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)
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