Tombstone Tourism: Decoration Day at Vinings

 

September 1 is Decoration Day at Vinings Cemetery, Concession 5, West Nissouri (or 22157 Purple Hill Road, Township of Thames Centre). So, when a friend decided to visit the graves of relatives who farmed nearby, I went for the ride, of course. After all, you never know who you'll find resting in one of these idyllic country graveyards. 

It's called Vinings after an early pioneer family. One Rev. Salmon Vining donated the land for the burial site, the first grave being that of his son Joseph, who died in 1855 at the age of 16 of typhoid fever. However, there's also the grave of one William Garner who died in 1837. Presumably, William was buried elsewhere and his body was re-interred at Vinings later:

Today, this is an attractive, well-cared for, Vining-filled burial ground, but it hasn't always appeared that way. In 1921, one Joseph Vining called a public meeting to deal with the "dreary desolation of long grass and berry bushes that were engulfing the stones." An army of volunteers answered his call, donating one day per week for a month to tidy the cemetery. Then a caretaker was hired, plotholders being charged $2 per plot to pay his salary. But guess what? Hardly any families paid up. Eventually, Joseph Vining's estate provided money for a perpetual care fund.* Today's trustees receive (some) money from the township. 

After World War I, the cemetery board of the period offered land at Vinings for a veterans' monument. However, West Nissouri Council opted to place the monument in nearby Thorndale for better visibility. Not that there aren't military graves at Vinings itself:

Sergeant Leonard Salter, 3rd Bn., Canadian Infantry, d. June 10, 1920, age 34.  Born in 1887 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, to Thomas and Clara Salter, he died of pneumonia.

Wilbur Douglas Kennedy, Gunner in the Royal Canadian Artillery, d. Aug. 14, 1943 at age 23. Born in 1920 to Wilbur and Edna Kennedy, he died in Montreal following a mastoid operation.
Note the broken gravestone next to his, possibly damaged by a lawnmower. A common sight in pioneer burial grounds, broken markers usually remain unrepaired or unreplaced unless family steps in. 

Lieut. Roy L. Vining of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps, d. Dec. 19, 1918, aged 31. A son of Joseph Vining and Emma Lindley, he died of pneumonia at Guelph. 

All three men are remembered in the war memorial in Thorndale, one side of which has the additional names from World War II.

This cemetery has been expanded from its original size, an additional third of an acre being purchased in 1934. The attractive wrought iron sign was added in 1967, one of many Canadian Centennial projects across country. History in those days was important to Canadians and worth spending money on. 

Decoration Day services began at Vinings on the first Sunday of September, 1923 with 500 people in attendance. Decoration Day in 2024 had fewer than 50 and there's no service anymore. Instead, trustees held a "drop-in" event with a visitors' sign-in book. Folks came and left flowers at relatives' graves:

A word about cemetery expenses. The tree below will have to be taken down soon since it's hollow and in danger of falling, possibly damaging nearby graves. The cost will be exorbitant; perhaps some kind fairy godmother will wave her magic wand and donate the funds? 

Metal thieves stole an earlier version of this gate a few years back. This is an expensive replacement:

The way things cost these days, it's no wonder there's so many decayed rural cemeteries. Vinings is fortunate to have so many concerned local individuals to look after it and it remains one of the most attractive burial grounds near London. 

*Details from J. J. Leverton (ed.), West Nissouri Township 1818-2000. Our Heritage. Volume One, pp. 181-2.