A quest to find ancestors
A poignant and uplifting new book reminds us we exist, as long as somebody remembers us.Godfrey Bell’s
Unloved Graves shares his quest to discover the lost graves of his ancestors. Searching from one side of the world to another, Bell writes about his unique and gratifying venture.
An unexpected outcome of the Covid lockdowns was the exponential increase in visits to genealogy sites as people used the time to explore their roots and discover more about their forebears.
Bell takes this thirst for a better understanding of those that have gone before a step further. In a venture that takes him as far afield as Australia, this book retells his discoveries, with graves, ranging from the opulent to the unmarked.
Far from a morbid read, Unloved Graves is a celebration of our desire to be connected and belong. –
Synopsis:
This is an unusual search for unloved graves that have been forgotten for generations.
The author looks for the graves of his ancestors from one side of the world to the other and restores the ones he is lucky enough to find.
Some headstones were several hundred years old; others had no headstone at all. Some headstones were ornate, even sumptuous. But, where there was or had been a headstone, most were plain and modest.
The author was responsible for the restoration of graves in
Melbourne and Dunedin, as well as Fairfield in the US.
One ancestor was even found to be buried in a common grave which no family history to date had accounted for.
This is a story that uncovers sadness; there is satisfaction, too, as abandoned graves and headstones are restored and reloved once again.
Finding ancestors in old cemeteries shares insights into their lives, their families and where they lived – from the lonely hillsides in the Scottish Borders to city cemeteries in Melbourne.
Family histories are expanded and enriched.