 Magdalena Mendivil Donnelly, -1905 Rancher’s Wife Buried in Rosedale Cemetery, Northwest corner (Photo courtesy of the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc.) Maria Magdalena Mendivil was born sometime between 1832 and 1839 in Altar, Sonora, Mexico. She came north around 1857 with three of her brothers. While her brothers went on to Monterey, California, in search of work, Magdalena remained with family friends in Yuma. By the time the brothers returned, however, they found that Magdalena had moved in with George Kippen, an agent for a mining company, who was about twenty years older than her.
To date, no record of an actual marriage has been found. Very likely this was because George Kippen was already married to Jane A. Nichols of Fairfield County, Connecticut, by whom he had three children. Sometime after the birth of the third child, George left Connecticut for good. By 1852, he was working as a miner in California. The 1860 federal census of Colorado, San Diego County, California, shows George Kippen and Madalena Maldives [sic] living there in the same household, although not married. Their first son John was born 1860. John was quickly followed by a daughter, Delfina. Having had little success at mining, Kippen got a contract to haul supplies from California to the military outposts in Arizona. He was at Camp McDowell, working as a sutler’s clerk and pharmacist, when he died suddenly on 22 February 1868 and was buried in the post cemetery. Because Kippen was a civilian employee, his body was not transferred to the national cemetery in San Francisco when the post was decommissioned in 1891. His headstone can still be seen today at Fort McDowell. With Kippen dead, Magdalena was hard-pressed to support her children. By 1870 the family was living in the household of a Charles Foster in Arizona City, Yuma County, Arizona. They appear on the 1870 federal census under the surname “Kippin”. Around 1871, Magdalena met and married a wagon master, Frank “Owen” Donnelly, in Yuma, Arizona. Donnelly, an Irish Catholic, had been born around 1837 in the village of Tyme, County Cork, Ireland. Upon immigrating to the United States, he found few job opportunities for Irish immigrants. So, on 21 June 1859, Donnelly enlisted as a private in Battery F, 2nd U. S. Artillery, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and served until he was discharged on 2 May 1862. Frank “Owen” Donnelly and Magdalena’s first child, Amelia was born 12 April 1872 in Yuma. Isabelle “Lizzie” was born 7 April 1874, and Katherine “Kate” Inez was born 6 December 1878. The Donnellys eventually moved to a ranch near Florence, on the San Pedro River. By 1890, Frank Owen Donnelly was infirm and living in the Old Soldiers’ Home in Sawtelle, Los Angeles County, California. He died there on 21 September 1894 and was buried in the National Cemetery in Los Angeles. Magdalena received a widow’s pension based on his Civil War service. On the 1900 federal census, Magdalena was recorded living in Pinal County, Arizona, on the Donnelly ranch with her son John Kippen, daughter Kate Donnelly, and granddaughter Elsie Harrington. She died of pneumonia in Phoenix on 11 February 1905 and was buried in Rosedale Cemetery, Phoenix. ©2012 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 30 November 2013. 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!
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 Elena Redondo Garfias, 1862-1890 Wife of Marshal Henry Garfias Buried in City/Loosley Cemetery. There is no grave marker. (Photo from the archives of the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc.) Elena Redondo was born in 1862, probably on the family ranch outside of Yuma. She was one of eight children born to Piedad Contreras and Jose Maria Redondo.
She married Henry Garfias on April 13th, 1883, in Yuma, Arizona Territory. The newlyweds subsequently established their home in Phoenix. They had two children: Maria Claudina, born in 1884, and Emmanuel Henrico “Manuel Henry” in 1887. Elena died 22 March 1890, apparently due to complications from her third pregnancy. Elena’s husband, Henry Garfias, led a colorful and well-documented life in Phoenix. However, his wife's family history is also a notable record of Hispanic influence in the Arizona Territory; California; and Sonora, Mexico. The Redondo family's roots go back to Spain, but they had been in Sonora, Mexico, for several generations prior to Elena's father and other family members going to the gold fields of California in 1849. Jose Maria Redondo married Piedad Contreras in California and in 1859, they and their two children (with one more on the way), moved to Yuma, Arizona Territory, along with Piedad's extended family. They first established a home in Laguna outside of Yuma, where they ran a bakery and store in the mining community. Eventually, Jose acquired a very large ranch in Yuma called Hacienda de San Ysidro. He dammed the Gila River and used the water to irrigate vineyards, orchards, and fields of grain and vegetables as well as growing fodder for cattle, horses and sheep. He was the first grower of lettuce in Yuma County. He had mining interests as well and served in the Arizona Territorial Legislature, where he was instrumental in getting the Territorial Prison located in Yuma. Elena's brother, Jose “Joe” Redondo, ran the first Hispanic newspaper in Phoenix, El Progresso. Although there is little information about Elena after her marriage, Henry Garfias' status in Phoenix must have meant they were socially active in both the Hispanic and white communities. Elena is buried in the City/Loosley Cemetery at the Pioneer Military and Memorial Park in Phoenix, Arizona. © 2018 by Susan Wilcox. Last revised 28 October 2018. 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!  Dr. Joshua A. Miller Jr., 1846-1901 Superintendent of the Insane Asylum Originally buried in Rosedale Cemetery; moved to Greenwood 1920 (Generic image created using Bing AI) Joshua Abston Miller, Jr., was born in Macon County, Missouri, on May 5, 1846. His parents were Joshua A. Miller, Sr., and Nancy Jane Turner.
Joshua attended high school on the other side of the Missouri River in Brownville, Nebraska, with the intention of becoming a physician. Under the tutelage of Dr. William Arnold, he applied for and was admitted to the University of Michigan medical school in 1868. While a medical student in Michigan, Miller met and married Mary Crampton on September 21, 1869. Upon graduation in 1872, Miller opened a practice in Michigan. In 1879, Miller traveled to New York to gain additional experience at Belleview Hospital. He then moved his family to Kansas City in 1882, where he helped establish a medical school at the University of Kansas City. He was for six years the head of orthopedic surgery there. Perhaps the deaths of two of their young children had strained Joshua’s and Mary’s marriage to the breaking point. At any rate, she does not appear to have accompanied Miller when he moved to Prescott, Arizona, in 1888. On December 16, 1890, Miller married his second wife, Minnie Hume, in Prescott. In 1892, Gov. N. O. Murphy appointed Miller superintendent of the territorial insane asylum in Phoenix. When Miller assumed his position, there were 87 inmates, some of whom had originally been sent to asylums in California. Having them back in Phoenix made it possible for family members to visit and see that they were properly cared for. It appears that Miller took his responsibilities seriously. He had the asylum grounds landscaped with trees and walkways. His wife Minnie, who was a nurse, served as matron. In 1898, Gov. Murphy again appointed Dr. Miller to take over management of the insane asylum from outgoing superintendent Dr. Hamblin. This time, there were 177 patients. One of Miller’s accomplishments was to help found the Maricopa County Medical Society so that the 12 to 14 medical practitioners in the Salt River Valley could meet regularly to discuss new developments in their profession. Scientific curiosity led to Miller’s interest in prehistoric societies of the American Southwest. In 1895, he was elected president of the Arizona Antiquarian Society, and in 1901 he conducted the first excavation of Pueblo Grande, a prehistoric site east of Phoenix. Dr. Miller was on his way to New Mexico on Saturday, July 19, 1901, to observe the annual Hopi snake dance at Walpi when he fell ill and had to get off the train at Flagstaff. Taken to a hospital there, he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He died on the evening of July 22nd. His body was returned to Phoenix for burial in Rosedale Cemetery. © 2024 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 12 August 2024. 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!  Dr. Edward Nathan Gerard, 1834-1904 Physician and surgeon Originally buried in Rosedale Cemetery; moved to Greenwood Cemetery (Photograph attached to Gerard’s Find A Grave memorial, #50912700) Edward Nathan Gerard was born in Rensselaer, Ralls County, Missouri, in 1834. He was the youngest child of William Gerard and his second wife, Elizabeth Ann Ayres. The Gerards had moved to Missouri around 1814. By 1850, William was a successful farmer, with an estate reportedly worth about $3000. He went on to be elected to the Missouri State Legislature.
On June 18, 1857, Edward married Priscilla Drane in Marion, Missouri. Determined to go into the medical profession, Edward studied first with Dr. J. B. Hayes, a local physician. Then he moved to Keokuk, Iowa, to study at the University of Iowa Medical School. His wife Priscilla seems to have remained in Rensselaer, as their three oldest children were all born in Missouri. After Edward graduated in 1861, the Gerards settled on a farm near Monroe City, Missouri. To date, no evidence has been found of Edward serving during the Civil War. In June, 1864, the Gerards moved to the town of Shelbina, where Dr. Gerard opened an office. He took Dr. Jacob D. Smith into his practice in 1873, a partnership that lasted until 1876. Gerard was said to be an able surgeon, and he was active in local medical societies. Dr. Gerard practiced medicine in Missouri until 1895. Then, their children grown, the Gerards moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where Gerard continued to see patients at his office on Washington Street, in the Irvine Block. In 1900, Dr. Gerard returned to Missouri and brought back with him his son William Wilson Gerard, a schoolmaster who had contracted tuberculosis. At this point, the Gerard family relocated to Mesa. Unfortunately, William did not recover; he died on November 9, 1903, and was buried in Rosedale Cemetery. Dr. Gerard’s health was deteriorating, too. He died in Mesa of chronic cystitis on March 18, 1904. The funeral took place at Trinity Episcopal Church in Phoenix, followed by interment in the family plot in Rosedale. After Gerard’s widow Priscilla died February 20, 1913, in Oakland, California, her remains were brought back to Phoenix for burial. In 1920, family members had all three burials removed to Greenwood Cemetery. © 2024 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 2 August 2024. 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!  Dr. Carl P. Wormser, 1856-1903 Iowa Physician Buried in Rosedale Cemetery, North Section (Photo courtesy of Pioneers' Cemetery Association) When Michael Wormser died in 1898, he was the largest landowner in Phoenix, Arizona, with 7,435 acres. It was speculated that he had a poverty-stricken childhood, and this experience may have carried over into his adult life.
Wormser was born on June 27, 1827, in Mittelbronn in the Alsace-Lorraine (now Moselle) region of France. He came to the United States in 1850 to join his cousin Benjamin Block in San Luis Obispo, California. After Block’s livery stable failed, Wormser moved to Arizona and went into business for himself. In 1864, he opened the first general store in Prescott in an adobe building near the corner of Goodwin and Montezuma Streets. In 1873, Wormser acquired a store in Phoenix. However, he lost it in 1876 when the price of grain dropped suddenly and his customers’ outstanding bills became uncollectable. Having acquired some land along the San Francisco Canal, Wormser had to resort to farming. From his unsold store inventory, Wormser advanced seed, tools and provisions to his Hispanic neighbors along the canal. He also encouraged them to gain legal title to their land. Once they owned the land, it could be used as collateral to buy more supplies from “Don Miguel” as they called him. It was also speculated that this arrangement may have taken advantage of his neighbors’ who spoke Spanish to get hold of their land, as they often did not understand the contracts they had signed. When they fell behind on their payments and eviction notices were served, they had no legal recourse. In this way, Wormer managed to acquire ownership or control of about 9,000 acres of irrigable farmland along the Salt River in south Phoenix. Wormer widened the San Francisco Canal and experimented with growing sugar beets. As a major landowner, he was elected in November 1880 to a four-year term on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. 1892 was the year of the Great Flood on the Salt River. Since Wormser’s irrigation ditches had been washed out, he became a plaintiff in a landmark Arizona water case, Michael Wormsor et al. versus the Salt River Valley Canal Company, et al. The case resulted in the Kibbey Decision which established the principle in Arizona that water belonged to the land and that early users of water had priority over later users. The verdict was a victory for Wormser, as he was one of the “early users.” Wormser died on April 25, 1898, and was initially buried in one of the city cemeteries, probably Loosley. Charles Goldman, his executor, eventually valued his estate at $221,396, a considerable sum for 1900. Since Wormser had intended to donate land for a Jewish cemetery, Goldman set aside a parcel at 35th Avenue and Jackson for that purpose. Beth Israel Memorial Cemetery opened in 1903, whereupon Wormser’s body was exhumed and moved there. The cemetery is still active today. © 2017 by Patty Gault. Last revised 27 September 2024. 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!  Dr. Scott Helm, 1862-1897 First Surgeon-General of the Arizona Territory Buried in Porter Cemetery, Block 12 Photo from Arizona Memory Project A native of Kentucky, Dr. Helm was a graduate of Princeton College, Rush Medical College in Chicago and Heidelberg University in Germany. He was undoubtedly one of the best educated and respected physicians in Arizona. In 1891, he joined the National Guard of Arizona and was appointed surgeon-general, serving in that post for six years. During that time, he tirelessly promoted Arizona in medical journals as an ideal destination for sufferers of tuberculosis, arthritis and other ailments. He was also an active member of several fraternal organizations.
In 1889, he met Miss Norma Jackson, a Southern belle who had come to Arizona for her health. They were married 12 February 1890. Unfortunately, even his expert ministrations could not cure Norma, for she died on 30 April 1891 at the age of 28. In July 1891, Dr. Helm was accused by two other physicians of having performed an abortion on Alice White, granddaughter of Ira Stroud of Phoenix. The case went to trial and, in March 1892, Dr. Helm was acquitted of any wrongdoing. Later in 1892, Dr. Helm married Miss Jane Beeler. Helm loved horses, but he told friends that he would probably meet his death in a horse-related accident. His premonition came true on 8 October 1897. He was at the train station in downtown Phoenix when his fractious horse, Montrose, reared and fell, throwing Dr. Helm to the pavement. Dr. Helm died two hours later of intracranial bleeding. An impressive obelisk of polished red granite marks his grave, which is on the walking tour of Porter Cemetery. © 2012 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 11/17/2012. 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!  Nathaniel “Nathan” Sears, 1810-1885 Farmer and Stock raiser Buried in City Loosley Cemetery, exact location unknown (Generic image created using Bing AI) Nathaniel Sears, or Nathan as he was usually known, was born about 1810 in Kentucky. His parents were Jesse Sears and Margaret Ellen Cox. Nathan’s paternal grandfather, John Lewis Sears, Sr., was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and had acquired bounty land there.
On April 16, 1830, Nathan married Nancy Mills in Pulaski County, Kentucky. Their first two sons, Jesse and Thompson, were born there. However, around 1835, the Sears family removed to Missouri, where Nathan and Nancy had five more sons in quick succession. The 1850 census of Missouri records them as small farmers. By 1860, the Sears family was living in West Point, Bates County, Missouri, and Nathan was running a grocery store. Sons Eli, Winfrey, and Alexander were still in the household, but the older boys were married and gone. At least three of the Sears sons fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, although it is not known whether they served in regular regiments or as irregulars. At any rate, they all left Missouri after the war. 1870 found Nathan and Nancy farming near Anaheim, California. Five of their sons--Thompson, James, Eli, Winfrey, and Alexander--were also farming nearby. Surprisingly, Nathan and Nancy’s household included two young African American children, George and Rhoda, who had been born in Missouri. Sometime between 1876 and 1879, sons John Marion and Eli moved to Phoenix, Arizona. The 1880 federal census lists their occupation as freighters/teamsters. Nathan and Nancy were also in John Marion’s household, although by then they were retired. Nathan’s wife Nancy must have died between 1880 and 1882, for Nathan married a widow, Furlisa (Felicia?) Ann House Howerton, on November 16, 1882. Nathan and Furlisa had only three years together, as he passed away on their wedding anniversary, November 16, 1885, in Tempe. It is presumed that Nathan Sears was buried in the Pioneer & Military Memorial Park, that being the only cemetery in use in 1885. However, no grave marker has been found. While Sears did have a will, it was not entered into probate until January 9, 1893. His estate was estimated to be worth about $7,000. Per a prior agreement, he left half of his cattle and all his horses to his son John Marion, who was a rancher. The other half of the cattle were to be divided equally among his other sons. To his widow he left five milk cows and any offspring they might have. Sons John Marion and James were named as co-executors. There is no explanation for the seven-year delay in probating the will. © 2024, Donna L. Carr. Last revised 22 June 2024. 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!  George Ulmer Collins, 1835-1904 Farmer and rancher Buried in Masons’ Cemetery, Block 20, Lot 1, Grave 1 (Generic image created using Bing AI) At the time of his death, George U. Collins was a prosperous cattleman and farmer, as well as a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature.
Born March 1835 in the state of Maine, George was the oldest child of Thomas R. Collins and Lucy W. Ulmer. The 1850 federal census of Liberty, Waldo County, Maine, records the Collinses as farmers. By 1860, young George was living in East Boston, Massachusetts, and his occupation was listed as "ship’s carpenter." Perhaps George took advantage of his proximity to sailing ships to do some traveling. At any rate, 1870 found him living in Santa Cruz, California, living with Mary Fenderson, whom he had met and married there in 1861. George was working as a tollgate keeper in 1870, and his estimated worth was $2000—not bad for the times! Evidently, George used some of his funds to move to Arizona in 1875 and purchase land. By 1880, he and his family were living on a farm in Township 1N2E, three and a half miles southwest of the original Phoenix townsite and not far from the Salt River. Collins was an early user of irrigation water, which he used to grow alfalfa. As the little settlement of Phoenix grew, George became a prosperous farmer and rancher. George’s wife Mary died unexpectedly on October 29, 1890. One of her sons was bringing an armload of firewood to the house when he saw her fall, but he was unable to revive her. She was buried in a Phoenix cemetery, most probably in what is now the Pioneer & Military Memorial Park. Two of her grandchildren were buried in City Loosley Cemetery--possibly near her--a few years later. George continued working on the family farm. Rather than relying on gravity to fill his irrigation ditches, he began digging a well in 1900. Although he struck water at 29 feet, he continued digging to assure a good source of water throughout the dry season. In 1901, he installed a 60-hp pump to bring the water to the surface, thereby making his property the best watered in the area. As an influential early settler, George joined the Masonic Order, the Knights Templar and the B.P.O.E. He was also active in local politics, being elected to the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1903. Shortly before Christmas in 1903, George came down with a cough which turned into pneumonia. He died on January 1, 1904, and was buried in the Masons cemetery. There is no grave marker. When George’s will was entered into probate, his adult sons were chagrined to learn that he had left half of his estate to the Knights Templar, of which he had been a long-time member. The other half was to be divided between his two sons. They argued that their father had been unduly influenced by one of his Masonic brethren, who might stand to benefit in some way. However, the court ruled that the will was valid, since George’s bequest was to the Order itself and not to any particular individual. © 2024 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 30 June 2024. 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!  Samuel Calvin McElhaney, 1861-1905 Sarah Ella Hill McElhaney, 1872-1911 Pioneer Ranchers The McElhaneys are buried in City Loosley Cemetery, Block 4, Lots 2 & 3 (Photo copied from the McElhaney grave marker) Samuel Calvin McElhaney was born 9 October 1861 in Alabama. As a young man, he drove a herd of cattle and horses from Texas to Phoenix and settled near the Salt River, with its assured supply of water.
On January 10, 1889, McElhaney was among those who incorporated as the Fairmount Water Storage Company for the purpose of selling water for irrigation and mining purposes in Maricopa County. Another shareholder was Reuben Hill, soon to become his father-in-law. Sam married Sarah Ella Hill, daughter of Reuben Hill and Mary Perry, on April 10, 1889. The newlyweds moved to Holbrook where they enjoyed a few years of success before a severe drought forced ranchers to leave the high country. The McElhaneys then drove their stock back down to the Salt River Valley and established a farm in the old Fowler district just south of Glendale where Sam built a house for his growing family. Son Randolph Hill Mc Elhaney was born in 15 July 1890. He was soon followed by a daughter, Nina Inez, born 24 January 1892. Sam McElhaney and George Keefer were obviously good friends seeing as how Sam named his second son, born in 1894, Louis Keefer McElhaney. That child died in January 1897. More children followed. Daughter Pearl was born 21 November 1898. Another son, Coyt Ruben, was born about 1901. Byron Samuel McElhaney was born 7 April 1903. From an early age, Randolph was his father’s right-hand man. On November 28, 1905, while loading some fat hogs into a wagon to be taken to market, Sam severely jammed his thumb, causing him agonizing pain. Although he repeatedly assured his son that he was hurt in no place but the thumb, the pain was so unbearable that he fainted twice while attempting to walk the short distance to the house. He was dead, presumably of shock, by the time the doctor arrived. Following the funeral at First Baptist Church, Sam McElhaney, aged 43, was buried in Loosley Cemetery. This left Sam’s widow Ella and son Randolph to manage their farm. Ella’s last child, Samuel Jr., was born posthumously in 1906. When she died on 18 March 1911, she too was buried in the family plot in Loosley. Both Randolph and Samuel Jr. went on to establish large ranches of their own in the 1930s. Randolph settled in Chino Valley and Samuel founded the McElhaney Cattle Company of Wellton, Arizona, which remained under family control until 2010. © 2013 by Debe Branning and Donna Carr. Last revised October 12, 2015. 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!  Higinio Bernal, 1845-1912 Farmer Buried in City/Loosley Cemetery, Block 19 (Generic image created using Bing AI) Higinio was born around 1845 in Ures, Sonora, Mexico. He was one of several children born to Tiburcio Bernal and his wife. Higinio had an older sister, Trinidad, born 1843, as well as a younger brother named José Maria, born 1853, also in Sonora.
The Bernals seem to have been farmers throughout their lives. Both of the Bernal brothers were living in San Bernardino County, California, in 1872, as that is where Higinio married Juana Ruberto Albañez. According to the 1900 federal census, she was the mother of ten children total, of whom the oldest six may have been born in California. Around 1877, Higinio and Juana moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where they had four more children. These younger children are the ones who appear in the Bernal household on the 1900 census. A retired farmer, Higinio was living at 800 South 5th Avenue in Phoenix when he passed away on April 22, 1912. He had been paralyzed and bedridden for some time prior. He was buried in City/Loosley Cemetery, Block 19. There is no grave marker. His widow Juana died in 1933 and was buried in St. Francis Cemetery. © 2023 by Donna L. Carr. Last updated March 24, 2023. 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! |