I have good news! Through the efforts of the Reilly Cemetery community- family, friends, neighbours and wellwishers- we have finally raised enough money to have a monument erected at Reilly Cemetery! When I started this whole thing off in 2011, I had hoped to get to this point but knew that it very well might not happen, BUT IT DID! I am thrilled. So here's the details...
We are having our usual first Saturday in May clearance, potluck and HOPEFULLY, stone unveiling. If there are any changes to the date or arrangements I will let you know. As usual we will meet at Reilly Cemetery on Shouldice Road outside Rupert, QC. All are welcome, it is always great to see new faces and relatives!
I am posting the new lists that are going on the stone. The new lists are:
1) Confirmed Buried at Reilly Cemetery- sometimes ministers very helpfully said exactly where people were buried, so this list consists of people that the ministers indicated were at what was then Tom Reilly's farm, the Cemetery at Rupert, that sort of thing.
2) Masham Residents Likely Buried at Reilly Cemetery- in this case the place of residence (township of Masham) was given but the actual place of burial was not (this was the case in a great many records). Through the help of others in the community I was able to check my names against their records, a few names came off my older lists, but the remaining names are NOT known to be buried in cemeteries other than Reilly Cemetery
3) Church Records Do Not List Place of Residence or Burial - the last list is for those whose records are in those of the local diocese/parish but whose place of residence or burial is NOT indicated. There are a number of local names on this list such as Fairbairn and Ardies.
The people whose names are on my lists are those for whom I have records written by the clergymen who buried them (there were no clergy women presiding over funerals at the time). Some records were completely illegible. I have chosen to NOT guess at names so, for example, Jane S. might well be a Smith or a Shouldice or a Smiders. It was, and remains, commonplace for women to be buried under their birth name. This having been said, a number of records do NOT give the woman's maiden name but instead may list her under her husband's name, for example Jane Doe, wife of John Doe, or Mrs John Doe. I have listed the woman as the record was written, I could guess at some of the maiden names but I might well be wrong. When in doubt I point you to the records I have previously posted, you can look for yourself.
If you cannot find your relative's name on my lists, there are a number of resources that you can access through the Library and Archives Canada site (eg census records, marriage records, parish records, military records, ship lists etc etc) but not all are online and you may find a visit to LAC useful- be warned, it's addictive. Another good resource is the BANQ (Bibliotheques et Archives Nationale du Quebec). If you are looking specifically at the Gatineau Valley, consult with the Gatineau Valley Historical Society, they are very helpful. Happy Hunting!
I want to thank everyone who has helped me, since 2011, in what was originally an undergraduate project. The Reilly Cemetery Project has gone far better than I dared to hope, people have been so very kind, and I am grateful. I have made some good friends too, and extended my family. You know who you are, thank you!
