Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery facts for kids

Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1831 West Washington Boulevard in the Pico-Union district, which is southwest of Downtown. This cemetery is a special place where many important people from Los Angeles and California history are laid to rest.

It was first opened in 1884 as Rosedale Cemetery. At that time, Los Angeles was a much smaller city with about 28,000 people. The cemetery covered about 65 acres (263,000 square meters) of land. It became a popular burial place for many California politicians, including former Mayors of Los Angeles. Many early pioneers and members of important Los Angeles families are buried here.

Rosedale Cemetery was groundbreaking because it was the first cemetery in Los Angeles open to people of all races and beliefs. It was also the first to use the "lawn cemetery" design. This means the grounds are made to look beautiful with trees, shrubs, flowers, and natural scenery around the graves. Besides traditional headstones and mausoleums, you can also find unique pyramid-shaped crypts here.

In 1887, the second crematory in the United States was built at Rosedale Cemetery. It was also the first crematory west of the Rocky Mountains. The first cremation happened on June 16, 1887. By 1913, over 2,300 cremations had taken place at Rosedale. Near the cemetery, there is another cremation facility called the Chapel of the Pines Crematory. It has a unique domed shape, like an observatory.

In 1993, the Angelus Funeral Home bought Rosedale Cemetery. They renamed it Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery.

Famous People Buried Here

Many notable people are buried at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery. Their stories are part of California's history.

A

• George Alexander (1839–1923), a politician who served as the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles.
• Allen Allensworth (1842–1914), a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. He founded the town of Allensworth, California.
• Ivie Anderson (1905–1949), a talented jazz singer and actress.
• Henry Armstrong (1912–1988), a famous champion boxer.

B

• Edward L. Baker, Jr. (1865–1913), a U.S. Army officer who received the Medal of Honor during the Spanish–American War.
• Phineas Banning (1830–1885), a businessman known as the "Father of the Port of Los Angeles."
• Felice Bauer (1887-1960), known for being engaged twice to the writer Franz Kafka.
• Thomas Bones (1842–1929), a farmer and land developer.
• Emmer Bowen (1830–1912), a Medal of Honor recipient from the American Civil War.
• Tod Browning (1880–1962), a film director and screenwriter.
• David Burbank (1821–1895), a dentist and businessman. The city of Burbank, California, is named after him.
• Rose Talbot Bullard (1864–1915), a medical doctor and professor.
• Betty Burbridge (1895–1987), an actress.

C

• Eric Campbell (1879–1917), an actor.
• Rita Carewe (1909–1955), an actress.
• Harry Carr (1877–1936), a writer, newspaper columnist, and editor.
• Frank Chance (1877–1924), a Hall of Fame baseball player.
• Sadie Chandler Cole (1865–1941), a singer and civil rights activist.
• Florence Cole Talbert (1890–1961), an opera singer.
• Cleota Collins (1893–1976), a singer and voice teacher.

D

• Eric Dolphy (1928–1964), an American jazz musician.

E

• Herschel Evans (1909-1939), an African American jazz saxophonist.

F

• Jessie Benton Frémont (1824–1902), a writer and wife of Lieutenant Colonel John C. Frémont.
• Willie Fung (1896–1945), a Chinese film actor.

G

• John Reynolds Gardiner (1944–2006), an author.
• William Thornton Glassell (1831–1879), a Confederate Naval officer and a founder of Orange, California.
• Louise Glaum (1888–1970), an actress.
• George E. Goodfellow (1855–1910), a physician and medical pioneer.
• Lewis Grigsby (1867–1932), a real estate investor.

H

• Arthur C. Harper (1866–1948), a politician who was the 36th Mayor of Los Angeles.
• Theresa Harris (1909–1985), an actress.
• Katharine Putnam Hooker (1849–1935), a travel writer and socialite.
• Sherman Otis Houghton (1828–1914), a lawyer and politician.

K

• Harry Kellar (1849–1922), an American magician who influenced Harry Houdini.

L

• Fernando Lamas (1915–1982), an Argentinian-born actor and director. He was cremated at Rosedale.

M

• Joseph Maier (1851–1905), a brewer and businessman in Los Angeles.
• John Mansfield (1822–1896), a politician who served as lieutenant governor of California.
• Joe Marshall (1876–1931), a Major League Baseball player.
• William B. Mayes (1837–1900), a Union Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient.
• Owen McAleer (1858–1944), a Canadian-born politician who was the 35th mayor of Los Angeles.
• Hattie McDaniel (1895–1952), an actress. She was the first African American woman to win an Academy Award.
• Spencer G. Millard (1856–1895), a politician who was the 20th lieutenant governor of California.
• Gideon C. Moody (1832–1904), an American politician who served as a congressman and senator.
• Tim Moore (1887–1958), a comic actor known for his role as The Kingfish on Amos 'n' Andy.

N

• Remi Nadeau (1819–1887), a French Canadian pioneer who came to Los Angeles in 1861.
• Marshall Neilan (1891–1958), a director, actor, and early motion picture pioneer.
• John G. Nichols (1813–1898), who served as the 3rd and 10th Mayor of Los Angeles.

O

• Henry Z. Osborne (1848–1923), a politician who served in the House of Representatives from California.

P

• John Henry Patterson (1867–1947), an Anglo-Irish soldier and author. He wrote The Man-Eaters of Tsavo.
• William Anthony Polkinghorn (1851–1906), a real estate developer and civic leader.
• Stanley Price (1892–1955), an actor.

R

• Frank Rader (1848–1897), a politician who was the 31st Mayor of Los Angeles.
• Andy Razaf (1895–1973), a lyricist and composer who wrote famous songs like "Ain't Misbehavin'".
• Frederick H. Rindge (1857–1905), an American businessman and writer.
• Anthony A. C. Rogers (1821–1899), a politician who served in the House of Representatives from Arkansas.
• Maria Rasputin (1898–1977), the daughter of Grigori Rasputin.

S

• Monroe Salisbury (1876–1935), an actor.
• Caroline Severance (1820–1914), a social reformer and suffragette (someone who fought for women's right to vote).
• Herman Silver (1831–1913), a government official and Los Angeles City Council member.
• Everett Sloane (1909–1965), an actor who appeared in Orson Welles' Citizen Kane.
• Robert Stewart Sparks (1871–1932), a Los Angeles City Council member.
• Hannah Judkins Starbird (1832-1922), an American Civil War nurse.
• William Stephens (1859–1944), the 24th Governor of California.

T

• Art Tatum (1909–1956), a jazz pianist. He was originally buried here.
• William I. Traeger (1880–1935), a lawman, politician, and football coach. He was sheriff of Los Angeles County.
• Wayland Trask, Jr. (1887–1918), an American stage and silent film comedian.
• John Q. Tufts (1840–1908), a politician who served in the House of Representatives from Iowa.

W

• Ernestine Wade (1906–1983), an actress who played Sapphire Stevens on Amos 'n' Andy.
• Olin Wellborn (1843–1921), a politician who served in the House of Representatives from Texas.
• Franz Werfel (1890–1945), an Austrian writer.
• Ernest Whitman (1893–1954), an actor who appeared in Gone with the Wind.
• Robert M. Widney (1838–1929), an American lawyer, judge, and a founder of the University of Southern California.
• Harvey H. Wilcox (1832–1891), owned a ranch that his wife named Hollywood. He was originally buried here.
• Dooley Wilson (1886–1953), an actor and musician, famous for playing Sam in Casablanca.
• Valentin Wolfenstein (1845–1909), a Swedish-American photographer.
• Anna May Wong (1905–1961), an actress and the first Chinese American movie star.
• Frederick T. Woodman (1872–1949), a politician who was the 41st mayor of Los Angeles.