May 22, 2015
I felt right at home today! Walking around cemeteries, talking to cemetery workers, checking out hearses, and talking with church caretakers. The churches I am usually working in are not this old, however. The first record of a church at this location was in 1048. the current Saint Peter Church, called Town Church by the locals, has been through many renovations and changes. The major work was completed in 1475, yet remains a beautiful fully active church community. The stained glass window above the altar is called the Liberation window, commemorating the islands liberation from German Occupation in 1945.
Kathy's research indicates her ancestors were baptized, married, and assumably attended services in this beautiful building. As a current service to the community, which includes the high volume of tourist coming to the island, they set up an area for tea and invite anyone to come in. We visited with a very helpful man who was preparing the welcome banner. Kathy asked about her family name of Langlois and where her ancestors might be buried. He said it was definitely a Guernsey surname. As with most old churches, the cemetery is on the church grounds. In this case the church is surrounded by buildings and streets. No cemetery in sight. Our helpful parishioner said that originally there was one on sight, but they are either under the new developments or were moved. He suggested a look at the existing cemeteries and provided directions.
Before trekking to the burial grounds, we used a walking tour we had downloaded to our phones to get an initial look at some of the key historical sites close in to town. It started with the church we were in and included the Candie Cemetery which was on our list to research. We enjoyed the beautiful buildings, gardens and museum. One display provided a timeline for the area from the 500 BC forward. This island community has been through the usual wars, regime changes, in addition to the German occupation during World War II.
After a quick bite to eat, we headed for a cemetery located further from the harbor. The Foulon Cemetery is another possible burial site for Kathy's ancestors. We wandered extensively and found several headstones with the Langlois name, but Langlois being a common name on Guernsey Island, we are not sure of any relationship. None of the first names matched the family history. About 4:30 pm we finally caught up with the cemetery caretaker. A very kind and helpful person, but his records did not go back far enough. tomorrow being Saturday and Monday a local holiday, we could not go any further.
Cremation is very common today for the island people. This little cemetery is also the only crematorium on the island. It is housed in a beautiful stone chapel and was in operation while we were there. We also saw a beautiful hearse driving through town. In other areas, I have seen the drivers wearing the classic black top hat. These guys were out of uniform! But the car was fantastic. I noticed on the back that this funeral coach is built on a Jaguar frame! What a beauty!!
Tim and Kathy
I felt right at home today! Walking around cemeteries, talking to cemetery workers, checking out hearses, and talking with church caretakers. The churches I am usually working in are not this old, however. The first record of a church at this location was in 1048. the current Saint Peter Church, called Town Church by the locals, has been through many renovations and changes. The major work was completed in 1475, yet remains a beautiful fully active church community. The stained glass window above the altar is called the Liberation window, commemorating the islands liberation from German Occupation in 1945.
Kathy's research indicates her ancestors were baptized, married, and assumably attended services in this beautiful building. As a current service to the community, which includes the high volume of tourist coming to the island, they set up an area for tea and invite anyone to come in. We visited with a very helpful man who was preparing the welcome banner. Kathy asked about her family name of Langlois and where her ancestors might be buried. He said it was definitely a Guernsey surname. As with most old churches, the cemetery is on the church grounds. In this case the church is surrounded by buildings and streets. No cemetery in sight. Our helpful parishioner said that originally there was one on sight, but they are either under the new developments or were moved. He suggested a look at the existing cemeteries and provided directions.
Before trekking to the burial grounds, we used a walking tour we had downloaded to our phones to get an initial look at some of the key historical sites close in to town. It started with the church we were in and included the Candie Cemetery which was on our list to research. We enjoyed the beautiful buildings, gardens and museum. One display provided a timeline for the area from the 500 BC forward. This island community has been through the usual wars, regime changes, in addition to the German occupation during World War II.
After a quick bite to eat, we headed for a cemetery located further from the harbor. The Foulon Cemetery is another possible burial site for Kathy's ancestors. We wandered extensively and found several headstones with the Langlois name, but Langlois being a common name on Guernsey Island, we are not sure of any relationship. None of the first names matched the family history. About 4:30 pm we finally caught up with the cemetery caretaker. A very kind and helpful person, but his records did not go back far enough. tomorrow being Saturday and Monday a local holiday, we could not go any further.
Cremation is very common today for the island people. This little cemetery is also the only crematorium on the island. It is housed in a beautiful stone chapel and was in operation while we were there. We also saw a beautiful hearse driving through town. In other areas, I have seen the drivers wearing the classic black top hat. These guys were out of uniform! But the car was fantastic. I noticed on the back that this funeral coach is built on a Jaguar frame! What a beauty!!
Tim and Kathy
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