Boston asks for help restoring historic gravestones to appropriate burying grounds

 

Edward Lillie, Sr., died 12/27/1688 in Boston

Boston historians are asking for help reuniting several centuries old gravestones with the appropriate graves in the city's historic burying grounds. Historic Burying Grounds Initiative said it is asking historians, researchers and genealogists to check their records and help determine where the individuals were originally interred. 

During the 20th century, gravestones and pieces of stones were removed from various cemeteries for preservation purposes. Sometimes they were removed to prevent theft, with the full intention of restoring and replacing them at a future date.

Please take a look at the 9 photos provided on site and see if you can help  identify where each stone belongs. 

Dancing on the Dead

According to The Lady's Newspaper, by 1849 there were 52,000 deaths each year in London, yet the total space set aside for burial only allowed for 100,000 bodies.

Body-snatchers ran rampant and churches offered more secure burial sites in their basements and in tight spaces between buildings. Some churches showed between 1000 to almost 3500 burials per acre of land.

One man was convinced that the overflowing burial grounds were responsible for diseases such as cholera and maleria. The dead were buried in layers, on top of each other, in order to save space. Dances were held over top of burials - sometimes advertised as "Dancing on the Dead"
 
The new and improved 1852 burial act changed burials in England. Read the full story in The Disgusting Victorian Cemetery That Helped Change Burials in London Forever

Paved Over African American Cemetery

 Laurel Cemetery opened in 1852 as the first non-religious cemetery for Baltimore’s African-American community. Many well-known black individuals were buried there, but in 1950 the cemetery was moved. Paved over, a shopping mall was built on top of the original cemetery.

Representative Photo

But a question remains - are there still bodies buried beneath the shopping mall?

Ron Castanza, a professor at Baltimore College, set out to find answers. He applied for permission to dig in the grassy area where the shopping mall sat. Over time, the team found two headstones without names. They found bones and the metal handles and nails of coffins.

Read the full story at Rediscovering the African-American graveyard beneath a Baltimore shopping center

Hundreds of Irish Famine Graves Discovered in Massachusetts

A Rhode Island woman researching her husband's Irish ancestors found approximately 600-900 gravestones marking the second resting place of bodies previously disinterred from the Irish Catholic Cemetery in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Discovering that her husband's ancestor was no longer buried in the Catholic Cemetery but had been moved, along with hundreds of others, to a new location, she set out to pay a visit. To her surprise only 4 headstones were seen in that new location. She knew from her research that the stones had been laid flat on top of the coffins when the bodies were moved, so she began scraping away dirt and grass. And there she found the stones, hidden under dirt and grass since 1947.

Along with Archie Bennett, Waltham historic preservationist; Sheila Fitzpatrick of the Waltham Historical Society; and The Irish Ancestral Research Association, they decided to begin a restoration project to uncover all the stones.

Continue reading Irish Central's story Rhode Island woman's quest uncovers hundreds of Irish Famine graves

Church Plans to Dig Up 400 Graves

Over 400 bodies are known to be buried under a parking lot in Hamilton Ontario.  Richard Beasley, an early settler, is one of those buried there.

Christ Church Cathedral now plans to dig up the graves, identify them, and re-bury them so that they can build a 12-storey condo.

“It’s time that we stopped parking on top of those people,” said the Very Rev. Peter Wall, rector of Christ’s Church Cathedral, in a presentation to councillors Wednesday. “They need to be released from asphalt hell.”

The graveyard opened in 1832 and 20 years later it was closed. Many headstones were moved at that time but the bodies were left behind. The Cathedral has gathered and saved 24 tombstones which they are storing in the church basement.

From a personal viewpoint, many of my Peer ancestors as well as my Burkholder ancestors died in the Hamilton area in the early to mid 1800s. I am hopeful their remains will be found and identified.

Continue reading the full story at Hamilton church aims to dig up hundreds of graves from ‘asphalt hell’ for condo tower

Credit: Image of Christ Church Cathedral in Public Domain found on Wikipedia

Genealogists Heads Up re Proposed Bylaw: No Photographs in Cemetery!

Thanks to Murray Pletsch for bringing this to our attention. Polite action is called for - tell them NO!

Cause for Concern...

It has come to our attention that the City of Waterloo in Ontario Canada is considering
implementing a bylaw that would ban photography at all municipal cemeteries.

The proposed bylaw: "Photography: No person shall cause or permit the taking
of any photographic or video imaging within any Cemetery except with the
prior permission of the Manager."

This would mean that as of September 1st, no one would be allowed to take
photographs or video in any municipally owned cemetery operated by the City
of Waterloo without prior permission.

In other words, you could not take a photograph or video of a headstone you
own without prior permission. Or a photograph / video of a loved ones
headstone. Or request that someone take a photograph / video on your behalf
without prior permission. The bylaw does not provide guidelines for granting
or denying permission, only that the manager would decide.

Approval of this bylaw would also set a precedent for other municipalities
in Ontario to follow.

It would have a major impact on genealogy, and not just in terms of projects
like ours (think of the number of cemetery photographs you currently use in
your personal genealogy research!)

There are also multiple businesses and organizations that use cemetery
photographs, including the government.

Luckily there is time to stop this bylaw from being approved, and your help
is need to make this happen.

The bylaw changes were submitted to The Bereavement Authority of Ontario for
approval. The BAO are the ones who ultimately decide if cemetery bylaws will
be approved.

Before September 1st, please take a moment and send them a polite written
message to let them know what you think about this bylaw and how it would
impact you personally.

Bereavement Authority of Ontario
Email: info@thebao.ca
Telephone: 647-483-2645
Toll Free: 844-493-6356
Fax: 647-748-2645
Mail: Bereavement Authority of Ontario, 100 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 505,
Toronto, ON M2N 6N5

Need more info? The cemetery bylaws were discussed by the City of Waterloo
Council at their July 24th meeting. A copy of the agenda can be read here:
http://www.waterloo.ca/en/calendar/council/Details.aspx?Id=d11b5d9f-7c1a-4326-9fde-8369970131fa

The proposed cemetery bylaws are on pages 101-177, the clause regarding
photography is on page 113.

Burials at Highgate Cemetery London UK Now Online

Highgate Cemetery in London England is chock full of very well-known personalities such as Karl Marx, Christina Rosetti, George Elliott, and my personal favourite - scientist/Mathmatician Michael Faraday. Singer George Michael also lies there.

Details of all 160,000 burials between 1839 and 2010 at the cemetery have now been made available online. Deceased Online has been digitizing the burials for the public to freely consult. There is a small fee to download the actual record.

Read more on the Evening Standard Highgate Cemetery reveals all 160,000 burial records for first time

San Francisco home reno yields 120-year-old casket containing remains of toddler

What a story. The homeowner is to be commended for making sure the unknown child gets a proper burial.

Read the full story on Global News

San Francisco home reno yields 120-year-old casket containing remains of toddler

Are Any of These Bones Your Ancestors?

The Museum of History in Ottawa Ontario Canada and the Registrar of Burial Sites is calling for relatives of anyone who believes bones found in two historical burial sites to come forward.

"Inside the Collections Room on the 5th floor of the museum, open only to those who work there, are the remains of 19 people:  adults, children and newborns that were discovered along Queen Street a couple of years ago during the construction of the LRT.  Then, in December, the remains of two more people were found just behind the building at 62 Sparks Street." [CFRA News Talk Radio]

Archives show a cemetery in the area that was once the corner of Bytown's Barrack Hill, where canal workers and their families were buried. The bones are to be re-interred.

Read more at Digging up the past: what we are learning about those who helped build the Canal from their remains

More Cemetery Walks Online

Videos 5 and 6 of the Vasey United Cemetery Walk are now online on Olive Tree Genealogy Youtube Channel.

You can also view transcription for a group of tombstone photos taken in Vasey United Cemetery on April 2nd 2005 on AncestorsAtRest

The video of a Cemetery Walk through Wyebridge Presbyterian is now online on Olive Tree Genealogy Youtube Channel

Tombstone of William A. Hounsome in Wyebridge Presbyterian Cemetery

You can also view some still photos and a partial transcript of Wyebridge Presbyterian Cemetery on AncestorsAtRest 

Cemetery Walk Alpine City Cemetery Video 2 of 5

Join me on a Cemetery Walk through Alpine City Cemetery Video 2 of 5 This is the second of five videos walking through this cemetery.

With thanks to Sonja Nishimoto for sending these wonderful photos to OliveT ree Genealogy for publication. I am creating the videos and uploading them to Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel.
 

Cemetery Walk Through Alpine City Cemetery in Utah

Join me on a Cemetery Walk through Alpine City Cemetery in Utah. This is the first of five videos walking through this cemetery.

With thanks to Sonja Nishimoto for sending these wonderful photos to OliveT ree Genealogy for publication. I am creating the videos and uploading them to Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel.

Cemetery Walk St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Perkinsfield Ontario

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

Cemetery Walk St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery, Perkinsfield Ontario was just uploaded today on the Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel

More than 60 Cemetery Walk videos are now online.

 

 

 

Cemetery Walk Through Christ Church Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston.

Join Olive Tree Genealogy on my YouTube channel for a Cemetery Walk through Christ Church Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston.

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

More than 60 Cemetery Walk videos are now online.

A Cemetery Walk Through United Church Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

United Church Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston   Cemetery Walk was just uploaded today on the Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel

64 Cemetery Walk videos are now online.

Picnic With The Dead August 29th

Olive Tree Genealogy received this email from Woodland Cemetery in Ohio. What a great idea!

Each of us comes from somewhere and someone.  Most of us know something of our history and family members who have gone before us. On August 29, 2015 Woodland Cemetery Foundation would like to spend the day with you and with your ancestors.  The foundation is hosting a gathering of descendants at the cemetery and would be honored if you and your family members joined in the celebration.  Please come and share a few thoughts about, of words from, and remembrances of your ancestors who reside now at Woodland Cemetery [6901 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44104].

Come visit your family gravesites and maybe spruce them up a bit –bring your tools and supplies and plant your flowers!  Or just to come and enjoy the beauty of the park and share time and words with your loved ones, with your family and friends, and with other the other descendants who have come to visit their ancestors. Woodland Cemetery is one of the loveliest and most peaceful places in all of Cleveland.  Let us share.

On August 29, 2015, let us share.  Let us share our family stories and the beauty that is around us.  Let us share the history of ourselves and of our city.  Let us share the stories of our common past and maybe carry lessons learned into our communal future.

No celebration is complete without a feast.  Please plan to share a potluck picnic luncheon with your family, friends, and other descendants.  Bring a favorite family dish or share one that your ancestors favored.  Bring your own picnic basket.  Woodland Cemetery Foundation will be providing food and drink and your contribution would be most welcome.  Let us share.

Festivities will start on August 29th at 10:00AM, with the picnic potluck beginning around 11:00AM and continuing throughout the day.  Please bring your dish to share along with your picnic basket and blanket – or table – and your memories and stories.  Please remember that Woodland Cemetery is an alcohol free zone, so no alcoholic beverages, please!

If you have never been to Woodland Cemetery, it is a wonderful place to visit.  If you are unsure of how to get to the grave location of your ancestor, members of the foundation will be more than happy to assist.  If you send us an email ahead of time, we will provide you with the burial records and the grave location for your ancestors. Or visit our website and find ancestors at our online database: http://www.wcfcle.org/interment/wcfiis_search.php

57 Graves Found Under Church Parking Lot

Recently 57 century old graves were found when a church parking lot was dug up in Toronto Ontario Canada. The church was originally built in the Village of Weston in the 1850s. The coffins and grave markers date as far back as 1866. The church is St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and so far no burial records have surfaced. 

An old photo, which you can see at  Dozens of old graves found under Toronto church parking lot appears to show a cemetery beside the church. 

That cemetery has not been visible for many years and the suspicion is that the parking lot was built over top of the graves. 

Mystery Marker Found in Wagoner Oklahoma Cemetery

The Three Forks Genealogy Society recently unearthed a mystery marker at Elmwood Cemetery  in Wagoner Oklahoma. The marker, found buried in the earth, read

 "The Year of Our Lord 1919, Bethel Hill A.M.E. Church." It listed the pastor as William J. Stanley and the church trustees as A.J. Foster, A.L. Rollins, R.A. Montague, J.L. Rollins, and J.H. Montague. 

Members of the Society have so far been unable to find out exactly who these individuals were and are asking for help from the public.

Continue reading this story at Group asking for public's help to identify mystery marker found in historic Wagoner cemetery

Credits: "Research" by jscreationzs on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

An Ancestral Tragedy - Losing a Wife and 4 Children in 7 Years

Yesterday I read a blog post on Grave Mistakes called In less than 2 weeks Margaret Hughes lost quads, twins and her husband.

It got me thinking about the tragedies in my own ancestors' lives. One of the first sad events I uncovered as a genealogist many years ago was the story of great grand uncle Thomas William King.

Thomas was born in 1841 in what was the wilderness of Puslinch Township in Wellington County Ontario. At the age of 25 he married Mary Ann Kemble. Two daughters were soon born to the young couple. The first born was Catherine born April 1865. Next came her little sister Mary Ann born October 11, 1869.

Tragedy struck when a few days after Mary Ann's birth, 25 year old Mary Ann Kemble died. One year later, the widower Thomas faced yet another blow when 5 year old Catherine died on December 9, 1870. Just 4 days later her little 1 year old sister Mary Ann also died. In the space of one year Thomas lost his wife and both children.

The family was buried in the Pioneer Cemetery in Arkell Ontario. The double tombstone of the little sisters reads

Mary Ann died Dec. 13, 1870 age 1 year, 2 months, 2 days
Catherine died Dec. 9, 1870 age 5 years 7 months 16 days
Children of Thomas W. and Mary A. King

Their death registrations showed both young girls died of Diptheria.

It was not long before Thomas remarried. His next wife was Mary Ann Ramsey and they were married in December 1871 almost one year to the day of his daughter's tragic death. Their first born was a boy who they named Joseph. Joseph was born in December 1872 but sadly in October 1873 at the age of 10 months he died of pneumonia.

Baby Joseph's tombstone in Arkell Cemetery reads

Joseph, son of Thomas W. and Mary A. King died Oct. 2, 1873 age 11 months, 9 days

Death was not yet finished with Thomas. Three years after Joseph died a daughter Mary was born. There may have been other children in between but if so they died young. Little Mary was born in March 1876 but did not live long. In October of that year at the age of 7 months she too passed away.

Her tombstone reads "Our Darling Mary died Oct. 12, 1876 age 7 months, daughter of Thomas W and Mary A. King. Sleep on my Mary in calm repose, though parted for awhile, To _ _ _ _ _ on _ _ _ will join praise And grace your happy smile"

In the space of 7 years Thomas lost his wife and four children. Thomas had more children and went on to marry for a third time in 1904 after Mary Ann Ramsey died. Only 2 daughters survived to adulthood.

Serendipity Strikes and a Tombstone is Found

Photo I took in 2009 of Elizabeth Bell's Tombstone

My brother's DNA results on 23andMe.com had many suggested "cousins" but after writing to two of them, one came up a winner! It turns out we share a 3rd great-grandfather, Peter Bell, who came from Cheshire England to Arkell Ontario Canada around 1831.

We have been happily sharing information and pictures for the last few days. Chris, the wife of Gerald who shares Peter Bell with my brother and I, has an amazing story which I want to share. In 2007 Chris and Gerald took a trip from the USA to Ontario, specifically to Arkell to look for the graves of Peter Bell and his wife Elizabeth.

Peter's tombstone is near the front entrance of Farnham Cemetery and was easy to spot. But there was no sign of a grave marker for Elizabeth Higginson Bell. As Gerald walked across the lawns, he stumbled on a rock buried in the ground. He was struck by the shape of this rock so bent down to have a good look.

You know what's coming - it was one corner of a tombstone that lay buried. So Gerald got out his pocket knife and began digging. Lo and behold it was the tombstone for Elizabeth, wife of Peter Bell.

She obviously wanted to be found. And because Gerald dug around that tombstone and uncovered it, it was there for me to see when I went to Farnham Cemetery for the first time in 2009. I had no idea that I had Gerald to thank for being able to view my 3rd great grandmother's headstone from 1855.