The Bioarchaeology of Individuals

14. Life and Death of a Mother and Child in Nineteenth-Century Ontario, Canada

14  d  Life and Death of a Mother and Child in Nineteenth-Century Ontario, Canada M. Anne Katzenberg and Shelley R. Saunders Individual Profile Site: Harvie Cemetery (AhHb-26) Location: Lots 2 and 3, Concession 8, North Dumfries Township, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario Cultural Affiliation: Canadian historic Date: Ca. A.D. 1825–1894, based on tombstone and documentary data Features: Burials 1 and 1a Location of Grave: Central west edge of burial ground Burial and Grave Type: Two single primary inhumations, fully extended, lying beside each other Associated Materials: Some coffin nails and flat-headed screws; preserved coffin wood Preservation and Completeness: Fair to good Age at Death and Basis of Estimate: Mother—mean age 25 years based on pubic symphysis, rib phases, ectocranial suture closure, auricular surface morphology, histological analysis of femoral cortex; child—0.5–2.5 years, mean age 1.9 years based on dental development, occipital development, temporal development, bone lengths Sex and Basis of Determination: Mother—female, based on pelvic morphology and femur diameters Conditions Observed: None Specialized Analysis: Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen Excavated: 1988, McMaster University, directed by Shelley Saunders and Richard Lazenby Archaeological Report: Saunders and Lazenby 1991 Current Disposition: Reburied in 1989 217 218 · M. Anne Katzenberg and Shelley R. Saunders This chapter is about a woman and her child who both died of acute illness in September 1848 and who were interred in a small family cemetery in Upper Canada (part of the present-day province of Ontario). We focus on this known mother-infant pair to illustrate the value of information derived from historical contexts, for helping to understand both the lives of ordinary people and the promises and limitations of information gleaned from bones and teeth for reconstructing the lives of past people. The Cemetery The Harvie Cemetery (AhHb-26) was a pioneer family burial ground located on part of Lots 2 and 3, Concession 8, North Dumfries Township, in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario (figure 14.1). In the early 1980s, when the cemetery could no longer be maintained, the tombstones were donated to Doon Heritage Crossroads, a regional pioneer village designed to highlight local history (figure 14.2). The original graves were left intact but without markers above ground. In 1988 the landowner indicated his intention to disinter the cemetery, and after talks with the archaeology division of the regional municipality , he agreed to allow an archaeological excavation. The excavation was conducted under the archaeology division’s license (#88-25) by Shelley Saunders and graduate student Richard Lazenby from McMaster University. Although the location of the cemetery was known, the locations of the individual burials were not. A rough sketch of 13 known burials drawn up in 1981 at the time of donation of the tombstones to the Ontario Pioneer Community Foundation proved to be of little value in locating burial plots. The excavation of the cemetery was conducted over approximately three weeks in November 1988, under less than ideal weather conditions. Machine grading of topsoil up to 3 feet in depth revealed two shallow grave shafts. The high gravel content of the cemetery knoll hindered identification of the remaining burials by standard archaeological methods. The locations of remaining burials were detected by shovel shining and by the expected placements next to those grave shafts already detected. Burials were recovered from various depths as a result of irregular topography as well as varying depths of the coffins. In general, burials were oriented west–southwest (head) to east–northeast (feet). Fifteen individuals ranging in age from newborn to 98 years of age were recovered from 14 graves. Three of the recovered individuals were incomplete: one cranium was removed by machine activity; the right humerus of another individual was missing, presumably due to rodent activity; and a third burial was also disturbed by heavy equipment. Nine out of 14 grave excavations revealed coffin wood (Janusas 1991). It was possible to transcribe much of the information on the tombstones that had been in the cemetery. Upon completion of analysis of the skeletal remains, individuals were matched with information from the tombstones on sex, age at death, and identification. All but two adults and two juvenile individuals were identified with respect to the information on the tombstones. Historical Background The small family cemetery was used between 1825 and 1894 by settlers to Upper Canada, which originally comprised the southern part of the present-day province...