Mausoleums

On the 142nd anniversary of Thomas D'Arcy McGee's assasination

McGee was assasinated on April 7, 1868. This is the 142nd anniversary of the death of Thomas D'Arcy McGee, a Father of Canadian Confederation, always remembered as a poet and for his contribution to founding the Dominion of Canada.

Grave of Richard Morrissey, Montreal

After my great great grandparents, Laurence Morrissey and Johannah Meany, arrived in Montreal around 1842, they lived at various locations. It is possible other relatives arrived here around the same time, including Richard Morrissey. Not much is known about Richard, he seems to have worked as a gardener and lived on one of the streets that disappeared to make way for the Ville Marie Expressway. That he is related to us is anecdotal. We know that Richard married twice and he doesn't seem to have had children with either wife. His second wife, who died within ten days of his death, is buried in an adjacent grave to Richard's; Richard is buried with his first wife. Richard is listed as working as a gardener in Lovell's Montreal City Directory. Perhaps he was a brother of Laurence--it seems Laurence's sister Catherine also moved to Montreal and, like Richard, not much is known about her. Photos taken at Cote des Neiges Cemetery.

Richard Morrissey's grave stone from behind.

Richard Morrissey, on the left.

More information on Richard Morrissey can be found on the Morrissey Family History website.

At Le Grand Seminaire, corner Atwater and Sherbrooke (one)

These are photographs (above) of the twin towers at the Grand Seminaire, which is located on Sherbrooke Street West near Atwater Street; the Grand Seminaire is a teaching institute run by the Sulpician Order in Montreal. I took these photographs a few years ago, and other photographs I have taken of the Grand Seminaire are on this site. The towers, built in the early 1600s, are at the top of Fort Street and Tower Street in Montreal, and were used for protection when French settlers were attacked by Amerindians. There is a narrow slit in the stone walls from which a rifle could be placed. I am interested in the Sulpicians because three of my great great uncles were students here and in France, and then, later, became priests serving parishes in Montreal. They were among the very few English-speaking students at the Grand Seminaire, and Father Martin Callaghan and his brother Father James Callaghan are both buried in the crypt in the basement of the Seminary. Only last week we attended a "light show" presented at the Basilique Notre Dame, in Old Montreal, and saw a history of the Sulpicians in Montreal. The Sulpicians once owned the entire Island of Montreal, from when the tiny settlement was called Ville Marie (City of Mary), through the time of the English Conquest, to modern times and the radical decline of the influence of the Roman Catholic church in all of Quebec. I recommend this presentation at Notre Dame to anyone who is interested in these things and who is visiting Montreal. It can be seen in only a half hour or so, and it is incredibly well done. The other Callaghan brother, Father Luke Callaghan, is buried at Cote des Neiges Cemetery, a cemetery that is owned by the Sulpicians. A few years ago, I went on a tour of the other Seminary, next door to the Basilique Notre Dame in Old Montreal (not the buildings shown here) and I'll post these photographs one day. This tour was organized by my cousin Sharon Callaghan. I remember thinking, at both locations, that I could easily stay living there the rest of my life, I felt so much at home in either location. And since I am both English-speaking and not a Catholic this is quite something! I think the Sulpicians made a very nice life for themselves, not one of struggling and penance, but one of teaching, apparent affluence (but not ostentation), and a life of devotion to the beliefs of the Church. Below are some photographs of the entrance to the Grand Seminaire and the grounds of the property. Adjacent to the Grand Seminaire, on east side, is the College de Montreal, where the poet Emile Nelligan was a student. Nelligan's father was Irish and Emile was baptised at St. Patrick's Church; he wrote all of his poems in French, by the time he was twenty years old, and spent most of his life institutionalized due to mental illness. He is one of Canada's best poets.

Hingston Family Grave at Cote des Neiges Cemetery

After reading Allan Hustak's biography of Sir William Hingston, Montreal mayor, surgeon and banker (Price-Patterson Ltd., Canadian Publishers, Montreal, 2004), who lived from 1829 to 1907, I was delighted to find the Hingston family plot at Cote des Neiges cemetery. I used to live about six miles from the New York State border, at Trout River, and William Hingston grew up only a few miles away at Athelstan, Quebec. I enjoyed Hustak's book on Hingston very much. I've read several other books by Allan Hustak, including his excellent biography of St. Patrick's Basilica, and I recommend whatever he's written.

Thomas D'Arcy McGee

A sunny day at the cemetery...

McGee's burial place is first on the right above.

McGee's mausoleum is third from the left. The photograph below is included as part of a sunny winter day at Notre Dame de Cote des Neiges Cemetery here in Montreal.

Cote des Neiges Cemetery after a snowfall

Thomas D'Arcy McGee at Cote des Neiges Cemetery

The row of mausoleums, McGee's is second from the left...

Thomas D'Arcy McGee at Cote des Neiges Cemetery