Their Spirits Took Flight: Nevada City’s Historic Pine Grove Cemetery

By Brian Suwada
Hardcover, 272 pages
Banner Mountain Press, July 5, 2021

Their Spirits Took Flight: Nevada City’s Historic Pine Grove Cemetery, explores the mysteries and history of Nevada City, by way of its storied cemetery, researching beyond his own family to chronicle the lives of some of the earliest pioneers and settlers in the region. Suwada brings his fascination with history, specifically that of Nevada City’s Pine Grove Cemetery, to life, and provides a stunning snapshot of what life was like for those who came before us in Nevada City, or as it is affectionately called in the Sierra foothills, the Queen of the Northern Mines.

Their Spirits Took Flight relates the history of Nevada City through the lives of some of the earliest pioneers. You will meet veterans of various wars, congressmen and other public officials, people who worked as domestics, miners, teamsters, and in the saw mills and local bordellos; all of whom left this Earth between 1854 – 1961. Their stories are here, featuring over 3,600 biographical sketches and more than 140 photographs and other images. The book includes a directory of pioneers and early citizens residing within, a cemetery map, and touches upon cemetery symbolism and death-related customs of the late 19th & early 20th centuries.

BRIAN SUWADA is a retired librarian who was born in Sacramento, California, and has many relatives interred in Nevada City’s Pine Grove Cemetery. Feeling the magnetic pull of Nevada City all his life, Brian has turned his attention to uncovering the stories of those distant permanent residents who were seduced by Nevada City’s charms.

– Their Spirits Took Flight…Is a wonderful presentation of the history of this prominent cemetery and the people who are spending their eternity there. The stories of the people who have added so much to the history of the entire community is shared here by an author who appreciates their stories and presents them in such a beautiful manner. A great research tool for families, genealogists, and historians alike.
Pat Chesnut, Director, Searls Historical Library

– The last time I visited Nevada City I lent your book to several people who have lived in Nevada City for many years. There are descendants of people buried in Pine Grove Cemetery who are known to my friends. I recognize the enormous effort and passion that it took to collect all this data that appears in your book… We all appreciate this wonderful book, this history sensitively gathered and respectfully presented in Their Spirits Took Flight. This is your spiritual and historical gift to us all.
Rianne Lovett, former 25-year resident of Nevada City