grave post - Margaret H Brown

From this simple stone with the intriguing description 'Missionary in China' I learned that Margaret H Brown (1887-1978) had a distinguished teaching, writing, and publishing career in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and West China. She was born in rural Tiverton, Ontario and was a teacher there for about four years before moving to China to teach within the Presbyterian Church of Canada. From1916 to 1929 she lived and taught in Henan Province until she was appointed to the staff of the Christian Literature Society Shanghai and worked there as an editor. During her time there she published a number of books in Chinese, including Stories of Jesus and Mrs Wang's Diary which was published in English in 1936 (and is available at Amazon, for a steep price)


There was very little personal information on her which makes me think she was very much a career woman. Although Miss Brown retired in 1956, and was possibly back in Canada since the missionaries were sent packing after the Communists took over, she devoted her time to researching and writing, publishing an account of the life and work of the Canadian Presbyterian missionary and editor of the Christian Literature Society, Donald MacGillivray. MacGillvray was a prolific scholar and writer, translator and editor, who wrote a popular dictionary, A Mandarin-Romanized Dictionary of Chinese in 1907.

Taphophile Tragics

grave post - Captain Hugh

Hugh and Annie MacKinnon were married in Kincardine on January 2, 1878. Their marriage certificate says that Hugh was born in Tyree, Argyleshire, Scotland and was 29 years old. He was also a bachelor and a sailor. Annie was 19 years old and born in Bruce County. No profession was listed but curiously, also not listed was whether she was a spinster. We could assume that were she a widow, that would be included. But what is interesting is that the stone says Hugh was born in 1845 and Annie in 1858 which would make him 13 years older not 10. The genealogy chart I found lists their birth dates as Nov 11, 1844 and Aug 20, 1858 respectively. Perhaps he was a little vain about the age difference when he met her? Annie's maiden name was also MacKinnon and I wonder if they were cousins but then, she would have known is true age, surely. Or maybe it was just a simple matter of someone writing down the wrong information and it was never corrected.

Annie and Hugh would have 11 children in the next 20 years.

Donald was born in Dec 1878 followed by Neil the following December, Sarah Ann (Aug 1881), Jean (Oct 1883), Margaret (Sept 1886), Archibald (Aug 1888), Mary Flora (Jan 1891), Ethel (Aug 1892), Catherine (Dec 1894), John Hector (Feb 1896), and Hugh Clarke (Oct 1898). There is no date of death listed for firstborn Donald, or 6th born Archibald, and apart from Sarah Ann, who died in Saskatchewan in 1922, the others all lived until the at least the late 1960s with Mary and Margaret being the longest surviving children (1984 and 1980 respectively)

The site also says that Hugh was also known as "Captain Hugh" and that he sailed the Great Lakes for 50 years.

you can see a photo of Annie and Captain Hugh here

grave post - Hunter

This was one of the more interestingly designed stones in the old section of the Tiverton Cemetery (see also here)

mainly because it is quite modern and doesn't really reflect the time 
of William Hunter and his wife Mary who died in 1909 and 1902.

The life of Our Little May is undated.

Yet, it also doesn't look as if it was carved by the same stonemason as the font is slightly different and the order of names, dates, locations are different on each side.

Mr Hunter was a farmer and a poet who lived in the nearby village of Underwood at Antrim Farm

some samples of his poems (there are 40 of them)

I looked on Lake Huron in the first glint of morning
As the orb of the day threw his light o'er the hill
The woods on the shore with rich beauty adorning
All mirrored in water so peaceful and still...
(1897)

I have never seen Lake Huron still as a mirror, though I have been told that does happen on occasion. The lake is to the west, so here are photos of a sunrise (above) around 7:15am in August 2010

and a sunset at 8:30pm in July 2013.

The creek that runs down by our door
Is not without its charm
Though oft in spring with rage and roar
It does a lot of harm...
When mornings sun with golden beam
Illumes the eastern sky
The duck with quack and flapping wings
Makes for that stream nearby...
We watch its waters in the sun
And listen to its noise
It just appears to run for fun
To please the girls and boys...
It used to be a favorite place
When the flats were filled with logs
For the various breeds of a singing race
But most enjoyed by frogs...
But now no logs are lying round
And the frogs are not so bright
But a business new has now been found
In catching suckers at night...
And along each bank of the lovely stream
When night spreads out its pall
A row of stable lamps are seen
And splashing footsteps fall

written in May 1897

Taphophile Tragics