12 Graves of Christmas - "Sailor Jack" Twentyman

John “Sailor Jack” Twentyman, 1824-1901
An English Seaman in Arizona
 
Buried in Rosedale Cemetery, Block 12, Grave 6

(Stock image courtesy of MicroSoft Office Professional 2010 clipart)

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John Twentyman was born England in September, 1823. In his youth, he had been a sailor, landing in California just as the Gold Rush was beginning. Thereafter, he engaged in mining, ranching and driving a stagecoach. He was said to have discovered the Sailor Jack mine in Oregon.
 
Around 1876 he came to Phoenix, where he was employed by ranchers such as W. W. Cook, the Alkire brothers, and Jack Miller. During the 1890s, he appears to have moved to Prescott for a couple of years, for he registered to vote there.
 
In early November, 1900, Sailor Jack, then aged 76, was assaulted and robbed by two gunmen who held up Goddard’s Station on the Black Canyon road. This incident seems to have weighed upon his mind and he decided to move into a room in Phoenix. Jack was said to have been a kind-hearted soul; although he had no known relatives, he had many friends and acquaintances with whom to pass the time of day.
 
With advancing age came ill health. Despondent, Sailor Jack committed suicide on December 27, 1901. While at the Anheuser Saloon in Phoenix, he slipped out back for a moment to ingest a lethal dose of strychnine. He then reentered the saloon and sat calmly until a single convulsion signaled his demise. According to the coroner, a bottle of strychnine was found in his pocket but no money, although he was known to have had some the day before. Possibly he had given it away.
 
Mr. Twentyman was buried in Rosedale Cemetery, Block 12, Grave 6.
 
© 2023 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 25 March 2023.

​This December, we will commemorate 12 pioneers from our historic cemetery who passed away during this month. Through this countdown, we honor their contributions to our community, reflect on the challenges they faced, and remember the impact they had during their time. While some of their stories are somber, they are an important part of our history, reminding us of the resilience and humanity of those who came before us.

If you would like assistance researching our interred, you can find more information on our website. You can contact us at [email protected] at any time. Thank you for your interest to preserve the history of Arizona's pioneers!