HALDE CEMETERY DISGRACE
TO FRENCH HERITAGE©
Central Maine Morning Sentinel - January 9, 1993
by Robert Chenard
The photo of the cemetery shown below may surprise many readers
- to learn that it is right here in Central Maine, that it is a Catholic
burial ground, that here lies the remains of the ancestors and relatives
of many of you, that it is in a state of almost total ruin, and that nobody
is taking care of it whatsoever.
Located near the Waterville-Fairfield line just across from what
is now Belanger's Auto Sales, this is the first Roman Catholic cemetery
in this area. Until it was opened, local Catholics were buried in the Pine
Grove Cemetery. The land (about 2 acres) was purchased in the early 1870's
by St. Francis de Sales parish under the leadership of Rev. David J. Halde
who was pastor of this parish from 1870 to 1880. It was Father Halde who
also led the construction of the present St. Francis de Sales church which
was completed in 1874. A street in the "Plains" as well as this cemetery
was named after him. You would never know it was there unless someone showed
you or told you about it. Basically, it is out of the public's sight and
I think that this has a lot to do with the reason it is in such a deplorable
condition.
"Many early monuments ...are partially buried,
turned over, broken, or simply missing."
--Robert Chenard
Robert Chenard of Waterville, genealogist, doing research
in the Halde Cemetery
It is clear that this is not a perpetual care cemetery. In the early
1890's, due to lack of space, the present St. Francis cemetery on Grove
Street was purchased under the leadership of Rev. Narcisse Charland, pastor
of St.Francis de Sales (1880-1923). Nevertheless, the Halde cemetery continued
to be used as late as 1959 as evidenced by one gravestone.
About three years ago, after hearing about its existence, I went
there to find out if some of the gravestone inscriptions might help to
identify some of the early Franco-American settlers in this area. I jotted
down all the information that was visible and legible on the monuments.
Many of the early monuments, made of marble rather than granite, are badly
weathered and nearly unreadable. Many are partially buried, turned over,
broken, or simply missing. I went there again last month with a genealogist
friend-of-mine from Aroostook county as part of a short tour of Waterville.
He said he has never seen nor heard of a Catholic cemetery like this. This
is consecrated and sacred ground, but you'd never know it.
Three years ago, Father Gerard Doyon, a retired priest at Mount
St.Joseph, was then doing his best, mostly alone, to take care of this
burial ground. Since his untimely death a year later, nothing has been
done there. In fact, I noticed this time that there are some gravestones
missing since the first time I visited the site.
For those who have never seen it, I will give you a short listing
of the family names I recorded there: Giroux, Thibodeau, Babin, Duguay,
Morissette, Clair, Ferland, Poulin, Bolduc, Breton, Richard, Trepanier,
Begin, Foster (Fortin), Lachance, Rancourt, Veilleux, Marcia (Mercier),
Boulette, Lamarre, Cormier, St.Pierre, Roy, Fortier, Champagne, Long, Robichaud,
and Tetrault for the French names. There are also several Irish families:
Kelleher, Donnelly, Keen, O'Neill, Degnan, Allen, Roseberry, and Conroy.
To see these names is almost like reading the local telephone directory.
There are perhaps 150 or more graves. A few were veterans of
WWI, fallen in battle in service to this nation, some were infants, some
were elderly couples. The tall granite obelisk in the center of the grounds
is dated 1875.
This cemetery served the Roman Catholics of Waterville, Fairfield,
Oakland, Winslow, and Vassalboro. There are presently seven Catholic parishes
in this area, not counting St.Joseph's Maronite. It is almost incomprehensible
to me that these seven parishes, together, cannot do something about the
disgraceful condition of this hallowed ground. There are perhaps 12,000
Roman Catholics in these five towns and for perhaps one to two dollars
per person per year, this cemetery could be properly maintained. As such,
this is a disgrace to our Catholic community and a dishonor to our deceased.
If you wish to change this situation , bring it now to the attention
of your pastor and church council. It is not one parish's responsibility
- it is a community responsibility with each parish having a proportional
share. Let's do something about it.
Robert Chenard is a genealogist and Franco-American historian
who lives in Waterville. His new column will appear regularly in this section.
Send comments to French Connection, Central Maine Morning Sentinel, 25
Silver Street, Waterville, Maine 04901.
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Introduction
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