Mary Henderson (Stevenson) Garden

[MonicaL]

I never cease to be amazed by the generosity of spirit by people helping others with their genealogy.

I thought for a while that tracing Mary Stevenson Garden's resting place from that old photo was probably impossible...until a wonderful lady in Banff stepped in to help. She also enlisted the help of someone else to take a photo of Mary's grave today, which helps to bring the story up to date like nothing else does really.

Mary is buried at Myrus Cemetery, MacDuff. She is buried with her husband James and her daughter Betty. Sad to note that her daughter Elizabeth died in 1950, at the age of 24, of TB like her mother Mary. She could not have been long married, to a disabled service man called Ronald Clark Findlay. How hard this must have been for James Garden. He showed as a gravedigger on his daughter's death registration.

To update the inscription we had:

Can anyone please help me find her burial location? She and her husband James Garden lived in Cornhill Village, Banffshire. A family photograph of her grave contains the folowing inscription:

Erected by
JAMES GARDEN
CORNHILL
IN LOVING MEMORY OF HIS WIFE
MARY H. STEVENSON
WHO DIED 2nd JUNE 1926
AGED 33 YEARS

ALSO OF
THEIR LOVING DAUGHTER
BETTY
BELOVED WIFE OF RONALD C FINDLAY
WHO DIED 14TH FEB 1950
AGED 24 YEARS
ALSO THE ABOVE
JAMES GARDEN
WHO DIED 26 AUG 1961
AGED 88 YEARS.

Monica

[MonicaL]

Just wanted to bring together the two photos. Also demonstrate how different it all looks today. The stone is looking good isn't it, and the inscription still very clear and well maintained. Thank you kind lady up in Banff and the person who took the photo today!

[nw_whiskers]

Dear MonicaL,  The "kind lady" from Banff has done a great job and tied up all the loose ends that was around this story.  The McDuff location makes a lot sense as the "best man" for the Banff wedding was located there.  I am so pleased that it has been resolved with some "real evidence" that we can all see and appreciate for ourselves.

Best wishes,  nw_whiskers.

[Chalfont]

I'm immensely grateful to Monica L who did some quiet "sleuthing" on the side and enlisted the kind assistance of the lady in Banff. I really didn't expect to uncover the location of the stone without extensive slogging around the cemeteries of northern Banffsire. It's great that clever and dedicated people, nearer the spot than I, have taken time on my behalf to unravel this mystery.

Thanks also to nw_whiskers. You were the one who re-started this enquiry after it had lain dormant for months.

Best wishes,

Chalfont

 

[nw_whiskers]

If I recall correctly her Grandparents have a Headstone in the Old Fordyce Churchyard. If my memory is correct it was in nice polished Grey Granite & gold lettering beside the wall at the back side (North from the entrance gate) of the Church Yard.  Unfortunately my camera battery was flat by the time I got there in Feb 2012.  I am sure that I wound this info into one of the earlier post but it was not your main focus at that time!  The names were correct and the place Cornhill was correct so it could be them.

Somebody living near that Church Yard may help you with that one if you flag it up nicely.

nw_whiskers.

[Chalfont]

Thanks for this info, nw-whiskers.

You wouldn't happen to know if the A&NESFHS has published an inscriptions booklet for Fordyce, would you? (I have the ones for Forglen and Botriphnie.) Do you recall whether it was her father's family (Stevenson) or mother's family (McKenzie) that is buried there?

THanks for keeping this post alive.

[nw_whiskers]

George Stevenson + Mary Henderson from Leggsmill, Cornhill in the Old Fordyce Churchyard if I recall correctly.  It looks like her "GRAND PARENTS" to me  ..... yes TWO Generations!

The best chance you have is to ask for somebody living near there to go in and get a photograph for you.  It is in the Main Gate and follow the wall around to the LEFT until you reach the back wall and it is in the corner as I recall.  It is a long "curved boundary" so they are unlikely to miss it.

I have seen these offers from "kind people" from around FORDYCE posted before so you need to ask and hope you get a response.

Mary Stevenson nee. Henderson died 18 June 1912 aged 65 years.  It could be them but you have to work on it.

nw_whiskers.