Oldest "english-or, Immigrant" Gravestone In Canada (1720)

Oldest gravestone in Canada


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj2gOpfJEPE


(TURN OFF VOLUME, due to scream at end of video) THANK YOU !!!

The oldest (english) gravestone in Canada
is located in the Garrison Cemetery
on the Fort Anne grounds in historic Annapolis Royal, NS (est. 1605).

It belongs to a Bethiah Douglass
who departed October 1st, 1720.

Included are a few of the many old graveyards
surrounding my hometown of Annapolis Royal
(my old halloweening grounds!).

 

1819 london, ontario

London
Oldest gravestone in Middlesex County
discovered at London cemetery
Officials say it's 200 years old

Hala Ghonaim · CBC News · Posted: Jun 18, 2019
4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: June 18, 2019


Eliza Griffith died on June 16, 1819. (Hala Ghonaim/CBC)
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The oldest gravestone in all of Middlesex County
belonged to a little girl who was buried 200 years ago
at London's Brick Street Cemetery.

History enthusiasts and descendants
of the family gathered on Sunday
for a ceremony at the Commissioners Road cemetery
to commemorate the recent discovery,
which was made by two historians
who visited cemeteries across the county.

"This is our local connection to what is ancient history.
This is really significant," said David Hall,
chair of Friends of Brick Street Cemetery,
a non-profit group that works to restore and preserve the cemetery.

He said officials believe there are people
who were buried there in the 1700s,
however, the latest discovery is the oldest known stone marker.


David Hall is the chair of the Friends of Brick Street Cemetery group. (Hala Ghonaim/CBC)
What this means

The gravestone belonged to Eliza Griffith, who died on June 16, 1819,
at the age of one. Her information has been chiselled into the white marble gravestone, which stands about 2.5 feet high.

She was the daughter of Nathan Griffith,
one of London's earliest pioneers, according to Hall.

Griffith, who initially settled in the town of Westminster
(now known as south London), was one of the first
to manufacture bricks made from local clay.


Officials gathered on Sunday in honour of the discovery. (Hala Ghonaim/CBC)

"When you look around at the old, old buildings of London
and southwestern Ontario, they have this yellowish tinge t
o them, and a lot of those bricks were manufactured
along that stretch of Commissioners Road,"

said Hall, noting the road was formerly known as Brick Street.

Griffith went on to have a number of children
and many of his descendants are living in London today, Hall said.

Hall said the discovery allows Londoners to honour
and preserve the city's history.

"It's so old and it traces our history in this part of the world.

From the very beginning of settlement, right up to today.

I don't know of many places that can make that claim," he said.


There are about 700 people buried at the cemetery. (Hala Ghonaim/CBC)
"When the [white settlers] came,
this was just thick forest and swamp land
and they're the ones who cleared the forest, developed the land …

Now, a lot of that land …is developed into subdivisions,
office towers and apartment buildings," Hall said.
"They deserve our thanks and our respect."
Want to learn more? Check out:

The Ivey Family London Room, local history
and genealogy research at the Central Library;
The London Public Library branches;
The Westminster Township Historical Society;
The cemetery at 370 Commissioners Road West.

Oldest gravestone in Middlesex County discovered at London cemetery | CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/london-ontario-gravestone-discovery-1.5179095