A Canadian hero who had lain in an unmarked grave for decades now has a tombstone honoring his life, thanks to the discovery of the story by an American author during a visit to Halifax five years ago.
Frank Jastrzembski, who is also a historian, came across the story of Reverend William Ancient at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in 2017 and noted the memorable name of the priest involved in rescuing people from the sinking of the SS Atlantic in 1873 .
The steamer left England for New York that March, but ran out of coal. The captain changed course to Halifax. It came ashore near Lower Prospect, NS, on Marrs Island. The ship sank in the early hours of April 1 and 565 passengers and crew drowned.
But the locals saved more than 200 other people. Reverend Ancient played a role in this rescue, memorably telling one of the last people to be saved that “it doesn’t matter your man, it’s your life we seek”, before leading him to a safe place
Ancient also took on the difficult task of seeing that the hundreds of dead were properly buried.
Reverend William Ancient’s heroic deeds are now recorded on his new tombstone in St John’s Cemetery in Halifax. (Jon Tattrie/CBC)
“A special place in my heart”
Jastrzembski learned that Ancient rested in an unmarked grave at St. John’s Cemetery in Halifax. Jastrzembski founded and runs Shrouded Veterans, which typically provides graves for American soldiers.
He made an exception for Ancient.
It raised about $3,000, and the headstone ended up costing a little more than that. But Heritage Memorials covered the difference. He said the money came from a few big donors and many small contributions.
Jastrzembski said he was excited to see photos of the finished project.
“I was thrilled! It’s always a great feeling when you see a newly installed headstone on a previously unmarked grave. It’s hard to believe it all started with my visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. Together with my interest in 19th century. military and religious history, I think it had to be,” he said.
“It’s a wonderful feeling. There’s nothing more satisfying than honoring a hero like Ancient. He’s someone all Canadians should be proud of. Canada, especially Nova Scotia, will always have a special place in my heart. I’m glad he could do a good deed for my Canadian neighbors.”
The first Atlantic disaster of the White Star Line
Historian Bob Chaulk says we can find inspiration in the actions of our ancestors. (Jon Tattrie/CBC)
Bob Chaulk is the author of Atlantic’s Last Stop and a member of the SS Atlantic Heritage Park. The park donated money to the cause and helped with local logistics.
Chaulk spent a decade researching the “strange” story of how the White Star Line suffered its first major disaster off Canada’s east coast, decades before it lost the Titanic, many of whose victims are near Ancient , at the adjacent Fairview Lawn Cemetery.
“He buried roughly 277 people,” he said of Ancient, noting that this meant figuring out who was Catholic and who was Protestant, and burying them properly.
Chaulk believes that Ancient was buried with a grave, but it was lost sometime in the last century.
“It was probably wood, because Ancient was a humble man. He was a minister in the Anglican church,” he said.
The new one is built to last.
“History is very important and the people who have come before us are very important,” Chaulk said. “We don’t spend a lot of time learning about Canadian history and the wreck of the SS Atlantic is very significant, as is the story of William Ancient.”
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