Windsor's Chinese settlers to be honoured by new monument
Windsor's Chinese Benevolent Association has plans to build a monument at Windsor Grove Cemetery in honour of the city's earliest Chinese settlers.
The markings on dozens of gravestones in the Chinese sections of Windsor's cemeteries have become weathered beyond legibility.
"On many of the older markings, the writing has disappeared," said Sungee John. "It's difficult to get even a last name on those markers."
The worn out markings, coupled with the city's incomplete burial records mean the occupants of many of the plots are now unknown.
"When you don't have a master plan, with the names and the dates, it's very difficult to match," said Ron Lam.
The Chinese Benevolent Association hopes to fix the problem by erecting a monument bearing the names of every Chinese Canadian buried in Windsor.
"The ideal plan is to build a larger monument to include all the names," John said.
The plan is to have the monument built by the end of the year.
"We've got to do it," said Eddie Ing, president of the CBA. "It's been too long."
Honouring the 'pioneers'
"There is a strong tradition to honour our ancestors," said John. "In particular, the pioneers who came here in the early days, made a lot of sacrifice, and they suffered discrimination and isolation."
The association says many of the people buried in the unmarked graves were likely living in Canada alone, and did not leave behind relatives to tend to their graves.
From 1923 to 1947, Chinese immigration was barred under the Chinese Exclusion Act, meaning settlers who arrived in the early 20th century were often isolated from their families for many years.
"Over the years, they passed away, or their families moved to other cities, or they didn't have any descendents," John added. "So the CBA has taken on the obligation of honouring the pioneers, the ancestors."
