Old Canadian Cemeteries: Places of Memory

Canada abounds in historical burial places. Once you begin noticing their presence, old cemeteries seem to be everywhere. But these important links to the past are in danger of disappearing forever. The expansion of cities and roadways reclaim valuable land, and inscriptions are worn away by weather and time. Older cemeteries may be important records of immigration, settlement, armed forces, epidemics, class and religious schisms, and upward mobility of ethnic groups.

In Old Canadian Cemeteries, Jane Irwin invites the reader on a visual tour of historic cemeteries across Canada, examining such diverse topics as:

• Burial traditions, including customs from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Ukranian, Quaker, Pioneer, Acadian, Chinese, Japanese, Inuit, First Nations and African-American cemeteries
• War memorials
• Graveyard symbols and motifs, and their meanings
• Materials used in cemeteries-stone, wood, bronze and cast iron
• Historic graveyard conservation.

Old Canadian Cemeteries is a must for anyone interested in Canadian history.