So there I was, trapped in a walled cemetery with a bunch of 70 and 80 year-olds. Luckily my Cousin Pat is a spry 69 years-old and a Navy man. He found a place where he could climb the wall, but obviously my mom and aunts couldn’t do that. So he took the keys and headed to the police station. After he left, I flagged down a dog walker who promised to call someone as soon as she got home. Between the two, one of them managed to reach Sister Catherine who had the keys and finally freed us! #travel #France
After tidying Sister Margaret’s grave, we collected our tools and trash and headed back to the car. Now keep in mind this is an old cemetery surrounded by six foot walls. We got to the cemetery gate to discover that the caretaker had already come by and locked up for the night. We were locked inside! #travel #France
After saying a few prayers, it was decided that we should take inspiration from my grandmother’s visit 40 years ago and clean up the grave site. So we pulled the weeds and made a trip to a local garden store from supplies. After a few hours of weeding, raking, scrubbing, and tidying, I think it cleaned up nicely! #travel #France #genealogy
Although it is clear that the cemetery is being tended, Sister Margaret’s grave wasn’t as much. Her grave was full of weeds, and the name plaques were covered in lichen and moss. #travel #France #genealogy
Yesterday, 40 years after my grandmother’s trip, my mother and her sister, along with two cousins who are also the children of Sister Margaret’s siblings, again visited Sister Margaret’s grave site to pay our respects and say a few prayers for the repose of her soul. And after a bit of a search we found her grave! (GPS coordinates: 49.08235° 0.59707°) #travel #France #genealogy
When my grandmother and aunt found Sister Margaret’s grave in 1985, they found it overgrown and in disrepair. The simple wooden cross that marked Sister Margaret (and two of her fellow religious sisters that are buried with her, three to a grave) was splintering, and the name plaque was difficult to read. So my grandmother, aunt, and my aunt’s son (who accompanied them) undertook to clean the grave site, and arranged for a new stone cross and name plaques. #travel #France #genealogy
In 1985, my grandmother and aunt were able to finally make the trip to Bernay to visit their sister’s grave, 50 years after her death. This journey has a big impact, and helped lift a huge emotional weight from their shoulders. My grandmother documented her trip in a journal which her children still have to this day. #travel #France #genealogy
Because of the sacrifice she made leaving her family at such a young age, my great-aunt Sister Margaret was always a bit of a spiritual/inspirational figure for my family. But it was also a source of sadness, especially for her parents and her siblings (such as my grandmother). #travel #France #genealogy