Black Pioneers to be Remembered

By Ruth Lepper

Four black pioneers of Julian will be memorialized Feb. 5, when headstones will be unveiled on their graves in Julian Haven of Rest Cemetery. A historical plaque will be placed near the graves by Julian Pioneer Historical Society.

According to records of the U.S. Census Bureau, 33 of the 55 blacks living in San Diego County in 1880 resided in the Julian area. Among them were Margaret and Albert Robinson, who started the Hotel Robinson in 1897, now the Julian Gold Rush Hotel and the oldest continuously operated hotel in Southern California; Fred Coleman, who made the first gold discovery here in 1869; and America Newton, a laundress who owned 80 acres in Wynola.

David Lewis, historian of the Julian Cemetery District, said grave sites have been located for Albert Robinson and America Newton, as well as Susan Tull, Margaret Robinson’s mother, and Martha Boyd, Margaret Robinson’s daughter.

Margaret Robinson is thought to be buried in Los Angeles. It is not known where Coleman is buried, but Lewis said he is continuing to search local cemetery records. A hindrance in his search is that most of the records were destroyed in a fire in the 1950s.

A committee has formed to work out the details of the celebration, which will begin at 2 p.m. in the cemetery, then advance to the Witch Creek School for a reception hosted by the historical society.

Working on the committee with Lewis are Valorie Ashley, owner of Villa de Valor/Hildreth House Bed & Breakfast; Steve Ballinger, owner of Julian Gold Rush Hotel; Chuck Ambers, director of Casa Del Rey Moro Museum in San Diego; and Jacqueline Beck, noted genealogist and historian from Ramona.