Spences, Shieldses, Rectors in Hillside Cemetery, Springhill, Nova Scotia

 This summer we toured Hillside Cemetery, taking pictures of every grave we could find with one of these names.  Let's see if we can figure out who they are.  See post on Spences in Hillside Cemetery for only Spences.  See post on Spences in Springhill for a description of their lives.  See Spence Pedigree Chart, Rushton Pedigree Chart.

Remember our patriarch in Springhill, John William Spence?  This is his sister, Mary Ellen Spence, and her husband Joseph Rector.  For some reason they have 2 gravestones.

Here is Joseph & Mary Ellen's daughter, Margaret Matilda Rector Spence Whitewood.  On this side, you can see her 2nd husband, John William Whitewood, and her daughter, Ina Pearl Spence McAloney.

 This baby stone is for their daughter Mary Mitilda Whitewood, who died age 6 months, and the other is their daughter Winnifred Whitewood Brown, only 20. 

 Of course, John William Whitewood is a Spence too, since he is the son of Ellen R. Spence Whitewood, daughter of our Patriarch couple John William and Elmira Spence.

  Margaret Matilda's first husband (Ina's father) is on the other side:  Joseph Spence.  Joseph is the son of George Francis Spence and Angeline Rector.

Margaret Matilda, who called herself Maggie, and her first husband Joseph Spence, also had a daughter Roxana (Roxey), who died at age 3.  For some reason, Roxey has 2 headstones.  "Beautiful, lovely she was, but given a fair bud on earth to blossom in heaven."

George Francis Spence with wife Angeline Rector Spence was the younger brother of our Patriarch John William Spence.  I can't find George Francis and Angeline, but this is their son, George S. Spence, with his wife Sarah E., and the 5 of their children who died in childhood.  12 days?  1 month?  I can't imagine.  George S. and Sarah do have 6 sons who live to adulthood.  Here is one of them, Gerald with his wife Beatrice.

Here is John William's youngest brother, yet another Samuel Spence married to yet another Mary Rector.  This Mary is Mary Matilda, who was the daughter of Reuben Rector and Margaret Tipping.  Also buried here is their son George Clarence B. Spence.

And Samuel & Mary Matilda's son Reuben F. Spence with his wife Lillian and their children.

And to finish it up, we have Grannie Phoebe's sister Aunt Abby Rushton Shields and her husband Patrick Shields.  Aunt Abby and Uncle Patrick went out West at times to harvest wheat in Alberta.  On one trip, Uncle Patrick suddenly died.  They buried him right there and kept on going.  Aunt Connie always thought this was heartless.  But what else were they going to do, in Alberta on a train of migrant field workers?  I don't know if they brought his body back to Springhill or if this is just a headstone.

On the other side is their son William P., who drowned when he was 21.

Are you thoroughly confused?  This is like untangling 10 necklaces.  See The First Rector - the Search Begins post for a discussion on how much the Spences and Rectors intermarry.

I don't know who these babies are - David T., Grace E., and maybe a third one.  Do you?