An imposing and very permanent memorial

Dear Readers,

On Saturday, June 3, 2017 an unveiling ceremony was held at Reilly Cemetery. The monument that was many years of fund raising in the making is now in place and bears the names of those confirmed buried at Reilly Cemetery, those likely to be buried at Reilly Cemetery, and those for whom no place of burial can be ascertained. Here  I include a link to the video of the ceremony as recorded and posted by William Rielly, thank you Bill. I neglected to take my camera but Eileen Moore was kind enough to send along her photograph of the monument, thank you Eileen.

 

Photo courtesy of Eileen Moore, date taken 3 June 2017

A number of us met afterwards (all were and are always welcome of course) for a pot luck, caught up on the details of what everyone has been up to over the last year, and discussed where we want to go from here with Reilly Cemetery. While there will be more work some years than others (and right now everything looks pretty darned spiffy compared to how it looked the first time I saw the site) we agreed to continue having annual events. It is hoped that by staying in regular touch that the sense of commitment and community that this place has created will continue to grow.

My heartfelt thanks to all that have contributed to the success of the Reilly Cemetery Project. Our combined efforts at Reilly Cemetery have long since stopped being about my undergraduate project and have instead become a matter of family and community. Leaders have stepped forward and taken ownership of arranging for the monument, fund raising efforts, site maintenance and the email list. My short project is long since over but interest and caring for Reilly Cemetery continues, and in the end, that was all that I could have hoped for.

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be accepted and integrated into a group that I now call family. See you next year!
Barb Rielly

New Unveiling Date is June 3, 2017

Hi Everyone!

Sorry to leave the notification so late- most of you will have received emails or newsletters so you likely already know about the rescheduled date. I look forward to seeing many old friends and some new faces when we unveil the monument at Reilly Cemetery.

My thanks again to the many people who have contributed to the success of the Reilly Project, now and then.

Take care

Monument Unveiling Postponed

Sorry for the late notice, folks, but I was just informed that due to the wet weather we have been having it has not been possible as of yet to erect the monument. This means that Saturday's unveiling will have to be postponed. As soon as I have a new date I will let post it here on the blog.

Unveiling May 6, 2017

Hi Everyone!

I am posting to confirm that we will indeed be unveiling the new obelisk at Reilly Cemetery on May 6, 2017. This monument has three lists on it- those confirmed buried at Reilly, those likely buried at Reilly, and a very short list of people whose place of burial was not given in the records. See my earlier post for details. We are looking into having a medallion attached to the monument that will have  a scanable QR code that will lead to a stable online site with more information. That way if there we can add information if it should become available.

I do hope that many of you can come out, we have worked long and hard to make this happen!

Writing in Stone

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!

Remembering the Dead: a project and a call for support

Hello Everyone!

Yes, it has been a while but I do have some updates for you. First, with the help of my faithful sidekick, LB, the Anglican records have been located and a further 37 names will be added to the lists of those buried at Reilly Cemetery. That brings the total to 182 confirmed and likely burials at Reilly Cemetery. I will post the additions soon, promise.

On the first Saturday of May, as usual, we had our annual clearance day at Reilly Cemetery. The work is less onerous these days which leaves lots of time for catching up with old friends and for making new ones. Needed repairs were made to the fence, and gate posts and the original gate was rehung- it will need replaced soon as it is rusted out in a number of sections. We had a lovely potluck meal and afterwards we discussed a project that is near and dear to many of our hearts.

We want to put up a monument recording the names of the dead. A spot has been selected and approved as solid (bedrock) and non-invasive. Above there is a picture of an obelisk much like we would like to erect. Why an obelisk? Well, for starters there are several obelisks already at Reilly Cemetery so this one would fit right in and not look too too modern. Second, with four equal sides there is lots of room for lots  of names, though the names would have to be teeny to get them all in there. It was recommended that we look at going with black granite and laser etching to ensure that the teeny names are clear, crisp and readable. The bill for this is likely to be over 6K all in: that's the stone, the base, the etching, delivery and erection. We have almost half now.

If you would like to contribute, contact me at the email address for this blog and I will send you the contact information for those taking donations. Donors to this project will be sent a tax receipt as this project now has  charitable status.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have this funded, ordered and erected in time for next year's clearance day?

2014 Update

Hello All,

I did not fall off the face of the planet but I have been pretty darned busy lately-- my apologies. We had our third annual cleanup day at Reilly Cemetery in early May-- it was nice to see some familiar faces and to make some new connections! We discussed the timing of cleanup days and decided to stay with an annual cleanup/get together/ potluck format in early May. I have since been contacted by new readers who wish to participate-- this is great, the more the merrier.

At the potluck we also discussed the idea of erecting an obelisk with the names of all those known or likely to be buried at Reilly Cemetery. I took the liberty of approaching a monument maker to get an idea of what kind of monument might suit our needs best and, of course, to get an idea of the costs involved. A black granite obelisk with four equal sides would provide sufficient space to record up to 160 names done in a half inch high font-- small yes, but to go bigger would mean a seriously more expensive piece of stone. Black works better than pink with the smaller letters (easier to read). Black would also differentiate the new obelisk from the existing ones while at the same time being of a style compatible with those monuments already in place (my professors would love me for this solution!).

We have started fund raising for this project, which is estimated to cost about $4500 dollars all in, and we have had a nice bit come in to date. However, we still have a ways to go so if you wish to help out please contact me at reillycemeteryproject@gmail.com . I will put you give you the details there of where to send donations.

PS-- last month the Gatineau Valley Historical Society presented me with an award for my efforts at Reilly Cemetery. I am grateful and honoured but I also feel that this award belongs to everyone who has pitched in, gotten dirty, hot and sweaty and who contributed stories, expertise and time to make this project a success. You know who you are, thank you.