Graveyard Smash

Last year, while homeless, Bill and I spent seven weeks in Mexico. In a little southern beach town called Puerto Escondido, we met a couple around our hotel pool. In conversation, we described and explained our homelessness; we were waiting for clearance to work for VSO in Sri Lanka. This information animated the woman whose name is Norah Moorhead. Her maternal grandmother and grandfather had spent considerable time in Sri Lanka during the early 1900's. She told me a fascinating story about her grandmother, and her namesake.
Her grandmother's name was Norah Creina McMinn nee: Norah Creina Knight, although her name may have appeared in a census as Isabel Knight. In 1909 or there about, Norah died prematurely as the result of a hunting accident - she fell over a cliff. Her grave was marked by a Celtic cross in a graveyard (presumably the European one) in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Norah's grandmother had four children- two sons and two daughters. Norah's mother was the eldest of the bunch and was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1901. She was born Nancy Creina McMinn.

The grandfather's name was Douglas Kenneth Mc Minn (first name may not be accurate), but he was a civil engineer working for the government of Sri Lanka. He built lighthouses and bridges in various locations in Ceylon. Norah's mother had stories she had shared with her children about her life in Sri Lanka. Norah shared a couple of them with me, "My details about my grandmother have become buried deeply in my cubby-hole room where I sit down to write. Cobras were a fact of life for my mother. A duck (named Missy) had decided to nest in a hanging basket on the veranda of the house in Kandy. My Mum was very protective of the ducklings. However a distraught gardener came rushing in to announce, 'Missy's babies gone.' There was a cobra coiled up in the hanging basket with appropriate lumps along his body. As you can see my childhood stories were not Eurocentric! My mother was also fascinated by the Festival of Buddha's Tooth, held annually in Kandy."

I also was fascinated by this story and agreed, that if I was in Kandy, I would search out her grandmother's grave for her. Two weeks ago, Bill and I were in Kandy. Here is the letter that I wrote to Norah:

Last weekend, Bill and I were in Kandy with a sole purpose to locate your grandmother's grave.  We first found a tourist information booth and the helpful clerks and a police man provided us the name of the graveyard that held early European settlers, the Mahiyava Cemetery.  The trishaw driver took us first to a wrong cemetery.  Finally, he found the right cemetery. 

Not really sure where to begin, we headed toward the oldest headstones and began our search in the overrun graveyard. Finally an attendant came out of the cemetery hut to assist us.  He led us to A block area where the Protestants were buried, in the early 1900s.  We dug around there for about an hour.  The gravesite has some kept areas, but older, toppled stones are enveloped in long grasses.  We searched for your grandmother by checking all Celtic crosses and by checking both names, McGinn and Knight.  Nothing.  Unfortunately, many of the old stones' writing had become obscured over time.  The attendant demonstrated how to rub grass on the etchings and often the writing is legible again, but still no Norah. Many, many could not be read at all.  We examined every Celtic cross or anything that resembled a cross. 

Next we tried the Catholic area of the graveyard. Another barefoot attendant helped us.  Here again, time had obscured the etchings in the stone and the long grasses made stones almost impossible to find.  We spent over an hour in this B section of the grave site.  The attendant shooed us out if we entered a Tamil or a Sinhala area of the cemetery.  Cobra dens and cows were about the property. The attendant carried a big stick as he walked about, presumably to ward off both of these animals/creatures.

The cemetery is built into a slope so we had to hike up and down the uneven ground and narrow paths.  There did not appear to be rhyme or reason for where stones were laid. Also, recent headstones were often mixed in with the old.

I regret to tell you that we didn't find your grandmother's grave. We so wanted to find her for you and it felt very special poking around the cemetery on this mission - like a quest or something.  I really didn't want to leave the cemetery, but it was getting late, the mosquitoes were bad and the attendants were wearying of the search. 

If you get to Kandy, you might try two things.  The church of the faith she belonged to might have some record of where she was buried.  Also, the Government Agent's office on King Street might have some additional information about location, record of her death etc.  As well, you might try the Archives in Colombo 7 (Tarrington Place).

Norah wrote back, "How marvellous of you and Bill to take so much trouble. Thank you so much. I'm sorry you weren't rewarded for your efforts. I suppose it was naive of me to assume that the marker would still be standing after all these years. You may certainly tell your adventure with names alive and dead with impunity. I will forward your correspondence to my cousin's son in Adelaide who is heavily into genealogy and will doubtless add the information to the family records - a negative result is still a result."
Thank you, both Norahs, for the opportunity for such an adventure. Young Norah, I hope you will come and look for your grandmother yourself. She might be waiting for you!
Pictures of the search