Standing within the historic Victoria Garden Cemetery in St. Catharines, Ont., Rochelle Bush can level you to a hidden historical past.
The burial floor is the ultimate resting place for vital members of the early Black neighborhood in Niagara, together with freedom-seekers who escaped slavery and abolitionists who fought towards that establishment.
Bush is a part of a small volunteer effort to identify and restore the gravestones of the freedom-seekers buried in Victoria Garden. Since 2021, the group, often called the Salem Chapel Underground Railroad Cemetery Venture, discovered markers belonging to 10 freedom-seekers, seven of which have been buried underground.
They fastened up 9 of these stones, which are actually on show within the cemetery.
In June 2023, volunteers unearthed the stone belonging to John Lindsay, a rich businessperson who escaped slavery and settled in St. Catharines, the place he turned the richest Black man within the area, if not the nation, Bush mentioned. Lindsay offered lemon ale throughout vacationer season, owned property and had quite a lot of different companies.
However since that discovery, the challenge has stalled, Bush mentioned. That is resulting from a “disheartening” dispute between volunteers and metropolis officers over what to do with Lindsay’s stone — and who ought to be allowed to revive it, together with how in depth the search ought to be for residing family.
Lindsay’s marker was buried and damaged into about 35 items, making it irreparable. The volunteers need to re-bury the present stone and lift a brand new monument, however the metropolis initially refused, saying solely interment rights holders may make that call, and the volunteers aren’t Lindsay’s subsequent of kin.
In July, a city council motion decided volunteers may place a brand new headstone in the event that they met sure circumstances. Volunteer and historian Rochelle Bush says the proposed resolution is problematic and leaves her small staff discouraged from ending the work as meant.
The aim of the challenge is to create a free cemetery strolling tour, run by the church, so members of the general public can be taught extra about native Black historical past.
Volunteers fundraised for the challenge, which didn’t obtain metropolis funds. The challenge’s title comes from the Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal church, which Bush has worked to restore and for which she serves as resident historian.
Metropolis says volunteers should exhaust efforts to seek out subsequent of kin
Initially, town needed to show Lindsay’s damaged stone below plexiglass in a float field, Bush mentioned, however the volunteers have been afraid it might be too straightforward for somebody to interrupt in and steal or scatter the items.
Bush’s group, nonetheless, proposed they put up a brand new headstone and settle for authorized legal responsibility ought to subsequent of kin seem and need the stone gone.
Bush went to the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO), which regulates cemetery operators. They advised her in emails seen by CBC Hamilton that may very well be doable however it might be town’s determination.
The town in the meantime had disagreed that the group’s proposal was in keeping with BAO rules, metropolis spokesperson Scott Rosts advised CBC Hamilton in an electronic mail.
Historian Rochelle Bush shares why John Lindsay is critical, and why her volunteer group needs a brand new headstone for him.
However in July, 2024, town determined to maneuver ahead with the challenge. A council movement put ahead then by St. Catharines Coun. Greg Miller resolved that the Salem Chapel church be allowed to lift a brand new monument supplied it may produce documentation displaying volunteers “exhausted all cheap efforts to determine the interment rights holder(s) with out success.”
The church additionally needed to conform to take the stone down ought to interment rights holders come ahead sooner or later. The movement handed.
Rosts mentioned the Metropolis of St. Catharines needs to “help the significant work of Salem Chapel Church and its volunteers” and “because of additional discussions” with the volunteers, “obtained steering” from the BAO on the best way to proceed within the absence of permission from interment rights holder.
Bush appreciated Miller’s assist in getting the ball rolling, however nonetheless discovered town’s determination irritating, she mentioned.
The challenge had already been paused for a couple of 12 months and it took her a number of months extra to supply a report of Lindsay’s household historical past for town.
Bush submitted her work in January, and Rosts confirmed town is reviewing it “based mostly on steering from the BAO.”
He mentioned the subsequent step might be for town to submit a public discover giving any native descendants one other probability to come back ahead earlier than any work begins.
There is a sensitivity required to this kind of genealogical analysis, Bush mentioned.
Primarily based on her analysis, it is “extremely unlikely” Lindsay has any descendants residing domestically, she mentioned, including that apart from one little one who died in Niagara, it seems his household moved to america.
It additionally seems Lindsay’s descendants have been white-passing and right now, many won’t know they’ve Black heritage, or be intentionally conserving that secret.
In her expertise as a Black girl and historian, Bush mentioned, individuals generally react negatively to having their roots uncovered.
“It is easy to say ‘don’t fret about it’ however you do not know till it occurs to you,” Bush mentioned, including she tried to speak about that with metropolis officers but it surely went “proper over their heads.”
CBC Hamilton requested town to touch upon Bush’s considerations. Rosts mentioned solely that town is “required” to observe its course of.
Researchers in St. Catharines, Ont., are working to unearth the misplaced gravestones of people that fled slavery within the U.S. 100 years in the past. CBC’s Nick Purdon visits the challenge website and learns that conserving the tales of freedom seekers alive is extra than simply preserving historical past — for some, it’s deeply private.
The municipally owned and operated Victoria Garden Cemetery is a “main cease on Niagara’s Freedom Path,” due to the individuals buried there, Bush mentioned, such because the abolitionist Reverend Anthony Burns, and her personal descendents, equivalent to Margaret Harper, Bush’s great-great grandmother.
Bush has been main excursions there for over 20 years, she mentioned, and her need to be taught extra is a part of why she launched the challenge with Adam Montgomery, who’s since stepped apart.
Case prompted group to restrict seek for different gravestones
The historic Black church fashioned between 1814 and 1820, Bush mentioned, and the chapel opened in 1855 whereas Lindsay was trustee. Famed Underground Railroad conductor Harriett Tubman lived throughout the road and attended the church, and a few of her family are buried in Victoria Garden too.
There are about 30 extra freedom-seekers there whose stones the staff may discover, Bush mentioned, however given the challenges with elevating a stone for Lindsay, the staff determined to restrict its scope and persist with the stones it already discovered and restored.
“We needed to have the ability to say we had permission from town. … Have a look at how nice St. Catharines is,” Bush mentioned. “The place’s the enjoyment in ending off this challenge now?”
It did not need to be this manner, she mentioned, including town did not even know who all was buried at Victoria Garden till the volunteers knowledgeable them.
“It is our ancestral historical past. We now have the appropriate to this. We ought to be telling the story and we ought to be in first place. We should not really feel like we’re competing with someone else.”
For extra tales concerning the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success tales throughout the Black neighborhood — try Being Black in Canada, a CBC challenge Black Canadians will be pleased with. You can read more stories here.
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