A group in the Greater Sudbury community of Coniston is using modern technology to ensure all those buried at a local cemetery are properly identified.
The Coniston cemetery currently only has two of its plots marked with a typical tombstone. Twenty years ago a memorial monument was installed to document the names of people who were buried in the cemetery between 1914 and 1946.
“It was 1997 that they actually did put it in,” says Shannon Marcon Slater, a member of the Coniston Historical Group. “It was an amazing event, a good chunk of the town came out. We were all great to celebrate the lives that were here and had passed on and I think it’s a great part of the community.”
The group is made up of volunteers who dedicate their time to keep the area clean.
“I have been working as the Coniston Historical group for the past 20 years, and the cemetery being a major part of Coniston’s history, I take it as one of my personal projects to protect the area and keep it looking as pristine as possible,” says Jason Marcon, the chair of the group. “Obviously being a cemetery that has not been used in 94 years.”
The group says it has discovered that there are more people than they knew that are buried in the cemetery.
“So through Ancestry I have been able to find the death records for all of the District of Sudbury for every year that Coniston has existed since 1912 and I have slowly been going through every year looking for entries that list Coniston as the burial place,” says Marcon.
Marcon says he has found an additional 59 names. The group is hoping to update the memorial stone with all of the names of those believed to be buried on the grounds.
“The best thing is to have knowledge of where your family is. It’s nice to honour your family and know that they are in a safe place.”
If you believe that your loved one may be buried on the grounds, you can reach the group on their Facebook page.
