Union Cemetery, Redwood City, California: The People, Their Lives, Their Communities by John G. Edmonds
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I bought this book after I’d taken a tour of the Union Cemetery in Redwood City. Because of that, many of the stories of the pioneers in this book were familiar to me. I wish there had been a way for the author of the book to feature the most interesting stories in some way that drew the reader’s attention to them. The encyclopedia style wins points for being comprehensive, but if you’re not familiar with the layout of Redwood City, Woodside, Atherton (and the surrounding towns) or Searsville, Summit Springs, and West Union (the surrounding ghost towns), it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the details.
I wish there had been more gravestone photos and that those that had been included were larger. The graveyard, which lies along a busy street, has suffered such brutal vandalism that this book could provide a photographic record if the monuments ever need to be replaced again.
I wish it had included a map of the old-time businesses referenced in the book. A map of the surrounding areas it mentions would have been helpful, too.
But those are all comments from someone who doesn’t live in San Mateo County, who only comes there to shop. Locals would get much more out of this book that I did. It’s still a gift to its community.
The book is available directly from the Historic Union Cemetery Association. I bought mine from Amazon.