Once I know where someone is located, how do I go about finding them on the cemetery grounds?
I'm pretty sure I have a relative buried in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, but can't find them listed. Any suggestions?
Where were the Old Tier Grounds?
Where is the “East Broadway” plat?

Once I know where someone is located, how do I go about finding them on the cemetery grounds?

City Cemetery is a big place, and its layout has evolved over time. Once you know where someone is buried, use the interactive map to locate the appropriate plat and lot. (Note that maps of the cemetery are traditionally drawn with north at the bottom, as if you're standing looking in from the main gate on 10th and Broadway.)

There is only one known map of the cemetery, and it's not entirely complete. Things get a bit vague along the western boundary, and tiers are not always listed in detail. If you're unable to find the location you're seeking on the map, the staff in the Cemetery Office (just inside the main gate) may be able to help.

I'm pretty sure I have a relative buried in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, but can't find them listed. Any suggestions?

Although we endeavor to provide accurate information about burials in the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, this directory will always be a work in progress. The cemetery's records are extensive, but also incomplete and inconsistent.

With that caveat in mind, there are a few reasons why an individual might be difficult or impossible to locate:

  • Inconsistent Spelling of Names — An individual's name may vary from one resource to another, and it's not always clear which spelling is most correct. When searching by name, try common alternative spellings (or even misspellings). The search engine will match words that start with whatever you've typed, so you might also try typing only the beginning of the person's name. Sometimes less is more.

  • Wrong Cemetery — City Cemetery has changed in size over the years, and some of its parcels were sold to the adjacent pair of cemeteries to the south: Masonic Lawn Cemetery and Odd Fellows Lawn Cemetery. The boundaries between the three cemeteries are not always apparent, and each maintains its own set of records.

Where were the Old Tier Grounds?

The exact location of the Old Tier Grounds remains an unanswered question. These now-lost tiers were located in areas that were “re-platted” and sold as new lots at some point in the distant past. The tiers may have been located in the area that later became the cemetery's Historic Rose Garden, or perhaps in the area to the east of Buckeye Avenue.

It is popularly believed that there are individuals buried under what is now Broadway on the cemetery's north side, and Muir Way on the west, but no supporting documentation or other evidence has ever been brought forth.

Where is the “East Broadway” plat?

The East Broadway plat is an unmarked area along the fence just to the east of the Cemetery Office. More than 170 individuals were relocated here from the former New Helvetia Cemetery in 1956.