Alida was the daughter of Domingo Ghirardelli Jr., and Addie Cook. She was born on September 3, 1878 in San Francisco. She was the granddaughter of famous Chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli.
Alida studied fine art in Paris, and came to live with her uncle and aunt Christopher Jorgensen and Angela Ghirardelli Jorgensen at Carmel-by-the-Sea. She was an accomplished artist and mentioned in many magazines and periodicals of the time for her young talents.
Records show that upon returning to Carmel after a lengthy trip in Europe, she went to stay at the Pine Inn Hotel just about one half mile away from La Playa (the home of the Jorgensens). Just 48 hours before Alida's death she had nearly drowned in the sea but had been saved just in time. Oddly, she drowned on August 16th in the very same waters, and her body disappeared for nearly a month before washing ashore.
Newspaper clippings of the time suggest she committed suicide over a broken heart after the gentleman suitor she met in Paris (an American) had promised to marry her but went off and married another. I have not found concrete evidence of this theory, so it remains a theory and not fact until more is found. Perhaps she died accidentally due to the rip currents, but why twice in two days? Did she kill herself or was it really just a horrible and tragic accidental drowning?
According to Nichelle Sevier at Cypress Lawn Cemetery's archive vault, Alida's body was cremated and originally interred at the family crypt at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. Later on, Alida, Hope and Edwin Ghirardelli's ashes were brought to Cypress Lawn and reinterred with their other family members (parents and siblings). ---- (Bio by Author, J'aime Rubio)∼Drowned while swimming off the Carmel Beach
Alida studied fine art in Paris, and came to live with her uncle and aunt Christopher Jorgensen and Angela Ghirardelli Jorgensen at Carmel-by-the-Sea. She was an accomplished artist and mentioned in many magazines and periodicals of the time for her young talents.
Records show that upon returning to Carmel after a lengthy trip in Europe, she went to stay at the Pine Inn Hotel just about one half mile away from La Playa (the home of the Jorgensens). Just 48 hours before Alida's death she had nearly drowned in the sea but had been saved just in time. Oddly, she drowned on August 16th in the very same waters, and her body disappeared for nearly a month before washing ashore.
Newspaper clippings of the time suggest she committed suicide over a broken heart after the gentleman suitor she met in Paris (an American) had promised to marry her but went off and married another. I have not found concrete evidence of this theory, so it remains a theory and not fact until more is found. Perhaps she died accidentally due to the rip currents, but why twice in two days? Did she kill herself or was it really just a horrible and tragic accidental drowning?
According to Nichelle Sevier at Cypress Lawn Cemetery's archive vault, Alida's body was cremated and originally interred at the family crypt at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. Later on, Alida, Hope and Edwin Ghirardelli's ashes were brought to Cypress Lawn and reinterred with their other family members (parents and siblings). ---- (Bio by Author, J'aime Rubio)∼Drowned while swimming off the Carmel Beach
Alida was the daughter of Domingo Ghirardelli Jr., and Addie Cook. She was born on September 3, 1878 in San Francisco. She was the granddaughter of famous Chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli.
Alida studied fine art in Paris, and came to live with her uncle and aunt Christopher Jorgensen and Angela Ghirardelli Jorgensen at Carmel-by-the-Sea. She was an accomplished artist and mentioned in many magazines and periodicals of the time for her young talents.
Records show that upon returning to Carmel after a lengthy trip in Europe, she went to stay at the Pine Inn Hotel just about one half mile away from La Playa (the home of the Jorgensens). Just 48 hours before Alida's death she had nearly drowned in the sea but had been saved just in time. Oddly, she drowned on August 16th in the very same waters, and her body disappeared for nearly a month before washing ashore.
Newspaper clippings of the time suggest she committed suicide over a broken heart after the gentleman suitor she met in Paris (an American) had promised to marry her but went off and married another. I have not found concrete evidence of this theory, so it remains a theory and not fact until more is found. Perhaps she died accidentally due to the rip currents, but why twice in two days? Did she kill herself or was it really just a horrible and tragic accidental drowning?
According to Nichelle Sevier at Cypress Lawn Cemetery's archive vault, Alida's body was cremated and originally interred at the family crypt at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. Later on, Alida, Hope and Edwin Ghirardelli's ashes were brought to Cypress Lawn and reinterred with their other family members (parents and siblings). ---- (Bio by Author, J'aime Rubio)∼Drowned while swimming off the Carmel Beach
Alida studied fine art in Paris, and came to live with her uncle and aunt Christopher Jorgensen and Angela Ghirardelli Jorgensen at Carmel-by-the-Sea. She was an accomplished artist and mentioned in many magazines and periodicals of the time for her young talents.
Records show that upon returning to Carmel after a lengthy trip in Europe, she went to stay at the Pine Inn Hotel just about one half mile away from La Playa (the home of the Jorgensens). Just 48 hours before Alida's death she had nearly drowned in the sea but had been saved just in time. Oddly, she drowned on August 16th in the very same waters, and her body disappeared for nearly a month before washing ashore.
Newspaper clippings of the time suggest she committed suicide over a broken heart after the gentleman suitor she met in Paris (an American) had promised to marry her but went off and married another. I have not found concrete evidence of this theory, so it remains a theory and not fact until more is found. Perhaps she died accidentally due to the rip currents, but why twice in two days? Did she kill herself or was it really just a horrible and tragic accidental drowning?
According to Nichelle Sevier at Cypress Lawn Cemetery's archive vault, Alida's body was cremated and originally interred at the family crypt at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. Later on, Alida, Hope and Edwin Ghirardelli's ashes were brought to Cypress Lawn and reinterred with their other family members (parents and siblings). ---- (Bio by Author, J'aime Rubio)∼Drowned while swimming off the Carmel Beach
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
