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Pythian House Cemetery
Kenwood, Sonoma County, California

Lat: 38° 26' 38"N, Lon: 122° 34' 51"W

Contributed by Lori J Wicks, Apr 06, 2003 [highwayone01@yahoo.com].  Total records = 50.

To get to the cemetery go north on highway 12 through Kenwood, take a right on Pythian Rd. About 1/4 mile up across from the St. Francis Winery truck entrance you take a left. There is a sign saying not a through road and a there is a detour sign. Follow the road past the back of the old school building to the end of the road where there is a gate. To get to the cemetery, I had to walk through the gate, then through a second gate, neither was locked. Follow the dirt road. On the left side of the road is the cemetery.

The Pythian Cemetery is located or part of the original Los Guilucos Rancho land granted to John (Juan) Wilson by the then Governor of California, Juan Batista Alvarado on Nov 13, 1839. On Jan 20, 1924 the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias purshased the "Kearns Ranch", 111 acres, from George Proctor and Wallace L. Ware as the site for a Home for the Elderly of that Paternal Order. The home was established and provisions were also made for orphaned children.

The Fraternal Order began a small 2.5 acre cemetery for its deceased members. On Apr 17, 1943, the property was leased to the State of California. All of the remaining Pythian guests were moved out and on Oct 27, 1944, the State of Caliornia purchased 1,308 acres from the Knights of Pythias for $100,000.

The main part of the cemetery, which consists of 89 3.3' x 8' plots, is surrounded by a small fence and has been, blacktopped over. Many of the markers are small wood markers, some which are unreadable, others, were partly readable and I tried to deciphered if I could. The wood markers had no dates. The other markers are, bronz with dates. At each grave the blacktop has a "sinkhole". There are 3 stones, that I found outside the fenced, burial area. These are overgrown by berries.

I walked and transcribed this cemetery in Feb 2003.

- Lori J Wicks

Adams, Peter, no dates
Bassett, Ernest F., b. 1864, d. 1937
Carpenter, Frank B., b. 1865, d. 1932
Clark, Harry N., b. 1858, d. 1939
Coleman, Robert K., no dates
Covey, (Fra)nk, no dates
Crowder, George W., b. 1855, d. 1937
Daniels, R., no dates
Daughtery, Frank W., b. 1860, d. 1932
Davis, Frank ( ), no dates
Dean, John, no dates
Dillon, Henry, b. 1852, d. 1941
Evinger, George (T), no dates
Evinger, Oscar B., b. 1857, d. 1939
Fleming, Mary J., b. 1852, d. 1937
Foster, John W., b. 1855, d. 1932
Fullmore, Archie G., no dates
Gifford, Hiram I., no dates
Gifford, Hiram L., no dates
Green, Thomas C., b. 1861, d. 1932
Griffin, Tom M., no dates
Gulmer, William H., b. 1852, d. 1939
Hill, Amelia M., b. 1855, d. 1927
Hill, Franklin S., no dates
Hodgson, John P., b. 1862, d. 1939
Holzapfel, Samuel, b. 1856, d. 1940
Hutchinson, Wm. Henry, b. 1854, d. 1936
Insley, Frank A., b. 1851, d. 1933
Johan, Gustaf W., b. 1881, d. 1940
Jones, Thomas, b. 1854, d. 1930
Loomis, John R., b. 1888, d. 193( )
Ludington, Eva A., no dates
Ludington, James S., no dates
McGraham, Reed M., b. Jan 08, 1853, d. Oct 20, 1927
Mess(ie)r, James W., no dates
Morrow, Wm. B., b. Apr 24, 1863, d. Feb. 17, 1937
Mullaney, Mary Ann, b. Feb. 15, 1864, d. Dec. 20, 1927, Courage Hope Remembrance neighbors of woodcraft,
Oliver, Henry P., b. 1854, d. 1938
Plato, Isaac, b. 1854, d. 1930
Preston, Byron, no dates
R(eyno)lds, George R., no dates
Raymond, Vernon E., b. 1859, d. 1931
Russell, William P., no dates
Schaffer, Vivian L., b. 1875, d. 1938
Smith, John (W.), no dates
Sorensen, Ole N., b. 1865, d. 1927
Swanson, George, no dates
Watson, Willhelmin (E.), no dates
Westha(hn), Richard H., no dates
Westhorp, Henry R., b. 1866, d. 1937

Misc:
( )est, Mark, no dates
(?) am, Reed M., no dates
??, Fred, no dates
??, John (X), no dates
Cea( )e, no dates
D( )m, James, no dates
J( ) mine( ), Charles G., no dates
Scholfield, no dates