We arrived at our first church in the quaint little Kent village of Borden. I knew some of my Coveney branch were born here and I was just really making a speculative visit to see if by chance I could learn anything about them or if I could find any burials. It wasn't a huge graveyard so it was relatively easy to go round looking at the names on the stones.
It was moving to read the inscription on the grave and it was hard to imagine how the poor parents must have felt, however rich they were, loosing six of their ten children during their own lifetime. There was a wealth of information on the grave which said :
who died 13th December 1847 aged 85 years
leaving a widow and four sons
William John Daniel & Edward
Also Sophia wife of the first named William Coveney
who died May 4th 1864 aged 75 years
Likewise two sons & four daughters viz
Matlda who died 24th May 1821 aged 2 years
Elizabeth Ann who died 22nd August 1825 aged 16 years
Thomas who died 16th June 1825 aged 1 month
George who died 23rd December 1826 aged 4 years
Hellen who died 1st July 1839 aged 22 years
Constance the wife of Samuel Bateman who died 20th July 1840 aged 24 years
Anyway, the names of those who fell in both World Wars are remembered around the memorial and not only did I find Percy, who I knew would be there, but there were two other names which will need research to see what, if any, connection there is to my tree. This is why genealogy is so exciting ..... you think you understand everything and then you find there is more to learn. Never ending, in fact !
- Thomas Ross of Pelham Cottage,
- Alderman Thomas Ross five times mayor of Hastings and his wife Elizabeth Ross (nee Bird),
- Thomas George Ross of Tudor House and his wife Hannah Ross (nee Adams) - "Peace perfect peace with loved ones far away"
- Sergeant Percy T. Ross DCM "Served in South Africa 1900 - 1901 B/Company 23rd London Regiment who fell while leading his platoon at the battle of Festubert, France May 25th 1915 aged 41 years. The dear & only son of the late Thomas G.Ross & Hannah Ross of Tudor House, Hastings & beloved husband of Rosie Ross. 'He had no fears. His one idea was that of duty well done'. "
- Percy's sister, Alice Eliott Meurisse "in the presence of God is fulness of joy", and her husband Georges Louis Joseph Marie Victor Meurisse, and
- their children Renee and Raymond who died as recently as 1973 and 1987 respectively ....... the most recent person to be remembered at the family grave was Raymonds wife, Gertrude (Gay) Meurisse who died in 2008.