Explore Woodlands Cemetery

Could you please list the contact name for anyone who would like to inquire about providing a proper burial marker?. I have a grandfather and his brother buried here. I am not comfortable with how this burial was treated and that not only were these people marginalized in life but also in death.

Hi Catherine, my name is Linda Fraser Osmon. My Great Grandfather is also buried there. Just through my Genealogy that I have been doing lately. Led me to my Great Grandfathers grave site here. When I started reading about this place I immediately became horrified at what I was reading. If there were 3000 Gravestones removed from here, where are they and where the hell are our family members remains. I would like to know before they did all this if my Grandfather or anyone in my family were notified about this. But the looming question is where are the remains. This whole story to me in ludicrous. This isn't making something beautiful, you can call it Gardens all you want. But lets call it what it really is a desecration of 3000 graves. For all we know our relatives could be buried under a parking lot. This is not right the whole things stinks.

hello john

please contact me through my email and i will give you the contact information i used to get a proper headstone for my grandfather placed at the cemetery.

mark clark

My uncle died when he was about 5 or 6 here. His name was Gordon R. Scarlett. It looks like there is a hedge where he is buried and a monument with many old gravestones attached to it. My cousin went to visit the garden a few years ago and did not find his gravestone. We would like to put a plaque or gravestone where he was buried. I feel like the children who died of abuse here are not getting the respect they deserve.

The gov't removed his stone and did who knows what with it. They should replace it at their cost. Since I know they won't do this, I am willing to pay to have this done myself. Gordon died in 1937, but all his sisters are still alive and tell stories about him. My grandmother never got over the loss of her son. She died 70 years after he died and still spoke about him. She called him her little "Ralphie".

He is very much marginalized in that there is no gravestone or plaque for him there.

Hello there Mark,

My family wants a proper marker for my mom's brother as well. How do we go about this?

Insane paralysis was the term used to describe the final stage of neurosyphilis, a common reason for a person to be housed in a mental hospital at the time

Hello
Im not sure if i responded to your email before so here is the information. I worked with Eric Lees from Lees and Associates to get Arthurs headstone placed.

Mark Clark

Was there ever any information gathered on how to go about having our relatives graves properly marked? I’m in the process of trying to find (closer) relatives of James T. Underhill. If I don’t find them or if they are not interested in replacing his marker, I would like to take care of it myself so he can be properly remembered.

To whom it may concern,

Recently, through a DNA test my sister was contacted by a cousin in Australia. My sister and I decided to travel down under and met with all four of our cousins. While there, my cousin showed us medical records she had found in the BC archives. I was shocked to learn that my Great Grandmother was “incarcerated” in the then BC Hospital for the Insane and later died in Woodlands in 1913. Her name was Huldah Edlund. I found her name on your list.

Secrecy and shame permeate our family tree. I was appalled looking through the medical records to read words like stupid, dirty, problematic and awful… It was heartbreaking to read letters to her from the family. I’m no doctor, but the fact my great grandmother was taken to this institution mere days after giving birth to my grandmother screams post partem. 8 years later she died in Woodlands.

I have yet to really process any of this. I’ve read several posts on your site. I too would be interested in purchasing a new gravestone honouring the life of my great grandmother. I wonder too about whether any support groups have been formed to deal with the inter generational traumas that occurred as a result of this and other institutions like it. When I met my long lost relatives it became apparent we were sharing the same pain…

Please let me know ..

Best regards,

-Michael