|
SONOMA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Meeting called to order by President Tony Hoskins Board members present: Phyllis Schmitt, Jeremy Nichols, Harry Lapham, Tony Hoskins, Ron Davis, Sean Bressie, Lee Torliatt and Roberta Harlan. Guests: Susan Burns and Kathy (K or C?) Lapham Fitzpatrick. Minutes: No minutes taken for June meeting Treasurer’s Report: Jeff Tobes is absent, however info available from Jeff—cost of June walk/dinner to SCHS was $239.19; Sean made thank you cards for all of participants and volunteers; see Income/Expense Statement, June 15-July 20, 2006 walk expenses (break down). Jeremy again menitioned that the Community Hospital Painting account is still $100+interest short—Jeff needs to audit the account asap. Membership Report: Creighton Bell is absent; 15 new members reported. Archivist’s Report: Lee Torliatt reports that there have been requests journals; Tony asked if Lee thought requests have grown because of the redesign of SCHS website? Lee said the website could be the reason. Cemeterian Report: See end of minutes for a full report from Jeremy*** Journal Report: Lee reports that his first journal is out and people were fighting over it at the post office. Could this really be true? The ; second one will go out in September—stories include Sol Nitzberg, tar and feather victim and photographs and story of June hike/dinner/dance. The third journal will feature DeVeer Baker’s daughter and The Raft—Story of the Le-Hi. Further issues will include stories on Sonoma County activist Mary Moore and a section highlighting SCHS board members with photo and short bios (Lee, please feel free to correct any of this info—thanks) Committee Reports: Annual Picnic The SCHS Annual Picnic is scheduled for Sunday, August 20th, at the Petaluma Adobe. No grilling/BBQ’s due to fire safety. Roberta is making up a flyer and will notify the Press Democrat; also, a docent tour is planned for 2:00 p.m. Lee and Phyllis will take care of the drinks. Website Sean Bressie, king webmaster reports that he is working on revamping format—more context based; searching more database type. “Hits” increased this month to 560-600 per day from 400-500 per day. Old Business: See “Annual Picnic” above. New Business: Tony—contacted Mary Moore, Sonoma County activist. She is donating her papers to the Bancroft Library, but Tony is going to try to get copies for the archives; Friends of the Santa Rosa Library (F0SRL) now have available copies of the 1897 Birds’ eye-View map of Santa Rosa, each selling for $32.50; proceeds going to FOSRL. Harry Lapham reports that he received a phone call from Mark Gonella, requesting to meet with him to pick out historic photos for the new Union Hotel restaurant opening in Santa Rosa. In addition, Harry received a call from Mike Santiago—he and his wife are taking over the Occidental Hardware Store and are looking for historic photos to exhibit. Sonoma County Heritage Network will meet on Saturday, October 14, 2006, 9:30 a.m., at the Sonoma Depot (please correct this if wrong). Next Board Meeting: Thursday, September 28, 7 p.m. at the Annex (unless otherwise notified by me!) Respectfully submitted by Roberta Harlan, faithful, but sometimes absent secretary ***Full Cemeterian Report—Jeremy Nichols 1. Chanate Historic Cemetery. A total of 824 grave markers have been located to date. It is likely that as many as 1600 graves are in the cemetery and most of them had grave markers at one time. I now believe that we will find 90% of them. Two daughters of Walter Guy Wilson (died 11/26/1937, marker #316), only surviving members of an original family of nine, have been located in Santa Rosa. One of them toured Rural Cemetery, asked about Chanate, and was referred to me. They have cleaned up the area around their father's grave and have written to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors asking permission to place a traditional tombstone on their father's grave. I have encouraged this because it supports my plan to encourage the Supervisors to create a policy for tombstones at Chanate. Additionally, it encourages both the public and the Supervisors to continue supporting my cleanup effort for the old cemetery. So far, permission in general terms has been received; we are awaiting specific details. 2. Tombstone Amnesty. Four returns have been made: a) Munk -- three headboards found in a barn along the Russian River east of Guerneville, returned to the Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery. b) Nettie Combs -- tombstone found in Napa [city], returned to the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery. c) Gustave Eckman -- tombstone found in Yountville, returned to the California Veterans Home Cemetery in Yountville. d) Manuel Nunes -- tombstone originally found in Sebastopol, returned from Petaluma to the Forever Fernwood Cemetery in Marin County. [This latest return was made on the day following the SCHS board meeting.] I am attempting to contact members of the family to see if they want to have a ceremony marking the return. Two lost tombstones have been located and are being researched. e) Abraham Thompson (1850-1950). Currently on private property west of Petaluma. Research to locate the cemetery from which this tombstone was taken are underway. f) Anton [?] Souza (dates unknown). Currently on private property in Petaluma. Research to locate the cemetery from which this tombstone was taken are underway. 3. Sonoma County Hospital painting. The conservator states that the painting will be finished by October. He will also look for a 'new' frame. If he can find an antique frame at a local shop, we will be able to proceed with the money already in hand. If we cannot find a frame locally, an antique or a reproduction may be purchased from specialist dealers in the east but more money will be needed. I believe that the SCHS painting fund should have about $100 more than the treasurer's account shows and I have asked for an audit. My itemized list of contributions totals $2876 whereas the treasurer shows only $2743.44. 4. Eugene Pierrot. I have been contacted by a woman in Chicago who claims to be a great-great-granddaughter of Eugene Pierrot by Elizabeth, one of the Pierrot family slaves in Polk County, Texas. Their daughter, Adaline Pierrot, was born in 1855. She married James Trowell and had a daughter, Pearl Trowell, born in 1876, probably in Palestine, Texas. Pearl Trowell married Ephraim Swanson and had a daughter, Ollie Swanson, in 1911. Ollie married Richard D. Posey in Chicago in 1931 and had a daughter, Gwili [pronounced 'JuhLee'] Posey in 1932. Searching for "Eugene Pierrot," Gwili found some of my writing on him and tracked me down. The connection between Elizabeth and Eugene is mainly one of family legend. However, there is enough circumstantial evidence to make me a believer. Specifically, I have the Slave Schedule from the 1860 Census, which lists the Pierrot family's eight slaves, by age and gender only [no names]. I have the 1870 Census, in which a black Pierrot family, with many people whose data matches the 1860 Slave Schedule, appears in Polk County, Texas, living next door to one of Eugene's sisters. Elizabeth and Adaline appear in this Census and also in the 1860 Schedule. Finally, I have Adaline as a married woman in the 1880 Census, where she states for the enumerator that she was born in Texas of a French-born father and an Alabama-born mother. This, I believe, is conclusive and I am supported in my conclusion by Tony Hoskins. Setting aside the sensationalism ["Thomas Jefferson in Sonoma County"], we have living descendants of Eugene Pierrot, something I never expected to find. One of Gwili's cousins, Gwen, also a great-great-granddaughter of Eugene Pierrot, lives in southern California and will be available to attend the ceremony when I present the completed Sonoma County Hospital painting to the county at a Board of Supervisors meeting, perhaps this fall or winter. To go from a dirty painting and an illegible signature to a restored artwork, an individual history, and living descendants in two years is quite impressive, if I do say so myself |
|
Copyright © 2010 - Sonoma County Historical Society
|