Tombstone Tourism: The Middlesex Centre Archives Cemetery Tour

On October 5, I attended Middlesex County Archives' Second Annual Cemetery Tour. Since I missed last year's trip, I really looked forward to the 2024 edition and this day of cemetery sightseeing did not disappoint. 

My friend and I are such keen Tombstone Tourists that we arrived absurdly early. But that was fine, since it gave us an opportunity to visit one of last year's graveyards while we awaited the start of this year's tour. 

Tiffany Cemetery

Across Gideon Road from Middlesex County Archives is Tiffany Cemetery, named after Gideon Tiffany who's buried there. (Yes, the road is named after him too.) It was Tiffany who donated land for this cemetery over 200 years ago and some burials did take place as early as 1805, like the sign says. 

Tiffany was one of those early pioneers who did some of everything. Despite being an American from New Hampshire, he went to Niagara to become King's Printer for Upper Canada in 1794. Later, in 1799, with his brother Silvester, he began publishing the Canada Constellation, Upper Canada's first independent newspaper. 

Perhaps Tiffany tired of the news business. In 1801, he purchased 2,200 acres in Delaware Township from Ebenezer Allan, taking over two sawmills owned by the latter. In the wilds of Delaware, he and his brother-in-law, Moses Brigham, produced lumber for the Detroit market. The village of Delaware was surveyed by Gideon's brother Oliver in the mid-1820s in hopes of it becoming the administrative and judicial seat of the London District. (No such luck.) For 30 years, Tiffany served in various township offices, including assessor and overseer of roads and fences. He also became a lieutenant in the 1st Middlesex Militia. Years later, he took the losing side in the 1837 Rebellion and was jailed for it ... but was tried and acquitted in 1838. 

As his gravemarker (right) states, he was born in 1774, came to Delaware in 1801, and died there aged 80 in 1854. He's buried with his wife, Ruth Tomlinson, who he married in about 1802 and who lived until 1850. The couple had five children who survived to adulthood. 

More information about this legendary pioneer can be found in this bio by another local legend, historian Dan Brock. 

Christ Church Pioneer Cemetery

At last the official tour began. The first official stop on this year's tour was back across the street, next to the Archives building. The land for this burial ground was donated by Dr. Oliver Tiffany in 1834. There was a frame church, Christ Church Anglican, on this site as early as the 1830s. Progress dictated that it should be replaced by a brick building in 1885. Alas, the era of church building is over and the age of church demolition has begun. Christ Church was demolished in 1999, leaving a large gap in the centre of the cemetery. 

The tour organizers outdid themselves in providing information. Archives volunteer Sid Prior placed signs on various graves with bios of the deceased. This had the effect of bringing the dead to life - figuratively, anyway - by letting us know who they were. No longer were they just names on a marker. 

Numerous gravemarkers are toppled over here. Rumour has it that, in another Anglican cemetery, a child was killed by a falling marker. To prevent this from happening at Christ Church, reps from the Diocese of Huron came out here and knocked over various monuments. It seems unlikely that the church itself would deliberately vandalize Christian graves to prevent accidental deaths (or lawsuits) and yet these tombstones are in worse condition than in most local cemeteries. If these were my relatives, I'd be quite annoyed. BTW, I've contacted the diocese about this but, to date, I've had no response. 

Our bus tour took us to Poplar Hill Baptist Church for lunch. Actually, we brought our own lunches but the church ladies served us tea and coffee in the church hall and opened the sanctuary for us to have a look. 

Poplar Hill Baptist Church is still active.

Close-up of painted balcony railing.

Wrought iron on pew.

Poplar Hill Cemetery

This is a biggie, the largest cemetery in the former Lobo Township, being four acres with a couple of acres in reserve. The first burial here was that of John McLellan in 1841:

But there are more Zavitz graves here than anybody else - 133 in total.* This infant is only one:

Below is a marker of "white bronze," many of which are scattered in cemeteries throughout southwestern Ontario. Actually, the markers are pure zinc, the colour is achieved by applying a chemical oxidizing agent. The result seems to be indestructible, free from corrosion, doesn't grow moss or lichen, doesn't absorb moisture and is unaffected by frost. The markers might have been made by the White Bronze Monument Company of St. Thomas, in business ca. 1883-1900 but not all markers have the maker's name. 

A "white bronze" marker is typically an obelisk, like this one with funerary urn up top.

Another interesting detail. Name plates like the one below could be removed to provide access to a hollow interior, giving rise to legends of markers being used by bootleggers to store liquor during Prohibition.**A more prosaic explanation is that the nameplates could be removed to be corrected or added to, if necessary.

Why aren't there more of these markers? Were they expensive or just too newfangled for stodgy Victorians?

Next, a couple of military men:

Asa John Patterson, son of Neil Patterson and Martha Coates, was born October 12, 1895. He enlisted in Strathroy on November 26, 1915. In A. Co. 135th Battalion. Died at Vimy Ridge April 9, 1917. Actual burial place is Nine Elms Military Cemetery north of Arras, France.

Private Leonard J. Smith, 4th Battalion CEF. Born on September 29, 1898 in Lobo Township, son of Judson Albert Smith and Loretta Ellen Quackenbush. He served in World War I but died in London at Westminster Hospitl of myocarditis, March 18, 1939, aged 40.

Interesting Sinclair family stone:

Note metal plate covering cavity on the right.

Empty. For a souvenir of the deceased? Original or added later?

By the way, our guide at Poplar Hill, Larry Griffith, informed us that Poplar Hill Cemetery saw a botched attempt at grave robbery in about 1902. The culprits were probably medical students looking for fresh cadavers. $50 was spent on ads in the London Free Press and London Advertiser newspapers offering a reward to apprehend the culprits but the reward was apparently unclaimed. How macabre.

St. John's Anglican Cemetery, Arva

Our third stop of the day was St. John's Anglican Church and Cemetery, southwest corner of Richmond Street and Medway Road. The land for the church and cemetery was donated by John Fraleigh way back when the roads were called Proof Line and Concession 7. A frame church was built in 1823 and the current church on the site in 1875. The village of Arva, by the way, was once known as St. John's, same as the church but, when a post office opened here in 1852, it was named Arva after a community in Ireland.

Interior, St. John's Anglican, Arva.

Grave of Rev. Charles Crosbie Brough, St. John's minister 1841-83. The north London neighbourhood of Broughdale was named for this family. 

A great many Shoebottoms in this cemetery, including this infant who lived 21 days.

An attractive row of Ardill graves.

Perhaps of greatest interest at Arva is a cairn moved here from another location. White Church Cemetery was located south of Fanshawe Park Road on the east side of Wonderland (formerly Concession 5 and Cameron Sideroad). In 1934, some burials were re-interred under a stone cairn built to display them. (Others burials couldn't be identified since their wooden markers had become illegible.) In the early 1990s, Fanshawe was widened and this cairn was professionally dismantled to be reassembled at Arva. 

If you're wondering how many human remains were left at Fanshawe and Wonderland, you're not alone. This is no one's fault. Some graves would not have had markers, older wooden markers had decayed, and it would be impossible to move everyone. 

Many have lived who have no memorial. 

* According to The Heritage of Lobo 1820-1990, p. 111. I'd hate to count them all myself.

** William G. Stewart, Nature Rambles, 2000, p. 56-62.

Day Trips: St. Marys. "Stonetown's" Charm Deserves a Visit

When I feel like escaping the city and seeing an attractive small town - which I often do - I generally look no farther than St. Marys, a gem slightly over 40 km northeast of London. There are many reasons why: I can be there in about 40 minutes; I can enjoy small town atmosphere; and - best of all - I can admire architecture in a place that looks like the Ontario of yesteryear. 

First, the name. Why St. Marys? Many sources have suggested that, when Thomas Mercer Jones, commissioner of the Canada Company, visited the town in 1845 with his wife, Mrs. Jones was asked to come up with a name. The story goes that she chose to name the community Mary after herself. A more likely explanation is that local land surveyor John McDonald named the town after his wife, also a Mary, but humbler and lesser known.* So the name comes from an act of chivalry, not ego. 

But the official nickname is "Stonetown." The stone in question is limestone, which exists in abundance in the area and from which much of the early town was built. St. Marys Cement capitalized on this resource and became one of the major producers of cement in Ontario.

From the road into town, St. Marys Cement looks like some kind of weird, futuristic city. 

Not surprisingly, mining all that limestone left big holes in the ground. "The Quarries," as they're known, are two former limestone quarries on the south edge of town. The area became a popular swimming spot for the locals after it filled with water in the 1930s. In 1945, the town bought the quarries and much surrounding land, and the area is now Canada's largest outdoor freshwater pool.** This awesome hole looks very inviting on a hot day.

One end of Canada's largest outdoor pool. 

Limestone

But the most interesting aspect of the limestone deposits from an architecture enthusiast's point of view is the number of limestone buildings throughout town. The most impressive is likely the Opera House on Water Street, designed by architect Silas Weekes in 1879-1880. Built by the Oddfellows who met on the third floor, the building had an 800-seat theatre on its second floor and stores at street level. For decades the theatre hosted travelling theatre troupes, musicians and campaigning politicians until the Oddfellows sold it in 1904. 

The building is mock-Medieval at its best, complete with bartizans, lancet and quatrefoil windows, and crenelations along the top. When first built, there was a large central gable at top matching the two below, but it didn't survive the building's 20th-century stint as a flour mill. No matter. The building has survived almost intact and, thanks to the Lions Club, was rescued and turned into stores and condos in the 1980s.

Oddfellows Opera House, 12 Water Street.

The Opera House is so ornate it might be mistaken for a town hall. But no, that's over on Queen Street East. It's a real beauty too, with stepped gables, towers, turrets, sandstone-trimmed round arches and sandstone and limestone chequerboard trim. Note the twisted belfry, apparently inspired by Santa Croce, Florence. Architect George Gouinlock completed this treasure in 1891 and went on to design the Canadian National Exhibition buildings in Toronto. Note that this is still St. Marys Town Hall. 

175 Queens St. E., a very romantic Town Hall.

If the Town Hall is a castle, perhaps this is the dungeon?

The first truly magnificent home in town was built by George Tracy in 1854. His builder was the Scottish-born stone mason Robert Barbour who came to work on the Tracy mansion but stayed for the rest of his life. Many of the other buildings in town - both grand and humble - were his work. This has been the St. Marys Museum & Archives since 1959 and my family has discovered much about our own St. Marys roots here over the years, thanks to helpful staff. 

177 Church Street South, St. Marys Museum and Archives, hidden behind summer foliage.

Many of the town's limestone buildings are commercial. The gabled house at the end in the picture below was built for a miller and businessman named William Veal Hutton in 1858. He also owned the four-store commercial building that adjoins his house. These buildings are changed since they've been built to some extent; the building on the corner, for example, didn't always have a mansard roof.

83-91 Queen Street East and 6 Water Street North.

There are many limestone cottages in town built for folks humbler than the Tracy family. Below is one of the last homes built by Robert Barbour, ca. 1865-66. The little windows in the gable are an unusual touch. 

216 Thomas Street.

Another simple building, except for the elliptical fanlight over the door.

52 Ontario Street South ca. 1858

An adorable but primitive home built about 1850 for Gilbert McIntosh, owner of a nearby woollen mill. A rear addition dates to the 1860s. Surrounding wall is a nice touch.

St. Maria Street, west of Water Street South.

Looking for someplace to stay while in town? Well, there's Westover Inn if you feel like splurging. Built in the 1860s for the Hutton family, Westover Park, as it was then called, was surrounded by extensive gardens. The gardeners were William and Joseph Hutton, brothers of the aforementioned William Veal Hutton who retired here at an early age.

300 Thomas Street, side view.

Of more interest than the solid but stodgy-looking manor is the nearby carriage house, designed in 1911. It's an elaborate combination of stone, planks, shingles and stained glass grander than most people's homes at that time. And possibly now.

Not your average carriage house.

Early in the new 20th century, philanthropist Andrew Carnegie pledged $10,000 to build St. Marys a library, one of a growing list he'd built in Ontario. You'd think the town would jump at the chance to get a rich guy's money but not everyone was thrilled. Carnegie had a reputation for running sweatshops and squashing strikes so that socially-conscious townsfolk preferred to find funds elsewhere. But when put to a vote in a municipal election, Carnegie's offer squeaked through, so most residents must have wanted a library enough to hold their noses. While designed in the favoured Carnegie classical plan, the library was completed in the usual local limestone. Of course.

15 Church Street North, complete with pediment and columns in classical style, ca. 1904-5.

The library, by the way, has a lovely Rotary Reading Garden attached, featuring this game table. The Rotary Club of St. Marys built the garden in 2000 to commemorate their own 80th anniversary as well as the 100th anniversary of St. Marys Public Library. 

Rotary Reading Garden monument is a pile of books. Of course. 

Town of Churches

OK, so you're not churchy. That's fine, but St. Marys has some of the loveliest church buildings anywhere so indulge me while I show them off.

Below is St. James Anglican Church, consecrated in 1859, although the tower wasn't added until 1886. More Gothic Revival here, with crenelations and turrets. First rector was Archibald Lampman, father of the famous Canadian poet.***  

65 Church Street South.

St. Marys United, formerly Methodist, Church built in 1879.

85 Church Street South.

St. Marys Presbyterian Church built 1879-80 in the Gothic Revival style. Note tin-topped steeple. 

147 Widder Street East. (No, not all the churches are on Church Street.)

Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church was constructed using the local limestone in 1892-93 on a magnificent hilltop site. Lovely tall trees on the property make it tricky to photograph until the leaves start falling in autumn. 

Corner of Peel and Widder streets. 

A small Baptist congregation built First Baptist Church on Church Street in 1902. Tinier than the other church buildings in town, it's nevertheless attractive. While the front is on a level with Church Street, the basement is above ground and can be seen from the Jones Street hill. 

34 Church Street South.

A 1900s postcard shows Knox Church, which once stood on Church Street opposite St. James Anglican. The building was abandoned in the 1950s when the Presbyterian congregations merged. The building was demolished in 1969 and the site is now apartments. 

(Author's collection)

Fabulous Homes

St. Marys has some of the loveliest and best-preserved homes in Southwestern Ontario. Take this Italianate-Second Empire style residence built by local businessman George Carter for his daughter Charlotte and her husband Henry Lincoln Price as a wedding gift. The latest owners are committed to preserving the home and gardens so it remains one of the town's showpieces for years to come.

236 Jones Street East.

I love the little place below too. Built ca. 1880, this home's gabled front faces Wellington Street while its veranda faces the garden. Some woodworker had a great time here, adding bargeboard, turned posts, brackets, and all kinds of lesser ornamentation. The white and green paint job is dramatic and, as is often the case in St. Marys, the home has a lovely garden setting. For an older picture and a bit of history, see here.

146 Wellington Street North.

This plain, simple cottage built ca. 1870 possesses an admirable view of the Thames just across Robinson Street. Designated by the town of St. Marys in 1987 (see plaque next to door), it's also on Canada's Register of Historic Places. Around the corner is its rubblestone carriage house, now renovated into a separate residence. 

108 Robinson Street.

Details

Not every house is spectacular or worthy of designation but many less imposing residences do have nice touches here and there. Note the colourfully-painted trim on the ca. 1900 frame home below.

253 Water Street South.

A yellow brick house on Wellington Street has a sunburst of spindles over the door and nice stone trim on the nearby window.

164 Wellington Street South.

An unassuming house with an ornate gable. When bargeboard was no longer the rage, later builders  continued to add a little bit without going nuts. In this ca. 1900s home there are circles, diamonds and triangles. How many triangles can you find? 

106 Water Street North.

Red brick building with stone window arch. Former home now an office. 

48 Wellington Street South.

While this window looks like it might be on a church, it's actually on a home.

84 Church Street South.

Town of Hills

When I say hills I know that anyone from a mountainous part of the world won't be impressed. But in flat Southwestern Ontario, St. Marys comes across as truly hilly. Builders were up to the challenge, though.

This limestone 1850s store is built on a hill rising from the street, with the shopfront at the lower level level and the shopkeeper's residence on the second floor above. 

234 Queen Street East.

This home is built on a hill sloping downwards from the street.

100 Water Street North.

Of course some homes were built entirely on top of a hill, creating an ostentatious look.  

183 Widder Street East.

Other Cool Stuff

Historical Signage

Rather than regarding history as something better forgotten, St. Marys embraces its past and highlights it. Photos and signs like the ones below on Queen Street East help visitors and townsfolk imagine days gone by. 

Speaking of Queen Street, it has actual thriving businesses, something not all small towns can boast of these days. It may help that St. Marys hasn't much in the way of suburban shopping plazas to draw away customers. It also helps that there aren't many larger communities nearby to lure people away (Stratford is about a 20 minute drive). But it might also be that Queen Street East appears well looked after, safe and inviting. That patio is a nice place to stop for a cold drink on a hot summer day. 

More limestone commercial buildings. If you haven't been to Eclectic Treasure, by the way, you should. It's one of the best antique/collectible/used/junk stores in Southwestern Ontario, crammed with stuff from one end to the other. 

Arthur Meighen

Canada's ninth Prime Minister isn't one of our better known, probably because he was only in office from July 1920 to December 1921 and again for a few months in 1926. But he was born in the nearby hamlet of Anderson (where there's a plaque dedicated to him and not much else****) and is buried in St. Marys Cemetery. This statue of him in Lind Park looks too emaciated to be flattering but at least it's there.

Meighen was home-town proud and a fine speaker:

"St. Marys is St. Marys still. It is the old family home, and there cling to it endearing recollections which can circle around no other place on earth. This is the home of boyhood and young manhood, the home where first were learned those simple truths last to fade from the mind, the home of earliest friendships, the most sacred and inseverable of all, the home around which linger memories of brothers and sisters now far away and of one generation which has gone forever. Time changes much. It destroys and builds again, but the attachments and affections I have described abide to the end."

On his first visit to his hometown of St. Marys, Ontario, since becoming prime minister, Aug. 16, 1920. (Quoted in National Post, June 16, 2024 )

Water, Water Everywhere

St. Marys was built at the confluence of the North Branch of the Thames River and Trout Creek. The Thames cascaded over several limestone ledges here, providing power for pioneer mills. Today one can still see the mill race northeast of Queen Street East as it runs from Trout Creek south to the Thames. The river itself can best be enjoyed from "The Flats" or Milt Dunnell Park. I like the way the town has provided access to its waterways for scenic and recreational purposes, instead of forgetting about them when water power became obsolete. 

Speaking of scenic, note the view from the nearby Grand Trunk trestle, now a pedestrian walkway. While it's chilly up there on a fall day, you can't beat the view of this bend in the Thames.

The bridge itself:

In 1857 the Grand Trunk Railway was extended from Toronto to Sarnia. As it passed through St. Marys it was necessary to build high trestles over the Thames and Trout Creek. The first train over the river was in November 1859.

But the CNR abandoned this line in 1989. Rather than seeing the trestle removed, a group of St. Marys townsfolk created a committee to raise funds for a walking trail along the former railway bed, including the section over the river. The Grand Trunk Trail opened in 1998.

(Author's collection)

Reverse side of postcard: 

"St. Marys, Ont. May 2, 1910, Dear Bell. This is the bridge Tom fell from. He fell from the left end. I gathered a lot of violets and wished you were here too. Georgie." Good heavens! Was poor Tom killed? Was Georgie gathering violets for his grave? And what was Tom doing up there to begin with? Perhaps future research will tell. 

Speaking of water, where else but St. Marys would one find this historic drinking fountain? Located on the corner of Queen St. E. and Wellington, it's known as the Weir Fountain. The plaque says it's maintained by the McConnell Club, a civic-minded ladies' organization named after St. Marys resident William McConnell, a community-building individual who died in World War I.

Then There's This

A cute little building on Water Street South. Apparently once a veterinary surgery and a euchre club.***** Metal roof with ice stoppers is an obvious update. 

143 Water Street South.

Visiting My Family

In St. Marys Cemetery, that is. You see, my great-great-grandfather, John Moore (1817-95) settled in St. Marys in 1852. Here he operated an iron foundry and agricultural implement business with his sons, including my great-grandfather Robert. My grandmother, Helen, was born in St. Marys in 1886. 

John's obituary in the St. Marys Journal on May 16, 1895 states that he served as a town councilor when the stone bridges were built about 30 years earlier. He lived on James Street North. He's buried with his wife Jane, a daughter named Eliza, and other family members.

Visiting the Moore family.

You Don't Have To Drive

Unlike most small towns, you can still reach St. Marys by train. Not only does VIA Rail still stop here, but an early railroad station is still in use. This Grand Trunk Station, the third one built in St. Marys, was completed in 1907. Designated by Heritage St. Marys in 1987, the station also serves as a gallery

* Katherine Ashenburg, Going To Town. Toronto: Macfarlane, Walter and Ross, 1996, p. 185.

** According to the sign.

***https://stjamesinstmarys.org/about

**** 

Plaque dedicated to Meighen at hamlet of Anderson, spring 2024. 

*****https://images.ourontario.ca/stmarys/52537/data?n=12