Greenwood Cemetery aka People's Cemetery

Over at the Graveyard Rabbit Online Journal, an article I wrote about Owen Sound's cemetery is now online.

The featured names were Lethbridge and McAllister. This study shows how a variety of sources can provide different information and that only using one source concerning  death leads to incomplete information. To gain a better understanding of who everyone was, non-death related sources are also needed.

The deed to the grave plot only tells who bought the plot and its location. The receipt shows how much Robert Lethbridge, Jr. paid for it.

A visit to the cemetery ground found the stones but not all the names were inscribed on the stones as was discovered when looking at the cemetery's online database. One name inscribed on the stone was not located in the database as Ontario's privacy laws prohibited its inclusion.

Census and vital records helped with determining relationships.

Not viewed were newspaper death notices/obituaries or the microfilm of the various cards in the Greenwood Cemetery files.

Greenwood Cemetery Owen Sound - Chapel

photo take November 1. 2008

Mayor Mathew R. Duncan laid the cornerstone for the chapel in 1905. A year later, it was used for the first funeral. Until the mausoleum was constructed in 1930, the chapel was used during bad weather for the committal service and for storage during the winter. There were no burials in the winter. Inside there is a trap door in the middle of the building. It could be raised and the coffins placed on storage racks below until the spring.

From 1930 to the 1990s, this building was used as the cemetery office. It was to this building on  a cold March morning in 1990 that my mother, brother and I went to purchase three plots after my dad died. One plot was for my dad; one was later used for my mom and one will be for me.

Information on the chapel is from the historic plaque that stands beside this building.

Tombstone Tuesday - Girdler and Bluhm

During a recent walk in Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, I found this monument. The sketches on the stone reflect their interest. They obviously enjoyed hitting the road on travels. Look at the sketch in the centre. It is a collage of grain, dice and musical notes. The flowers are reflecting on to the stone.

Shirley was the big girl next door when I was little and living on the east side of town.