The Aldershot grave of Andrew Gage tells little about him, other than when he died (June 9, 1876), at 74 years old. His wife Martha died Oct. 27, 1875. She was 89.
It's hard to imagine what Burlington looked like at the time, but it's fair to say - you wouldn't recognize it.
On Saturday (June 22) a small group of volunteers gathered at the Plains Road site, where they are undertaking a restoration. Originally scheduled for United Empire Loyalist Day in Ontario (June 19), the event was pushed back due to last week's heat wave.
This project is a joint venture between the City of Burlington and the Burlington Historical Society (BHS). BHS began the restoration and clean up of its pioneer cemeteries to recognize this important piece of history.
A large crew was at the cemetery this week, lifting and cleaning the remaining stones on the list. They will dry for three weeks and the restoration expert is building float boxes and bases for them.
The ward councillor Kelvin Galbraith treated two of his children to a history lesson. He spoke as well, noting that he’s happy to be able to support a project such as this. He’s received hundreds of phone calls about the site, but never visited.
From the red brick wall and stone foundation, built in 1888, that encloses the cemetery, you can see its age as it is damaged in several places, but it too is being repaired.
The Gages are among the more than two dozen original Burlington settlers buried at the Union Burial Ground, known as Job's Lane Cemetery - a United Empire Loyalist cemetery. Strolling through the cemetery that holds dozens of century-old gravestones, in front of Ikea, it takes visitors back in time.
Those buried there include names such as Davis and Ghent are familiar to many as they figured prominently in the history of Aldersho; it is also the final resting place for two veterans of the War of 1812: Private Asahel Davis and Thomas Ghent.
Descendants of some of the families buried in the cemetery spoke on Saturday about the importance of keeping the cemetery maintained. They said that the Fisher and Davies families are the only ones still actively using the site.
Alan Ernest, professional cemetery restoration specialist from Carlisle, provided a training session on proper cleaning techniques. Many of the headstones are made of granite or marble and require special attention. He and his crew will continue further cleaning and restoration work with a goal of an August completion.
