Thursday, August 15, 2013

Missing slab!

Aug 15, 2013.
Sadly, I cannot remember the name but this spot is where a young girl was buried in the early part of the 1900's. When I visited the cemetery a couple of months ago I pushed aside the leaves hoping to uncover a portion of the marble but the slab that had rose vines running the length appeared to have been removed.
I'm still hoping that maybe it's still there. Shall check again!!

William.S. Speirs 1868-1942

W.S. SPEIRS
A grave that has all but disintegrated - the motar has all gone leaving just the name of a person long forgotten! Nishatganj Cem, Lucknow. Must have
died in the 1940's.

I searched the Families in British
India Society  (FIBIS) database and
found listed William Stephen Speirs
Baptism 1868 Marriage 1889 and burial 1942.
ARMENIANS AT LUCKNOW PAGE 569 
In December, 1926, when we visited Lucknow a second time to attend the Annual Meeting of the Indian Historical Records Commission, we met an elderly resident of Lucknow, one Mr William Stephen Speirs, a Government servant, and one of the descendants of Joseph Short, who very kindly took us to the old Christian cemetery where the Armenian queen, Mariam Begum Sahiba, was laid to rest on the 5th April, 1849. We were shocked to see the disgraceful state of the grave, covered with rubbish..."
Also buried in the Nishatganj Cem is Raphel Short Speirs, wife of John Speirs. What was the relationship?
(Blog author: The cemetery referred to is the one at Kaiserbagh not far from the Police Station. Today it is inaccessible and I have never seen the inside.)

Kate Rayfield died 1940

KATE RAYFIELD
Buried in the Nishatganj Cem,
Lucknow. Many graves in this
plot are buried under leaves
and other debris. Kate could have
died in the 1940's.  

FIBIS records: Kate Nora
Rayfield Burial 1940
JH Mr Rayfield 1940  Burial
(Relative)