Buena Vista Cemetery, South Oceanside Cemetery
Vista Way at Interstate 5, Oceanside, California
Overlooking the Buena Vista Lagoon in South Oceanside the remains of Oceanside pioneers were sent to their eternal rest. Their rest was interrupted, however, in the late 1960's when plans to develop the cemetery property came to fruition.
The town of Oceanside was established in 1883, was a small settlement in 1884 and by 1888 was incorporated. Its first cemetery, the Buena Vista, was established perhaps as early as 1885, but officially recorded in 1888 by J. Chauncey Hayes. The first known burial was that of Sarah Francie Parry in March of 1888, although an earlier headstone of George Bronson, who died in 1885, was also located in this cemetery. George Bronson was ultimately disinterred to the Oceanview Cemetery and buried next to his wife when she died in 1916.
It is believed that forty or more early pioneers were buried at Buena Vista Cemetery between its inception until about 1906. It is unclear as to why burials ended, although a new and much closer cemetery was founded in Oceanside, the I.O.O.F. Cemetery (known as Oceanview Cemetery) on South Hill Street (Coast Highway). Whatever the reason, burials were discontinued, a handful of people perhaps disinterred and removed to Oceanside's I.O.O.F. Cemetery and the remaining burials were left to suffer decades of abuse and neglect.
Notable pioneers include John Henry Myers, the brother of Andrew Jackson Myers, Oceanside's founder. John Henry Myers built the St. Cloud Hotel, a three story brick building located on North Cleveland Street. Myers died in 1894.
Other notable names include Scott, Weitzel, Hunting, Irwin and Squires.
Oceanside's Marshal Charles C. Wilson was gunned down in the line of duty in July 1889 by John Murray, a nephew of San Luis Rey pioneer Benjamin F. Hubbert. The town mourned the loss of their marshal on the 4th of July, where a day set for celebration turned into a day of sadness.
By the late 1950's an Oceanside school teacher, Beth Harris French, acquired the Buena Vista Cemetery to preserve her view of the lagoon from her home on Stewart Street. Ultimately the property was purchased by a developer who petitioned the City of Oceanside to rezone the property for commercial use. It seems little fight was put up for the dead and buried and the decision was made to disinter the bodies. At the time Attorney James Swartz argued that the number left remaining in this abandoned cemetery was eleven. Curiously, Swartz pointed out that if there were as many as forty people buried there, he would abandon the project. Oddly enough, forty is the number of pioneers believed to be buried there. Coincidence?
The cemetery property was rezoned, the project was approved and according to a newspaper account in January 1970, 17 bodies were disinterred and removed to El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley.
Grading was then done on the property and it is well known that several bodies, unceremoniously left behind, were discovered in the ensuing weeks of early construction. Witness accounts relate that the abandoned remains were dumped into or towards the Buena Vista Lagoon.
Interestingly enough one particular uncovered body, that of a woman, was found intact. Her wooden coffin was described as having a lead glass window which revealed a woman with red hair, wearing a black dress with a white collar. She was almost completely preserved. This mirrors an earlier report of Doniphan Blair Frazee who died and was buried in Buena Vista Cemetery in 1899. His family moved his body to the Oceanview Cemetery in 1929 due to the widening of Wall Street (now Vista Way). This construction was apparently impeding upon the cemetery and the Frazee family were concerned about the remains of their loved one. According to a newspaper article, thirty years after his death Frazee's body and casket showed little decay and even the flower that was placed in his hands prior to burial, still held "much of its color".
When the Buena Vista Cemetery was lost Oceanside lost a bit of history. We lost grave markers that remind us of those who came before us. Descendants lost their ancestors. When those early pioneer families laid their loved ones to rest they never imagined they would suffer such indignities and that their remains would be unearthed, dumped, removed and forgotten. It must never happen again.
(This list was found in the Carlsbad Library, date unknown)
Benjamin F. Mull, born April 27, 1835, died November 20, 1889--A native of Georgia
James Mull, born April 16, 1841, died January 9, 1891--A native of Georgia
Mingus--stone broken
Ione A. Layne 1856 to 1888, Infant Edith 1888
Joseph Lehn, December 18, 1821 to September 12, 1898
Sarah Francie Parry (Perry), North Wales, March 27, 1888 aged 51 years
Rebecca, wife of L. L. Scott, March 8, 1892, 38 years
L. L. Scott, born March 10, 1847, died March 23, 1901
W. A. Patterson, Co. D 39th Ill. Inf.
Ida Roob, 1868 to 1891
Charles Rigby of Doncaster, England, January 27, 1895, aged 24 years
Matthew Hale died on his ranch near La Costa, March 6, 1894, aged 64 years
Eva Gay and Veva May, daughters of Jos. and Libbie M. Kingsley, born Conway, Mighigan, July
2, 1900, died (Eva) July 10, 1901 (Veva) July 31, 1901
Geo. M. Hammond, born July 7, 1851, died April 22, 1902
Henry Orpin, 1866-1905
Many broken stones that were unreadable
Others found buried there as evidenced by obituaries:
George Bronson, 1885, moved to Oceanview
Dr. Martin S. Weitzel, March 23, 1889 - moved to Mt. Hope
Laura Weitzel, March 28, 1895 - moved to Mt. Hope
India D. Goetz, September 2, 1891 - moved to Oceanview
Holman daughter, November, 1893
Zoe Holman, November, 1893
Johnnie Hunting, November, 1893 - moved to Oceanview
Lois Hunting, December, 1893
Olive S. Waderman, February, 1894
Charles C. Wilson, July 2, 1889
Fred T. Walker, July, 1898 - moved to Oceanview
John H. Myers, August, 1894
Don Frazee, May, 1899 - moved to Oceanview
Elsie J. Lindsey, October, 1900
Fisher daughter, December 31, 1888
Ida L. Squires, September 1888 - moved to San Marcos Cemetery Oct. 14, 1939
Ed Mingus, August 7, 1889 (listed above "stone broken")
P. Morton, June 1888
J.H. Belker, July, 1891
Daisy L. Overman, December 22, 1906
Mrs. Ball, February, 1899
Anna B. Easley, February 1905
Mr. Gorman, February, 1899
Frank Mead, September 1906
George Brodie, Died Feb. 6, 1892
Mary A. Corman, 1824-1899
Edward Mills 1874-1888
Meta Maurice Spaulding, Dec. 30, 1916 - moved to Oceanview in 1929
James McCrea, February 1900 - moved to Oceanview