St. John's Cemetery hides in plain sight

Born in 1811, John Parrott was a complex human and notably successful businessman. While originally from Virginia, John would make his fortune in Mexico dealing in trade and commerce, eventually being named U.S. Consul at Mazatlán in 1838.

While a respected man, he also fathered two illegitimate children during this time and dealt in business that could now be considered smuggling. By the time he reached California, he was an established businessman, working in banking and real estate investing.

On a business trip to Alabama in 1853, John met and married Abby Eastman Meagher, whom he would bring back to California. Together the pair had eight children and were greatly devoted to philanthropy.

The Parrotts financially supported many projects in the community, like church grounds, and Mrs. Parrott purportedly helped feed wayfaring strangers in the area.

When John Parrott died in 1884, Mrs. Parrott set about building the Parrott Family Mortuary Chapel for his repose. Completed in 1885 and now standing as the prominent structure of the cemetery, the chapel entombs John and Abby, along with many of their children and grandchildren; other, more distant, relatives are laid to rest nearby.

On May 28, 1885, Mrs. Parrott donated a portion of their 400-acre Parrott family estate, named Baywood, that included their family chapel to found St. John’s Cemetery.

While listed as “Given to The Catholic Church of San Mateo,” the land was specifically under the care of St. Matthew Catholic Church in San Mateo, of whom Mrs. Parrott was a parishioner. Now, the cemetery property is owned by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco while being governed and operated by a volunteer board of directors.

Despite the Catholic foundation of the cemetery, Mrs. Parrott explicitly ensured in the deed that the cemetery would accept the deceased of all faiths.

Because of this, beyond the Parrotts and related graves are those of San Mateo legacy families.

The Draegers of Draeger’s Market fame, along with the Wisnoms and Darcys, of the hardware store and sporting goods store respectively, are also interred on the grounds.

One notable grave is for Thomas Keen. A prominent dog racing promoter and supposed previous associate of the infamous mobster Al Capone, Mr. Keen met his end in the 1952 when he started his car one morning and was promptly blown up by rigged dynamite; his murder is considered one of the great unsolved crimes of San Mateo.

Among this local royalty are electricians, politicians, firefighters, police officers, dentists, doctors and other members of the community that helped build San Mateo.

As Kathy Wade, the cemetery’s superintendent said, St. John’s is “basically a representation of the community over the last 140 years.”

Wade has been associated with St. John’s for 30 years. Originally a volunteer record keeper at multiple cemeteries in the area, she eventually took over the superintendent role of St. John’s from her father.

“It’s a very rewarding job. You meet people sometimes on the worst day of their life and they’re always very grateful … for anything we can do to help them through the process,” said Wade.

The industry has also given her a grateful perspective on life.

“You realize how blessed you are in your own life when you see the struggle that people go through … you feel very fortunate,” she said.

St. John’s offers memorial benches for dedications, traditional casket burial and the interment of cremated remains services. It is at 910 Oregon Ave., and is open for respectful public visits daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.