Canadian Resting Places – Gravestone Themes of the Past

M.E. Cooper

Aug 24, 20242 min read

Updated: Oct 4, 2024

The weather-worn gravestones in early Canadian cemeteries where participants in the emigration of 1825 are buried demonstrate common themes. Many of the markers include a reference to the deceased’s birthplace which was Ireland. Counties Tipperary, Mayo, Cork, and Limerick appear in the photos included here. There are gravestones on which the deceased is listed as having reached quite an old age. I found one which lists the deceased as having lived to the age of one hundred years. However, a feature of note is the number of gravestones which list young children and infants who died during the emigrants' early days in Canada’s wilderness. The causes would most likely have been from illnesses for which there were no treatments or cures available. In addition, the number of graves belonging to young men and women is notable. While they too could have died from sickness, dying during childbirth was also a threat for women, and, for men, there was the danger of falling victim to accidents when clearing and/or working on the land. For example, apparently, the first person buried in St. Paul’s Cemetery (Asphodel-Norwood Township) was a man named Richard English. He died when a tree, which was being cut down, fell on him. As mentioned in 'The Peter Robinson Experiment', this type of danger was quite real. Richard left behind his wife, Judith, and their six children. Judith re-married a man with six children who tragically lost his wife to sickness while voyaging across the Atlantic with the Robinson group in 1825. Eventually, they added another three children to their family.

M. English—Cooper

Canadian Resting Places – Gravestone Themes of the Past

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