MEET "The Essex County Graveyard Rabbit"

Kathryn Lake Hogan

the Essex County Graveyard Rabbit, Ontario, Canada

The seventh in a series featuring the members of

The Graveyard Rabbit Association

presented in order of their membership.

I never visited cemeteries as a kid. They gave me the creeps. My family never visited cemeteries. The only person I ever went to the cemetery with was my grandmother when I visited her on summer holidays. We would go in the evening to visit my grandfather's grave, water the flowers, and pull any weeds. That was it.

Then I grew up, got married and had a family. Then I started my family history. Then I got bitten by the family history bug. Next thing I knew I was addicted. And I had to go visit the cemeteries in which my ancestors were laid to rest. Funny thing is I don't find cemeteries creepy anymore. In fact, I rather like them. I find them so nice and quiet. I can easily spend an afternoon in a cemetery and have a really good time.

I was surprised and thrilled when I received an invitation from Terry Thornton to join The Association of Graveyard Rabbits. Since I am a born and raised Essex County resident, it just made sense to me to do The Essex County Graveyard Rabbit. The only family I have buried in Essex County is my mother, her parents and my half uncle. That's it. However, my husband's family has been here since 1851! There are a lot of graves I need to visit.

There is a lot of potential material for the Essex County Graveyard Rabbit as Essex County has over one hundred cemeteries and grave yards. Many of them are quite old. Unfortunately, with it being late fall and winter, visiting cemeteries is now a bit of a challenge. I'm looking forward to spring already, when I will be able to visit these cemeteries. My objective is to document these cemeteries so that others will have access to the information and stories about the graveyards and cemeteries in Essex County.

I am a full time wife and mom; part-time volunteer; part-time student working toward my Professional Certificate in Genealogical Studies; and part-time genealogy speaker. I started blogging about my family history and experiences just this past April. I now have two blogs: LOOKING4ANCESTORS and Essex County Graveyard Rabbit. I hope you will drop by and visit.