Unmarked Civil War Soldier’s Grave to receive a Headstone at Artesia Cemetery

by Delores Eveland
Artesia Historical Society

Corporal John W. Miller, a Civil War Veteran of Company E, 118th Illinois Infantry died on March 29, 1909 at the Old Soldier’s Home in Sawtelle, California. Prior to his death his family had been residents of Los Nietos, Downey and Artesia; therefore, upon his death his body was transported to the Artesia Cemetery where it was buried in an unmarked grave. Unfortunately a headstone was never placed on his grave and it remained unmarked for over 100 years. Through the efforts of Margaret Alley of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, assisted by Floyd Farrar of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, the cemetery has received a headstone from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), General W. S. Rosecrans Camp No. 2 Department of California and Pacific and their Auxiliary, will be conducting a special Headstone Dedication Service on April 9 at 11:00 a.m., also the 146th anniversary of the Surrender at Appomattox, Virginia and the end of the Civil War.
The service will include the rendering of Corporal Miller’s military funeral honors. The Sons of Veterans Reserve will provide a musket detail for the three-volley salute, the Millikan High School Army JROTC will provide the color guard, and members of the Mayfair High School Marching Corps will play Taps. The Artesia Cemetery is located at 11142 Artesia Blvd., Cerritos, California.
The Artesia Cemetery staff has spent several months surveying the cemetery and updating their records to ensure they are accurate and complete. In addition to Corporal Miller, several other Veteran’s Headstones have been obtained and will be placed on either unmarked graves or graves where the headstones are damaged and need replacing. A headstone memorial is available to all documented veterans from the Veteran’s Administration to ensure that no veteran’s grave goes unmarked.
The Artesia Historical Society proudly supports efforts to maintain the Artesia Cemetery, one of the “best kept historic secrets” of the area. The Artesia Cemetery was started with its first burial in 1882. As the only cemetery around for many years, it served the needs of Artesia and much of the surrounding area. Through the years many burials followed, of which about 30 were Veterans of the Civil War. The cemetery now includes the graves of Veterans of several other conflicts, the most recent being a casualty of the War in Iraq.
In the early 1900s the California State Legislature enacted provisions into the State Health and Safety code to establish local public cemetery districts. The county boards of supervisors were given jurisdiction for the management and control of all such cemeteries. Artesia Cemetery, comprised of 14 acres, is one of 265 public cemeteries throughout the state and was formed in 1929. Operations are governed by a Board of Trustees, appointed by Supervisor Don Knabe, Fourth District, Los Angeles County, and currently include: Joyce Yeutter, District Manager, and Trustees Lupe Cabrera, Dick Redmayne and Barbara Applebury.
The community is encouraged to attend the Headstone Dedication Ceremony and visit our own special “piece of history” where they can step back in time, meandering through the many old fashion upright tombstones and military markers. Many past community leaders final resting places will be encountered. Take a few minutes to honor the Veterans who helped to protect our shores, as well as those who have gone before us.