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| The Historic Kneebone Family Cemetery at Bridgeport
The cemetery contains 11 graves dating from 1853 to 1991.
Grave Site #1: Captain William Thompson, birth unknown-death 1853. A ship captain who left his ship in San Francisco Bay in 1849, and came to the Bridgeport area with his wife, Mary Ann Thompson and their daughter, Fannie Thompson. Captain Thompson died here of unknown illness at the age of 44 years, in 1853. Grave Site #2: Fannie Thompson, birth unknown-death 1856. The only daughter of William and Mary Thompson, who died in 1856 when she was six years old. The cause of death is unknown. Grave Site #3: Mary Ann Thompson Cole, born 1818-died 1900. Wife and then widow of Captain William Thompson, married for a second time to Charles J. Cole. The exact date of their marriage is unknown. They managed the Cole Ranch/Farm and also collected tolls at the Covered Bridge. In addition, the Coles managed the Stagecoach/Freight Wagon Stop here at Bridgeport. The Coles had two daughters, one of whom, Victoria Marie, who is also buried here. Grave Site #4: Charles J. Cole, born 1831-died 1916. He arrived in the Bridgeport area around 1850 or 1851. He came to develop cattle ranching and farming, bringing according to newspaper articles, approximately one hundred head of cattle to Bridgeport. Mr. Cole rapidly acquired extensive acreage in the Bridgeport Area. Sometime after 1856 he married the widow, Mary Ann Thompson. They lived in the farm house here, and in 1862, a daughter, Victoria Marie, was born to them. She was born the same year that our existing covered bridge was built. Charles Cole was 85 when he died in 1916.
Grave Site #9: William H. Kneebone, born 1897-died 1918. The youngest son of Victoria and Andrew was born either at Bridgeport or Spenceville, the latter being more likely, in 1897. William was reared on the family farms at Bridgeport and Spenceville, but died at the age of 21 in San Diego. The probable cause of death was pneumonia. William is the only one of Victoria and Andrews five sons to be interred in the family cemetery at Bridgeport. Grave Site #10: G.H. Graves, born 1831-died 1900. He was buried in the family cemetery in 1900. According to Lucille Kneebone Brandt, he was not a member of the family, however, he probably lived in the Bridgeport area for many years and worked there on the Cole farm and possibly, he also served as a toll collector at the bridge. He was obviously well thought-of by the Coles as they allowed him to be interred among his friends in the family cemetery. Mr. Graves was 69 years old at the time of his death. Grave Site #11: Milton E. Kneebone, born 1916-died 1991. He was one of Victoria and Andrews grandsons who, although born and reared through his early years in Grass Valley, later went to live on the family farm in Spenceville. However, Lucille Brandt Kneebone recalls that Milton spent a great deal of time each summer at their home and resort at Bridgeport with his Uncle Alfred, Aunt Lucy and his cousins Lucille and Alfreda. This was during the period when it was still a working farm and Swimming Resort, and included the small Shell Gas Station and convenience store which the family also operated. Milton lived the majority of his life in the Grass Valley area, where his wife still resides. Grave Sites #5 & 6: Eugene Joseph Kneebone, born Sept.1913- died Jan. 1984. Mary E. Washburn Kneebone,born Feb. 1915-died June 1984. Research on these two members of the Kneebone family is still in progress. However, Eugene was born in San Francisco but lived on the family farm near Spenceville. He and his wife Mary lived most of their lives in the Philippines where they were held prisoners by the Japanese in an internment camp during World War II. He was one of Victoria and Andrews grandsons. |
Grave Site #8: Victoria Marie Cole Kneebone, born Nov. 1862-died March 1930. She was born here at Bridgeport in 1862. She is the only member of the Thompson-Cole-Kneebone family to not only be born and reared here, but after her marriage to Andrew, in Marysville on March 29, 1887, they lived here at Bridgeport for several years and presumably some of their five sons were born here (and possibly all of them were). She and her husband, Andrew Reed Kneebone either inherited or acquired the farm from her parents, Mary and Charles Cole. Victoria lived at Bridgeport longer than any other member of the family. They later moved to Spenceville, where their sons grew up, and where Victoria lived for the remainder of her life. She died in March, 1930 at the age of 68.
Grave Site #7: Andrew Reed Kneebone, born 1861-died 1934. Born in Cornwall, England, he emigrated to America with his parents, to join his father who was residing in the Spenceville area in 1871. Andrew lived on a farm there with his family and learned "Teamstering" from his father as a teenager, eventually becoming one of the finest and best known teamsters in all of the Gold Country. In 1887 he married Victoria Cole and subsequently fathered five sons. They lived at Bridgeport in the family home for several years, and then the family moved to Spenceville where they resided until Victoria's death. Andrew returned to Bridgeport to live for a brief period of time until his death at the age of 73.
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