Edna Laziola (1872 - 1900) - A Pioneer "Party Girl"

 

Edna Laziola

(click on Edna's name above for video)

Happy New Year!  In the spirit of the new year, we present to you a video on one of Territorial Phoenix's true party girls, edna Laziola!

Edna was born October 23, 1872 in Branford, Connecticut to William and Anna Oblenis.Edna’s father died prior to 1880 and Edna’s mother, Anna, now had five girls to support.  The census showed Anna and sister Minnie were employed sewing corsets.  However they were accused of doing more than sewing.

Click on "Edna Laziola" above to watch a video about these amazing and rowdy sisters! (we have used artist renditions of the characters in the video)

Happy New Year from Behind the Epitaph! 2024

Library of Congress, "When New Years Calls", 1861

 

• As we bid farewell to the old and embrace the new, we want to extend our warmest wishes to everyone for a joyous and prosperous New Year! The significance of celebrating New Year's goes beyond just marking the passage of time; it symbolizes fresh beginnings and the opportunity for personal growth. It's a moment to reflect on the lessons learned in the past year and to set new goals and aspirations for the future. It unites people across cultures and backgrounds in a shared sense of hope and renewal, reminding us that no matter the challenges we face, there is always a chance to start anew.

  So, let's embrace this new chapter with enthusiasm, resilience, and a commitment to making the most of the days ahead. Happy New Year to you and your loved ones from Behind the Epitaph!

  
  

The 12 Days of Christmas or "Twelvetide"

Picture by Val

The 12 days of Christmas, which traditionally begin on December 25th and conclude on January 5th with the Feast of Epiphany, hold deep significance in Christian tradition and folklore. This period marks the time between the birth of Jesus Christ and the arrival of the Three Wise Men at the nativity scene. Each day of this period is associated with a specific symbol or gift, as famously depicted in the beloved Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Beyond its religious importance, this period has also been embraced as a time of celebration and festivity in many cultures. It serves as an extension of the Christmas season, allowing for continued merriment and gatherings with loved ones. The 12 days of Christmas encapsulate the dual nature of the holiday season, encompassing both its religious and secular dimensions, making it a cherished and enduring tradition celebrated by people around the world.

#12 - Thomas Hayden (1880-1940) - Engineer

 

PCA Archive

Thomas Hayden was born June 2, 1880, in Nova Scotia, Canada, to Thomas Hayden and Elmyra Ringer. Young Thomas studied civil engineering at Yale and, in 1908, came west to work on a dam in New Mexico. He was in Phoenix by the outbreak of World War I, during which he served. After the war, he returned to Phoenix where he became a surveyor and engineer for the Salt River Valley Water Users Association. Walking home from his office near the State Capitol, he often passed by a neglected pioneer cemetery. Intrigued, he surveyed the graves in 1937 and helped found the Pioneer’s Cemetery Association to preserve the site. Following Hayden’s unexpected death on December 23, 1940, his ashes sat unclaimed at the mortuary for 48 years. In 1988, they were finally interred on the south side of the Avenue of Flags in the cemetery he had helped to save.

#11 - Theodore Holland (1901-1901) - A Quick Life of Twins

 

PCA Archives

Theodore Holland was one of a set of twin boys born to Joe Holland and his wife, Yit Sen, in Mesa, Arizona, on November 27, 1901. The Hollands, who were Chinese, already had four children, including a set of twin girls.  Unfortunately, the newborns did not thrive, and Theodore died on December 18, 1901. He and his twin brother Harold were buried in Rosedale Cemetery.

A Vintage Riddle

Picture by Val

What is the most awkward time for a train to start? 

12.50, as it’s ten to one if you catch it.

Rivers, conundrums, 1903

#10 - Thomas Jefferson Newland (1830-1896) - Prospector

 

Digital Art by Val

Thomas Jefferson Newland was born around 1830. He came to the Southwest in hopes that the dry, desert air would ameliorate a chronic respiratory condition. He was supporting himself as a prospector when, in 1877, he married a woman who had worked for several years as a telegraph operator. She too had an interest in prospecting and was willing to live in a tent in the desert. Together, they filed on several mining claims in Yavapai and Gila Counties.  As Newland’s health declined, his wife Saloma did the actual prospecting; she brought the ores to him so he could judge whether her find looked promising. Thomas Newland died of pneumonia on December 12, 1896, and was buried in City/Loosley Cemetery.

#9 - Theodore Charles Petersen (1851-1904) - Brick Mason

 

PCA Archives

Theodore Charles Petersen was born 1851 in Denmark and was a brick mason. He was married to Lena Toppen and the father of five children. While riding his bicycle down Washington Street on December 28, 1904, he turned in front of a streetcar, fell beneath it and was crushed. Petersen, who had been active in several fraternal organizations, was buried in the IOOF Cemetery.

#8 - John Bolton (1866 approx. - 1902) - First African American Mail Carrier

 

PCA Archives

John Bolton was born March 1866 or 1867 In Tennessee. When he first came to Phoenix, he was employed as a barber in Frank Shirley’s shop, The Fashion. Bolton married a woman called Hattie and in 1893, they had a son they named Chrenskey. Bolton eventually became one of the first African American mail carriers in Phoenix. A prominent member of Phoenix’s African American community, he was elected president of the Colored Literary Society. He died on December 26, 1902, and was buried in Rosedale Cemetery. 

#7 - Maude G. Seip (1871 - 1905) - Phoenix Socialite

 

Photo by Denise

Maude G. Seip was born on April 4, 1871 in Kansas.  She married Sam N. Seip around 1891, who was a notable cigar manufacturer in the city of Phoenix, and an admirer of the inventions of Orville Wright. Sam was also a well known and successful volunteer firefighter with the Pioneer Hose Company 1 in Phoenix AZ.  They had two children both of whom died in childhood and are buried at the PMMP.  

Maude was a known socialite who often gave garden parties and luncheons at their prominent home located at 373 N 1st Avenue in Phoenix.  In 1893, on a tour of the east, Maude and her husband were dragged from their sleeping car on a train in Texas, and told they were being arrested for murder.  After a telegram arrived to the police providing a more accurate description of the actual perpetrators, they were set free. 

 Maude died on December 25, 1905 of acute yellow atrophy of the liver, and is buried in the Knights of Pythias Cemetery. -Donna C.

Christmas Cheer

December 20, 1891, Arizona Republic

 

#6 - Marie Vaux Lane (1865 - 1898) - Teacher

 

PCA Archives

Marie Vaux Lane was born in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania around 1865 to William Vaux and Mary Henry. She was a teacher at the Doylestown Seminary where she most likely met her husband Rev. Henry Polhemus Lane, a Presbyterian minister. They married in 1888 in Doylestown and became the parents of five children. Marie was in Phoenix from San Diego when she developed “la grippe” or influenza which developed into pneumonia. She died on December 26, 1898, and was buried in Rosedale Cemetery.

 

#5 - Grant LeBarr (1864 - 1890) - Freighter

PCA Archive

Grant LeBarr was born in 1864 in California to Johnnie and Mary LeBarr. By 1879, the family was living in Phoenix. A freighter, LeBarr was shot by John Stoops on December 21, 1890, in front of Jakey’s saloon at the Peck Mine. His body was returned to Phoenix for burial next to his father in the IOOF Cemetery.

A Vintage Riddle

Picture by Val

My nose is long, my back is broad and round,

And in cold weather of great use I'm found;No load I carry, yet I puff and blow,As much as heavy loaded porters do.
What am I?(Picture Has Hint)

#4 - Ivy H. Cox (1827 - 1898) - Minister, Judge, and More!

PCA Archive

Ivy H. Cox was born January 9, 1827, in Virginia. After graduating from William and Mary College, he was ordained a minister. He then went to Texas, where he was elected the presiding elder of the Methodist Episcopal circuit. He married Mary Jane Cook of Alabama. During the Civil War, Cox served as a chaplain in the 8^th Texas Infantry (Hobby’s Regiment). Around 1869 he moved to California. In 1877 he moved to Florence, Arizona, and shortly thereafter to Phoenix, where he turned to the practice of law and became a judge. His wife Mary Jane died December 29, 1886, and was buried in City/Loosley Cemetery. The last years of Judge Cox’s life were spent on the family ranch four miles north of Phoenix, where he engaged in growing fruit and keeping bees. He died December 20, 1898, and was buried in City/Loosley Cemetery next to his wife.

#3 - C.H. Clausen (1848 - 1897) - Photographer

 

PCA Archive

C. H. Clausen was born January 11, 1848. A photographer, he was working in Oakland, California, in 1889. By 1895, he had moved to Phoenix (possibly for his health) and had opened a studio at 438 E. Monroe Street. Some of his photographic portraits survive; one of Father Michael Vandermaesen is in the archives of the Roman Catholic diocese of Tucson. Clausen died December 24, 1897, and was buried in Porter Cemetery.

#2 - Ann Murray Alsap (1855 - 1902) - Socialite

 

PCA Archives

Anna Murray Alsap was born in 1855 in Texas to William Pinckney Murray and his wife Margaret White. The Murrays had nine daughters who became known as “the Murray girls”.  They all married, and several are remembered as the matriarchs of prominent Phoenix families.   In 1876, Anna became the second wife of Judge John Tabor Alsap, who was considerably older than she. During Judge Alsap’s brief tenure as the first mayor of Phoenix, she undoubtedly gave dinner parties attended by the town’s elite. The Alsaps had five children before Judge Alsap’s death in 1886. Anna died on December 20, 1902, and was buried in the Masons Cemetery.

#1 - Amos G. Randal (1825 approx. - 1897) - Mine Owner

 

Picture by Patty

Amos G. Randal was born in Cattaragues County, New York, between 1825 and 1828. He was in San Francisco when he married his second wife in 1862. Owing to his interest in mining, he even lived in South America for a time. In later years, he became an undertaker and moved to Arizona. He was overseeing the funeral of a Confederate veteran in City/Loosley Cemetery on December 1, 1897, when he unexpectedly collapsed and died. Randal was buried in Porter Cemetery.

Lives of Phoenix Past - 12 Graves

Picture by Val

The days leading up to the holidays are a cherished time of tradition and remembrance. As the calendar inches closer to that special time of year, families and communities come together to honor the customs that have been passed down through generations. Whether it's decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments that hold sentimental value, lighting the Hanukkah menorah with the same candles used for years, or preparing traditional dishes that have graced holiday tables for as long as anyone can remember, these rituals serve as a powerful reminder of our shared history and the significance of the holidays. They evoke a sense of nostalgia, bringing to mind fond memories of loved ones who may no longer be with us but whose spirit lives on in the traditions we continue to uphold.

In these moments of reflection and celebration, we find comfort and joy in the enduring ties that connect us to our past and shape our future. In remembrance we will be highlighting 12 graves that are at the PMMP to honor 12 lives of Phoenix past.

New Year's a Comin'- Old Can Become New

 

Cassie Smith - First Buriel at PMMP

When the decision was made in 1884 to move the old Phoenix cemetery to its present location, it was based on the fact that the original cemetery was “unprotected, barren and desolate” according to the Arizona Gazette.  Phoenix was growing, and to have an unkempt cemetery, viewed by newcomers arriving by train, was not a good recommendation for the city.

The cemetery was moved after much effort to 13^th Avenue and Madison Street.  What is now known as City/Loosley, Masons, Knights of Pythias, Independent Order of Odd Fellow, and Ancient Order of United Workmen came into being.

The article in the Arizona Gazette (July 21, 1884) described the cemetery ground as “easily irrigated and shade trees and shrubbery cultivated.”  Fencing was established around the perimeter.  Early photos of the cemetery show that the cemetery, even though in a desert, did contain numerous trees and plants.  Canals ran near the cemetery and water was more accessible.  The cemetery expanded up to Jefferson Street, adding Rosedale and Porter.

Time passed and neglect once again set in.  The cemeteries at 13^th Avenue and Jefferson closed in 1914.  What was once new, was now old and forgotten.  Interest in the cemetery faded.  Trees, shrubbery and water dried up.  The fencing slowly disappeared, along with many gravestones.  It became that unprotected and barren cemetery again.  The City even thought to move it in 1935, but found the expense was too great.

A group of citizens wanting to preserve the history of the cemetery started the original Pioneers’ Cemetery Association in 1938.  Without their early efforts to protect what remained of the cemetery and locate records, there would still be a forgotten cemetery.

Progress can be slow when you don’t have an unlimited budget and manpower.  Since 1938, we have slowly seen the cemeteries come to life again.  We are again seeing trees, fencing, and shrubbery added or replaced, along with gravestones being up-righted, repaired or replaced.  Interest in the cemetery has been a hard fought battle to maintain.

Cemeteries are a history of the place and its people, and the accomplishments and struggles that were overcome.  The struggle will always be to keep what is now new and fresh from becoming old and faded once again. -Patty G.