SANTA MONICA CANYON When George-Anne Hyams moved into her new home in a sleepy neighborhood on the outskirts of Santa Monica, she was surprised — and kind of creeped out — at the news that her house was just two doors down from a cemetery.
But then she learned more about the history of the Pascual Marquez Family Cemetery, built by a land grant recipient who once co-owned Rancho Boca de Santa Monica in the 1800s, a 6,656 acre tract of land that is now the Santa Monica Canyon, the Pacific Palisades and portions of Topanga Canyon.
“I find it exciting having it there,” Hyams, a former history teacher, said on Tuesday.
The descendants of the original land grant owners of Ysidro Reyes and Francisco Marquez continue to preserve the more than 160-year-old family cemetery located on San Lorenzo Street in the Santa Monica Canyons, and what’s left on the small plot of land through regular maintenance, clearing out the weeds and keeping out unwanted plant species. The Marquez family recently received a donation by the Squid and Squash Foundation in its efforts to preserve the cemetery.
The families’ history on the Westside predates the annexation of California by the United States government and their descendants today are scattered across Southern California. Ernest Marquez, the great grandson of Francisco Marquez, lives in the San Fernando Valley and has written numerous historical books on Santa Monica and Los Angeles. Sharon Reyes-Siebuehr, who is a direct descendent of Ysidro Reyes, lives in West Los Angeles while her father, Ysidro Reyes IV, passed away in September.
The long-time friends, Reyes and Marquez, jointly received the title to Rancho Boca de Santa Monica in 1838 by the Mexican government, raising their two families on the large tract of land. Their families were united when Marquez’ son, Pascual, married Reyes’ daughter, Micaela, together raising 10 children.
It is believed that the cemetery was established in the late 1840s by Francisco Marquez because the commute to the closest Catholic cemetery, which was in the San Gabriel Mission, took more than a day to complete, according to Ernest Marquez.
There are at least 30 people buried in the cemetery, including Pascual Marquez, who was the last person to be buried in the cemetery in 1916. Also buried in the cemetery are 13 family members that died over a five-day period in 1910 after they ate peaches that were infected with botulism. The infected peaches were consumed during a family gathering to celebrate the New Year, in what is now known as the “Marquez Family Tragedy.”
Today the cemetery sits a few yards back from San Lorenzo Street, shielded by a brown, locked picket fence and an adobe enclosure. A marble headstone, with the name “Marquez” inscribed, can be seen through the entrance. The small cemetery is sandwiched between single-family homes in an upscale neighborhood at the foot of the canyon. It’s the only reminder of what was once the settlement of one of the first families in the area.
In front of the cemetery is a small yard, shaded with citrus, avocado and palm trees. It’s easy to miss the cemetery from the street, at first glance appearing like an old home hidden behind a fence.
The cemetery was historically designated as a Los Angeles Cultural Historic Monument in October 2000 and today, the La Senora Research Institute in the Santa Monica Canyon works to preserve the history of the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica as well as the cemetery.
“We don’t have very much history (records) on the Boca de Santa Monica,” said Reyes-Siebeuhr on Tuesday. “I go to all these different towns like San Diego and San Luis Obispo and they have the heritage of the land grants. We have nothing here like that.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 31, 2007. Read the original PDF.