older son were still working as coal miners until, in late 1900, Edward was elected sheriff of Ferry County.

Apparently, Edward was pretty good at his job.  The local newspapers printed detailed accounts of the sheriff’s activities, including the time when five prisoners sawed through the wooden ceiling of their cell and escaped via the roof on Christmas morning, 1901.  Hot on the trail of the fugitives, Sheriff Lowry caught up with two of them three days later, just as they were in the act of robbing the customers of a saloon!

January 1904 brought a case of a personal nature.  Sheriff Lowry’s wife Sarah, who had been suffering from an unspecified mental illness, escaped from the Mount View sanitarium in Spokane.  Fortunately, she was found the next day at a local hotel.

By 1905, Lowry was suffering from tuberculosis.   Seeking a warmer climate, he and his 16-year-old son Ralph set out by train for Phoenix, Arizona, arriving on October 9th.  Perhaps the long trip had exhausted Lowry’s strength, for he died the following day.  The Fraternal Order of Eagles arranged for his funeral and burial in Rosedale Cemetery.

Lowry’s son Ralph graduated from Washington State College in 1917 with a degree in civil engineering.  He was eventually employed as a senior engineer for the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation and worked on the Hoover Dam, the Shasta Dam and the Grand Coulee Dam.

-by Joseph P. Lowry

 

 

Jacob Waltz Gravesite Dedication Ceremony!

Patty Gault

Our dedication to our Jacob Waltz Gravesite was a big success.  You can check out some snaps of the event here: Jacob Waltz Gravesite Dedication