Mount St Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Hayward (California?)

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Cheri Mello

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May 27, 2019, 12:51:58 AM5/27/19
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Repost for Dixie Schafir, dschafir at aol.com

The Mount St Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Hayward

The original cemetery was where the priests residence is today, next to the  All Saints Catholic Church on 2nd and D. 
When the then new Mount St Joseph Cemetery was established my Grandfather Martin helped move the dead from next to All Saints Catholic Church to 
The present St Joe’s cemetery. My Great grandfather was among those moved. 
Then the church itself was moved onto the former cemetery on 2nd St and the present Catholic Church was built on the site where the old church stood. 
My great grandfather’s wooden cross disappeared long ago under one of the fire roads so I do not know where he is. 

Jo Anne Hartmann

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May 27, 2019, 12:41:10 PM5/27/19
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Thanks for posting -I believe (without looking it up) several of my Mellos are buried there.  Very interesting - I hadno idea they "moved" everything!

Jo Anne Mello Hartmann
(grandfather Manuel Fragoso Mello from Lagoa)

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Cheri Mello

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May 27, 2019, 12:44:32 PM5/27/19
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There are no dates in the original post. Moving graves generates a lot of paperwork with the state (permits to disinter) and lots of maps (I've seen some) and who knows what else. I'm speaking from at least the 1930s to the present. I don't know what the requirements were to disinter before that.
Cheri Mello
Listowner, Azores-Gen
Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada


celeste perry

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May 27, 2019, 2:25:41 PM5/27/19
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Hi Dixie,
I have an uncle who died at the age of 3 months. My grandmother, Maria Jose Ferreira Dinis, (born in Ponta Garca, Terceira) was always sad that she and her husband, Joao Bernardo Sobral, did not have the $5.00 to have him buried in his own grave site. So.....he was buried with a woman who was being buried at that time.

My grandmother was always sad that she did not know where her first born was buried. About 20 years ago, I decided I would try to find his grave site. Shortly before that time, there were volunteers who walked the cemetery and recorded markers for those that were buried there. Not every site had a marker and there was a portion of the cemetery they called the "poor ground."

There was a priest at All Saints Church in Hayward where there was records of Mt. St. Joseph cemetery. The priest was born in the same village ( Ligares, Tras os Montes) in Portugal where my grandfather was born. I contacted the priest and let me have all record books for Mt. St. Joseph Cemetery.

It took me 2 years to search each entry of every book. At the same time, I made a copy (in alphabetical order) of the names of those buried there. I did not find the baby's name, however, I found the name of a woman who had died the same day he had died and was buried in what was called (the poor ground) I made the assumption that he was buried with her.

So I walked the cemetery taking note of every grave that looked to me to have been buried in "the poor ground." By this time, my grandmother had died and I was never able to tell her my findings.

I gave the church a CD of the records I put into alphabetical order.

So, if you can get someone at the church to look, they may be able to tell you more than that someone was buried "in the poor ground."

Celeste Perry ccgr...@yahoo.com

--------------------------------------------
On Sun, 5/26/19, Cheri Mello <gfsc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Subject: [AZORES-Genealogy] Mount St Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Hayward (California?)
To: "Azores Genealogy" <Azo...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Sunday, May 26, 2019, 9:51 PM

Susan Murphy

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May 27, 2019, 2:34:40 PM5/27/19
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Fascinating story and good work Celeste!!

Susan Vargas Murphy
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/1498786020.5360425.1558981535652%40mail.yahoo.com.

Cheri Mello

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May 27, 2019, 3:02:19 PM5/27/19
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Many times, it is called "Potter's Field." That seems to be the universal term that most cemeteries use. So if there's another term to try if they don't know what you mean.

Cheri Mello
Listowner, Azores-Gen
Researching: São Miguel island: Vila Franca, Ponta Garca, Ribeira Quente, Ribeira das Tainhas, Achada

E. Sharp

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May 27, 2019, 3:45:47 PM5/27/19
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I had this problem at St. John’s in New Bedford where 2 of my siblings were buried before I was born. I went to the cemetery office a quite a few years ago (since moved) and they gave me the grave marker numbers and we spent a day in the heat digging for the markers (all stones had numbers on them so it was not too hard to find the markers.) My siblings and I had proper gravestones made for them. I wish I would have done it before my mom passed away as she alway wondered where her 2 babies who died a few weeks apart were buried. I don’t know how this brave, wonderful mother managed losing 2 children a few weeks apart. 

“E”. 

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Gordon soares

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May 27, 2019, 4:12:38 PM5/27/19
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I grew up and went to All Saints Catholic School and attended All Saints church. The school is where I learned the Nun’s art of using a ruler.

Gordon

Dixie Schafir

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May 27, 2019, 6:09:27 PM5/27/19
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My Great Grandfather was not buried near the creek. At the time he was buried, wooden crosses were in use as material which was brought around the Cape and was used for both tombstones and fireplace surrounds. I guess there was no granite or marble then available.
As mentioned, G Grandfather was a reinterment from the cemetery next to All Saints. That was very long ago. (My family, not me still has one of the fire place surrounds brought around Cape Horn).

In the sixties hippies and bad people living in the old castle rode through All Saints and using chains knocked down all the little tombs which looked like little houses. Desecration!

Anyway, Great grandfather Martin is under one of the fire roads they cut through the cemetery at a later time.
FYI - if your family goes ‘way back like mine, you might have kin in the Indian burial ground by Fairmont Hospital. My Great grandma Martin is there, having died in childbirth when young. I believe it is a potters field now, if still in use.
The creek is a bad place for burials as it used to change course during wet years and I believe some of the graves were taken away. One year there was so much rain in Hayward salmon ran up the creek. I was really young then.
My Gramps was always devoted to the Church and helped the priests and visited with them a lot. I remember swinging on the bell rope in All Saints when he was visiting, (he lived across the Street). I was too little to make it ring. Our Victorian house is gone and an apartment house stands on the land (much to my sadness). It hurts me to see that.
I am related to Frank and Mary Silver who used to live in (gosh I haven’t been to Hayward for decades) on lower B St ( by where BART stops today). They kept pigeons, rabbits, goats in the back yard. They are buried in Mt St Joes. I used to go visit them at the cemetery until I moved away. They were first cousins. When Great Aunt Mary passed, Uncle Frank sat down in his chair and would not eat, and so he died a couple of weeks later. If you see a tombstone marked with their name and the same year of birth and death on the stone, that is them. They passed in the 40’s.

That is such a good deed- your diligent work on the graves of our people. You have a good heart.
I hope my little comments make some of those people alive for you. There was nothing like being raised in a Portuguese family back then. I am so glad I was. They were just the most loyal, honest, loving, hard working people on earth.



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celeste perry

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May 27, 2019, 11:42:49 PM5/27/19
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I was in the second graduating class from All Saints Catholic School. There were 50 kids in the class and NO One turned around in the desk seat or the teacher (a sister) send the eraser and hit the back of your head! We all made it through, however.

Celeste Perry ccgr...@yahoo.com

--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 5/27/19, Gordon soares <gws...@gmail.com> wrote:

Subject: Re: [AZORES-Genealogy] Mount St Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Hayward (California?)
To: "azo...@googlegroups.com" <azo...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Monday, May 27, 2019, 1:12 PM

I grew up
and went to All Saints Catholic School and attended All
Saints church. The school is where I learned the Nun’s art
of using a ruler.
Gordon

On May 27,
2019, at 10:40 AM, 'Jo Anne Hartmann' via Azores
Genealogy <azo...@googlegroups.com>
wrote:

Thanks for posting -I believe
(without looking it up) several of my Mellos are buried
there.  Very interesting - I hadno idea they
"moved" everything!
Jo Anne Mello Hartmann(grandfather Manuel Fragoso
Mello from Lagoa)






On Sunday, May 26, 2019, 09:51:59 PM
PDT, Cheri Mello <gfsc...@gmail.com> wrote:





To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/azores/567600454.68636.1558975223148%40mail.yahoo.com.






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Dixie Schafir

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May 28, 2019, 3:15:53 PM5/28/19
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I used to stand outside All Saints as a child and dream I was going there. I did not have the opportunity, but using my savings as an RN, (Highland School of Nursing- I worked my way through) I started building condos with a partner in Salt Lake City UT, made enough to put my 3 grand children through kindergarten- high school (NV:St Teresa’s, Our Lady Of Snows, Bishop Manogue).
My g son Jonathan is a Captain in the US Army heading a cyber intelligence unit, working on his master’s at U of Boston, Granddaughter is Kaitlin entering her final year at Gonzaga U , head of her class.
AnnaLouisa, named after her two great great great grandmothers from the Azores, is national gold scholar at Bishop Manogue High school.
My pop was really smart but not educated past Hayward High, Grandfather Martin was also super smart.
My daughter was more average, but true to the Portuguese way, is an independent business woman- owner of Capitol Reporters, Carson City NV. She out-earns her husband who is a lawyer.
I was on my own at 18, and never had but a piecemeal education. After attending college here and there, finally graduated SJSU in ‘81.
We Portuguese have always made good citizens and no matter how poor we were, starting out, we do well given half a chance.

You are a fine example of our people. Thanks for running this site and sharing selflessly with us out here in the Portuguese diaspora.

I miss my Portuguese family so much, as all but one whom I see once a year, are sleeping with the angels. I was the youngest of old parents so it is my fate to be the last of the old ones.
FYI, my uncle Arnold Martin was a pharmacologist, had his store in downtown San Leandro, CA, I think half of our people went to his store as a pharmacist back them could mix drugs and dispense them.



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Dixie Schafir

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May 28, 2019, 3:19:54 PM5/28/19
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Regarding the story about St Joe’s being moved. According to Google St Joe’s was established in 1875, predating the founding of Hayward by one year

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