THE FIRST MCGOWAN HEADSTONE
Chapter 6 of 23

There is also another unusual condition regarding early burials in the cemetery. Of interest is the fact that Bridget Murray(#2) is shown as having been buried in the Rollingdam Catholic cemetery, her death having occurred some eight years before the formal land contract and church relocation to the Rollingdam property site. There are at least two possible explanations for this anomaly. There may have been an informal land agreement putting the cemetery here some time before the church. A more likely explanation is that she was buried at the site of the first church location on Whittier Ridge and later reinterred at Rollingdam. One story that has been passed on suggests the whole cemetery was moved although it is suggested actual reinterment may not have been done and that only the headstones were transferred.

On October 1, 1862, John McGowan(#1) passed away and was buried in the Rollingdam cemetery along side of his wife.

On the headstone, the name McGowan is spelled "McGowen". It is thought that the headstone was made in Ireland and shipped to Canada already engraved with the spelling error. There is of course, a possibility that the name was previously spelled McGowen. This may be the case; however, the original record of land purchase made when John McGowan (#1) purchased the Rollingdam property, shows the spelling as "McGowan", though there are no signatures present on the registry.

It is likely that John McGowan (#1) and those close to him such as family, friends and neighbours, were unable to read or write. Also, it is quite possible he did not know how to spell his name and, therefore, was at the mercy of those doing the recording and of how they thought it should be spelled. Census records of 1871 indicate his son John McGowan(#3) could read but not write and Mary McCann(#11) could do neither. With this in mind it may have been a number of years after the stone was erected when the inappropriate spelling was realized. No doubt, change at this late date was not entertained.

While McGowans were being born and buried, they were surrounded by families in similar situations where hardship and tragedy were common visitors.