19 April 2009

Dear Friends of Spring Hill Cemetery,

These are challenging times for Spring Hill Cemetery due to Sonoma County’s budget crisis. Regional Parks, the entity entrusted with maintaining the cemetery, remain steadfast in their support of the cemetery. But with Regional Parks' funding drastically slashed, they have to carefully manage their resources, cutting back on all of their projects, including Spring Hill. Jeremy Nichols and I met with Regional Parks on April 6th to discuss Spring Hill. We outlined the progress made on the cemetery so far, and gave our goal of completing the "clean up" phase of our project by year's end. Regional Parks is making every effort to support that goal by continuing to supply tools and the large dump truck on workdays as long as their funding allows, but at this time Spring Hill is unlikely to have the Regional Parks' personnel on-site during workdays that we have enjoyed in the past. Although county resources for Spring Hill have been reduced, support from volunteers, local historical societies, local businesses, and descendants has never been greater, giving me hope that Spring Hill can continue to make steady progress.

Another change affecting the cemetery is the retirement of District 5 Sonoma County Supervisor Mike Reilly, and the election of Efren Carrillo to the District 5 post. Spring Hill Cemetery is located in district 5, and Supervisor Reilly held the position when the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors acknowledged title to Spring Hill in September of 2006. He was instrumental to the resolution of the title issue, and a leader in the meetings that led both to the appointment of Regional Parks as the entity entrusted with Spring Hill's care, and also to the process of establishing burial policies to handle expected future burials for descendants of current interments. Supervisor Reilly was a strong supporter of Spring Hill Cemetery, and his contributions to our efforts are much appreciated.

Supervisor Carrillo and his administrative aide, Susan Upchurch, graciously met with seventeen Spring Hill supporters on April 15th, at which time we introduced ourselves to the new supervisor, welcomed him to his new post, and expressed our concerns on cemetery issues (access, development of burial policy for future burials, workday support, etc). Follow up meetings are being planned. Anyone who would like to contact the new supervisor to share their views on Spring Hill Cemetery are encouraged to do so at:

Supervisor Efren Carrillo
75 Administration Dr. Room 100A,
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 565-2241 | FAX (707) 565-3778
E-mail Address ecarrillo@sonoma-county.org

Having told you of the difficulties Spring Hill faces, I am now delighted to tell you what a productive workday we had on Friday. 16 volunteers joined forces to continue the clean up. In addition to our many "regulars,” John Weatherford, a professional agronomist with extensive experience in native plant restoration and soils, lent his expertise to our efforts. We once again COMPLETELY filled the large dump truck (I think Dick Giberti was jumping up and down on the contents to compact it enough for our last few loads...), we were able to strong arm our two newly repaired headstones back into position (those of Martha Small and Joseph McReynolds, once again generously repaired by Gary Galeazzi of North Bay Monument Company), and we attacked the invading ivy and thistles. I have attached pictures showing a few of our activities -- and a group picture of the work party, missing only Dick Giberti who was stuck in the dump truck at picture time.

Last week Ray Owen kindly sent me a photocopy of a 28 July 1883 Sonoma Democrat newspaper article reporting on the July 22, 1883 burial of John Shuster at Spring Hill Cemetery, along with his obituary. I am always thrilled to find newspaper articles on Spring Hill inhabitants, as they supply substance and life to our burial lists. John was an early pioneer to the area, and his obituary points out the hardships of life back in the 1880s. John died of lock-jaw, or tetanus. As Ray Owen wrote, "It was a particularly hideous condition because one's mind remained absolutely clear despite the savagery of the disease. Today it can be treated with a vaccine but in the 1880's nothing could be done."

John Shuster does not show up in any of our current burial lists, so we have a new addition. The 1880 Bodega census lists John as a 62-year-old farmer born in Pennsylvania. His household includes his wife, Sarah E (Lowrey, sister to Spring Hill's William Henry Lowrey), 7 children ranging in age from 9 to 27, and 2 grandchildren. Just to show how interrelated many of Spring Hill's families were, the next household on the 1880 census is that of William Zilhart (Hattie and Lulu are at SH); 3 households further on are Moses Pack and Lucinda (Titus) Marsh (both at SH); and 2 down from that is the household of Mary Titus and her son, George W Titus (again, both at Spring Hill).

John Shuster's obituary reads:

"DIED OF LOCK-JAW-- Our readers will remember that, on last Thursday week John Shuster, of Freestone, had his right hand badly mangled while attempting to quiet his team near the corner Fourth and Davis streets, in this city, and that he was compelled to suffer the loss of two fingers and a part of another. On Wednesday night, 18th, lock-jaw set in and it became impossible for the unfortunate man to partake of either food or medicine. His sufferings were intense, and terminated in his death on Friday afternoon. Mr. Shuster is an old resident of this county, having lived in various portions of it for the past twenty-five years, coming to California in 1854. He is a brother-in-law of Officer J. J. Lowery."

Thanks, Ray, for unraveling yet another thread of Spring Hill's history.

Several of you have asked how to become "official" Sonoma County Regional Parks volunteers. If you are interested, contact John Ryan, Volunteer Coordinator, at 707-565-3356 or jryan1@sonoma-county.org.

Our next workday is scheduled for Friday, May 1st. Looking forward, workdays are also scheduled May 29th, June 19, July 17, August 21, September 18, October 16, and November 20, for those of you who like to plan ahead. Please, come join us!