Elizabeth Lawrason
ID # 2934, (1787-1848)
| Father | Lawrence Lawrason (1760-1830) |
| Mother | Rachel Pettit (1758-1815) |
| Birth | Elizabeth Lawrason was born on 5 January 1787 at New Jersey. |
| Marriage | She married Daniel Showers, son of Michael Showers and Hannah Van Tock. |
| Death | She died on 22 May 1848 at Ancaster Twp., Gore District, at age 61. |
| Burial | She was buried at St. John's Churchyard, Ancaster. |
| Note | Elizabeth's place of birth, New Jersey, is taken from Lawrence Lawrason Jr's handwritten genealogy. See page 26 of Some Records of the Lawrason Family, Delores MacIntyre, 1993. It's possible that the correct year of Elizabeth's death is 1848. St. John's Anglican Church at Ancaster has a historical page with burials in their cemetery and it shows Elizabeth's burial as 1848. It does not show a burial for Daniel Showers and neither does a relatively recent transcription of their cemetery by the local branch of the OGS. The death year of 1858 as given for Daniel in the Annals of the Forty is probably correct. It should be said that the OGS transcription shows a stone next to Elizabeth's, probably Daniel's stone, but have marked it as illegible. For some incomprehensible reason, there are two stones in St. John's Anglican Cemetery for Elizabeth Lawrason, unquestionably for the same person The first one: Stone 333 Elizabeth Lawrason/wife of/Daniel Showers/was born in Stamford/Jan 5th, 1787/died in Ancaster/ Mar 22nd, 1848. (As mentioned above, the transcription for stone 334 simply marks it as illegible.) The second: Stone 376 Elizabeth H. Lawrason/wife of/Daniel Showers/a native born at Stamford/Jan 5th, 1787/who died in Ancaster Mar 22nd, 1848 Stones 375 or 377 or any other surrounding, do not have any apparent relationship to Elizabeth Lawrason Showers. Wherever we are with Elizabeth's death date of Mar. 22nd, 1848, it should be noted that her brother, Lawrence Lawrason Jr., in his papers as found by Delores MacIntyre in the archives of the University of Western Ontario, dates her death to May 22, 1847. This is rather more likely the case (Not! See note at bottom). The stone, or stones, were probably in worn condition when the Hamilton Branch of the OGS transcribed St. John's Anglican Church cemetery in 1988. Lawrence was probably working from a family bible. The ravages of time were likely not so evident, however, when Janet Carnochan wrote her paper Graves and Inscriptions in the Niagara Peninsula. This is undated, but her visits to the cemeteries probably predates 1900. In part 3 of her work she includes the settlement of Ancaster and the cemetery that we must believe to be St. John's churchyard. She does not offer a transcription of the whole cemetery, but, for Daniel and Elizabeth Showers, she does an admirable job. It reads: Sacred to the memory of Major Daniel Showers, died 1858, age 71 'Man soon discussed Yields up his trust And all his hopes and fears Lie with him in the dust' Elizabeth Showers, his wife, born Stamford, 1787, died in Ancaster,1848 This last shows the early settlement of Stamford. Unquote So, 1847 or 1848? It appears to be a tossup. This goes as well for her place of birth. Stamford (Niagara District), or New Jersey? A further note. The above transcription of Daniel Showers grave compares well with a transcription provided by Thomas Farmer in his book A History of the Parish of St. John's Church, Ancaster, Gummer Press, Guelph, 1924. See page 244. The transcription of the cemetery of this church done in 1988 does not show this grave. Apparently only Elizabeth's gravestones were still readable at the time. Thomas Farmer does say that while the inscription is still readable, it was by his time much faded. A follow-up notes. Glanford Heritage has transcribed death notices from the Hamilton Spectator for the edition of May 24, 1848 (Wednesday). This times the death of Elizabeth Lawrason Showers to Sunday night (May 21, 1848). Given the Spectator's death notice, 1848 is unquestionably Elizabeth's year of death. May 22 (at a guess probably early in the morning) is probably her date of death.) |
| Last Edited | 27 Apr 2020 |