Chebogue Cemetery, Town Point, Yarmouth, NS
Cemeteries
“In the midst of death we are in life.” Henry David Thoreau
I know just what cousin Henry was talking about. Cemeteries are at once the place of our departed people, but also are the repository for their lives and memories of them. As well, many cemeteries are just very beautiful spots, and so the peace and reverence blend into a special sort of atmosphere.
Of course, this could just be the genealogist in me talking, and maybe others find it odd that some folks like to wander among the memorials to those who came before us, but to me it is a satisfying thing to do.
The photo this week is of one of my favourite cemeteries - Chebogue Cemetery at Town Point just outside Yarmouth here in Nova Scotia. Special because it is a beautiful spot, but it is also the place 5 familes of my ancestors came to from Massachusetts in 1761 and so were the first English settlers in this area, taking over the land the French had been expelled from just 6 years earlier.
In the image you can see many stones of my ancestors, in fact most of the 5 families are represented in this image and it includes a number of generations of people who lived very close to here, some within sight of the cemetery.
Wandering in the cemetery on this day, I also spotted several species of birds, and watched as out in the river beyond other birds were fishing, alongside the lobster fishers who were just wrapping up the season and bringing their traps ashore.
Indeed, we can see life written in stone on the markers, but also going on all around us - if only we take the time to slow down and observe.
