{"id":83385,"date":"2022-03-11T10:29:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T15:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=83385"},"modified":"2023-06-27T14:10:19","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T18:10:19","slug":"a-genealogists-delight-hollywood-forever-cemetery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/a-genealogists-delight-hollywood-forever-cemetery.html","title":{"rendered":"A Genealogist\u2019s Delight: Hollywood Forever Cemetery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/em><\/strong> In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about the history and delights of Hollywood Forever Cemetery \u2013 a special treat for genealogists and taphophiles. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Genealogists know \u2013 and sometimes even love \u2013 cemeteries. They spend time studying headstones, looking for the final resting place of an ancestor, and documenting burials from generations ago. But some cemeteries are more famous than others. In some cases, there are cemeteries that garner crowds, tours, and special events that go beyond genealogical interest or the present-day needs of mourners.<\/p>\n

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one of these. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the only cemetery in Hollywood, California, and it\u2019s well-known for a few reasons \u2013 but the main reason is the famous people buried there.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: aerial view of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which abuts Paramount Studios on its south end, Los Angeles, California. Credit: Bobak Ha’Eri; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hollywood Forever: A Brief History<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hollywood Cemetery Association, led by F. W. Samuelson, was incorporated in 1897.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Los Angeles Daily Herald (Los Angeles, California), 18 February 1897, page 11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Samuelson established the cemetery in 1899 at its current location. Originally known as the Hollywood Cemetery, it included one hundred acres that were purchased from Mary Croswell Grower. In 1929, as the motion picture industry moved to the area, the cemetery sold half its unused land to Peralta Studios. That land was later sold to Paramount Pictures.*<\/p>\n

The beauty of the cemetery is found both inside \u2013 with its stunning mausoleums and columbaria \u2013 and outside, with the lovely grounds.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: interior of Hollywood Forever Cemetery Cathedral. Courtesy of Hollywood Forever Cemetery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The statutory is also beautiful, as are the roaming peacocks (yes, peacocks) that help provide a setting that is unlike any other cemetery. That the cemetery be a beautiful place unlike other historical cemeteries was a concern even in the early days, as this 1905 newspaper article explained.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Los Angeles Daily Herald (Los Angeles, California), 3 September 1905, page 85<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article reported:<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the inception of its plans for a cemetery, it was the design of the Hollywood Cemetery Association to create a beautiful memorial park and make it one of the most modern and beautiful places of its kind to be found in this part of the world. The lawn method and the system of perpetual care were adopted with the result that, in its growth and with the progress of its improvements, it is to be one of the most modern cemeteries in the United States\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe friends of the late Mrs. Eliza A. Otis have made arrangements with the Hollywood Cemetery Association to place in the tower at the east entrance a set of the famous Vanduzen Memorial Chimes as a loving tribute to her beauty of mind and heart. This set, which is one of the most perfect and costly in America, comprises twelve bells of an aggregate weight of 8,135 pounds. The chimes when placed can be heard many miles away.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It Is Hollywood, after All<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hollywood Forever is a functioning cemetery. However, it is open to visitors for tours with a cemetery map or as part of a group led by a guide. And with the number of celebrities buried there and the history of the cemetery, it\u2019s probably no surprise that Paramount Pictures\u2019 water tower can be seen from the cemetery.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 14 November 2010, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"An<\/a>
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 14 November 2010, page 65<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What other \u201cHollywood\u201d things can you do at the cemetery? Well, you can see a movie, or attend a concert or author event at the cemetery\u2019s Masonic Lodge.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: the stage in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Masonic Lodge. Credit: UpdateNerd; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hollywood Forever Cemetery hosts a day-long D\u00eda de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event every October. Check the cemetery\u2019s website for their upcoming events.<\/p>\n

And yes, Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a filming location for movies and TV shows. (Love NCIS? You can catch a view of the cemetery at the end of Season 2, episode 4, \u201cLt. Jane Doe.\u201d) You can see a list of shows and movies that have used the cemetery as a filming location on the IMDb website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You probably wouldn\u2019t be surprised to hear that when I was recently visiting the cemetery, they were setting up to shoot a scene for a movie.<\/p>\n

Celebrities at Rest<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whose burial place might you see on a tour of Hollywood Forever Cemetery? A short list of the famous who call Hollywood Forever their final resting place includes:<\/p>\n