Lafayette Cemetery Plaque

The Lafayette Cemetery was established in 1891 and is the resting place of many of Lafayette’s earliest residents. Early maps of the cemetery show that the north side of the Lafayette Cemetery was the “Potter’s Field.” Most historical cemeteries have a potter’s field, sometimes called a paupers’ field or public cemetery, intended for the burials of people who could not afford to purchase a plot or whose identities were unknown, many of whom are people of color and immigrants. Because of the circumstances of their burials, the graves are typically unmarked or only denoted with wooden markers that deteriorated over time. 

While unknown burials are unfortunately common in potter’s fields, the issue was exacerbated in Lafayette due to inadequate recordkeeping as a result of cemetery management changing hands several times. Beginning in the 1920s, a local mortuary purchased and re-sold cemetery plots that included a portion of the potter’s field. The records from the mortuary were never transferred to the City once the mortuary was sold in 1958 and were subsequently lost. With the burial details missing and conflicting cemetery maps, many people once buried there are missing from the official record.

In 2023, two Lafayette residents, Frank Archuleta and Doug Conarroe, began researching the potter’s field in the Lafayette Cemetery. By looking through death notices in historic Lafayette newspapers, the burial records of local churches, and personal testimony, they identified nearly 200 people who are believed to be buried in the cemetery but are not included in the city record and do not have a grave marker. In 2025, the Lafayette City Council approved the plaque which was installed in the cemetery. The research into the Lafayette Cemetery is ongoing and therefore the list may not be complete yet. The names of those unknown burials who have been identified are listed below, and will be updated as further research is conducted. Some names are partial or don’t include a first name due to the incompleteness of historic records.

The plaque was dedicated on October 21, 2025 by City Council and residents. The plaque reads:
As we visit these hallowed grounds to remember, honor, and commemorate our families and friends, we should acknowledge that nearly 200 women, children, infants, and men, perhaps more, were laid to rest here in unmarked graves. This cemetery, like many others, has a potter’s field where some were buried under wooden markers now lost to time, while others died far from home, unclaimed. Many lived in poverty or faced racism, discrimination, and neglect. Renewed interest and ongoing historical investigations, along with technological advances, have begun to help reveal who, where, and how many lie interred here. Although we cannot right the wrongs of the past, we can begin to atone for them. In this spirit, the City of Lafayette dedicates this plaque to all laid to rest in unmarked graves here.

Photograph of the plaques in the Lafayette Cemetery honoring the potter's field history. There are two bronze plaques, each on their own rock of granite, one in Spanish and one in English.
The plaques remembering the potter’s field history in the Lafayette Cemetery, in English and Spanish.

The names of those unknown burials who have been identified are listed below, and will be updated as further research is conducted. Some names are partial or don’t include a first name or death date due to the incompleteness of historic records.

List compiled by Doug Conarroe. Last updated 10/7/25.

Name of deceasedDate of death
Epinemio Abeyta
Rafelita Erma Abeyta02/21/1923
Baby Agazio
D. Albiez
D. Alyiendo
Francis Anastasio06/22/1937
A. B. Anaya
Pocico Angnewe01/01/1926
Baby Antanoff
L. Antencio
Romero Antuna
Victoria Antuna
Susie Baca09/09/1936
L. Baltierez
J. Banous
Child Bayless11/21/1903
G. Bender08/20/1924
Andrew Billensky01/04/1937
Florinda Borrego03/14/1916
R. Borrego
Mrs. Harry Bowes11/14/1911
Joe Bragetis
Constantine Brasino03/14/1909
Agnes Burquez03/24/1944
William Jean Busheff05/03/1929
Herman Butler10/26/1927
S. Calderon
Baby Calvo12/09/1928
Hipolicia Calvo
Mary Calvo
Manilla Camacho12/13/1928
Mariam Castillo01/01/1931
Chavez12/11/1937
Albert Eugene  Chavez01/01/1937
Catherine Chavez07/01/1933
Philamina Chavez
James Clyde01/05/1910
Jaunita Contreis12/01/1930
Patricia Cordova
Roman Cordovia10/10/1923
Juanita Corea06/24/1916
Hariet Cornelius05/01/1923
June Harriet Cunningham12/05/1918
M. Cunningham09/27/1908
Annie Curnow02/18/1906
Baby Daniels11/03/1908
Olive Davis
Richard Thomas Davis04/12/1929
Baby Delpino
Hilario Derera09/16/1914
Berudeho Domanico10/27/1913
Michael Dominguez03/28/1942
George Draginoff
Baby Druzinski04/30/1910
Baby Duarte
Marcelina Duarte
Placida Duarte
Baby Duran
Barbara Duran12/01/1918
Casey Duran1952
Kathleen F. Duran1953
Alice Pearl Eddy10/23/1930
Gladys Burline Eddy1928
Baby Espinosa05/27/1923
Edward Flores04/05/1925
Julia Forney02/24/1907
John T. Freeberg04/15/1910
Vincent T. Fronk05/01/1912
Baby Garcia
Mary Garcia10/11/1923
Baby Georgoff
Teodor Glava12/04/1918
George Gonoff01/15/1926
Frank Gonzales
Louise Gorcia12/02/1918
Agnes Griszinkas05/18/1910
Adam Grozinski02/13/1910
B. W. Guerara
Baby Guerera
Jose Gutierez02/19/1910
Henry E. Hamilton01/06/1908
Victor Hegg04/30/1913
Salvador S. Hernandez11/25/1939
George Herrera08/28/1926
Ambrocita Herrera10/01/1931
Edna Hill
Baby Hurt
Mike Johnson
Baby Jones
Margaret Jordan10/05/1908
Wanda Kacrynas02/23/1916
Francisco Lara08/27/1919
Baby Largent
Leotia Largent03/13/1921
Baby Lazuk
Filomina Lippe01/01/1937
Dalton Loveday10/07/1908
John Ludoski10/25/1941
Baby Luzmoor
Baby Madrid10/04/1931
V. M. Madrid
Geo. Madrigal
Jane Marique07/16/1907
Della (Abeyta) Martinez01/28/1930
Emma Martinez01/28/1930
Ernest Martinez01/28/1930
Frances Martinez01/28/1930
Jesus Francisco Martinez01/16/1916
Jose Martinez05/11/1916
Mary Martinez
Pauline Martinez01/28/1930
Rosa Martinez01/28/1930
Stanley Martinez03/13/1931
Baby Mather
Christian Matterano03/04/1931
Mary A. Matthews07/28/1901
Elsie Mccoy01/20/1928
Hazel Mccoy01/20/1928
Helen Mccoy01/20/1928
Orthy Mccoy01/20/1928
Juanita Mendoza
Miller
Miller
Marguerite Miller
Mary Monteith
Henry Montoya
Anna Morrison10/01/1931
Vacarellas Moxa05/27/1914
Violet Muniz09/01/1929
W. A. Murie01/01/1932
Baby Navarro
Bernice Norman02/05/1930
R. Ortiz
George Otava07/21/1937
Florinda Padilla
Delonis Paleo01/12/1931
Baby Pappas
A. Parrish
Josephina Peene08/18/1918
Baby Pena
Mary Phillips06/16/1929
J. Pineda
Baby Planker
Baby Prewitt10/30/1928
Normie Prosser04/20/1909
Juanita Rampu01/01/1937
Jose Resendez11/25/1915
Reynoso
Joe Reynoso
R. Reynoso
Baby Rich04/08/1923
Mrs. Roy Richards11/02/1901
Otilia Rios04/01/1933
A. Rivera
Eloy Rivera11/01/1937
Baby Rock
Baby Rossi05/10/1910
Mary Celia Rougemont04/21/1914
Ruseff
Salvador Samano05/05/1929
Eupheracia Sandoval10/26/1926
John Sandy
Baby Savidra
Consula Silva
Josephine Silva1949
John H.  Simpson07/07/1909
Beverly Jean Sisneros01/11/1931
Joseph Stanoski07/10/1910
Bonnie May Stenstrom04/06/1902
Storey
Florian Stottman10/12/1944
Joseph Swinberg09/05/1921
Baby Tafoya
Felix Tafoya
Olivia Tafoya
Louis Tavelli05/01/1916
Felix Tovoy04/07/1926
John Trandafir12/05/1918
Daniel Trujillo
Anna Turrello12/08/1918
Eulalia Valasque12/30/1937
Valdez
E. Valenzuela
Miriam Varra11/17/1927
Baby Vennett11/28/1907
Baby Vickles
Mike Vidovich12/01/1927
C. Vigil
Lorenzo Vigil05/08/1930
R. Vigil
John Voka03/19/1910
Frank Walsh10/01/1901
T. K. Watkins12/13/1910
Dorothy Winn11/17/1935
Fred Wiskowski07/17/1916
John Wolney
Pete Zernich
Stephan Zurick06/15/1915
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