Muslim community told cemetery is illegal, asked to move the dead

Members of a small Muslim community in rural upstate New York say the uproar over a planned mosque near ground zero is behind attempts by local officials to shut down the community’s graveyard and remove the two bodies buried there.

Hans Hass of the Osmanli Naksibendi Hakkani community, 210 kilometres northwest of New York City, said Tuesday that anti-Islamic bigotry motivated the Sidney Town Board’s vote in August to pursue legal action to shut down the Sufi community’s cemetery.

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Tombstone Tuesday

For this weeks Tombstone Tuesday I have decided to feature the tombstone of Margaret Hogg. Poor Margaret died at the young age of 36 in 1884. I dont know any thing about Margaret but in my mind I see her as a sweet pretty young woman who died way too young. I can not even begin to emagen the pain her husband Samuel must of felt at her passing.

Gone but not forgotten
IN
MEMORY OF
MARGARET
Beloved Wife Of
SAMUEL HOGG
DIED
Dec 18. 1884
AGED
36 YEARS

Margaret is burried in
ALLENFORD CEMETERY IN ALLENFORD, BRUCE COUNTY, ONTARIO

Featured Coffin Plate: Lyman P. Bradley died 1875

Today's featured coffin plate is for Lyman P Bradley 1815~1875

Tombstone Tuesday, A Lost Ship And A Battlefield Far From Home

Well in honour of Tombstone Tuesday I will blog a little about a grave stone in my local cemetery. The grave stone is located in Lakeview Cemetery in Midland, Simcoe County Ontario. It always surprises me the connections to history I find in my cemetery photos. The tombstone in question is not really remarkable in its self. Its just a typical late 19th century grave marker. Just like millions of others in cemeteries all over North America. But the inscription on this stone is what caught my attention. For it brings us into contact with two events right out of the history books. A mysterious lost ship and a great WW1 battle.

The first event would be well known to anyone with an interest in Great Lakes history. The mysterious disappearance of the ship Bannockburn.

The Bannockburn was a 245 foot long, 1,620-ton steel steamer built in 1893 at Middlesborough, Scotland, by Sir Raylton Dix and Company. On November 21st, 1902, the Bannockburn left the Canadian Northern elevator at Port Arthur bound for Midland Ontario on her last trip of the season. She was loaded to the gills with 85,000 bushels of wheat. The ship was sighted on the evening of the 21st steamer Algonquin. She was never seen again. The Bannockburn and her crew of 20 including George Stephens, had vanished.

The second event recorded on this stone is the death of Richard Stephens at the Battle of Cambrai in Oct 1918. Between 26 September and 11 October, Canadian troops advanced twenty-three miles through the heart of the German defences in some of the worst fighting of WW1.

See More Graves In Lakeview Cemetery in Midland

Featured Coffin Plate: Philander Bodwell of Massachusetts

Today we feature the coffin plate of Philander Bodwell 1818~1863 Philander was born in Vermont or New Hampshire and died in Massachusetts

Featured Coffin Plate: Mary Etta Barker of Ohio

The featured coffin plate today is for Mary Etta Barker 1851~1898 This coffin plate was found in Ohio.

Coffin Plate of Mary Luce 1801 ~ 1874

I have added the Coffin Plate of Mary Luce 1801 ~ 1874. I did a little looking and Mary may be from Massachusetts but that is just a guess. It would take a little more digging.

Mary Luce Coffin Plate

Immigration Collection free through Labor Day

Ancestry announced today it has launched a collection of more than 1,700 recorded oral histories from immigrants who arrived in the United States through Ellis Island. This is the first time this collection of recordings has been available online. To celebrate the new addition, Ancestry is making its entire U.S. Immigration Collection free through Labor Day.

Ellis Island was the gateway for millions of immigrants between 1892 and 1954. The oral histories were captured by the National Park Service starting in the 1970s, and contain uniquely inspiring first-hand accounts recalling the lives these immigrants left behind, their reasons for leaving and their incredible and often-trying journeys to America. These recordings are housed at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and until now could be heard only by visitors to the Island itself. In addition to oral histories from immigrants, the collection also includes recordings from military personnel who were stationed on Ellis Island and former Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty workers.

Featured Coffin Plate: Edward Bailey

The featured coffin plate for today is for Edward Bailey 1792~1871