Mysterious messages reappear in County cemeteries

BY KIRK STARRATT

The Advertiser

NovaNewsNow.com

There was a proliferation of them last summer and now mysterious messages have reappeared in Kings County cemeteries.

The messages, typed on paper and placed in plastic sleeves on sticks, were discovered in several locations last summer and another batch has turned up.

They appear by headstones and contain census information and other genealogical facts about the people buried there. This year, messages have appeared in the Elm Grove Cemetery in Steam Mill; the Oak Grove and St. Joseph’s cemeteries in Kentville; and the Cambridge, Billtown, Lakeview, Centreville and old Wolfville cemeteries.

The message left in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Kentville pertains to Henry and Mary Sophia (Seaman) Terry. The individual responsible for leaving the messages cited The History of Kings County, Kings County Probate and census information from several years.

Henry married Mary Sophia, daughter of Jacomiah and Lydia (DeWolf) Seaman in 1852.

One of their children, Helen, died young in 1858. Census information from 1881 describes Henry, age 60, as a carpenter and Presbyterian. Wife Mary, age 58, is listed along with son J. McCully, age 15, who is described as a railway clerk. Daughters Nancy, age 21, and Alice J., age 20, are listed as well.

Previous census information from 1871 indicates there were two other sons: George Clinton, who was 14 years old at the time; and Frederick, who was nine.

Kings County Probate information shows that Henry passed away Sept. 13, 1893 and lists his heirs as wife Mary Sophia; daughter Alice Julia Creighton; son-in-law Charles Creighton; daughter Nancy Amelia Etter; son-in-law J. Alex Etter; son George Clinton and son Jonathan McCully.

Plenty of public interest

Kings County Museum curator Bria Stokesbury said she thinks it’s great that this individual, who is known to her but wants to remain anonymous, is leaving these messages. She said it’s being done on a volunteer basis and shows the enthusiasm the individual has for genealogy.

She said the messages have generated lots of public attention and they’re keeping a list of where messages are known to have appeared. Stokesbury said the individual wants to make people aware of genealogy, generate interest and get people excited about it.

Kings County Museum librarian and researcher Crystal Merrett said she believes this is the individual’s way of showing that headstones represent people with families and it shows people a way they could gather information about their own family history. “My feeling is he’s hoping to inspire an interest in family history and genealogy,” she said. “I really like seeing something positive taking place in our graveyards.”

Unfortunately, especially at Oak Grove, there has been a lot of vandalism and it can be difficult, if not impossible, to recover the history lost when a headstone is destroyed.

At the genealogy centre at the museum, they have a record of the gravestones in Kings County and this has proven to be very helpful to people researching family trees. The birthdates, death dates and other information on headstones can be a valuable resource.

Merrett said she or the individual responsible for the cemetery messages would be happy to lend a helping hand if there’s anyone out there interested in exploring their family history. They can be contacted by e-mailing genealogy@okcm.ca.