Tribute to Julian's Black Pioneers Ends with Successful Celebration

David Lewis, left, and Chuck Ambers spoke at the ceremony at Haven of Rest Cemetery. Photo by Carol Kinney

By Ruth Lepper

It was a day of celebration when the Julian Black Pioneers History Committee unveiled headstones in the local cemetery to pay tribute to three of the town's early settlers.

An estimated 300 people turned out on Feb. 12 to witness the event that took place at three locations. Many volunteers working with the committee expressed surprise that when they thanked visitors for coming to Julian, the visitors in turn stated their gratitude for being invited to what many were calling a historic occasion.

"Everybody seemed very pleased with the day and grateful that the black pioneers were being honored and remembered," said Jacqueline Beck, noted genealogist and committee member.

Chuck Ambers, owner/director of the Casa del Rey Moro African Museum in San Diego and a member of the committee, served as master of ceremonies.

Buffalo Soldiers presented the colors at Pioneer Park. Photo by Amber Ward

A large crowd, including members of the Buffalo Soldiers from San Diego and Julian's Dove & Desperados re-enactment group, gathered at the uppermost part of the Haven of Rest Cemetery where three headstones were unveiled on the graves of America Newton, Albert Robinson and Susan Tull.

Steve Ballinger, owner of the Julian Gold Rush Hotel and a committee member, unveiled the Robinson headstone. He referred to Robinson, the original owner when it was known as Hotel Robinson, as his hero.

Robinson and his wife, Margaret Robinson, had settled in Julian and first opened a restaurant, serving chicken dinners that became well-known throughout the community. This business venture extended into opening a hotel in 1897. It is the oldest, continuously operated hotel in Southern California and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Along with a bouquet of flowers provided by the committee, Ballinger laid a bough of pine branches on Robinson's grave. The branches were taken from a tree at the hotel and were symbolic of the continuation of ownership.

A new headstone marks the grave of Albert Robinson, first owner of the Julian Hotel. Photo by Amber Ward

Tull was Margaret Robinson's mother. She moved to Julian from San Diego where she owned property and is thought to be the financial backer for the Robinsons' hotel. The headstone on her grave was unveiled by Ambers.

It is believed that Margaret Robinson is buried in the Los Angeles area. Her daughter, Martha Boyd, was reportedly buried in the Julian cemetery but the exact location of her grave has not been determined.

Valorie Ashley, owner of Villa de Valor/Hildreth House Bed & Breakfast Inn and co-chair of the committee, unveiled the Newton headstone. References were made of the two women, Ashley and Newton, being local businesswomen.

Newton was an ex-slave who came to the Wynola area from Missouri with her former master, James Cole. Before he returned to the Midwest, Cole helped Newton secure an 80-acre homestead, build a cabin and set up a laundry business.

Julian Black Pioneers History Committee members are from left: Chuck Ambers, Valorie Ashley, Bobbi Zane, Jacqueline Beck, Ruth Lepper and David Lewis. Photo by Carol Kinney

Following the ceremony at the cemetery, the event moved to Pioneer Park, adjacent to Julian Pioneer Museum, where a historic marker was unveiled, the 22nd in a series of plaques provided by Julian Historical Society.

The plaque pays tribute to Julian's black pioneers, including Fred Coleman who was the first person to find a gold nugget in the area. The discovery in 1869 sparked one of the major gold rushes in the state.

Several Coleman descendants attended the ceremony, including Gerald Quintanar, great-great-grandson of Coleman. Quintanar, of San Marcos, was joined by Elizabeth Weaver, of Hesperia and also a Coleman descendant, and Pete Larson, president of the local historical society, in unveiling the plaque.

The day's events concluded with a reception at Julian Historical Society's headquarters in the former Witch Creek School, located above Pioneer Park.

David Lewis, co-chair of the Julian Black Pioneers History Committee and the historian of the Julian Cemetery Association, had displays of an 1872 map showing the location of the Coleman Toll Road and plot maps from the late 1800s depicting the homesteads of black families in the area. He also displayed photographs of Coleman and some of his 11 children.

It was due to Lewis' search for unmarked graves that began a few years ago, that brought about the headstones being placed on the graves of the black pioneers. Lewis located the gravesites of Albert Robinson, Tull and Newton by identifying temporary markers that either had names on them or a number corresponding with names in the cemetery registry.

Lewis recently discovered the location of the grave of Susie Coleman, one of Fred Coleman's daughters, and is continuing to search for Boyd's gravesite. Many of the early cemetery records were destroyed in a fire in the mid-1950s at the home of then superintendent, Frank Lane, where the records were stored.

Ashley also had been in the process of making arrangements to honor Newton's memory with a headstone. Ballinger, too, had wanted to erect a memorial for Albert Robinson.

Lewis and Ashley began working together and formed the Black Pioneers History Committee to finalize plans. Ambers and Ballinger joined their efforts, along with Beck, president of San Diego County Genealogy Association and an avid research historian from Ramona, and publicist Bobbi Zane. Ruth Lepper served as advisor to the committee.