An Ancestry Update

If you have been faithfully following my posts, you may recall that back in 2022, I went in search of my great grandparents' gravesite here in Toronto. It was a subway and a tram ride away and a long walk through a lovely graveyard, but after a lot of effort I was able to locate the tiny grave marker where they were buried. No names or dates, just a small marker with a location number. 

The Verrian Family

Since then I have been back and forth via e-mail with a relative in New Zealand who wanted to put an actual grave stone with names and dates on the site. She was pleased that I was able to actually locate the site and she asked me to check on the progress of the actual stone being installed by the cemetery workers. 

On a subsequent visit I made another visit to the cemetery to check and discovered that the stone was not yet installed, but it was winter, so a check with the cemetery revealed that they had the new marker in storage but the ground was too hard to do the install, but it would be done in the

Ready to be installed

spring. 

Today, I went back out to make another check. This time it was a little more complicated as the Trams were not operating due to track work so I had to take a bus instead. But I discovered that the gravestone has been successfully installed and I was able to quickly find the spot. Much easier with an actual stone instead of just a tiny number. 

An interesting story about these ancestors . . . My New Zealand relative, she is my father’s cousin I believe, has been regularly sending me information on this branch of the family, and one of her e-mailed information pieces had me rather confused. 

Clipping

I knew that my great grandfather’s name was Alonzo Hubert Verrian, so I was surprised when I got a newspaper article about him being killed in an accident at 12 years old. This made no sense; how could he have been my great grandfather when he died as a young boy? When I e-mailed New Zealand with my confusion I received further information. 

Apparently my grandmother had a brother who she never talked about who was killed at 12 years old, and he had the exact same name as his father, both were Alonzo Herbert Verrian. I understand he was playing with a group of neighbourhood boys who were playing at sword fighting with makeshift swords made from heavy wire. Alonzo (the second) tried to take a sword from another boy and an argument and a chase ensued which resulted in poor Alonzo getting accidentally stabbed in the neck with a pretend sword and he died of the injuries. I was surprised that my grandmother never mentioned this to us. 

Although the second Alonzo is not buried in the same grave, his name has been added to my great grandparents stone with the site of his grave noted. I have not yet been able to locate his actual grave site. 

Grave marker finally installed