Cemetery Stories: Online Study Series

The Clyde River History Committee has decided to forego a 2021 Clyde River Lecture Series further to the COVID-19 pandemic. In place of the lecture series, we have decided to proceed with a Cemetery Stories Study Series that people can take part in via internet from their own home. This course is self-directed and will run from November to August 2021. Over the course of the next months, we will introduce topics that participants can focus on with some suggested readings and outlined activities. We invite participants to share their research with the whole group at any point and pose any questions that others can help answer. Participants can choose the family names and cemeteries of their choice.

We have set up a Facebook page “Cemetery Stories – Clyde River and Area” and we welcome you to collaborate there on this project. We invite you to share highlights of your research. If you are not on Facebook, participants are welcome to add comments to this story or email questions/highlights of your research to clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca.

Participation/Registration:

• Participants will register for free for this course. Registration form here or email clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca
• We will share the participant list with the study group and area of research to promote collaboration.
• Participants are invited to offer an introduction highlighting the focus of their individual family and cemetery research so that others with a similar focus can reach out to collaborate. They can also pose research questions to the group.

Historical Period:

We will focus on the time period of 1850 to present, but, in some cases, we may reference earlier dates. For the brief bios’ writing exercise, we can go up to the present day because it’s easier to write about deceased ancestors/friends that we actually knew personally.

Learning Objective:

Primarily to build an archive of research and stories related to those early ancestors buried in Clyde River & vicinity cemeteries which will offer future generations insight into the people/personalities that contributed to the early life of the community. Some participants may choose to work on cemeteries in other communities within or outside PEI, and that’s fine as well. All are welcome.

Cemeteries:

There are three cemeteries in Clyde River, and we have identified at least 30 cemeteries in the area which represent family and community connections to Clyde River and area.

Study Plan:

List of topics that will be covered in the course and schedule:

1. Understanding cemetery history and gravestone design (November- December 2020)
2. Gathering family names, photos and obituaries (January-February 2021)
3. Gathering family stories (March-April 2021)
4. Understanding how old-time residents managed their health (May-June 2021)
5. Individual free time to explore and organize your research findings (July 2021)
6. Clyde River & Area Cemetery Tours (August 2021)

Please link here to see the full course outline/curriculum. If you have any specific questions, please reach out. You can email clyderiverpei@eastlink.ca.