1. RESTORE HONOR
For Immediate Release:
October 26, 2012
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On Sunday, November 11 , our nation celebrates a federal holiday-Veteran’s Day. Please join us as we
hold a flag raising ceremony at 11:00am at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Ventura.
Private Charles H. Townsend unmarked grave.
RESTORE HONOR
St. Mary's Cemetery has a story to tell, approximately 3,000 of them. The physical remains of our
ancestors lie in their original burial grounds without their grave markers. Spoiled by the City of Ventura,
families are demanding their rightful heritage of their ancestors graves be returned.
Our cemeteries are part of our human history, they are our American heritage. We have a responsibility to
protect our dead and honor their lives. From their efforts each of us have benefited from the rich culture
of the American way of life.
Our American cemeteries are great avenues for genealogists and future generations to become
reconnected. These desecrated graves of our nation’s military veteran’s will be honored by their surviving
family members and friends. 72 individual plots including a Medal of Honor Recipient and California
pioneer families will host an American flag marking their final resting place.
We are honored to have 72 American heroes buried here. They have offered their lives in service to our
Republics constitution and Bill of Rights. Our St. Mary’s Cemetery honored veterans include soldiers from
the Mexican American War, the American Civil War, Medal of Honor (MoH) recipient from the Indian
Wars, the Spanish American War and World War One. Shamefully, we have at least one Veteran of the
world renown Native California Cavalry buried beneath the now demolished Recreation Centers parking
lot. His grave will be marked in the parking lot and his life and service to our country will be memorialized.
Presently only the grave of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Private James Sumner is
permanently marked. When you visit the cemetery there are still many headstones lying at the gravesites
of our California ancestors.
History
The cemetery was converted to a park in the mid-1960s, and the remains of approximately 3,000 people
were left underneath the lush grass. The city of Ventura’s removal of approximately 600 bought-and-paid-
for grave markers and headstones of pioneer families and war heroes laid to rest in what is now officially
referred to as Cemetery Memorial Park, and to a few, 'Dog Park'.
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2. About
Historical preservationist Steven Schleder founded the Restore St. Mary's Cemetery movement. Mr.
Schleder has researched the history of the cemetery desecration, the subsequent mis-treatment of the
surrounding grounds and graves. He has established a web site disseminating information about the
restoration project.
Cabinet Card: Le Fevre Webster, Civil War veteran, in GAR uniform.
Courtesy Simi Valley Historical Society
FAMILIES
“On October 20th, 2012 over 30 descendants of Rafael Lopez, builder of the Lopez Adobe in Ojai
gathered for an evening of food and family. In the past year nearly 100 descendants of Rafael Lopez
have been reunited. We, The Lopez family, at this point have well over 100 family members buried at St.
Mary's Cemetery in Ventura, CA.” - Robin Robert Bolin-Perkins
“My fifth generation grandfather is Jose Joaquin Moraga who was second in command of the Anza
expedition in 1776 from Sonora to Northern California. Moraga was responsible for finding locations for
the San Francisco Presidio and Mission Delores. He served as comandante of the San Francisco
Presidio. He is buried in front of the altar at Mission Delores. His son was explorer Gabriel Moraga, who
eventually served as comandante of the Santa Barbara Presidio. Gabriel Moraga extensively explored
Northern California and was responsible for the naming of such rivers as the Sacramento, the Merced,
the San Joaquin and place names such as Calaveras. He is said to be buried in Santa Barbara. One of
his sons, Joaquin, received a land grant to the east of Oakland, which would eventually become the Town
of Moraga. His other sons ventured southward to take care of their own land grants. Vicente Moraga
would eventually receive a 26,000-acre land grant (Rancho Pauba) near present-day Temecula, which
has a street named after him. Jose Benjamin Moraga owned farm land in La Cañada Larga region north
of Ventura. Jose Benjamin’s sons, Miguel, Benjamin Adelfino Moraga and Jesus Luis Moraga, all lived in
Ventura and that family line continues to this day. Which is me and all my relatives living here in Ventura
county. Sadly my 2nd great grandfather Miguel Moraga is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery/ Cemetery Park/
Dog Park. Where, to this day, dogs are allowed to poop on his grave. This makes me sick to my
stomach.” WOULD THE CITY OF VENTURA PLEASE BAN DOGS FROM ST. MARY'S CEMETERY!!!!
-Lizzie Freiberg Plowman
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3. Return their Tombstones to the Rightful Resting Place
The Foster twins lived 14 months, both passing in 1889, within two days from each other. You can
imagine the grief their parents felt. When the Cemetery was desecrated, along with the twins graves, by
the City of Ventura, their beautiful marble grave marker was salvaged and set to Ivy Memorial Cemetery,
but is placed not on anyone's grave. Isn't it past time to return their marker to their graves?
The Fosters gave us so much of our town today, the Fairgrounds, the Library, the Schools, yet their
children's graves go unmarked beneath a common dog park!
Please visit Restore St. Mary’s for additional historical records and information:
http://www.restorestmarys.org/
Restore Honor Youtube Memorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw7eDtBImDs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
St. Mary’s Cemetery Location
N 34° 16.931 W 119° 16.815
11S E 290102 N 3795797
Find A Grave – Looking for your ancestors at St. Mary’s Cemetery?
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GScid=868223
Civil War Veterans at San Buenaventura
http://www.restorestmarys.org/Civil%20War%20Vets.html
St. Mary’s is a non-profit corporation
Please visit our Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/RestoreStMarys/?fref=ts
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