Dia De Los Muertos: Cemetery Two

Dia de Los Muertos: Cemetery Number Two

Leaving the historical and tranquil landscape of Olivewood, Lauren and I headed for quite a different part of So. Cal., Inglewood.  Located in the South Bay section of Los Angeles, southwest of downtown, Inglewood Park Cemetery memorializes many generations of families, my maternal grandmother for one.

Inglewood Park Cemetery, a widely used cemetery for the entire region, was founded in 1905 and the city has been home to the Hollywood Park Racetrack since 1938.^[ Fosters Freeze, the first Soft Serve ice cream chain in California, was founded by George Foster in 1946 in Inglewood. Inglewood was named an All-America City by the National Civic League in 1989 and yet again recently in 2009 for its visible progress^.

 ^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inglewood,_California} 

When we were first married, my hubby and I sped down the freeway after work to enjoy the L.A. Kings the N.H.L. team at the Forum many times.  I also enjoyed many concerts there.  To my surprise, located directly across the street is this huge cemetery. 

This is where we found the information we needed.

Switching now to my mother’s mother (Grandma Greer) side of the family, here we hoped to located my Great Grandfather, William Twiggs, his brother and sister as well.  Over one hundred years old, Inglewood Park’s first internment was in 1906. Our first stop, the mausoleum, where we searched halls flanked and canopied by magnificent stained-glass. 

Mausoleum of the Golden West was built in the 1930s through the 1960s. With its stained-glass representations of early California, it remains one of the most beautiful mausoleums ever constructed. It was followed in the 1970s by Manchester Garden Mausoleum, a building containing a center Garden Chapel and four side chapels, as well as over two dozen sanctuaries and hallways at ground level and below.http://www.inglewoodparkcemetery.org/index.html

We found our Great great aunt, Venia Roberts and to our surprise, her daughter Aurelia as well. Don’t you love the names?

Venie was my Grandmother’s middle name; a nickname for Venia. My Grandmother disliked her name, thinking it silly; Inez Venie Twiggs. We don't think so.   Isn't she just adorable! 

Our Maternal grandmother, Inez V. Twiggs Greer

   

Once again, many beautiful, old above-the-ground headstones, and I captured a few with my camera.

Why do I seem to find the ministers?  This one served in the Civil War.

Finally, we located the brothers, my great grandfather William and his brother James.  Born in Tennessee, William worked as both a farmer and a barber. Because of my Great Grandmother Nancy Elizabeth’s health, in 1910 they moved from Missouri to a drier climate, locating in Portales, New Mexico. They had five children, all girls, including twins.  Great Grandmother Nancy Elizabeth died of “the consumption” when my Grandmother was nine. Moving to Albuquerque sometime in the 1920’s, Great grandfather William aspired to politics, nominated for a  delegate position in the Presidential election. He lost. Soon after that, he relocated again to California, and lived for awhile with my newly married grandmother and grandfather in Los Angeles. 

Standing at their grave markers, this is the view

That concludes this tour of Inglewood Park, with one more cemetery to cover in tomorrow’s blog. Allow me to share some scripture with you. 

Romans 8:10-11 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

Praise God!