The remains of a woman and three children unearthed at a London construction site 17-years-ago will be reburied this week.
Workers discovered the remains while building a highrise at 565 Proudfoot Lane in March 2006. The find led to an extensive investigation into the identities of the four people. Researchers determined the remains were those of Catherine Mason and her two children, John Mason Jr. and Benjamin Franklin Mason. The identity of the third child is still unknown. The four died in the 1850s and were buried in the spot in what was then London Township.
An old, rusted coffin plaque, in addition to old tax and land records and census data, led researchers to the identities of the three. They found that Catherine was the first wife of John Mason, who at the time of her death lived on the land that she was buried on. He was a Black, Roman Catholic man born in the United States. He moved to Canada, likely fleeing slavery, and married Catherine in 1854, according to records from St. Peter’s Cathedral.
By 1858, Catherine had died following the birth of the couple's two sons.
"Quite a bit was uncovered about the Masons, and the recovery of their remains helps further understand the trials they and others faced during the mid to late 1800s in this area,” said Joe O’Neil, a local historian and owner of O’Neil Funeral Home, who will be involved with the reburial. “The children faced malnutrition, and/or chronic infection, and Catherine herself suffered from severe dental disease, and bouts of extreme stress each year.”
Research attributes the malnutrition to the “black frost” that occurred after the planting season of 1857. It destroyed much of the local crops and food supply in the area.
Researchers were unable to find any living relatives of the family, so the remains have come under the care of Summit Properties, the developer who owns the land where the remains were found.
Over the past six months, Summit, along with O'Neil Funeral Home and the Roman Catholic Diocese of London, have worked to secure a final resting place for the remains that meets government regulations.
“It has been a whirlwind experience for us at Summit,” said President Stefan Soumalias. “It’s been an eye opener for our staff to understand not only the complexity of this work but to learn more about London’s history and those who helped build our community.”
As research found the Masons were Roman Catholic, the Diocese of London agreed to be a "‘representative of the religious denomination" overseeing their interment. This is in accordance with provincial law.
A public interment will be held at St. Peter's Cemetery at 806 Victoria Street at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Summit plans to donate the coffin plaque to Fanshawe Pioneer Village to add to its collection of artifacts from Black settlers.
