Sacramento (Calif.) Old City Cemetery records, 1849-2021
Collection context
Summary
- Extent:
- 63.41 Linear Feet (34 boxes, several oversized folders, filing cabinets)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], [box and folder number], Sacramento (Calif.) Old City Cemetery records, CTY0049, Center for Sacramento History.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains original burial records and plot ownership records for Sacramento's Old City Cemetery, along with records that document the cemetery's management, maintenance, landscaping, and interpretation. Records date from 1849 to 2021 and were created and collected by the City of Sacramento and the Old City Cemetery Committee. The collection also contains indexes and other reference material created or collected by cemetery volunteers to aid the public in researching people buried at the cemetery; death records from several local funeral homes; and records from New Helvetia Cemetery that document burials, plot ownership, and reinterments when that cemetery closed. Records consist of papers, large bound volumes, maps, photographs, videos, microfilm, and microfiche.
In addition to these records, an online cemetery database/interactive map can be accessed at https://www.centerforsacramentohistory.org/collections-research/interactive-cemetery-map.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The City Cemetery is the official public cemetery of the City of Sacramento. Referred to today as the Old City Cemetery, it was established in late 1849 on an initial 10 acres of land granted from John Sutter just south of Y Street (on present-day Broadway) between 9th and 11th streets. It was laid out and opened in 1850. The City Cemetery was not the first cemetery in the city: New Helvetia Cemetery was established a year prior near Sutter's Fort at present-day Alhambra Boulevard and J Street.
The Old City Cemetery is a part of the City of Sacramento. City staff manages cemetery operations and planning, burials and burial records, archival records, and interpretive signage. The nonprofit volunteer organization Old City Cemetery Committee (OCCC) helps support the cemetery through fundraising for preservation and beautification projects, programming regular tours and events, and assisting with maintenance and landscaping. Maintenance and landscaping is also done by city staff, other volunteers, and Sacramento County Sheriff's work crews.
The OCCC previously played a greater role in management of the cemetery. It was formed in 1986 to restore and beautify the cemetery, which had fallen victim to vandalism. In addition to fundraising and landscaping, the OCCC maintained the cemetery's archival records at the cemetery, and provided reference services to the public and created interpretative exhibits. The archives of the cemetery were transferred to the City of Sacramento's official archival repository, the Center for Sacramento History, in the 1980s and early 2000s. The OCCC's involvement with landscaping was scaled back around 2015 when the city reorganized its volunteer program and implemented new landscaping and conservation guidelines. The OCCC continues to fundraise and manage a tour program and other events at the cemetery.
The cemetery is considered an outdoor museum and is noted for its park-like setting, picturesque landscaping, and ornate monuments and statuary. Landscaping includes the Historic Rose Garden, which contains heritage roses. An Adopt-a-Plot program has been in place that allowed the public to adopt and maintain plots.
Many founders of the city are buried at the City Cemetery, including John A. Sutter Jr., along with politicians, notable Sacramentans, and everyday people. There are several dedicated sections for veterans and various societies and organizations. The cemetery contains a large mass grave for victims of the 1850 cholera epidemic. It also contains reinterments from New Helvetia Cemetery after that cemetery closed in 1955.
Burials continue to take place at the cemetery, but only a few each year.
- Acquisition information:
-
The collection was transferred from the following City of Sacramento divisions from 1980-2025: Office of the City Attorney: accession 1980/071 City Cemetery: accessions 1987/086, 1988/012, 1994/017, 1995/052, 2000/065, 2004/039, 2006/040, 2017/025, 2018/018, 2018/026 History Division: accessions 1993/077, 2001/081, 2007/001, 2008/001, plus transfers from the files of History Division directors Jim Henley and Marcia Eymann
Items were also donated by Lois Dove (2016/011), the Old City Cemetery Committee (1992/089, 2016/013), Dr. Bob LaPerriere (1997/045), and Connie Bettencourt (2017/055).
- Processing information:
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Processed by Kim Hayden, 2025.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged into 10 series:
- Series 1. Burial and removal records, 1850-2021
- Series 2. Plot sales and maps, 1849-2011
- Series 3. Indexes and surveys, 1859-2020
- Series 4. Tours, programs, and interpretation, ca. 1990-2020
- Series 5. Cemetery maintenance and preservation, ca. 1985-2020
- Series 6. Administrative records, 1893-2020 (bulk 1994-2020)
- Series 7. Photographs, ca. 1980-2016
- Series 8. New Helvetia Cemetery records, 1850-2012 (bulk 1910-1956)
- Series 9. Sacramento funeral home records, 1850-1987
- Series 10. Reference materials, ca. 1850-2002
Series 1. Burial and removal records, 1850-2021. This series contains records of burials and removals at the Old City Cemetery, dating back to the cemetery's formation through 2021. The series is divided into two subseries:
Subseries 1.1, Burial records, contains registers that record daily burials, records of deaths, and burial permits. These date from 1850 to 2021.
Series 1.2. Excavations, removals, and administrative Records, contains records of removals, openings and closings of graves, exploratory excavations, burial fees and receipts, and burial instructions. These date from circa 1950 to 2019. Series 2 also contains removal records.
Series 2. Plot sales and maps, 1849-2011. This series is made up of records of plot ownership, including deeds, quit claim deeds, and deed indexes; registers of plot owners and sales; plot maps, cemetery maps; maps of specific areas of the cemetery; records of plot transfers, reservations, and removals (Series 1 also contains removal records); vault dues; plot ownership disputes; plots declared abandoned; and correspondence related to plots and burials.
Series 3. Indexes and surveys, 1859-2020. This series consists of indexes of cemetery and county records that were created by Old City Cemetery Committee volunteers and other volunteers to help locate people buried at the cemetery, buried in specific sections of the cemetery, and plot ownership; surveys of the cemetery's headstones; an index of Chinese burials; lists of gravestones by material or with signatures; indexes to Masonic Lawn and Odd Fellows Lawn burials; and records related to the creation of an online cemetery database and interactive map. The online cemetery database/interactive map can be accessed at https://www.centerforsacramentohistory.org/collections-research/interactive-cemetery-map.
Series 4. Tours, programs, and interpretation, ca. 1990-2020. This series documents interpretation and programming at the cemetery. It is divided into two subseries:
Subseries 4.1. Tours and programs, contains material from circa 1991 to 2023 related to the Old City Cemetery Committee's tour program. It includes tour research and development; biographies of people featured on tours; school tour binders, worksheets, and other information; docent guidelines; character and costume guides; tour scripts and schedules; brochures; and documents and videos related to OCCC volunteer, tour manager, and docent John Bettencourt and his work on the tour program.
Subseries 4.2. Interpretation, signs, and exhibits, consists of research, working files, and sign drafts from interpretive and wayfinding signage projects created by the City of Sacramento History Division; exhibit images and labels mounted on foam board created by the OCCC; an artistic rendering of the cemetery map by Joy Gee; and OCCC volunteer Virginia Marsh's collection of epitaphs from the cemetery's headstones. Material dates from circa 2010-2020.
Series 5. Cemetery maintenance and preservation, ca. 1985-2020. This series documents maintenance, landscaping, vandalism, and preservation work done at the cemetery. It includes records on maintenance and landscape work projects done by city staff, Old City Cemetery Committee members, Adopt-a-Plot volunteers, and the Sacramento County Sheriff's work crews. Projects documented include fencing and gates, conservation plans, bench and artifact inventories, headstone and plot restoration, gardens and landscapes, irrigation, and work on the Historic Rose Garden. Records also document vandalism, tombstone theft, and damage to cemetery property. Additionally, the series contains administrative records related to maintenance staffing, finances, and the Adopt-a-Plot, Adopt-a-Pioneer, and Sheriff's work crew programs
Series 6. Administrative records, 1893-2020 (bulk 1994-2020). This series contains records related to the management of the cemetery. It documents cemetery master plans; cemetery operations policies and guidelines; financial records; the volunteer program and volunteer projects; the Old City Cemetery Committee (OCCC) as an organization; City of Sacramento policies; the city's coordination with the OCCC and volunteers; staffing; and outreach.
Series 7. Photographs, ca. 1980-2016. This series consists of photographs of the cemetery, including landscaping, maintenance, and restoration work; tours and events; graffiti, vandalism, and other damage; headstones and monuments; volunteers; and general cemetery and garden views.
Series 8. New Helvetia Cemetery records, 1850-2012 (bulk 1910-1956). This series is made up of records documenting New Helvetia Cemetery burials and reinterments. New Helvetia Cemetery opened in 1850 and closed in 1955. It was located at the corner of Alhambra Boulevard and J Street, where Miwok Middle School is today. When the cemetery closed, bodies were reinterred at other cemeteries, including the Old City Cemetery and East Lawn. Records in this series document burials; plot ownership; and reinterments and the reinterment process. It also includes cemetery maps and indexes.
Series 9. Sacramento funeral home records, 1850-1987. This series contains death and funeral records from Clark, Booth, and Yardley, and N. G. Culjis funeral homes. Clark, Booth, and Yardley records date from 1850 to 1953 and include records from an earlier incarnation of the company, Wick and Clark. See collection MS0209 for additional Clark, Booth, and Yardley records. Culjis records date from 1938 to 1987.
Series 10. Reference materials, ca. 1850-2002. This series contains reference materials created and collected by cemetery staff and Old City Cemetery Committee volunteers to aid in historical research. It includes lists and histories of cemeteries in the area, lists of burials at other cemeteries, genealogical indexes and resources, and research guides.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open for research.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], [box and folder number], Sacramento (Calif.) Old City Cemetery records, CTY0049, Center for Sacramento History.
- Location of this collection:
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551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.Sacramento, CA 95811, US
- Contact:
- (916) 808-7072