#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.

Infant Berry - Mysteries of the Cemetery

 

Weekly Republican Jan 1, 1885

While researching, a child was discovered that could have possibly been buried at the PMMP.  If anyone knows of an infant who may have been buried in the cemetery in 1885, and was possibly a member of a family named "Berry", please let us know.  We are always trying to identify everyone.  

Feliciana Baker (1883 - 1884) - Tragic Death - A Short Life

Pioneers' Cemetery Association Archive

Feliciana was the firstborn daughter of Albert Cornelius Baker and Maria de Jesus Alexander. She was born January 3, 1883 in Yuma, Arizona. Thereafter, the family moved to Phoenix.

On May 15, 1884, little Feliciana found a quantity of morphine pills, routinely prescribed at that time, and swallowed a fatal dose. The overdose was not discovered until she fell into a stupor, at which time a doctor was summoned. A galvanic battery was applied for three or four hours in hopes of reversing the effects of the drugs, but to no avail. Feliciana died at 7 AM the following morning.

Feliciana’s funeral took place that afternoon at the Catholic church. Hers was the very first burial in the newly opened Masons Cemetery.

Feliciana’s father, Albert Cornelius Baker, was a lawyer born in Crawford, Alabama on February 15, 1845. He enlisted as a color-bearer during the Civil War and was captured at the fall of Vicksburg. However, instead of sending the youth to a prisoner of war camp, his Union captors kept him to work as a bootblack.

Baker had intended to study for the Methodist ministry after the war; instead, he gravitated toward law and eventually went to San Diego and San Francisco to practice. Although he moved to Phoenix in 1879, he continued to visit friends in Yuma frequently and it was there that he met his future wife at the home of her father, Judge Henry Nash Alexander.

Baker’s law career included a two-year stint as a United States District Attorney, 1882-1884. In 1893, Baker was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the territory of Arizona; he held that office for the next four years. In 1918, he was elected Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. -  from original story of Donna Carr 

Come to the PMMP and visit Feliciana, and other "residents" at our park!

Willie Meade (1894 - 1900) - Tragic Death

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
//hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b19075

William “Willie” Meade began life in 1894 as the son of William “Billy” Meade and Laura Dawson.  His father was known as a genius at the roulette table.  

His mother worked as a waitress at the Louvre Garden Café that by 1895 was owned by Rose Gregory, a well-known Madam in Phoenix. 

The following facts are what we know about Willie.

Willie developed scarlet fever shortly after his birth and the disease eventually destroyed his hearing and vocal cords.

When Willie was six, his mother was living with her parents.

Willie’s grandparents lived near the railroad tracks in Phoenix.

On Feb 17, 1900, Willie was playing with other children near the tracks at Jackson St - between 3^rd and 4^th St.

As he started to run across the track in pursuit of his dog, a train engine began to move, startling Willie.  Willie tried to jump up onto the front of the train.

The engineer did not see Willie as he started the engine and when he began to move the train car, Willie was thrown underneath, killing him instantly.

Willie’s father belonged to the Improved Order of RedMen and the Independent Order of Foresters.

Willie is buried close to the railroad tracks in Rosedale Cemetery where the train is still heard in the background.

Mysteries of the Cemetery - The Cracker Box Baby

It was reported on December 10, 1882 in the Tucson Citizen that "the remains of a white infant were found partially buried in a cracker box at the Phenix cemetery".  Could this have been a child that was buried in haste, or a unknown mystery?  And who was this child?  You are welcome to solve it!

Picture from:  Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print  wy0430