Page 236 - Dictionary of Heraldry and Related Subjects

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IXTRODL'CTION --., - .Il

The Ottawa Notre-Dame Cemetery is situated at 435 ?[ontrra1 Road, corner
St-Laurent Boulevard, in the east end of the city of Ottawa, Ont., Canada.
It was founded in 1872, and is maintainsd to date, a few older Ottaua -
c:emetery stones were transfered there in the latr 1800.
The undersigned, is the founder of "La Socirté de généalogie de l'Ou-
taouais Inc., which is housed with the Quebec National Archives. in the Jus-
tice Bldg, situated at 17 Laurier st. in Hull, P.Q., which as becomed the
most important geneological Society (french) in West Quebec. and of al1 of
Ontario.
The inventory of the Notre-Dame cemetery has been a pet project of the
undersigned for many years. The work was finally started in 1980 and will
take four years to complete. Six volumes were completed in 1981, volumes
seven to twelvr will be complrted in 1982, volumes thirteen to approximatsly
twenty (the end) will be compled in 1983.
1 am certain that every one who does research on their families, will ,
immensely appreciate this work.
The inventory describes the inscriptions engraved in the stones without
corrections, and 1 have illiminated the "In memory of" and "my beloved" etc.
to save time and space. There is a ratio of 50/50 french-enslish, 52 ita-
lian and a few only of foreign language that 1 could not read, as the old
saying goes "it was al1 Greek to me" with al1 due respect to whoever, as a
matter of fact they may have been Greek. 1 hope my ignorance is forgiven. A
few stones were broken. some with parts missing (unfortunately), but 1 have
reported what 1 could read. A few were of salt-sand stones that weather and
age has erased the inscriptions.
Each volume has an index of family names in that particular volumr.
Al1 this work. the taking of the inventory, the transcription fron the
cassettes to rough manuscripts. the typing of the final manuscripts. the in-
dexing of each volume in alphabetical order, the printing. the bookbinding
and the bookeeping would al1 have been impossible, had it not been for the
endless hours of work from early norning till the wee hours of the night.
1 take my hat off to Miss Sharon Clarke, for whom 1 have much respect
and admiration for her courage, perseverance and participation. IJho would
practically live in a cemetery for four years. Would You?. 1
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