The following is an overview of the Vernoye Doukhobor Cemetery located 2 miles south of Veregin, Saskatchewan. Rural Municipality of Sliding Hills No. 273. Land location: NW 33-29-1 West of Second. Latitude: 51°33.531. Longitude: 102°05.478. Transcribed September 24, 2005 by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff with Fred S. Petroff & Fred J. Strelieff.
View of the cemetery from the east facing west.
Historical Background
Vernoye (Verovka) Cemetery was established in 1899 by the Doukhobors of Vernoye (Verovka) village near Veregin. After the abandonment of the village in 1920, the cemetery continued to be used by local Doukhobors until the 1940’s. It is no longer in active use and is badly overgrown. It is privately owned.
Layout
The cemetery is approximately a tenth of an acre in size and is enclosed by a wire fence. There is dense scrub and brush throughout. The cemetery contains approximately 50 interments in a single section comprised of five rows facing east-west. The vast majority of graves (48) have no marker, however, many of the mounds are still clearly visible. I have used death certificates and oral tradition to identify 18 of these. The remaining 30 or so unmarked graves are unidentified. With respect to graves with markers, the markers are typically plain, upright marble or slate headstones. Click here for an online cemetery map.
Driving Directions
To access the cemetery, travel south of Veregin on gravel Secondary Route No. 637 for 1 mile (1.6 km). Then turn west and continue on the dirt road for 3/4 mile (1.2 km). The cemetery is on the south side of the road, approximately 600 yards (548 m) from the road allowance, immediately east of Kamsack Creek. This cemetery is on private property and permission to access should be obtained by the owners.
Transcription
| Surname | Name | Birth Date | Death Date | Comments |
| Fofonoff | Nikolai A. | 1860 | – | No Marker |
| Harshenin | Ivan | 1864 | – | No Marker |
| Harshenin | Johnny | – | – | No Marker |
| Hoodikoff | Anna | 1860 | – | No Marker |
| Jmaeff | (old man) | – | – | No Marker |
| Konkin | Anastasia | 1878 | Oct. 14, 1940 | Nee Rezansoff – No Marker |
| Osachoff | Semeon | 1860 | – | No Marker |
| Pohozeff | Anna | 1859 | – | No Marker |
| Pohozeff | Lukian P. | 1892 | – | No Marker |
| Popoff * | Alex I. | 1870 | 1939 | |
| Popoff * | Anna G. | 1871 | 1938 | Wife of Alex |
| Popoff | (child) | – | – | No Marker |
| Shukin | (child) | – | – | Son of Alex – No Marker |
| Shukin | Aksinya | 1850 | – | No Marker |
| Shukin | Alexei W. | 1850 | – | No Marker |
| Shukin | Anastasia I. | 1877 | – | No Marker |
| Shukin | Elizabeth N. | – | – | Daughter of Nikifor – No Marker |
| Shukin | Havrila W. | 1847 | – | No Marker |
| Shukin | Nikifor A. | 1872 | 1933 | No Marker |
| Strelaeff | Avdotia | – | – | No Marker |
*Translated from Russian.
In addition, the following families resided in Vernoye village and may have members buried in Vernoye Cemetery: Fofonoff, Shukin, Kinakin, Chernoff, Pereverzeff, Pohozeff, Hoodikoff, Samoyloff, Tarasoff, Strelaeff, Popoff, Terekoff, Ribalkin, Drozdoff, Osachoff, Bondareff, Konkin, Harshenin, Dorofaeff, Repin, Diakoff, Bedinoff.
View of the cemetery from the grid road facing south. It is marked by the distant bluff of trees.
Notes
Various sources of data have been used in compiling this information including: marker transcriptions, death certificates and oral tradition. Special thanks to Lydia Cherkas for assisting in locating the cemetery and to Florence Kazakoff and Fred Shukin for identifying additional interments. This is a work in progress. If readers have any comments, corrections or additions with respect to Vernoye Cemetery, please contact Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.
