Islington Cemetery

Monday 7 Apr

Neither SOG or TNA are open on Mondays – very inconsiderate of them to choose the same day, so after a quiet morning I went to Islington Cemetery at East Finchley. It is anther grey & drizzly day. 

Walked a mile from the station to the cemetery, then a further 10 mins to the office, where the wonderful Sue explained that they only had time to look up one grave for me on a given day, then did two, and offered a third. They have one of the main cemetery websites, Deceased Online, available free at the office – and I had paid to look  up the references before I left home! Ain’t that the way. 

Sam & Jane BARNES, my three-great grandparents, were only found in the burial register, however their daughter Florence is here with her husband. She checked my references and dug out plans, maps and burial books for Florence and Thomas ANDREW and Frederick TOLFREE, another son-in-law who is buried with his parents and family. I was given A3 copies of ‘my’ sections, showing all the names,with each grave marked, and a coloured map to help find them. Fred TOLFREE died at 39,  and the grave was relatively easy to find, on one of the main roads. It was just legible, so I wrote out the inscription and took lots of close-up pictures. 

I was lucky that the weather was not serious about that rainy day, we had only light showers now & then, & I mostly managed to keep the maps and camera dry. 

 

I was not so lucky with Florence & Tom - they were off the beaten track and in an area covered with ivy and nettles. :-(

Sue had informed me that if either of my graves were in this condition, they would clean it and send me photos, so I later emailed her with the reference of the one I needed. What a great service. 

Current Reading:   The Stately Home Murder by Catherine Aird