The tombstone in Crowe's Cemetery, Shepody Road for the children of Armour and Elizabeth Black.           Matilda aged 25 years           James aged 18 years            Eliza aged 23 years            Mary J. aged 12 years            Janie aged 13 years  Clasped hands in a farewell handshake is the symbol on this monument.

Photo courtesy Faye Pearson

As soon as the evening barn chores were completed, Dad filled a bucket with some rotted cow fertilizer and placed it in the trunk of the car along with a shovel, rake and grass clippers and off to Hampton we went to pick up some petunias and marigolds from Don K. This also gave Mum an opportunity to have a short visit with Evelyn, one of her girlhood friends.

Mum's mother had died when I was very young, but the planting of flowers on her grave in the Cemetery  presented an opportunity for us to hear stories of  Grammiedipping water from the well to water the cattle and of churning butter to send to market as well as the untimely death of two of her daughters.

Saturday meant another trip to a cemetery for Gram and Aunt Tillie to plant flowers on the graves of their parents, brother and sisters. They were never in any hurry to leave this fenced grave yard. It seemed to me and Cliff that they wanted to stop at every tombstone and discuss the life of the person buried there.

Now that I think about it, tombstones to Mum, Gram and Aunt Tillie were not only a reminder that a person had died but left a lasting proclamation for future generations that an individual had lived.

It seems that some members of the Kings County Historical Society had the same thoughts as over the years visits were made to more than160 cemeteries. The inscriptions on the tombstones were copied and donated to the Kings County Museum in Hampton.

Some of the cemeteries had been well kept and beautified while others were no more than one or two tombstones lying in the underbrush surrounded by trees. Nature took back the land that man had once cleared for the final resting place of loved ones.

An ongoing project has been to index these cemetery listings but as yet it is not completed.

The Kings County Museum, Hampton is open from June 15 to September 30.  E-mail to kingscm@nbnet.nb.ca.

Whether reading names from a piece of paper or standing at the burial spot of an ancestor, one is touched by the sorrow that the shadow of death brought to so many.

The messages carved on tombstones provide a window to the past of many an ancestor's family.
 
 

Query 98-687
Simpson - Patton - Wesley - Seely: I am researching the Simpson family ancestry in Saint John. My grandparents were Thomas Edwin Simpson and Laura Caroline Patton, both born approximately1878 and married in 1907. Thomas E. was a 'city traveller' with Hall & Fairweather and later Assistant Commissioner, Board of Trade. Thomas's parents were William Clark Simpson (1841-1916), a school teacher and Cassie Amelia Wesley. Only other known children of William and Cassie are Robert Herbert and Mary Emma. Cassie had a sister Emma who was known to be 'the bible woman', handing out bibles to soldiers going off to World War I. William C. was the son of Thomas (1806-1885) and Mary Ann Simpson, of Yorkshire, England. This Thomas was purported to be of English nobility (writings state he was nephew to Sir George Simpson) and taught school privately in Saint John and became principal of Bowman
Public School and at time of his death, was on the Board of School Trustees. He and Mary Ann also had children: Robert; Thomas; Dick; Mary Ann and Harriett. I believe this Robert may have worked for the Globe in Saint John. Laura Caroline's parents were Thomas Patton(1835) and Georgianna E. Seely / Halliday. Other children of Thomas and Georgianna were: Mary; Georgie; Lawrence; Margaret; Martha; Henrietta and maybe Thomas. Georgianna had a daughter Jean / Janet from an earlier marriage. If anyone is connected to these family lines or has information, I would greatly appreciate hearing from them.
 -Lauraine Simpson, 142 Heather Ave., Charlottetown, P.E.I., C1A 6Z4. E-mail to  lcsimpson@pei.sympatico.ca.

Query 98-688
Rea: In the beginning there was a mother named Lucinda, one sister (name unknown) and two brothers, Johnston and Joseph Rea, who came to Saint John from Ireland. They traveled to Pennsylvania and the brothers settled in Black River Township, Lorain County, Ohio. Johnston Rea moved westward to Florence Township in what is now Erie County and then to Wakeman, Huron County, Ohio. I know that Johnston Rea was born in1790 in Killybane, Co. Fermanagh, Ireland. I am looking for information on the Rea family.
 -Mary McGinnis, 151 Co. Rd. 451, Athens, TN, 37303. E-mail to maginnis@usit.net.

Query 98-689
Blair: William Isaac Blair was born Nov.10, 1832 in Saint John. He may have lived in Bathurst as well. Research has found a possible link to John Russell Blair who was born in 1822 and married Margaret King Gibson on Dec. 1, 1863. They had seven children and they named their fifth child William Isaac Blair.  My William Isaac Blair died in Michigan on Jun.18, 1870. I am trying to connect these families as well as find their place of origin in Scotland. Any information on the Blairs of New Brunswick would be appreciated.
 -Mary Agnes Scholten. E-mail to SCHOLTEN@prodigy.net.

Query 98-690
Lorneville Families: In preparation for the Lorneville 2000 Reunion on August 25 and 26, information is being gathered on the original families who settled in Lorneville. Most of them immigrated from the Derryoge / Kilkeel area in County Down, Ireland. The Reunion will feature photographs, artifacts, and genealogical displays. Anyone who may have information, etc. to contribute to this is invited to contact:
 -Elva Janes at 635-0498 or E-mail to edjanes@nbnet.nb.ca.

 Ruby M. Cusack is a genealogy buff. Send your queries to her at rmcusack@nbnet.nb.ca. (Please put Yesteryear Families in the subject line.) Include your name and mailing address for the benefit of those who do not have access to E-mail.