Gathering for a funeral procession, 1910. Thomas Brothers, Marshall on white horse. Courtesy of Oona Landry. Restoration: Anne Louise MacDonald
Cross-referencing this photo to the one on page 197 in Dr. Pat Walsh’s (1989) book, The History of Antigonish, raises a few questions about the notation from Mary Landry that this was Bishop Cameron’s funeral. The text refers to the death of Bishop John R. Cameron on April 6, 1910, noting that he was the first bishop to be buried in St. Ninian’s Cemetery. The photo of the “horse and carriage bearing the coffin of Bishop John R. Cameron in funeral cortege from St. Ninian’s” is dated 1911. There is no white horse leading the cortege!
In conversation with Oona Landry, June 19, 2014, Oona identified the man on the white horse as her maternal grandfather, Thomas Brothers, on the basis of the note in her mother’s (Mary Brothers Landry) writing.
Oona had given almost all of her family’s photos to the Antigonish Heritage Museum and is not quite sure why she kept this one.
Jocelyn Gillis, Curator, Antigonish Heritage Museum, challenges that this was a procession for Bishop Cameron’s funeral. Other photos show snow on the ground and this photo has leaves on the tree. The leaves do not appear on the trees in Antigonish in April!! Using her exacting dating methods, Jocelyn notes that this photo is after 1898, when the Mount building burned down. They replaced it with the same plan, but the cupola was slightly different.
Along with the Way of the Cross photo (see Banner on Spiritual/Religious Practices), the photo brought back memories of Oona’s mother, Mary Brothers Landry.
Oona’s father died in 1978 and one of the best things that her mother did, Oona believes, was take on the very small role of the Queen in My Fair Lady the next year. Merchant Bauer played her Consort. She brought the students players to her home, and made meals and played the piano for them. Oona’s worry was that her mother, having taken off her glasses off for the play wouldn’t be able to make it across the stage.