Early Burials at the PMMP - Who Were They?

 

Cassie Smith - City Loosley Cemetery - PCA Archives

Early Burial Locations - PMMP

Ed Dobbins

Ed Dobbins in his research has revealed the following:

"The City/Loosley burial records contain the names of 133 individuals who died prior to the cemetery’s opening. With a few exceptions, most of the people on the list are believed to have been first interred at the Original Phoenix Township (OPT) cemetery.  Location information is available for thirty of the graves. Fifteen are marked by original monuments and nine by memorials recently placed by the PCA.

On the accompanying map (above), the red filled lots contain graves that were relocated from the OPT to City/Loosley Cemetery. Most are in the northwest quarter of Loosley. Two units with the OPT burials are in the southern portion of City Cemetery in Blocks XVII and XVIII.

Visible remains at City Cemetery of this final effort to empty the old cemetery include an impressive row of five original monuments in Block XVII in the southeast corner. A more recent marker appears in a family group of three in the northeast corner of the adjacent Block XVIII. The presence of these markers suggests that Blocks XVII and XVIII were considered part of the “city Potter’s field” mentioned by Loosley and contain unidentified remains from the OPT cemetery."

Here are just a few of the early burials:

🕯️ Cassandra Smith – 1872, age 3
🕯️ William Morrell – 1876, age 52
🕯️ Josiah Phy – 1877, 6 weeks
🕯️ Melvina Morrell – 1877, age 38
🕯️ John Wren Owen – 1877, age 54
🕯️ Henry “Harry” Sayers – 1879, age 47
🕯️ King S. Woolsey – 1879, age 47
🕯️ Luke Monihon – 1879, age 38
🕯️ Hiram Dunham – 1880, age 52
🕯️ Carmen Alvarez – 1881, age 35

the oldest original standing grave marker in the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park is Cassandra Smith.  In September 1872, little Cassandra Smith, daughter of William and Fanny Smith, passed away after just two days of illness. Described as intelligent, pretty, and affectionate, she holds a solemn place in Phoenix history.  

It is beyond amazing that after 150 years, her grave marker still stands.  We welcome you to tour our grounds to see the other original markers.

Samuel Calvin McElhaney (1861-1905) and Sarah Ella Hill McElhaney (1872-1911) - Pioneer Ranchers

McElhaneys

Taken from Headstone at the PMMP

Samuel Calvin McElhaney was born 9 October 1861 in Alabama.  As a young man, he drove a herd of cattle and horses from Texas to Phoenix and settled near the Salt River, with its assured supply of water. 

On January 10, 1889, McElhaney was among those who incorporated as the Fairmount Water Storage Company, for the purpose of selling water for irrigation and mining purposes in Maricopa County.  Another shareholder was Reuben Hill, soon to become his father-in-law.  Sam married Sarah Ella Hill, daughter of Reuben Hill and Mary Perry, on April 10, 1889. 

The newlyweds moved to Holbrook, where they enjoyed a few years of success before a severe drought forced ranchers to leave the high country.  The McElhaneys then drove their stock back down to the Salt River Valley and established a farm in the old Fowler district just south of Glendale, where Sam built a house for his growing family.  Son Randolph Hill Mc Elhaney was born in 15 July 1890.  He was soon followed by a daughter, Nina Inez, born 24 January 1892.

Sam McElhaney and George Keefer were obviously good friends, seeing as how Sam named his second son, born in 1894, Louis Keefer McElhaney.  That child died in January 1897.

More children followed.  Daughter Pearl was born 21 November 1898.  Another son, Coyt Ruben, was born about 1901.  Byron Samuel McElhaney was born 7 April 1903.

From an early age, Randolph was his father’s right-hand man.  On November 28, 1905, while loading some fat hogs into a wagon to be taken to market, Sam severely jammed his thumb, causing him agonizing pain.  Although he repeatedly assured his son that he was hurt in no place but the thumb, the pain was so unbearable that he fainted twice while attempting to walk the short distance to the house. He was dead, presumably of shock, by the time the doctor arrived.  Following the funeral at First Baptist Church, Sam McElhaney, aged 43, was buried in Loosley Cemetery.

This left Sam’s widow Ella and son Randolph to manage their farm.  Ella’s last child, Samuel Jr., was born posthumously in 1906.  When she died on 18 March 1911, she too was buried in the family plot in Loosley. 

Both Randolph and Samuel Jr. went on establish large ranches of their own in the 1930s.  Randolph settled in Chino Valley and Samuel founded the McElhaney Cattle Company of Wellton, Arizona, which remained under family control until 2010.

-Debe Branning and Donna Carr

 

 

Georgia A. DeLoach Lewis (1872-1909) - Lineage on "Finding Your Roots"!

Bing AI

*Editor's Note:  This lineage was featured on Season 3, Episode 7, of finding your roots! 

Georgia was born on March 10, 1872, in Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio.   She was one of at least nine children of George W. DeLoach and Mary Stewart, African Americans.

She married Frank M. Hailstock on December 24, 1898, but he died only eight weeks later.  On the 1900 federal census of Ohio, Georgia was listed as a young widow, living in her parents' household.

Georgia married John Edward Lewis shortly thereafter.   John had been a Buffalo Soldier with the 10th Cavalry.   Their firstborn son was Frank Hailstock Lewis.  Both John and Georgia must have thought highly of Georgia’s deceased first husband to have named their son after him.  While in Ohio, Georgia and John also had a daughter Ruth, born in 1905.

The Lewis family moved to Phoenix because of Georgia’s health.  Her husband John became a well-known barber; he also ran a boxing gym.

Unfortunately, Georgia died on August 26, 1909, at the age of 37.  She was buried in Rosedale Cemetery, although her grave does not have a marker and its exact location is no longer known.

In 1912, John Edward Lewis married Mattie Drake in Norton, Yuma County, Arizona, and he and Mattie had several children together.  One was boxer Nathaniel Christy Lewis, biological grandfather of rap artist LL Cool J, as revealed in season 3, episode 7 of the popular TV series, “Finding Your Roots”.

John Edward Lewis died on July 17, 1947, and was buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

-By Donna Carr

 

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)

Edna Laziola (1872 - 1900) - Burlesque Girl

Theatrical Poster of a Burlesque Girl

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

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.

According to Rev. Ross, a neighbor, Mrs. Oblenis and her older daughters Minnie and Helen were entertaining men.  On March 8, 1880 their house was raided and the women and three men were accused of participating in a house of “ill fame.”A music teacher who came to the house weekly stated that she never observed anything illicit going on.  

Edna and her sisters became theatrical performers around 1890.  They were known for their singing and the skirt dance, popular with the burlesque shows.  The sisters used the stage name of Laziola (Lazeola), which became the name all the siblings eventually adopted.  They would tour with various theatre companies throughout the east and by 1892 were at the Original Vienna Buffet in Los Angeles, California.  Edna and sisters would arrive in Phoenix around 1894.

Edna was singing at the Palace in Phoenix, while Minnie and Annie would go to Yuma and play at The Place, which was owned by Louis Iaeger.  They would then return to Phoenix to perform at the Palace with Edna. The sisters were described as very popular with patrons at both establishments.  

Edna and Annie even created quite a stir in Tucson at one point when their train arrived at the same time as two political candidates.  The two men thought all the excitement was about their arrival, but were not happy to learn everyone was there waiting for the Laziola sisters.

The sisters embarked in many other adventures in their early years, and Edna would die under tragic circumstances in 1900.  

For more information, come down and see us.  We will be glad to introduce you to Edna!

PCA Archive