Sanford Fleming Family Burial Plot

The most notable occupant of the plot is Sir Sanford Fleming (1827-1915), the originator of standard time, implemented on 1 January 1885, alluded to above. The thought of an era before standard time conjures up images of a quainter, quieter time. Each town and city could set its own ‘local time’ by the zenith of the sun at that place. Thus, at noon in Kingston, it was 12:13 p.m. in Montreal and 11:48 a.m. in Toronto.Emerging railway networks and the need for rational scheduling through standardized time zones did much to drag the country, and the world, into the modern age.

The centerpiece of the Fleming plot is a magnificent, towering Celtic cross. Around the base is inscribed: “This Scottish memorial cross marks the burial ground of the family of Sanford Fleming – erected July the first 1889.”

The headstones of Sanford Fleming and his wife Jean, have Celtic crosses inscribed upon them. The plot contains 17 burials, the most recent in 2006. The plot contains the burials of three Fleming children who died at an early age, Maude in 1868 at 10 months, Paul in 1866 at 2 months and Jeanie (sic) in 1865 at 4 years.

A feature making the Fleming plot worth a visit is the unique, for our climatic zone, a Manchurian lilac shading, the western edge of the plot.