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Visiting an old cemetery when looking for an ancestor’s grave can be a fascinating exploration of the past. Besides finding the grave, you might wonder why your family member is in this particular cemetery. Why are they in that part of this cemetery? And why does the cemetery look the way it does — layout, plantings, groupings of markers? Using Victoria’s Ross Bay Cemetery as an example, Yvonne Van Ruskenveld will reveal aspects of old cemeteries that can enrich your family research.

Yvonne Van Ruskenveld is a Victoria historian who has been fascinated by local history since she arrived here in 1990. She is a long-time member of the Old Cemeteries Society, presenting tours on a wide range of topics, including women’s history, gold rushes, symbolism, and epitaphs, among others. She is also a member of the Victoria Historical Society, the Victoria Genealogical Society and the Western Front Association—Pacific Coast Branch.