There are two important headstone dedication ceremonies coming up in the SF Bay area. The first will be August 17 (in conjunction with the annual Fort Point Living History Day). This dedication will be at the SF National Cemetery at the grave site of Matthew Arthur, US Navy. He served aboard two ironclads (the USS Carondelet and USS Lafayette) and was awarded the Medal of Honor for action in the battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862.
The second dedication ceremony will be on September 21, at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery for Major Jose Ramón Pico, of the 1st Battalion, California Native Cavalry, one of a very few Lancer Cavalry units to serve in the war.
Please see the below message from Department Graves Registration Officer Kenneth Felton for more details on the ceremonies.
Hello fellow SUVCW Brothers; and Friends of Pio Pico; and others,
I have contacted a Mr. Andrew M. Crockett, a local Historian, and discussed with him what would be a good date for the Headstone Dedication Ceremony for Major Jose Ramon Pico. We tentatively set the Headstone Dedication Ceremony for Saturday, September 21, 2019. I think that a starting time for about 12 Noon might work well for this ceremony. Mr. Andrew M. Crockett said that he believes that a lot of people he knows (maybe a hundred people – ??) might be able to attend the Headstone Dedication Ceremony. Andrew said that the September 21, 2019 date might be a very good date for the ceremony, and that a September date will allow more time for him to contact people and promote this event.
I am hoping that the Jose Ramon Pico granite government furnished Military Headstone will arrive at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery sometime in the next month (early or mid July, 2019). I will keep trying to contact the cemetery office to learn when the headstone arrives. I can advise the cemetery office about the planned Headstone Dedication Ceremony, once the headstone has arrived and it has been set in its proper place. The Santa Clara Mission Cemetery is located at the following location:
Santa Clara Mission Cemetery
490 Lincoln Street
Santa Clara, CA 95050
(408) 296-4656
This grave of Major Jose Ramon Pico is located Cemetery Section: BLOCK 3 OLD ; and Cemetery Lot: 82. I am working on the wording of the Headstone Dedication Ceremony for Jose Ramon Pico.
Another Headstone Dedication Ceremony for the “Medal of Honor” Marker of the grave of Matthew Arthur, Engineer – U.S. Navy is being planned for Matthew Arthur’s grave at San Francisco National Cemetery (Cemetery Section: OS; Row: 16; Grave Site: 1) on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at about 1:00 pm.
Matthew Arthur was awarded the Medal of Honor on July 10, 1863 for his service on the U.S.S. Carondelet (a Civil War era Iron Clad Ship) during the Battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson of February 6 and 14 of 1862. Matthew Arthur served as the Signal Quartermaster and Captain of a rifled bow gun on the U.S.S. Carondelet. Matthew Arthur was discharged from the U.S. Navy as an Engineer on July 24, 1863. He was serving at the time of his discharge on the U.S.S. Lafayette (another Civil War era Iron Clad Ship). This Dedication Headstone Ceremony for Matthew Arthur is planned for Saturday, August 17, 2019 at San Francisco National Cemetery. The location of the grave of Matthew Arthur, recipient of the Medal of Honor, during the U.S. Civil War, was unknown until just a few years ago. The “Medal of Honor” marker was finally installed at his grave site during the Summer of 2017.
Many Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and Civil War Re-enactors will be at Fort Point in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at the Fort Point Civil War Living History Day event. I propose that this Matthew Arthur Headstone Dedication Ceremony take place about 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 17, 2019 at San Francisco National Cemetery. This cemetery is located very close to Fort Point. So this date is a good date to have this ceremony. It is a short trip from Fort Point to San Francisco National Cemetery. I and a few others can help car pool those interested in helping in this Headstone Dedication Ceremony from Fort Point to the cemetery and back. This Headstone Dedication Ceremony can be jointly conducted by multiple northern California SUVCW Camps (i.e. Camp No. 4; Camp No. 10; Camp No. 22; Camp No. 23; Camp No. 24; Camp No. 30; and any other camps who wish to attend). I am presently working on the wording of the Matthew Arthur Headstone Dedication Ceremony.
I was not able to find any evidence of Matthew Arthur ever being married or having any children. So I don’t know if I will be able to find any close relatives of Matthew Arthur to attend this Headstone Dedication Ceremony. Matthew Arthur was born in 1835 in Scotland and he died on March 17, 1890 in San Francisco, California. Matthew Arthur’s parents are: Robert John Arthur (Father), born on October 13, 1802 in Renfrewshire, Scotland and died on May 30, 1850 in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, VA (present day West Virginia); and Ann Elizabeth Tucker (born 1817 and died 1880). I did find that Matthew Arthur did have a younger brother (John Oswald Arthur, born about 1843 and died 1918) and a younger sister (Maria Arthur, born about 1839 and died – ??). There might sill be some related Arthur Family living today (??). Matthew Arthur was first buried at Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery (near the Cliff House) in San Francisco, California. About 1912, Matthew Arthur’s grave site was moved from Grand Army Cemetery to San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio in San Francisco, California. If anyone is able to find Arthur Family relatives, please send me an e-mail with the information that you have to: kfelton97@yahoo.com . Thank you for your help.
In Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty,
Kenneth G. Felton, Graves Registration Officer
Department of California & Pacific
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
P.S. There were very few Lancer Cavalry units during the U.S. Civil War. Jose Ramon Pico was a Captain in the First Battalion of California Native Cavalry (a Lancer unit). I understand that the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment was also a Lancer Civil War Cavalry unit. There were very few Lancer Cavalry units in the Civil War.