CROATIAN CEMETERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

On April 11, 1861, the first Catholic Bishop under the American administration, Bishop Aleman, granted the Slavonic Illyric Benevolent Society of San Francisco the honor and right to a separate cemetery plot to be known as the Slavonic Plot. This plot, called Sclavonic Terra at the time, was 46’ x 19’ in size and was purchased for $400.00 in gold coin in perpetual care.

No other Catholic ethnic group in the San Francisco Bay Area was granted an autonomous cemetery within the Holly Cross Catholic Cemetery. Our plot was located approximately on the site of present day University of San Francisco. The New Calvary Catholic Cemetery was organized on the 18th of October 1860 with 84 acres. The cost of a grave was $1.00 per square foot and $12.00 for an adult opening and $8.00 for openings for children.

Our society would bury any Catholic Slav, but since all of the Slavs in the Society and in San Francisco were Croatians from Dalmatia, the first burials were Croatians and by the 1900’s, Slovene Catholics were being buried.  Catholic Croatians in 1861 were subjects of Turkey, Hungary, Italy, and Austria; this relationship lasted on and off from 1000 AD until the formation Yugoslavia in 1918. The good bishop Aleman understood the plight of South- Slavs for ethnic identity and a last resting place of their own far from their beloved Dalmatia.

The Slavonic Society purchased the Slavonic Plot in advance so as to provide a burial site for members, indigents, priests and other circumstances Croatians who were not in a position to pay for their final resting place.

Because of the Great Earthquake and Fire in 1906 that consumed San Francisco, all burial sites in San Francisco were required to locate outside the city in Colma, except those cemeteries, determined to be historical sites, such as Mission Dolores. The Society made removals on a selected basis of family preference to the new Holy Cross Cemetery at Colma. All other Slavonic Plot burials were put into a common grave.

The 46’ x 49’ plot purchased in 1861 was exchanged for a 65’ x 65’ plot in 1910. They gave up all rights to the San Francisco deed and accepted a new deed and contract. In 1911 they expanded the 65’ x 65’ to 100’ x 100’ and paid gold coin for the land and perpetual care. In 1926 they negotiated a new additional contract for an additional 100’ x 100’ and 50’ x 200’ in size.  They maintain the Slavonic Plot in the sizes described to this day. The Contracts were tested in court and our contracts were upheld. The rights to a Slavonic Plot extend to the year 2200 AD. A review of some historic burials made in the 1850’s and 1860’s by our Society are of interest:



Mission Dolores Cemetery on January 15, 1860

Fortuna Fermich
Ovdi Pocivajo costi pociniega Fortunala
Fermicha rodom od Brucia u Dalmaziu
viecku niegovu 23 ga dine i svercia
niegov xivot new 15 Genura 1860 u
Svetoinu Franc. (San Francisco). Erected by the Slavonic Illyric Society
for his memory. Rest in peace. Amen.



Mission Dolores Cemetery on July 18, 1860

Johan Provizzo
Ovdi pocivajo costi Johan Provisso koisse
rodi godine 1818 u Boka Kotor u varoscu,
Erzeg Novi, Provinza Dalmatia I poge
sovogna svieta na 28 luglia 1860
koi ostavi nankonsebe 2 sina, 2 kceri
l svoju sprugu u zernu do vieka.
Resquienscant in pace. Erected by the Slavonic Illyric Society to his
memory.



In 1862 Marco Milinovich and Marco Zenovich were brought from Virginia City,
Nevada for burial. Marco Milinovich was shot and killed by an Irish gunfighter in his San Francisco Hotel and Saloon. In 1866 Antonia Sassovich, a sailor, murdered Basilio Vlahovich. Antonio was hung. Both were buried by the Society, although not members. Virginia Rasol, age 1, was the first child buried in the Slavonic Plot in 1871. The Society buried all Priests who had served the Croatian Church of Nativity. The Slavonic Plot has played a very important part in the society.

Adam S. Eterovich
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