Southern California Genealogical Society
Southern California Genealogical Society: Database: Los Angeles City Cemetery
Los Angeles City Cemetery: Lost and Found - The Story of the Burial Journal

According to Nicholas Curry, "[the] Burial Journal was allegedly located within the Los Angeles City Health Department beginning in 1936. It then surfaced, probably in 1958, at the newly built Los Angeles County Hall of Records building Vital Statistics Department. From 1958 until May 1993, the Journal sat unnoticed. When the Vital Statistics Department moved to their current location on Imperial Highway in Norwalk CA, the Journal was again moved and remained unnoticed until the summer of 1999. Historical researcher Ted Gostin discovered the Journal by accident ... The Journal was finally moved to ... the Seaver Center for Western History Research, Ground Floor of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California."

[Taken from "The City Cemetery (Protestant) Journal (1869-1888), Located at the Current Site of the Parking Lot of the Los Angeles City Board of Education" by Nicholas A. Curry, South Pasadena, California, June 2000.]

Other sources used include, Edwin H. Carpenter, Jr., Early Cemeteries of the City of Los Angeles, 1973, Los Angeles Dawson's Book Shop, as well as Los Angeles Times articles.

A copy of the Burial Journal can be found at the SCGS Library.

The names on the Burial Journal were transcribed by Margaret J. Schulz, databased and proofread by Louise Calaway, and supplemented by mentions in the LA Times by Paula Hinkel.  All three are SCGS members.

In January 2006, Ted Gostin sent the following email to the SCGS webmaster:

    "I just reviewed some of your pages on the Los Angeles City Cemetery register, which are generally very good.

    "There is, however, one very glaring error which should be corrected, since it concerns an SCGS member.  The page "Lost and Found - The Story of the Burial Journal" quotes factually incorrect information about how the burial register was located.  Nick Curry's publication lists me as the "discoverer" of the register; this is incorrect.  The register was discovered by Peggy Schulz, an SCGS member, during one of her many indexing projects at the Recorder's office.  Peggy made some copies of the register (one of which was given to SCGS), and told a number of people about the register, including me. 

    "I reviewed it and told Nick Curry about it, and suggested to Nick that we try to get it transferred to a truly archival instution where it could be properly cared for, such as the Seaver Institute for Western History,  part of the Los Angeles County Museum.  Since Nick has contacts with just about every historical agency in Los Angeles County, he was able to get this transfer accomplished.  Because Nick didn't know Peggy and because he just forgot the history of its discovery as I told it to him, he mistakenly wrote in his introduction to it that I discovered it."

Thanks for the update Ted.



powered by FreeFind

Los Angeles City Cemetery


History of the Cemetery
Lost and Found:The Story of the Burial Journal
Burial Journal Notations
Other Sources of Interments in the City Cemetery
Los Angeles Times News Articles (by date)
Alphabetic Listing of Interments in City Cemetery
Chronological Listing of Interments in City Cemetery

Members Log-in