Autre nom(s)
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Liens et documents
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Date(s) de construction
1889/01/01
Inscrit au répertoire canadien:
2010/03/10
Énoncé d'importance
Description du lieu patrimonial
This solitary gravestone is located near the highway on Route 349 in Glenwilliam. It was once in the backyard of a house which is no longer standing. The site is maintained by the landowner.
Valeur patrimoniale
The Bruce Road Pioneer Grave is valued for its association with the Bears family which once lived on the property.
James Harris Bears (1852-1932) and his wife, Jesse MacLeod Bears, once resided on this property in Glenwilliam. They would have a family of five children including Alfred, William, Robert, Margaret, and Theophilos "Arthur".
All of their children survived into adulthood except for William Alexander Bears who died of diphtheria on February 22, 1889, when he was only two years and six months old. Diphtheria was a serious bacterial infection which affected the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. Highly contagious, any infected person had to be quarantined from six to eight months. Young William Alexander did not survive the disease and due to its contagious nature and the fact that it was winter, his remains were interred in the backyard of his home.
The Bears family left Glenwilliam for Massachusetts in 1890. They stayed there a few years, before moving back to Canada where James Harris Bears obtained employment as a master carpenter with the Canadian National railway in Moncton, New Brunswick. There are descendants of the family living in the Moncton area today.
The Bears home on the Bruce Road has long ago disappeared, but the gravestone still stands, having been cared for by the current property owner, who has repaired the stone which had toppled over and kept it free of debris and tall grass. The stone is ornate containing the phrase: "In loving memory of" and a floral motif. It also features a scriptural quotation from Job 1:21. It also poignantly asks the "Reader": "Where will you dwell for all eternity..."
Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/P38
Éléments caractéristiques
The heritage value of the cemetery is shown in the following character-defining elements:
- the single gravestone with inscription
- the location of the stone near the highway in Glenwilliam
Reconnaissance
Juridiction
Île-du-Prince-Édouard
Autorité de reconnaissance
Province de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard
Loi habilitante
Heritage Places Protection Act
Type de reconnaissance
Endroit historique inscrit au répertoire
Date de reconnaissance
2010/02/08
Données sur l'histoire
Date(s) importantes
s/o
Thème - catégorie et type
- Un territoire à peupler
- Les établissements
Catégorie de fonction / Type de fonction
Actuelle
- Religion, rituel et funéraille
- Site funéraire, cimetière ou enclos
Historique
Architecte / Concepteur
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Constructeur
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Informations supplémentaires
Emplacement de la documentation
Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/P38
Réfère à une collection
Identificateur féd./prov./terr.
4310-20/P38
Statut
Édité
Inscriptions associées
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