The remains of more than 1,900 people were laid to rest Thursday during a ceremony in Los Angeles County.
A tradition that has spanned more than 125 years, the yearly Ceremony of the Unclaimed Dead honors those who died in the Los Angeles area but whose remains were never claimed by loved ones.
Mass graves make for an interesting genealogical challenge. One of my 2nd great uncles died at 2nd Bull Run and his body was never identified. Reading the regimental history leads me to believe he lies in a mass grave in what was the Arlington House rose garden. Of course, I can't be sure, anymore than the families of these 1937 people.
New York actually has a potters field. People have gone there, located family members, dug them up, and replanted them elsewhere closer to family. If you're mixed in with 1900+ other piles of dust, you can't do that. That said, now that it is on the news, some California idiot is going to protest and make them stop the mass burial.
Bet they got a group rate
ReplyDeleteThey didn't mention all the money the state makes from unclaimed material objects left behind from the dead....
ReplyDeleteI imagine the huge majority were either homeless or destitute, so I don't think there were much in the way of material objects.
DeleteMaybe they recondition the crack pipes & needles and put them back in the main stream.
DeleteMass graves make for an interesting genealogical challenge. One of my 2nd great uncles died at 2nd Bull Run and his body was never identified. Reading the regimental history leads me to believe he lies in a mass grave in what was the Arlington House rose garden. Of course, I can't be sure, anymore than the families of these 1937 people.
ReplyDeleteNew York actually has a potters field.
ReplyDeletePeople have gone there, located family members, dug them up, and replanted them elsewhere closer to family.
If you're mixed in with 1900+ other piles of dust, you can't do that.
That said, now that it is on the news, some California idiot is going to protest and make them stop the mass burial.