Holy Trinity Mystery: Lot 4 and Lot 10, Part II

The solution to the confusion can be puzzled out with the help of the local history book, Our Harvest of Memories.

Grace Featherstone and Rose Robarts were sisters¹, the daughters of Algernon Holmes I.² Puzzling over the history entries has lead me to the tentative conclusion that Algernon II (1884-1935), Rose (1897-1975), and Grace (1906-1928) are siblings. It is explicitly stated in Algernon II's entry that "Algernon" was the first name give to each first born son in the Holmes family.³

Grace married Walter Featherstone and they had four children, two sons, Dennis and Lawrence, and two daughters, Rosalie and Gladys, who died in infancy.¹

The daughters are not named in the history book entry, but it is reasonable to assume that Rosalie and Gladys are Grace and Walter's daughters as they are the only Featherstone in the area. This is also an example of information error on tombstones because they were commissioned and installed at a much later; Rosalie's dates are "1906 - 1906" and Grace's dates are "1906 -1928."

Rose married Ernest Robarts and they had two sons, Leslie and Bernard, that died in infancy.²

As for the "Niece" on Rosalie and Gladys, the "son" on Leslie and Bernard, and "Sister" on Grace, "Mother" on Rose's inscriptions on the foot of the wolf stones of respectively, it was most likely the Rose that commissioned/purchased the grave markers. Resulting in some very confused cemetery enthusiasts years later!

Algernon II married Clara J. and we have our second information error on a marker. Clara J's marker reads "Clara J. Wells (nee Holmes)" but that is definitely incorrect as she was not born a Holmes but married one. I am uncertain about the Wells surname in relation to Clara J's. In the book her maiden surname is never stated and it is not stated that she remarried after Algernon II's death.³

The "Father" of Algernon II and "Mother" of Clara J's foot epitaphs reflects that it was their children, Algernon III, Clifford, Connie (Holmes) Ash, and Ronald, that decided upon the marker inscriptions.

Sources:
[1]Coles, Cathy, ed. "Featherstone, Walter and Grace." Our Harvest of Memories: Foxdale, Sturgeon Valley, Silver Cliff, Three Creeks, Rayside, Rich Valley. Shellbrook, Sask.: Shell River North Book Committee, 1983. pp. 531-532.
[2]Coles, Cathy, ed. "Robarts, Rose." Our Harvest of Memories: Foxdale, Sturgeon Valley, Silver Cliff, Three Creeks, Rayside, Rich Valley. Shellbrook, Sask.: Shell River North Book Committee, 1983. pp. 579.
[3]Coles, Cathy, ed. "Algernon and Clara Holmes." Our Harvest of Memories: Foxdale, Sturgeon Valley, Silver Cliff, Three Creeks, Rayside, Rich Valley. Shellbrook: Shell River North Book Committee, 1983. pp. 644.

Tombstone Tuesday: SMART, Mary

Mary Smart
1[???] - 2006

Two facts about Mary from Our Harvest of Memories (1983)²:

Mary Wall met William Smart at Hague, SK, and was married on 16 December 1941 at Parkside, SK. Together they had three sons and two daughters.

Sources:
[1]Foxdale Cemetery (Foxdale, R.M. of Shellbrook no. 493, Saskatchewan, Canada; in SW Section 26, Township 51, Range 3, West of the 3rd Meridian), Mary Smart burial mound, photographed by Alanna Carswell, September 2009.
[2]Coles, Cathy, ed. "The Smart Family." Our Harvest of Memories: Foxdale, Sturgeon Valley, Silver Cliff, Three Creeks, Rayside, Rich Valley. Shellbrook: Shell River North Book Committee, 1983. pp. 130. Print.

Tombstones Tuesday: MACDONALD, Arlene Yvonne

This I am not certain about, a memorial card laminated and erected in the cemetery for Arlene Yvonne Macdonald who died at age 65 years, 11 months, and 1 day. I believe that it is a cremation urn interment but what makes me uncertain is the location, in the centre of the Weaver lot, with no family relation clearly noted in the card. The local Macdonalds are one lot north and east.

Interior

The following was taken from a Grandmother's Message
Book presented to [] at graduation, where Arlene had
written:

A few thoughts from a wise old lady.

- The greatest influence on a child begins with the birth of
her parents.

- There is only one person in the world who can really
make you happy···and you are that person. Happiness is
a do-it-yourself job.

- If you must make mistakes, make a new one each time.

- If you are going to soar with the eagles in the morning,
you can't hoot with the owls at night.

Memorial Donations
Shellbrook and District Health Services Project

Interment to be held at a later date.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

In Loving Memory
Arlene Yvonne Macdonald

Born ~ July 7th, 1943
Canwood, SK

Died ~ June 8th, 2009
Shellbrook, SK

Celebration of Life
Sunday, June 14th, ~ 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Legion Hall, Shellbrook, SK

Arlene will be loving remembered by:
Her husband []
Her daughter []
Her grandchildren []; []
Her mother []
Her brother []
Her sisters []; []; []. []
Her sister-in-law []
As well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends

Arlene was proceeded by:
An infant son Randy
Her father Alex Anderson
Her brother Edward Anderson
Her step-father Arnold Fisher
Her special friend Lorraine Vancoughnett

Back - Front

God's Garden

God looked around His garden
And found an empty place
He then looked down upon the earth,
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest;
God' s Garden must be beautiful. He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering,
He knew you were in pain;
He knew you' d never ever get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough,
And the hills were hard to climb
So he closed your weary eyelids and whispered
"Peace be thine."
It broke our hearts to lose you
but you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
The day God called you home.

Beau "Lac" Funeral Home Ltd.
Debden 724-4474
Big River 469-227
Spiritwood 883-3500
Shellbrook 747-2828
Family Owned & Operated
The Beaulac Family

Source: Holy Trinity Anglican Cemetery (Sturgeon Valley, R.M. of Shellbrook no. 493, Saskatchewan, Canada; in NE Section 16, Township 51, Range 2, West of the 3rd Meridian), Arlene Macdonald marker, photographed by Alanna Carswell, May 2011.

Tombstones Tuesday: SMITH, Sidney

Sidney Smith
1918 - 2010
Beau "Lac" Funeral Home¹

The following information comes from Our Harvest of Memories (1983).²

Hubert Sidney Smith was born in England in 1918 to Hubert Sidney and Ethel Mary (Hedges) Smith.

His paternal grandparents were John and Esther (--?--) Smith who immigrated from England to Canada in 1913 with their children Sidney Sr., Nellie, and Elizabeth (with husband Albert Brundson and sons Cyril and Sidney). Esther and John had been proceeded to Canada in 1904 by their children Fred, William, and Louise (Fred Wernham).

Sidney Sr. enlisted in 1914 with the 53rd Battalion of the Canadian Army and was sent overseas in 1915, and meet and married Ethel Hedges in 1916. In 1919 Sidney Sr. returned to Canada with his wife Ethel and son Sidney Jr.  All this moving between England and Canada resulted in a development that Sidney Jr. recounts as thus:

"My biggest disappointment came about 1970, when some of those bureaucrats and politicians in Ottawa decided that because we were not born in Canada we were not Canadians. They disregarded the fact that my father had served four years in the Canadian Army and was therefore a Canadian. It seemed ironic to me that I should be awarded the [Canadian] Centennial Medal in 1967 in recognition of valuable service to the nation, then a short time later be informed that I was not a citizen. Needless to say, I received my citizenship papers immediately and now have a certificate to prove it."

Sidney Jr. began attending school in1924 at age six and concluded his high school schooling in 1937. On 3 November 1941 Sidney Jr. married Amelia "Millie" Stene with whom he had a son and a daughter.

Sidney Jr. was an active member of the community, serving as the director of the Stugreon Valley Co-op Hall for a number of years, helped form the early snowplow club, served on the R.M. of Shellbrook council for fifteen years, and as of 1983 served thirty-three years on the district and Divisions School Boards.

One thing of note, Sidney himself alternates between writing "Sidney" and "Sydney" and the short nickname "Sid" and "Syd" so it will be interesting to see what version of his name will be written upon his tombstone if one is erected.

Sources:
[1]Holy Trinity Anglican Cemetery (Sturgeon Valley, R.M. of Shellbrook no. 493, Saskatchewan, Canada; in NE Section 16, Township 51, Range 2, West of the 3rd Meridian), Sidney Smith marker, photographed by Alanna Carswell, May 2011.
[2]Coles, Cathy, ed. Our Harvest of Memories: Foxdale, Sturgeon Valley, Silver Cliff, Three Creeks, Rayside, Rich Valley. Shellbrook: Shell River North Book Committee, 1983. pp. 586-589. Print.

Tombstones Tuesday: MASON, Michelle Lynn

Mason
Michelle Lynn
Mar. 28, 1970 - Sept. 28, 2008
Of Tender Heart and Generous Spirit

Michelle Lynn Mason's interment mound was covered on 19 January 2010 Tombstone Tuesday. Michelle died at age 38 years, 5 months, 30 days.

Source: Holy Trinity Anglican Cemetery (Sturgeon Valley, R.M. of Shellbrook no. 493, Saskatchewan, Canada; in NE Section 16, Township 51, Range 2, West of the 3rd Meridian), Michelle Mason marker, photographed by Alanna Carswell, May 2011.

Holy Trinity Mystery: Lot 4 and Lot 10, Part I

Time for a little mystery and fun!

I have read in my cemetery readings that one should not make assumptions about relationships between individuals buried next to each other and otherwise grouped in close proximity. That is rather silly in itself, especially for rural cemeteries, with the kinship ties that develop as local families marry each other.

Often for me, the trouble is not deciding if that individuals in the same lot are related, but figuring out how they are related! Compounding the issue is the tradition of inscribing familiar relationships at the foot of wolf stones with epitaphs like "Wife & Mother" or "Our Brother."

No where is that "foot confusion" more evident then with the Featherstones and Robarts markers in Holy Trinity. The marker arrangement in lots 4 and 10, which you can see below:

Confusing, no? What do you believe the situation to this mystery is? Offer your deductions and check back at the end of the month to see how you did!