St. Joseph's RC Cemetery, Airdrie
History
Father Duncan McNab from the Highlands, arrived at St Margarets in 1848 and one of the tasks he set in his early days of the parish, was to secure a burial ground for his parishoners. The church had bought ground in Flowerhill, close to the churrch, for just that purpose.
Unfortunately local objections and a lengthy and expensive court case brought an end to that plan. Alexander Gerard, a wealthy land owner from Rochsoles and a Catholic convert from the Episcopalian Church, offered to rent land he owned at a price of 10 shillings a year, to create a burial ground for the Parishoners of St Margaret's.
In January 1860, the Cemetery recieved its first interment, 66 year old Nancy Doren from Whiterigg.
The burial grounds were gifted to the parishioners foloowing the death of Alexander Gerard's son, John, a Jesuit Priest, after his death in 1912.
St Joseph's remained in the care of the Catholic Church until 1973 when it became the responsibility of the local Council.
Today the grounds are maintained by North Lanarkshire Council who have greatly improved the condition of the cemetery from its impoverished state in 1973.
THE PROJECT
This project began as a quest to find my ancestors. Most fled the Irish famine, however some, as I have since found out, fled the clutches of loyalist and republican activists. They came to seek a better life for themselves and their families.
St Joseph's became a focal point. I litterly have hundreds of relatives buried here. In my research, I found that there was no searchable database available for the cemetery. With the assistance of Wiebke McGhee, Archivist at North Lanarkshire Council, Ihave been given access to the lair books to transcribe for the archives.
Since it was opened, the record book(s), were maintained by the Catholic church. In 1973 the local authority took over that responsibility.
Over time the books have had very different levels of accuracy in the recording of details. The late 1800's and early 1900's offer very little by way of identifying the plots used.
My first priority for the project, is to record all the burials into a searchable database. Thereafter, with the help of the local authority, I will attempt to map out the exact location of all the plots.
I am hopeful that the project will lead to people donating information about those who lie at rest here. Stories about the people. What they did. Are they famous?
In the end I hope to have compiled a comprehensive information database that will assist many people looking for their family origins.
Chris