Cemetery I Spy and Grave Digging with the Mascots

Last Saturday, we went to the cemetery where my husband’s great grandparents on his father’s side were buried.  A distant genealogy cousin sent me these directions:

“The Fishers are buried at Oak Hill... They are buried together at the Laurel Lawn part.  They told me it was 129E, but we found it at 160E which is up one row.”

Earlier in the week, I Googled Oak Hill and found the address and phone number.  I called and they said the office would be open Saturday and that we could pick up a map.  We had some other fun things to do in San Jose, so it was all working out.  I got the family interested enough to say, “Yes, fine, we’ll go to the cemetery.”  Thankfully, even though they aren’t into genealogy, they are in to morbid Halloween like things, so they seem to be okay with the cemetery aspect of genealogy.  In the car, we discussed the Fishers that we were off to find and how in reality, Fisher should be our last name.  The kids thought that was mildly interesting.  Until the Spongebob theme began on Marc’s iPod, anyway.

We got to the cemetery and noticed at once that it is HUGE.  Rolling hills of graves, fountains and statues.  I parked and Marc and Signa went in to get the map from the office.  I gave them my handwritten note:  Laurel Lawn, 129E and 160E. They were in there for about 20 minutes, which is a long time for I Spy in the cemetery with a six-year-old.  “Momma, I spy something that is red.”  “Is it the flowers by the grave?” “YES!”  “Momma, I spy something that is gray.”  “Is it the gravestone?” “YES!” Repeat.

They came back with a map and it turns out that Laurel Lawn is a triangular shaped area right where we were parked.  We headed for the areas the lady had marked off with a highlighter and proceeded to instantly NOT find the graves. 

We wandered separately.  Then we wandered together.  Then we methodically marched up and down the rows where they should have been. 

Then we noticed gaps where there should be graves, but instead it was grass.  Then we noticed that the graves were all sunken a bit with the grass about 2 inches taller and we supposed that the grass had grown over some.  We sent the six-year-old to dig.  Yep.  Graves under there. 

Pretty soon, Marc was full-on digging up grave stones with his hands.  He’d uncover some letters or numbers and then move on when it wasn’t ours. (isn't this cute!?!  my "genealogy is boring" family and they are DIGGING UP GRAVES! and getting very determined to find the missing hidden clue and... OMG... DIGGING UP GRAVES!)

Then I looked at the map.  “Didn’t my note say ONE 29 and ONE 60?”  This is highlighted for 29 and 60.  We walked to the other corner of Laurel Lawn and the grave was right there. In seconds.

I just asked William if he had fun at the cemetery.  “Yeah, but only if I can bring a shovel next time.”

Sunday's Obituary - Neva Coschina Fisher

August 22, 1987, San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, California

Fisher, Neva O, 89, of San Jose, retired secretary for Rosicrucian Order.  Private service.  Arrangements by Lima Family-Erickson, San Jose.

Neva was my husband's grandmother who he met only once.  The Rosicrucian Museum is a family favorite place to visit (we like it almost as much as Disneyland), so it's interesting that there is a different tie there, too.

Almost done...

I just have to type up the bibliography and create a cover and then my first book is DONE! And the second is a quarter of the way done. WOO HOO!

I also found some gems on my husband's side yesterday. They had this odd connection to Colorado that I couldn't figure out at all. So I did a random Google Book search with the name and "Colorado" and there it was. My husband's great grandfather's brother went there and their mother joined him after the death of her husband. I am now guessing that great great grandfather and his other brother (both of whom were married to this grandmother, so I'm not sure which is the father yet) came to be with John and their mother. The book gives a lot of details on John, so I have a lot of places to look next.

I also found this from the San Francisco Call, Saturday, July 8, 1899:

THREATENED A LAWYER.
Ex-Constable Coschina Under Arrest at San Jose.
SAN JOSE, July 7.—Ex-Constable Mat
Coschina was arrested to-day for having
threatened to killAttorney W. M. Beggs.
He was subsequently released on $1000
ball. His preliminary examination will be
held to-morrow. The trouble grows out
of an attachment served by Coschina a
couple of years ago while Constable. In
the trial of the suit the attachment was
set aside and judgment was given against
Coschina and became a lien against the
latter's property, although indemnity had
been given to protect the officer. For
some time Coschina has been preparing
to go to Angels Camp, and he had arranged
to borrow $1200 on his property, but
could not do so until this lien was released.
• \u25a0
Beggs is attorney for J. O. Hickey. who
holds the lien. Yesterday Coschina went
to Beggs and told him. his wife was seriously
ill from worry over the affair and
if she died he would killBeggs. Hence the
warrant.
Attorney Beggs. on the other hand, has
bought a revolver and declares he will
shoot Coschina should Coschina show his
head in his office. '

Matthew Coschina was my husband's great grandfather on his grandmother's side. He was a constable, officer and sheriff in Santa Clara County. The Hickey case was actually taken to the State Supreme Court and basically Coschina lost. In essence, he was to seize property of someone and that someone had given it all to his son-in-law, so Grampa Coschina took it from the son-in-law. Cigars. A whole bunch of expensive cigars.

Odd Thoughts

I'm right now focused on my Reuben Smith of Scioto County, Ohio. Hyperfocused really. So as I entered the dates of birth and death of his children, I got sad. And my thought, although not completely verbalized, were something along the lines of being really sad for Reuben that his children died.

Keep in mind that this is actually odd, as all of them were born in the early 1800s... OF COURSE they died. And AFTER Reuben.

Anyway, my beloved Lucas County Iowa Genealogical Society sent me this picture:

The woman second from the left is my great, great grandmother. The man on the far right COULD be my great, great grandfather, but I'm not sure. My only clue is that he stands like a Conner. One of the boys could be my great grandfather. Not sure. But COULD be. Sending to my grandfather to see if he knows.

Mappy Monday - Montana and Colorado

Only one name in Montana- my husband's great aunt, Beatrice who was born there in 1910. Her older brother and sister were born in Colorado. Her parents were from Ohio and then ended up in California in 1920. I still need to look into them further, as this route had decade long stops which is enough time to make some roots!

Thomas Conner, brother to William Mason Conner of yesterday's post also died in Colorado in 1944.

Both Colorado and Montana and a few others are now fixed in my database.