Q & A with The Wandering Graveyard Rabbit: An Interview with Dayna Chalif

Dayna Chalif is a family history researcher and volunteer, well known for her efforts and contributions within San Mateo County. She has been invaluable to many family researchers due to her tombstone photography and cemetery transcriptions. Dayna has been a resident of Half Moon Bay (HMB) for 7 years. Aside from her genealogy work, Dayna is a licensed marriage and family therapist (again, showing just how much she adores helping others), mother of two and wife of 14 years. I was lucky enough to get Dayna to take some time out of her schedule during this holiday season to be interviewed for the Wandering Graveyard Rabbit.

I just want to start off this interview by sort of telling you some news that you/your acts of genealogy kindness is responsible for… Maybe 5 yrs ago you took a tombstone picture for me of a Joaquin Muniz born in the 1800's- at the time I could not place him but I knew for fact he was a relation based on his parents surnames (Beauchamp y Muniz and Gusman). I held on to that photo for years. Eventually I was contacted by Joaquin’s GG Granddaughter because she saw that photo on my blog! Asit turns out, Juaquin is my 2nd Great Grand Uncle. This puzzle piece would never have been properly placed if it were not for you Dayna.

Thanks so much for sharing this story with me. I love it when things like this happen! I've certainly hit my own brick walls over the years, so it's always nice to hear that something I did helped someone break through theirs. I love it when someone sends me an email saying thanks for my cemetery transcriptions and telling me how my work helped them, it just makes my day.

Q: I have said this before to you a million times: your work is a blessing to so many San Mateo County families researching their ancestry. You have done a lot of cemetery transcription, photography and volunteer work in general. How did you get started and why?
A: I come by my interest in genealogy and history from my dad, who (for fun) once made a gigantic family tree of US presidents. ( : When I moved to HMB, I was struck by the rich history of the town. Many descendants of the original families that settled here in the 1800s are still here. I've always been attracted to old cemeteries, because so much about the history of a town can be learned just by wandering around and reading the gravestones. I transcribed the old cemeteries in HMB as a favor to my fellow genealogists, none of whom I knew at the time. I've been helped countless times with my own family research by the kindness of strangers all over the world. I like to "pay it forward" and help others where I can.

Q: How many cemeteries are actually in Half Moon Bay?
A: There are 4 cemeteries in HMB: Pilarcitos and Oddfellows (IOOF) you can see as you drive into town on Highway 92, Our Lady of the Pillar is in a quiet little nook downtown, and Purissima, which is just south of town. It should be said, however, that when burials began at Purissima, it was not a part of HMB. Purissima was it's own little town, that has since disappeared and the land itself has become a part of HMB.

Q: What is the oldest cemetery in Half Moon Bay? What is the earliest burial you have found?
A: I think it'd be a tie between Pilarcitos and Purissima. I found a broken stone for a French immigrant in the IOOF Cemetery from 1861, which I think is the oldest. I do wonder if the stone was brought from Pilarcitos Cemetery (which is just next door), because the IOOF burials are generally later than that.

Q: Are you ever surprised by information you find about abandoned cemeteries in HMB or their interns?
A: What surprises me the most is the sad condition of the older cemeteries. So many of the pioneers and founders of our town were laid to rest here and I just think they deserve more respect than to be in cemeteries that are in such bad shape.

Q: In 2005, you transcribed the existing gravestones in the “forgotten” Purissima Cemetery- can you tell how this came about?
A: I remember reading a book about the history of HMB and it mentioned the cemetery, which I'd never seen or heard of. This, of course, peaked my interest and I asked around town and eventually found out where it was located. The interesting thing is, that I'd driven by it many times, and because of the overgrowth of plants, I had no idea there was a cemetery there.

Q: Can you tell me your theories as to why Purissima became a ghost town?
A: Books I've read say that a few things led to the downfall of Purissima. The logging industry began to slide, HMB (then called Spanishtown) grew into a larger town and was easier to reach, and a number of influential community leaders died in a few years time.

Q: Who/when was the first and last burial at Purissima?
A: The last one was more recent than you'd imagine, Elizabeth Bower Young in 2001. I believe it is probably cremains, due to the difficulty in getting a coffin into the cemetery, but I don't know the story behind it. Before Ms. Young, the last burial was in the 1950s. This gravestone is one that tells a good story. Ms. Young, who lived to be 80 years old, has a standard military marker, which tells us that she was a Lieutenant, Junior Grade in the Navy during WWII. Can you imagine the stories she could have told? In addition, she's buried next to a woman named Gertrude Pitcher Young. I did a little research and found out that Gertrude was Elizabeth's mother-in-law, and Elizabeth's husband (Gertrude's son) is buried elsewhere. So these two women must have had a special relationship for someone to take the trouble to come into this cemetery years after it was abandoned so that they could be buried together.

Q: I have to ask… what do you make of all the “haunted” Purissima cemetery stories? I have read a lot about paranormal groups who visit and swear it is haunted. I work on a supposedly haunted Naval ship myself (the USS Hornet) during the weekend and these stories are always intriguing to me.
A: I have corresponded with some of these folks as well, very interesting stuff! I've been in other cemeteries and definitely felt strong negative, scary or what some might call haunted energy. But Purissima is, to me, one of the most beautiful and serene cemeteries I've ever been in. I've never felt any "haunted" energy there, but that's just me.

Q: One of the many things about Purissima (which I noticed from your transcriptions) is the amount of German immigrants interned there. This was surprising because HMB is usually associated with Spanish immigrants. Do you have anything to add in regards to European settlers in HMB?
A: If you walk all of the cemeteries in HMB, you'll find all kinds of immigrants: French, Irish, German, Portuguese, in addition to the Spanish. Like most of the US, I guess that early HMB was a melting pot of immigrants. The Portuguese community continues to be strong in HMB, we even have the oldest Holy Ghost (Chamarita) festival in the US, and it's so much fun to watch the parade with the little girls all dressed up.

Q: Do you have any other “little known” facts of HMB and its early residents?
A: What we know as downtown HMB today used to be mostly a residential section of town. The fire house, which is now located at the end of Main Street, on the south end of town, used to be right across from Cunha's Country Store at Kelly & Main. You can wander around downtown and see many of the original bulidings and homes. Robert Knapp, who is buried at the IOOF cemetery, invented the side-hill plow, which was an important innovation for farming in HMB. And I love the story of James and Petra Johnston, whose beautiful home has been restored and sits on a hill at the south end of town. She was 19 when they married and only 27 when she died in 1861. I like to think of her, a young mother and wife, opening the door of her house and looking out at the wide ocean, much the same as I do today.

Q: Half Moon Bay is rich with interesting history. My own family journey began in Puerto Rico to Hawaii and then settled in Half Moon Bay/Pescadero/San Gregorio. Can you tell us a little about your family journey and how they ended up in HMB?
A: I'm originally from Los Angeles. When my husband and I moved to the Bay Area, we first settled in San Mateo, but we'd come over to HMB all the time to fantasize about living here. After a few years, we found a perfect little place in HMB and the rest is history! I absolutely love this town.

Q: Outside of your HMB research, I know you are an avid genealogist. What is your personal ancestry? Where does it begin?
A: My family came to the US from Ukraine, Poland and Belarus in the early 1900s to escape the terrible persecution of Jews that had been going on for centuries in Eastern Europe. They settled in Boston, New York, Pittsburgh and other east coast cities, and my parents eventually made their way to California.

Q: Is there anything or one you personally are researching and hit a brick wall with? Maybe someone one of us can do some searching for you and return the favor!
A: Unfortunately, I hit a lot of brick walls with my European research, so much of the paper trail was destroyed in the war and Jewish immigrants were notorious for changing their surnames to something "more American," so many of the original surnames are lost. My Lemelman family from Golshany, Belarus is my "holy grail." But I think I need to make a trip out there to actually get anywhere. However, there must certainly be Lemelmans here in the US, although I've tried to make connections, I've not been able to.

Good luck to you Dayna in all of your genealogy endevors! Your work is much appriciated!
Interview with Dayna by Dolores Antolin y Muniz, aka the Wandering Graveyard Rabbit

The Tombstone that Talks: A families Ancestral Journey and Questions Answered upon the discovery of a 300 year old grave in Virginia

John “The Immigrant” Lewis was born 1591 Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales to Lewis Ap Richard (Lewis Prichard) and Catherine Morgan. John and his family set sail to Virginia in 1653, settling in Poropotank Creek. He is one of the very earliest settlers in Virginia, and his tombstone is speculated to be the oldest in the area.

For hundreds of years the Lewis family/line of Virginia and Kentucky speculated of their roots, in constant discovery of their progenitor. While there have been numerous books and publications written on this particular line (because of their early pioneering and later connection to Warner Hall), there was no 100% for certain proof to trace John “The Immigrant” backwards into the proper Lewis family. Until his grave was accidentally “discovered” by Dr Malcolm Harris in 1948 that is!

The Tombstone spoke volumes on a variety of levels- it tells of Johns Status, his heraldry, and gives precise dates in order for his descendants to be sure they match “their” John to the proper John Lewis in Wales (Wow, what a task that would be without dates or his parents names!)...One particular detail I find intriguing (out of many) is that John Lewis is buried with an incredibly detailed footstone- very unusual for its time. Not to mention it is phenomenal shape considering its age with no one to look after it. It is also quite interesting in the sense that the soil here is so sandy; no local stones would have been suitable and therefore this had to be ordered from England which took time and money. Gravestones were uncommon in tidewater Virginia in that era, only the wealthiest had them.

Of course the most exciting part of this for the Graveyard Rabbit is that this is the oldest known tombstone in King and Queen County VA and it’s got a great anagram on it; for the family, the inscription of their coat of arms was the key to unlocking their ancestry. The Quartering of the Coat of Arms revealed that their family was of Lewis of Rhys Goch, Howell, Prince of Caerlleon (son of Rhys Goch), a Gemilling married Jenet, daughter of Sir Howel of Caerlleon. And A Grant of Arms was given to him in the eleventh century to use this arms, 3rd quartering is “Argent three Chevronels Gules“. Coat of the de Turberville family of Crickhowell in Brecon, and another quartering shows “Azure three plates“. Fourth position is for the wife, so this was the shield of Johanna Lewis of the family Lewis of Llanddewi Rhydderch acquired by intermarriage with an heiress of the de Trevely family of that parish. These Arms were borne by Sir Walter de Trevely who came into Wales with the Norman Conqueror, Bernard de Newmarsh. And last but not least a Lewis motto (which appears to be added by John The Immigrant to leave his own mark for his descendants– “Omne Solum Forti Patria Est” – “Every Land is Home to a Brave Man”.
What an amazing story!!!

“Here lieth interred the body of John Lewis (borne in Munmoth shire) died the 21^st of August 1657 aged 63 years. The anagram of his name: I shew no ill”.

Unfortunately I cannot recall who emailed me these photos- if you are out there please let me know so I can properly credit you.

The Oldest Jewish Cemetery in Europe: Josefov Prague Old Town Cemetery

Josefov was Prague's Jewish ghetto and it holds the one of the (if not the most) breathtaking “speak without words” cemeteries in all of the world. In the Old Jewish Cemetery in Josefov, there are more than 100,000 burials (graves being layered 12 deep in some places) with approximately 12,000 tombstones of all shapes and sizes, crowded closely together. This cemetery was used from 1439 to 1787, though never intended to hold so many Josefov residents; the amount, small space and natural age wear and tear are why at first glance one might get the impression this cemetery is forgotten and neglected. But this is far from the case- it is one of the most beloved places on earth. [The Nazis made it a policy to destroy all Jewish cemeteries, but Hitler ordered that this cemetery be left intact because he planned to build a Jewish museum in Prague after all the Jews in Europe had been exterminated]

The oldest grave in the old Jewish cemetery in Prague is that of rabbi, poet and physician Avigdor Kara, who died in 1439. Kara was one of the few survivors of a pogrom at Easter time in 1389 when approximately 3,000 Jews, almost the entire Jewish population in Prague, were killed by the Christians living in the city, after local Catholic priests accused the Jews of desecrating the Host used in the sacrament of Holy Communion (His original tombstone was recently replaced by a replica). There are also hundreds of unique and elaborate tombstones with inscriptions in Hebrew, detailing the lives of the more prominent Jews buried here. Many well-known Jews are buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery, most famous being Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, legendary creator of the golem, Jewish version of Frankenstein. There of course are thousands of simple, tombstones which to me, are just as beautiful as the ornate ones.

Head(stone) Scratcher of the Month: Headstone Humor

Bonaventure Cemetery

Bonaventure Cemetery is a public cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah, Georgia. The cemetery became famous when it was featured in the 1994 novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, and in the movie (and later movie. The entrance to the cemetery is located at 330 Bonaventure Road.

Bonaventure Cemetery is located on the site of a plantation originally owned by John Mullryne. In 1846 the 600-acre Bonaventure Plantation and its private cemetery were sold to the Wiltberger family. In 1867 John Muir began his Thousand Mile Walk to Florida and the Gulf. In October he sojourned for six days and nights in the Bonaventure cemetery, sleeping upon graves overnight, this being the safest and cheapest accommodation that he could find while he waited for money to be expressed from home. He found the cemetery even then breathtakingly beautiful and inspiring and wrote a lengthy chapter upon it, "Camping in the Tombs." In 1907 the cemetery was purchased by the City of Savannah, making the cemetery public and changing the name to Bonaventure Cemetery.It is now the largest of the city's municipal cemeteries, containing nearly 160 acres.

The peaceful setting rests on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah. This charming site has been a world famous tourist destination for more than 150 years due to the old tree-lined roadways, the many notable persons interred, the unique cemetery sculpture and architecture, and the folklore associated with the site and the people.

Head(stone) Scratcher of the Month: Headstone Humor

These are the headstones of Robert Muniz y Rivera and his wife Bertha Babtista y Martinez, located at Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery in Half Moon Bay. Robert was born to Joaquín Muñiz y Beauchamp [see past blog here] and Mary Jane Rivera y Rodriguez of Puerto Rico. While this particular family line endured a myriad of hardships, being part of the many Puerto Ricans who were forced to leave their beloved Puerto Rico for plantation live in the sugar cane fileds of Hawaii, eventually ending up in Half Moon Bay, it is wonderful to see perseverance in the face of humor.

Burying Point Cemetery, Salem Mass.

From June through September of 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were carted to Gallows Hill, a barren slope near Salem Village, for hanging. Another man of over eighty years was pressed to death under heavy stones for refusing to submit to a trial on witchcraft charges. Hundreds of others faced accusations of witchcraft; dozens languished in jail for months without trials until the hysteria that swept through Puritan Massachusetts subsided. Many of those accused are interned at Burying Point Cemetery, MA.

The Burying Point Cemetery, also known as the Charter Street Cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Salem and the second oldest cemetery in the country. It was started in 1637. While Burying Point is known as the cemetery which interns many of those who were accused of witchery and put to death in 1692, I don’t believe all (if any) of the bodies are actually buried here as history tells those charged with the crime of witchcraft were not allowed Christian burials (thrown to the side) and it was illegal for the family to remove a body from Gallows Hill following a hanging. However, Burying Point houses memorials to these historical figures commemorated by 20 benches, one for each of the victims actively put to death (not counting those who died in prison) in 1692- Rebecca Nurse, Bridget Bishop, Martha Carrier, Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Sarah Good, Susanna Martin, Mary Parker, Ann Pudeator, Margaret Scott , Sarah Wildes, Elizabeth Howe, Alice Parker, John Proctor, George Buroughs, George Jacobs, Samuel Wardell, and John Willard were all Hanged, and Giles Corey was “pressed” to death. Burying Point also interns Ann Putnam (Oct. 16, 1679-1716), the so-called leader of the "circle girls," the young girls whose accusations sparked the Salem Witch Trials who testified against the majority of convicted witches, is buried here next to her mother and father. Also interned are prominent Judges of the trials, John Hawthorne, Samuel Sewall, Cotton Mather and Increase Mather.

[see my blog on Rebbecca Nurse Graveyard]

Abandoned Cemetery: Purissima in Half Moon Bay

The town of Purissima was founded around 1860 and is located four miles south of Half Moon Bay. On September 15, 1868, prominent resident John Purcell deeded some of his property to the citizens of Purissima for a burial ground and the Purissima Cemetery was created with free burials to be provided to Purissima residents… By the 1930’s, the town of Purissima was abandoned. Other than an old schoolhouse and a cemetery and creek tucked away in the brush, there is no evidence of activity in this nestled away forgotten city of San Mateo County. No one is 100% sure as to what lead up Purissima into ghost town status; it is theorized to be a mix of difficulty in farming (it was too far out of the way) and the majority of prominent citizens all passing away around the same time period.

This cemetery is extremely difficult to find. Parts of the cemetery offer beautiful ocean views but the cemetery has been swallowed up by weeds, trees and poison oak and snakes and therefore dangerous to navigate through. In recent years, Purissima has been the focus of much attention, particularly “ghost hunting” groups. Perhaps this has something to do with the tale of the cemetery's first interment, a boy (whose name is recorded only as Downing) who reportedly fell ill and was buried alive. According to legend boy was only unconscious; the boy's distraught father opened the grave to put his doubts to rest and was horrified to see his son had turned over. What a frightening tale, be it fact or fiction; between stories such as this and the look of old abandoned cemeteries in general, its easy to surmise what keeps these ghostly tales going.

The cemetery itself contains many burials, including family plots. Many headstones are detached from the base; some of them lay in large chunks near a grave, and others have entirely disappeared. Whether missing or broken headstones are the work of vandals, or possibly the work of family members who wanted to salvage them for safekeeping, is unclear. I have no idea why a historical society has yet to jump in and organize a clean up of this lovely forgotten piece of history; I was told Purissima is left alone on purpose to detract vandals from causing further damage.

Photograph Copyright © 2005, Dayna Chalif