During the Covid pandemic, I received a Christmas gift of a 23andMe kit. I gave a sample, submitted it, and that was that. What I didn’t know was that it was going to ignite in me the longing to find my ancestors and where they were buried. With the aid of an Ancestry.com subscription and an amazing free site known as ‘Find A Grave”, I discovered that my Great-great-grandfather was buried a mere 5 minutes away from my house.
He was buried in a small pioneer cemetery just outside of Listowel, ON. This came as a surprise as I had only lived in Listowel for about 3 years, growing up in Guelph and the surrounding area. This meant that I had unknowingly moved in the area in which my ancestors had historically lived. I knew immediately that I had to see this headstone in person.
The small cemetery named “Woodlawn Pioneer Cemetery” is located in Listowel, Perth County, Ontario, Canada. With only approximately 700 memorials, it is relatively small by cemetery standards as some cemeteries can be home to thousands. The modest headstone sat in the far left corner of the cemetery and had deep green stains on all sides. Its inscription is hard to read, but thanks to the generous individuals who upload info on findagrave.com I was able to find out what the headstone reads. This would be the first headstone of many that I would discover in the area around my home.
Learning about my ancestors and their lives made me feel more connected to the community and my family history. I believe this also helped me realize my passion for cemeteries and their history. I had always thought cemeteries were fascinating but I came to see how much I truly loved and found peace in the tall trees, whispering winds and green shrouded stones.
Thanks for reading.... & Happy Cemetery Travels 🪦🌹