Mysterious messages reappear in Kings County cemeteries

By Kirk Starratt

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

For the third straight summer, cryptic messages have been discovered in Kings County cemeteries containing genealogical data about people buried nearby.

The Kings Historical Society knows the individual responsible, but the person wishes to remain anonymous.

He was interviewed by this publication the first summer the messages appeared and was interviewed on CTV’s Canada A.M. after the story went national and then international last year, but he chooses to keep his identity a secret.

This summer, messages have appeared in Billtown, Cambridge and Lakeville cemeteries and the Oak Grove and St. Joseph’s cemeteries in Kentville. The messages appear to be computer generated and are always placed in Zip-Lock bags on sticks to help protect them from the elements.

The message that appeared in the Billtown Baptist Church cemetery relates to the late Samuel Parrish, a Baptist farmer, and his wife, the late Nancy Parrish. The note was discovered between their white marble headstones.

Samuel’s epitaph reads, “His End Was Peace” and Nancy’s reads, “A Precious One From Us Has Gone, A Voice We Loved Is Stilled, A Place is Vacant In Our Home Which Never Can Be Filled.”

The message contains census information on Parrish and his family members. For example, the 1871 Census for Lakeville is cited. It lists Samuel Parrish, age 54; Nancy, age 43; Claret E., age 22; and Charles L., age 11.

A probate record is cited as well. It indicates that Samuel Parrish died Dec. 25, 1895 in Horton. His heirs are listed as wife Mary Parrish, son Charles, son Robert, daughter Maria and H. Chipman Vaughan, stepson. “Not doing it for personal glory”

Kings County Museum Curator Bria Stokesbury said the messages were brought to her attention earlier this summer. She said the individual responsible is a local man who feels it’s a worthwhile project. He’s not doing it for personal attention or glory, but to raise awareness of our cemeteries and their importance to the world of genealogical research. “Our genealogy department brings hundreds of researchers and tourists in each year,” she said. “It helps generate economic spin-offs. It’s a huge draw.”

Katherine Akerman, a summer student at the Kings County Museum working on projects in the genealogy department, said it isn’t lost on those at the museum that, this summer, the messages have appeared in cemeteries with ties to the New England Planters. The year 2010 will be the 250th anniversary of the Planters arriving in Cornwallis and Horton.

Akerman said not that many people know about the Planters and perhaps they’re sometimes overlooked. Their story is not one of tragedy like the Acadians, for example. “They were the first significant population of English-speaking people in Nova Scotia after the Acadians left,” she said, pointing out she thinks it’s terrific the individual responsible for leaving the messages has chosen to highlight Planter cemeteries.

She said it’s exciting to be working with the cemetery message phenomenon on behalf of the museum and she finds it quite interesting, especially considering that the story made national and international headlines last year. She thinks it’s a great way to get more people interested in cemeteries and their genealogical backgrounds, and a great way to draw attention to the fact that the headstones represent people and the lives they once led. “You can find out so much about individuals by reading their headstones and learn about what they were like as people,” Akerman said.

Summer student loves her work

Kings County Museum summer student Katherine Akerman says working at the institution this summer has been an amazing practical experience for her.

Akerman, who plans to have a career working with museums, graduated from Acadia University with an Honours degree in History this year and will be going to Carleton University in September to pursue a Masters in Public History with a focus on museums and archives.

Akerman, who has been employed at the museum this summer under a provincial Student Career Skills Development Program grant, said she has learned a lot about the history of Kings County, local communities and genealogical research. “This job was a wonderful and practical experience for a history major,” she said. “I got hands-on experience helping people figure out who they are and where they came from – through genealogy.”

Akerman said she learned also about the importance of individual volunteers and community involvement. It’s impossible to conduct genealogical research properly without the resources contributed by volunteers.

Curator Bria Stokesbury said Akerman has been working at ongoing projects in the genealogy department and has been a great asset dealing with the public and helping researchers.