The Heritage of Life and Death in Historical Family Cemeteries of Niagara, Ontario

Abstract

<p>This study explores the history of Niagara settlement and settlers through the changing patterns of burial and commemoration visible in historical family cemeteries established following Euro-American settlement in the 1790s. Data collected from a combination of site survey and archival research demonstrate three clear phases of: 1) early cemetery creation and use 2) the transition to burial in public cemeteries throughout the late 1800s; and 3) the closure of family cemeteries by the early 1900s followed by periods of neglect and renewal characterized by inactive cemeteries being repurposed by descendants as sites of heritage display.</p> <p>There is incredible variation in burial data and the overall patterns speak to changing identity relating to family, land, community, memory, and history. More specifically, the results of this study demonstrate a shift from an identity created through the experience of family place and burial to a community-based identity that emphasizes the nuclear family and their history within their wider social network. More recent heritage displays have explicitly introduced a narrative of settlement, Loyalist identity, and land ownership that was inherent when cemeteries were in use.</p> <p>This cemetery-based history approach demonstrates the potential of mortuary material culture to address questions of social change within the historical context in which it was created and used. It also highlights the value of variability in cemetery data and the consideration of the circumstances of cemetery creation, use, neglect, and renewal to inform the range of personal and collective histories that are visible over generations.</p>