The following is an overview of the Blagoveshcheniye Doukhobor Cemetery Site located 8 miles north-east of Canora, Saskatchewan. Rural Municipality of Keys No. 303. Land location: SW 19-31-2 West of Second. Latitude: 51°40.139. Longitude: 102°17.276. Compiled by Jonathan J. Kalmakoff with Fred S. Petroff on May 1, 2005.
View of the cemetery site from the south facing north. It is now under cultivation.
Historical Background
Blagoveshcheniye Cemetery was established in 1899 by the Doukhobors of Blagoveshcheniye village near Canora. Following the abandonment of the village in 1920, the cemetery ceased to be actively used. In the 1970’s, the cemetery site was destroyed and is now under cultivation. It is privately owned.
Layout
According to tradition, the cemetery was approximately half an acre in size. The cemetery contained approximately 50 interments in one or more rows facing east-west. The graves were unmarked. From the 1920’s to the 1970’s, the cemetery was overgrown with bush. When the site was cleared in the 1970’s, all traces of the cemetery were removed.
Driving Directions
To access the cemetery, travel north from Canora on Highway No. 9 for two miles (3.2 km). Then turn east and continue on the gravel road for 6 miles (9.7 km). You will come to a "T" in the road. Take the dirt road east for another .2 miles (.3 km). You will travel down and up the other side of a small valley. The cemetery site is .4 miles (.6 km) to the north of the road allowance. It is on private property and permission to access should be obtained by the owners.
Burials
There is no burial register, cemetery plot map, death certificates, grave markers or other records for Blagoveshcheniye Cemetery. According to tradition, the following people are known to have been buried there:
Surname |
Name |
Birth Date |
Death Date |
Comments |
Lapshinoff |
Helen S. |
– |
– |
Died age 10 – No Marker |
In addition, the following families resided in Blagoveshcheniye village and may have members buried in Blagoveshcheniye Cemetery: Androsoff, Chevildaeff, Fedosoff, Fofanoff, Gnezdiloff, Holoboff, Hoodikoff, Horkoff, Kalmakoff, Kozlowsky, Lapshinoff, Maloff, Novokshonoff, Ostoforoff, Salikin, Samorodin, Shishkin, Tomilin, Trubetskoff, Verigin, Wishloff.
Notes
Special thanks to Larry Siminoff for assisting in locating the cemetery site. This is a work in progress. If readers have any comments, corrections or additions with respect to the Blagoveshcheniye Cemetery site, please contact Jonathan J. Kalmakoff.