OddFellows Sacramento

Today I began to think about the Sprogis side of the family again, and it moved me to look up that Sacramento cemetery and call them up. Yes, there it is, the Odd Fellows Lawn Cemetery and Mausoleum at 2720 Riverside Boulevard. I didn't have any luck before getting a hold of a live person, but what's another try? I left another message and followed up with an email request.

A little later, same day, I actually got a call back from Tony, the manager!

I explained that we knew there was at least Carl Sprogis there and there may be more Sprogis family. He said unless I knew who I was looking for, he couldn't tell me anything about the other Sprogis' (so there ARE more!) because of state law, and genealogists usually provide a list of people that he can look up. He said some were from Latvia, "Is that part of Russia?" I answered Latvia and Estonia are neighbors, often lumped into Russia. I said I didn't know all their names, but Carl and his brothers came over from Latvia. He then told me that was what he needed to know (jackpot) and told me about the others. He then faxed four printouts over to me at work.

So... (All images and map were acquired on December 29th, 2006. The text descriptions came from the burial cards... Some painful differences)

Carl Sprogis, dob June 9, 1878, died January 8, 1955 in Sacramento, buried January 11, 1955 Grave 23, Lot 6, Section B with a concrete marker - grave owner Carl Sprogis remarks: from Latvia
Alice A Sprogis, no dob, died December 29, 1944 at Arcade Hospital, buried January 2, 1945 Grave 24, Lot 6, Section B with a concrete marker - grave owner Carl Sprogis remarks: 54 yrs 10 mo 14 dys from Astonia (really Estonia) Emma Sprogis, no dob, died December 28, 1921 in Sacramento, buried December 31, 1921 Grave 12, Lot 54, Section G with a concrete marker - grave owner Carl Sprogis remarks: 37 yrs 8 mo 1 dy old from Russia. (Actually seeing this marker gave other unexpected clues. We knew Alma was cremated and buried/scattered on top of her mother's grave, but it is clear that Jean -called Agnes in the 1920 US Census- is also with mom)Alfred Sprogis, no dob, died October 4, 1933 in Hagginwood, Ca., buried October 7, 1933
Grave 7, Tier 6, Section H Infant with a concrete marker - grave owner C Sprogis
remarks: 9 mo 25 dys old from Calif. (I couldn't find this one for a photo yet)

HOORAY! We could probably look up obituaries, too, with some success.

How's that for a leap?

Mapquest or Streets and Trips made it sound so complicated to get to this place, when actually it's quite easy. I took 5th Street off of Eastbound Hwy 50, turned left at Broadway, Right at Riverside, straight on down. Not a One-Way street to bother with.

Park at the neck of the figure eight. If you first amble off to the right you'll find this obvious headstone, Cook; stand there and you'll see just what the next picture shows- where the Boy is you'll find Carl and Alice. Emma and the others (except Alfred) are just a few paces directly ahead of them.- a little left of that grove of trees.

Some Sprogis in Sac

While attending a May funeral at the East Lawn Memorial Park off Folsom Blvd. in Sacramento, my sisters happened upon some known and unknown Sprogis ancestors upstairs.

Look to the pictures in the Cemetery reference above. Note the - over the "a" in Janis, which is also said to be the Latvian form of John. Note also the accent over the "g" in Sprogis... Carl Sprogis had a brother named John, who married Veronika, so this is a good thing.

I looked these up on Ancestry and found Janis/ John Sprogis was born on the 18th of December 1875 in "Russia", and died on the 5th of February 1954 in Sacramento. HIS MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME WAS MEDNIS. (So we can assert that Carl Sprogis' mother's maiden name was the same) Veronika was born on the 31st of October 1901 and died in Sacramento on the 23rd of July, 1996. She only got her social security card in 1951, a late bloomer.

There was another Sprogis we found, Haralds of Latvia, he was born on the 8th of March 1912 in "another country"(the California Death Index says) and he died on the 29th of March 1982 in Sacramento. Who is HE related to?...