A South Shore woman says an important marker of her family's history has been destroyed.
While looking for the graves of her ancestors in the town of Richmond in the Eastern Townships, Cynthia Costigan said she found their tombstones were broken, missing or being used as construction materials.
Three tombstones remain at the cemetery in Richmond for her family members, but she has been unable to find at least 20 more whose existence has seemingly been wiped away.
“They've just disappeared and nobody has a clue where they are,” she said.
Church records clearly indicate her family members were buried in the Sainte-Bibiane Cemetery on Roger-Martel St., near where her family lived.
Instead, though, she found at least one blood relative at another site at least 10 minutes away, their tombstone being used as the foundation for a building.
There are two clearly marked tombstones, those of Ellen Kelly and Sarah Murphy, used to prop up the side of what was once known by locals as the ‘Summer Church.’
Both Ellen Kelly, who died in 1872, and Sarah Murphy, deceased in 1908, are part of Costigan’s family.
After further inspection, a third was found underneath the building as well.
“I was disgusted to begin with to find these tombstones. I found it so disrespectful,” said Costigan.
Costigan said she has no idea how the markers for their final resting place were moved.
She has sent numerous messages to diocese in Sherbrooke, who oversees the Sainte-Bibiane Church, seeking a response.
An email, the diocese confirms her family was buried in the church’s cemetery and believes even if their tombstones are gone, the bodies likely still interred in the same plots.
Another e-mail adds: "it's as much a mystery for me than it is for you."
Costigan finds that difficult to fathom.
“Especially with Quebec. They have the best birth records, death records around, but I have a whole part of my family missing. It's weird,” she said, adding “I just want my family memorialized in some form. It's just disgusting.”
She's demanding an explanation from the church, saying her family should have been notified if burial markers were going to be moved.
“It says may their souls rest in peace,” she said. “How ironic.”