Monday, February 6, 2012

grave post #6

 This is St Luke's Anglican Church, the first Anglican Church in Halton County. 
St. Luke's is the oldest church in Burlington. The land on which St. Luke's is built was given to Joseph Brant, the famous Native leader, for his services to British-Canadian forces during the American Revolution. Brant, who had been an Anglican since the age of twenty, gave the land to his daughter, Elizabeth, who in turn donated it for the construction of a church, the first of its kind in the area.

Some of the older headstones in the graveyard are in pretty rough shape, but with some, attempts have been made to keep them upright
there are even a few that have birth dates from the 1700s - a rarity in these parts and exciting to find!
an interesting observation is the lack of a surname on Elizabeth's and Sarah's markers - they are listed as being the "wife of"
it also looks as if the stones for both couples were done by different carvers. note the inconsistency of the upper and lower case in Elizabeth's marker and the different styles of dates for the Chisholms' and the variety of fonts on Sarah's marker

for other grave observations, head over to Taphophile Tragics

20 comments:

  1. Golly, me neither. Not many markers here where they were born in the 1700s. Certainly none where they died in the 1700s.

    Some very interesting stuff here, Sanna. I love the moss growing out of the roofline of the church. We don't have quaint timber churches like that here. If they are timber, then they are usually wowser churches and therefore very utilitarian buildings!

    I love what you have thought about the different carving styles. I think Gene will be able to tell us that that hand on Sarah's marker has significance. It is a symbol of some sort. Sarah's mason sure was impressed with the word 'DIED".

    Good move to present them in B&W. Conveys wonderful atmosphere.

    There was another expression that someone mentioned a few weeks back that was used at that time for 'wife of'. It will come to me in the middle of the night. I have seen it here in Sydney in the Camperdown Cemetery.

    Loved the detail in your post today.

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  2. This is very interesting, love the story and love the church. Do they still use it do you know. have a great week. hugs.

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  3. yes, the church is still in use. they also have concerts there quite often.

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  4. Beautiful building for sure...very old. Sarah Wife of Col. Chisholm--I see this on many of the older stones...now a days they have these double stones with the sir name at top and the mans name is always on the left and the woman's on the right Im trying to figure out how that started. I love the B & W photos!!

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  5. Great cemetery shots. The b&w gives them such atmosphere.

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  6. A truly historical church and churchyard.

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  7. I love the classic design of this old church. How wonderful that it is still with us today looking over its worshipper from the past.

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  8. What a beautiful little church.

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  9. Lucky you, a 1765 date! I must start branching out to see other cemeteries.

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  10. A 1765 date is going a long way back .. I haven't found anything that early here mainly mid 1800's.
    The little church is a beauty!

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  11. Beautiful B&W captures of this historic cemetery!

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  12. Wow, that's really old - I never get tired of old grave markers. I guess they are sad, but also somehow comforting to me.

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  13. Interestingly, I feel almost dispassionate about grave markers. I wonder if that is because I have never visited anyone I knew personally? Mostly, I find I am getting excited about the history of the named people.

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  14. Beautiful pictures. I have to say I love the name Augustus Bates, they just don't make names like that any more.

    I am always excited to find a pre 1800 birth or death, but then here in the UK it is slightly more common.

    Herding Cats

    http://seathreepeeo.blogspot.com

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  15. Great finds! I've seen the hand (pointing towards heaven) symbol on graves here. Do you see many symbols on graves there?

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  16. I haven't noticed that many.... but now I probably will!

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  17. Mostly I see them on older graves. Newer ones sometimes put images of things the deceased liked (I saw a child's grave with a dinosaur), but less frequently any symbol besides a religious one (cross, Star of David, etc.)

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  18. Nice photos. I love the one with books and leaves!

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  19. «Louis» always enjoys historical tidbits like this!

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