Cemetery Travels and Fun

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My initial interest in cemeteries began with research in family history, but I came to realise as a writer, cemeteries hold a wealth of knowledge in a town's beginnings in regard to what nationalities settled the area, what disease-stricken the area and the history of the settlers who made the area, town or city, what it is today.

Although I do also visit cemeteries to attend to headstones and pay tribute to lost family and friends, I do not find them sombre, but rather a peaceful place of resting for all I know and do not know. Many cemeteries have trees to shade our deceased and the newer lawn cemeteries have seats, lagoons, shrines, niches and columbarium for all who have past.



If you are researching family history most councils have a section on their website, which denotes names, grave rows and numbers for the people you are investigating or the site "Find a Grave" is a good place to start. However, do not be sad if you find a sunken grave, bare grass or only a small number plaque in the place where you thought your ancestor lies. Unfortunately, through years of neglect, some of the older headstones were moved to higher ground because of flood or re-development of the land, or because the headstones had collapsed and sometimes not known where they originally stood. The best you can do in those circumstances is to take a photograph of what is left and make note in your research journal of what you located.



In early times, many cemeteries were located in a central part of the town, however, due to the need for more central housing, the graves were dug up and relocated to the outskirts of the town. One case in Maryborough, Queensland is the beautiful community Elizabeth Park Rose Gardens, where roses of every colour and type are found in rows in a central piece of ground near the city centre. Or in the case of Eidsvold in Central Queensland, the old cemetery became overcrowded and the town moved to a lawn cemetery, which is the option most councils encourage for burials. Often you hear of a town having an old and new cemetery, with some townsfolk still choosing to be buried in the larger family plots in the older portions.



If you are visiting a new town, pop into the Visitors Centre to pick up literature on the area and the cemetery. In many cases, the industries that created townships have long gone and towns have needed to look elsewhere to bring folk off the main highways and into their areas, so you will find heaps of tourist information and venues at these centres to encourage you to stay longer.

On a visit to Ipswich, I stopped at the Information Centre and found a great brochure on the Ipswich Cemetery, which was the reason for my visit that day. I was looking for a past relative but after walking over the immense grounds and resigning myself to the fact that he must be somewhere under the large arid area. I took a photograph of the empty space and although sad that I could not locate him, it is what it is.



Ipswich Cemetery is full of history and through the brochure's information, an avid history buff will have lots of fun walking through the grounds discovering the interesting facts of those who built Ipswich and are now buried there. George Thorn, of whom a street is named after him in the City, arrived in Ipswich in 1839 as superintendent of government stock. He was elected to the first Parliament of Queensland in 1860 and he purchased one of Ipswich's grand houses "Claremont". He was known as the "Father of Ipswich". His gravesite has a sandstone obelisk, whereas Joseph Foote's monument is of a tree trunk with ivy clinging to it. Foote's scroll bears the inscription "Until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away". It is interesting to walk around, read the inscriptions and note the structures chosen for headstones and monuments.



On a trip home from Toowoomba, I stopped for a rest from driving at Haigslea Lawn Cemetery. Turning off the main road onto a gravel surface, I felt like I was driving onto private property as the only building nearby was a large double-story wooden home directly across. Although I had no known relative there, I noticed that the area must have been settled by a German population as the names of Koch, Hertweck and Claus were definitely of that nationality. Haigslea Lawn Cemetery is quite small, but I took some photographs to share with people I know who have those surnames.



Standing alone and to the side in the Mount Morgan Cemetery is a tall headstone with three Pagan symbols. With Christianity quite strong in early Queensland life, this is quite an unusual find. Sadly, most of the inscription is worn away, but I could just read the name as Francis Wilston. It would be wonderful to find out who he was and why his headstone seems to be cast out from the rest while facing the rows of other headstones.



Thankfully today, historical and family history societies along with volunteers are giving time to care for the older cemeteries of towns. The old cemetery in Maryborough, Queensland hosts tours each month through the grounds providing information of the town's history, beginnings and the odd ghost! One of the plots I find most interesting in this older resting part of town is that of Neil Blue and several of his family who are buried in a large crypt with many inscriptions around the base. Neil was the owner of the Melbourne Hotel (now known as the Criterion Hotel) in Wharf Street and married Sarah Gregory, who was the daughter of a local pioneer. They remained at the hotel until their deaths.



The original Town Site of Maryborough is located approximately four kilometres northwest of the CBD and is home to the graves of George Furber and family. George was an Ipswich publican and arrived in Maryborough in 1847 to set up a wool station. Unfortunately, the land was close to the banks of the Mary River and was not suitable for a settlement. It is said that George was killed by the Butchulla people who were defending their territory.



Many older cultures cremate their dead and although cemeteries provide for this as well as plots, there is a current trend for ashes to be cast over gardens, into the oceans or other options the deceased has requested. Whatever the choice, cemeteries save us from losing memory and history.

I hope you have as much fun as I do, learning about a town's history, while acknowledging the people who lived there. As it gets very hot walking around cemeteries, remember to wear a wide-brimmed hat, take sunscreen and a bottle of water.

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