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.


The Goodyear Angel in a tipped position
Photo by Bruce Warwick



The Restoration Project and Web Site Progress?


The Restoration Project News


Many people have asked us for an update on the Restoration/Preservation Project. What is done. Where we go from here next year.

As by now it is 2016 & spring has sprung, and we are still missing our dearest friend John Skakel, who dreamed of this website and wanted it kept for present and future generations doing research, trying to find some of their long lost relatives. Since John's passing in October of 2015, We are still figuring out all the things we had forgotten about the running of the website. But we are determined to move on and tackle this challenge. To contact us go to the Contact Us link and you will be redirected to the person that is looking after the requests, etc., for this site. You will be contacting Trish Nigh The restoration/preservation side of the Project has slowed down some as we have lost a few volunteers due to health related problems. We are hoping this year we can find a few able bodied folks who have the same passion and desire to see the work continue on and do some volunteer work with us.

So as 2016 is surrounding us, we look around this beautiful cemetery and see how much work has really been accomplished with only a handful of volunteers. And we mean only a handful, although we did manage to have some students come in to do work for a time. But other than that it has been us ole faithfuls who have hung in there, through the heat, rain and a couple of us into the winter months. This season a couple of the girls are planning to work on uncovering some of the flat markers that are truly not that many years old. These need some sod cut back to expose the stones again. This can take many hours, but we are determined. Bruce will be doing some repairs again this year, but that seems to be a never ending job also. So keep your fingers crossed for us to get a good lot done this year again. There has been much work done in the Oldfield and VanHorne Cemeteries to help straighten them up. This should be the last done on them for now. Doug Gammon has kept the Photo Albums up todate on these particular cemeteries. We also worked in the "Butler Cemetery" in Florence, Ont., with Tom Klassens bringing in his equipment and fellow worker to help upright some of the fallen stones. With us working in the cemetery on a beautiful fall day it is looking so much better. Thanks to Bruce, Les, and myself (sometimes we have to give ourselves a pat on the back).

The Volunteers who protect the Cemetery and the Website

This site for the last few years is being used by people all over the "World", making us so proud of John's one night dream.

Finished Work, Prior to 2016.

Wards A, B, E, and G preservation work is now completed. We are now working on Ward F.
Ward G King Crypts were restored by others a short while back. Eberts Crypt was restored for safety reasons. Brick Work done by T DeCosta.
Many monuments in all Wards have had loose parts re-attached for safety.
Ward A Payne Crypt has been restored due to emergency work being required. Brick Work done by T DeCosta.
Old St Anthony's preservation is now complete but continual maintenance will be required as with all "Finished" Wards.
Old St Anthony's Ward O, X, and Y restoration work finished.
Newcombe Cemetery has had extensive work by volunteer John Cofell. Dolsen Cemetery on Ridge Road given extensive repair work to fix broken monuments there. Much work has been done in Bothwell, and Dresden Cemeteries!

Targets

We will be continuing work on Ward F again this year we hope. We also hope to do safety work on other remaining areas not yet complete in Old Maple Leaf. There will probably still be extensive work to do there for a long while yet. But it will be safe! Remember this is a very long term project, and we are truly hoping that we can accomplish most of it while we are still able.

The Web Site

Finished.

Extensive documentation on the "Other Cemeteries in Chatham-Kent" is now being done with more being added every day...
Almost all "Other Cemeteries" and Maple Leaf and ST Anthony's have now been documented historically. If you can help us to give us any information on any others please let us know.
Most Cemeteries outside of Maple Leaf, St Anthony's, and Wallaceburg's Riverview have been fully photographically documented. Smaller ones still to finish are Blackburn, Moraviantown, Highgate, Morpeth, and Trinity near Morpeth. We will be completing these soon we hope, and then will move on to the larger ones at Blenheim and/or Dresden.
"Find a Stone pages" have been completed for some areas but there is MUCH work yet to be done on that front.
Documentation work has now been done on well over half of the old areas of Wallaceburg's Riverview Cemetery,,hoping to have it done by end of summer 2018

In OLD Maple Leaf and OLD St Anthony's...
Ward B, H, and G Completed
Old St A's Ward O, X, and Y, are now finished.
Special areas - The Ursulines areas in both old and new areas are totally documented, we will add new burials when time allows, the Memorial Field is now finished, and the Old Mausoleum is completed.
Much of the Ward called "Old St Anthony's" is now completed..
Extensive documentation of the history of Old St Anthony's and Maple Leaf has been done.
Areas of information on how to do restorations, and how to do work in your own family plot.
We will be doing further photographic work in all areas, however this will take a long time to complete.

Maps and Charts... Our web site now has the best maps to all of the cemeteries in Chatham-Kent available today along with Charts giving other names and links to other information about them. This area is now being used a great deal, and it is a huge asset to our web site and to Chatham-Kent. The Map even shows VERY close locations of a number of cemeteries that have been lost and almost unknown for many, many decades.

Targets

More Historical Information we hope to obtain.
We now have completely photographed all smaller Cemeteries in C-K and are gradually moving to completing the medium size "Other Cemeteries". This will just leave the very large ones to be completed - Blenheim, Ridgetown, Wallaceburg (Already almost 2/3 of old areas of Wallaceburg are already done), Plus the old areas of Maple Leaf and St Anthony's.

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