This site was founded by the late John Skakel. Contact us HERE
Cemeteries Office Staff have asked that users NOT contact them with questions directly.

Our Feedback

The following are just a few of the many messages we get about our project.

Jan 30 2012 - Received from a plot owner in the Old St Anthony's Cemetery

"Not enough can be said about the time and effort these volunteers put into restoring ... and locating headstones/gravestones. Praise for "Trish" who worked tirelessly through two seasons to restore some of our ancestors' gravestones.
An excellent project that will hopefully be picked up by other cemeteries. Thank you !"


Nov 27 2012 -

"This site is spectacular...information galore...pictures galore....I have just spent a few hours going through each picture....and I''m still not finished.....my passion is the family tree this site is priceless to a genealogist. Thankyou for all your hard work..it would be great if you could teach your methods of preservation and discovery to other people who want to restore their cities or towns' cemetary....keep up the good work..it is appreciated...from Windsor, Ontario"
N.B. We will try to pass on any information we have learned to anyone who is interested. Please just ask us to help if / when needed.


Jan 13 2012 - From Cathy Tiffin

I told Clare how excited I was to read the Emissions this month and find the cemetery link – I have been looking for my biological great-grandfathers monument but never could find it – and there it was on the website for the Old St. Anthony’s section – I go out there often (unfortunately to visit family) and take my grandson (who is now 8) – we like to wander around and look at the stones and he likes to straighten up the flowers etc. that have blown around and puts the extras on the monuments of people who don’t have any.

A Comment from a satisfied plot holder


Dear Leslie,
Dan & I stopped at the family plot today on the way back to Mich. I am overjoyed at what they did with the stones. Thank You, Thank you. Thank you and thank the fellows that you are working with.


A note from a family wishing to find monuments of ancestors

I thought you would be most able to direct me - your website and ongoing projects are incredible!
Thank-you for any information you can give me...or for providing me with a contact who might be able to do so.


We post the following note with permission from the writer. I was so unbelievably moved by what this person is going through right now that it almost brought tears to my eyes. In cases like this we area SO very glad to help...

Hello Mr. VanHaren:

Thank-you so much for looking up all that information. The first article I clicked on came from the June 13, 1929 paper and it was my mother’s birth announcement! I am so thrilled to have that. I don’t think I mentioned that my mom is ill with dementia and she no longer knows who I am when I visit but I still know her and that is what counts. Finding my mom’s history helps me to understand her life better. I never knew my grandparents since I wasn’t born until long after they died so this research has helped me get to know them alittle. This means alot to me. Thank-you so much! (Name withheld for obvious reasons.)


THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Your message has brought tears to my eyes. I look forward to my visit there next month. I will be leaving my Grand Aunt (Name withheld) and her family some flowers.
I was looking further at your website and it is truly amazing the amount of work you are doing to restore this cemetery. Without your efforts, so many gravesites would be essentially lost. Keep up the good work and again, I can't thank you enough John!!
Sincerely,

(Name withheld)


In regards to a very old and somewhat hidden cemetery...
Can anyone visit this location? My grandmother's family's headstones are here and I would like to visit if possible. Your website is amazing!


We helped a family find their ancestor's monuments, and photographed them to allow them to find them more easily when they visit...
Thank you so much John! You have really helped me out. You are amazing! Thank you again! Kathryn


Received Sept 2 2013. Many names were quoted of relatives but have been removed for privacy...

I would like to personally thank you, because I now have photographs of the headstones of :

My 3rd Great Grandfather, my 3rd Great Grandmother, my 2nd Great Grand Aunt, my 2nd great Grand Aunt, my 2nd Great Grand Uncle, my 2nd Great Grand Uncle, my 3rd Great Grand Aunt, my 4th Great Grandmother, my 4th Great Grandfather.


Received Sept 2013. A thank you post and a comment for us on how to improve the site by adding locations as soon as possible.

Hi John.
Thank you kindly for the answer.
It's not urgent for me to find all of them. I know where one is that has some of my people, so that will do me for now. But thank you for offering to get them for me.
I'm a beginner, and I have lots of other work to do on the computer.

Your site is the best I've seen. It's as good as being there, you've done the work for us.
Be very, very proud of yourself, and anyone else who has helped.
You encourage me!
Sincerely,
Pam.


Pam wrote:

Hello.

I have spent all day reading the descriptions of thousands of headstones on your fantastic website. I couldn't stop reading! This is totally fascinating!
What I see is a monumental effort of many people to honour the people who died.
But, I wonder how many people who are not expressly searching for their roots know about this.
In my opinion, TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers within at least a 120-kilometre radius ought to be reporting and providing coverage, as a simple "General Interest" story for the general public.
After all the zillions of hours that have been spent to create this wonderful collection, I feel that the entire province needs to know that this website exists.
I see inscriptions of honour, places of births and deaths, statements connecting this stone to another stone.
I see details that tell how the people lived, and their struggles and accomplishments.
I suspect that many thousands of people would appreciate knowing that this information is available. Certainly, people who are casually thinking of finding out about their ancestors would jump out of their chairs when they find this website.
This a truly a goldmine, and I have not seen any website anywhere near the excellence shown here.
I cannot even imagine the dedication of time and effort so far.
Each person involved should be given some kind of a reward or award, and recognition.
I think the Premier needs to see what has been done here.
I cannot say strongly enough what a valuable project this is. I know that the people who have done it received self-satisfaction and gratification as they worked, but that is not enough. If I were in a position to give a reward to each person, I most certainly would.
But there has to be some kind of governmental system in place to recognize the efforts shown on the pages of the website.
I'm afraid to stop typing and send this, because I know I will think of more kudos after I send it.
Please share this email with others.
Maybe there are people who know how rewards and recognition can be accomplished that I don't know.
Most sincerely,
Pam


These are terrific pictures thank you very much. I've wanted these for awhile now and they will make a great addition to my tree. This was important for me because through my research I've become fond of Mary Ellen and her family and felt a strong need to somehow bring closer. I do appreciate your effort John, I probably would never find them on my own.
Cheers


The following pretty much proves the existence of Old Baldoon Cemetery and in turn makes it's possible location even one step further toward definite. The post shows why we believe that it is important to find these old cemeteries that have been plowed down long ago. There ARE people who care!

Hello John, I've enjoyed and made use of your website for a while now - thank you for your efforts! I'm interested in GPS data for the photo you have of "Les" standing in the middle of what was the original Baldoon cemetery. I believe it's on Snye Road, or Snye River Road, not sure which is correct. I have ancestors that would have been buried there, specifically Donald & Mary McCallum. I was down in the area recently, but was unable to determine the correct spot. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thank you, (Name Withheld)


Hello... I so very much appreciate the service you are doing making available to descendents pictures of headstones. I was pleasantly surprised to see the headstone of my great great grandmother Sophia ______. I would like to know where the headstone is? The location is not indicated on your webcite from what I can tell.

This was the link: (Link withheld for privacy reasons)

Next week my husband and I plan to travel to Chatham, Ontario where I hope to find out something about my ancestors who lived in that area.

Thank you very much for your help.


I haven't received a reply from the photographer yet but today we followed your directions and happily found the cemetery. Although the photo on your website is better than I took, I'm glad we went to see it ourselves. It has probably deteriorated since you photographed it. Also I discovered 2 more headstones for (name withheld for privacy reasons) nearby. I had not seen those on your website so I'm so glad we went to see the cemetery ourselves. Also I discovered on these 2 other markers additional information on the stones that was below the sod and not immediately visible had photos been taken of them.

Just want you to know I appreciate the great service you and your friends have been doing. I also saw that you are doing a presentation at the library in September . I wish I could stay for it!

Sincerely, ________


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