This history of the Hot Springs Cemetery is an introduction that was used for a series of books published by the Sierra County Genealogical Society:

The earliest actual recorded dates of any funerals in all of Sierra County, New Mexico, are those held by the French Mortuary, now Kirikos Funeral Home, in the present city of Truth or Consequences. The records begin with the 5th of December, 1919 when the town's name was Palomas Hot Springs.

Researchers should know that two "Hot Springs Cemeteries" are involved, - an old one, now nonexistent, and the present one. (In fact, there is now a newer one called Vista Memory Gardens, but it's not involved in these records.)

The Hot Springs Cemetery, located on Cedar Street within the city limits of present day Truth or Consequences (formerly Hot Springs), New Mexico, has been city owned, operated and maintained from its beginning as early as 1921 and is almost completely filled as of this writing.

Technically, however, it is not the very first town cemetery referred to in these earlier records.  About 1914 some of the first burials were located on First Street about 200 feet east of the South East corner of First and Cedar Streets; (about the third city lot from the corner.) The office of a low-rent housing project built in 1974 is presently located directly atop that lot.

Other burials followed at that location until about 1928. In the early 1930s the lots were sold to the I.O.O.F.  for the building of its new hall. Sometime between 1932 and 1935 a committee was appointed by the city to see that the persons interred there were properly moved to the new Cedar Street cemetery and marked.  As well as can be remembered the committee consisted of Otto Goetz, Mr. C. E. Henson, Mrs. Apodaca, Mr. Sullivan and Emma Kendall.

In 1974 the I.O.O.F. Hall was torn down and a federal housing project was built on this location and on some of the surrounding land. At that time approximately five or six more of the old unmarked graves were found and were also transferred to the Hot Springs Cemetery on Cedar Street.

So, any researcher attempting to locate an ancestor must take notice of the year that ancestor died in order to determine exactly where that person may have been buried. It is suggested that the books Cemetery Records of Hot Springs Cemetery, Earliest Mortuary Records 1919-1935  and Community Cemeteries of Sierra County, also be consulted to augment any search being made. A copy of these books may be found in the local library as well as the Geronimo Springs Museum.

We hasten to  add that we realize our efforts as set forth herein will not be perfect, and errors undoubtedly will be found;  but we did our best to preserve for future generations those records still available to us, now, but fast disappearing due to losses and other natural attrition which time itself imposes. A case in point is our failure to locate, after diligent searching,  a copy of the plat showing the early Potter's Field or Pauper's Field mentioned in some of the following death records, although a few quite clearly state: "See City Plat." The only original plat known is the old, yellowed, very large city plat now on display at the Geronimo Springs Museum.

It was noted, as this was written that most of those "no charge" burials occurred during the dark Depression Days of the early 1930s. Another sadly noticeable thing you will see, as you go through this book, is the numbers of suicides during those same years, - a terribly realistic commentary on the horrible times people went through without money to buy food or to save their homes or even have enough for a decent burial.  May our country never have to suffer anything like that again.

According to the book History of Sierra County, New Mexico, "Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Bullen came about 1912 (page 12) Lula Bullen nursed the sick. . . and Mr. Bullen had the first funeral parlor here." We find no further information on them.

Then, in 1919 Mr. Chester T. French opened several mortuaries in the state including one here in Hot Springs. He had first come to Albuquerque in 1904 from Knoxville, Tennessee, and started his first mortuary there in 1907. He had the distinction of placing into use the first motor hearse ever used in New Mexico, replacing a horse drawn carriage. 

He retained ownership until November 1, 1976 under several managers, until Michael and Carol Kirikos  purchased the business. The Kirikos' have continued to operate the mortuary, together with their son, Bill, until this date (March 2016) retaining the French name, and excellent reputation.