Florence Community Cemetery

All the following photos as well as the cemetery survey pages are all courtesy of Mike Jones.


I do believe that Mike and his Father had a difficult time finding the cemetery a few years ago. Looking at the access photos it is surprising that the actual site appears to be well kept.

The following aerial view found on Microsoft Earth shows the cemetery now squeezed in between modern homes. Development has eventually surrounded a location that was once very remote in a heavily timbered area.

Mike photographed what McGinnis graves he could find. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a monument had been placed over the graves of our grandparents, James and Mary Ellen. My early memories of visiting the cemetery are that the monument was not in place in the early 1950's. Perhaps Mom and Dad had it placed around the time the farm was sold.

You will certainly notice a difference in the spelling of the McGinnis surname. Hugh at some point in his life adapted the McGinnes spelling and his oldest son Tommie always adamantly argued that his was the correct spelling. Alas Tommie, even with your brilliant intellect, and I mean that sincerely, you were finally wrong about something for all early New Brunswick church records prove otherwise.

One grave that was not photographed and is supposed to be on the property is that of Cousin Margurite McGinnis, daughter of Hugh and Catherine. Margurite is found in many old family photos. Her and her sister Alice grew up with Mother and from all appearances they were nearly inseparable and more like sisters than cousins.

James McGinnis Sr. and Mary Ellen Donahue McGinnis

Catherine Donahue McGinnes and Hugh Patrick McGinnis Sr.

Cousin Tommie

He was a Gem of a man

Mary C. McGinnis

1895-1902

(But seven years of age)

Her death occurred the same year that Mother's older sister,Maggie also died. Maggie was about 18-19 years old. It is likely that an epidemic of some kind was the reason of these sudden deaths.

Arthur McGinnis

The youngest of Hugh and Catherine

Another delightful man in my memory. One of his daughters,was named Mary Catherine, assumed to be in honor of his older sister as shown above.

The following pages are part of a survey made during a Boy Scout cemetery restoration project. Mike obtained copies of the survey with the aid of his sister-in-law as found in Snohomish County records.

One page lists the names and grave locations which are coded on the following map page of the cemetery. This obviously was a very formal and well researched project. In reading through some of the notes it is implied that even early church records were consulted. One such location apparently was Marysville records. Contrary to my old assumptions the early church in Stanwood was administered as a Mission church of the Marysville parish and not a branch of the Arlington church.

Unfortunately Maggie's grave is not accounted for. There is some discrepancy between the descriptions for locations 36 and 45, almost a duplication of our grandparents James and Mary Ellen. The 45 location is the only hint of Maggie's possible burial. Interestingly this is adjacent to the Hugh McGinnis family burials, locations 40-44.

I have a distinct recall that Maggie was not buried next to her parents, James and Mary Ellen, which is a memory of one Memorial Day as Dad was cleaning the grave sites of debris and undergrowth. The memory is that when he was finished with our grandparent's grave he moved off to another location and cleared another grave that he said was Maggie's resting place. Perhaps the 45 location is but one grave, Maggie's location, and not really as confusing as the survey description conveys.

I have long wondered about whether to make this conclusion but remain reluctant to do so without some further evidence. It very well may be so for my memory was that Dad moved to his right to find the grave and when examining the map that is where location 45 can be found. Can one trust a memory from so long ago? You be the judge.