What started out to be a celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary while at the same time delving into the past history of his family in another country ended up being all of that and more for Don and Mary Lea Burden of Shrewsbury.
Last year, the couple learned that the Queen Mary 2 had a special cruise set up that started with passengers aboard the Queen enjoying a close-up view of the Tall Ships at the base of the Statue of Liberty in the nation’s 250th parade and culminated in a cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia the birthplace of Don’s ancestors who had made been a part of history in the early in the 20th century.
It was an opportunity too good to miss, especially when their nephew, his wife, and three friends joined in. The trip included a stop in Newport, Rhode Island before sailing on to Canada.
“There were so many reasons why we knew this would be a wonderful trip,” Burden said. “We wanted to experience a cruise on the Cunard Queen Mary 2, see the parade of tall ships, view the air show from the deck of the Queen, watch the Macy’s Day fireworks, and visit the city which had a long association with my family! This cruise fit the bill perfectly.”
The view of the ships from around the world under sail in New York Harbor was the first spectacular part of the cruise, Burden continued. While some of the cadets aboard waved to all of us on the cruise liner as they passed, we could see how proudly they stood in formation on the deck atop the sails and riggings.
The USS Eagle, the US Coast Guard ship that led the parade was definitely their favorite in the lineup, he continued but noted the Esmeralda from Chile and the Americo Vespucci from Italy were high up on their list of favorite ships, though all were impressive. There was an added bonus to this part of the trip too, Don launched. “Identifying the country of origin by their colorful flags provided a lesson in geography as well. “
Don had learned that his grandfather, whose family immigrated to Nova Scotia from Scotland, was an embalmer in the province. A lot of family information was handed down by family members, he said, especially when he made annual visits during the summers with his grandfather in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
One of the stories he remembered was that his grandfather had embalmed the body of John Jacob Astor, one of nearly 1,800 passengers and crew who lost their lives when the ship struck an iceberg and broke apart in April 1912. He had also always heard that his grandfather also embalmed Alexander Graham Bell when he died in Nova Scotia in August 1922.
But the Burdens, learned so much more on this trip, especially when they spent a day visiting both the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and the Canadian Museum of Immigration located on the Halifax Harbor waterfront.
“I was able to debunk the information that my grandfather both embalmed Astor and Bell,” Burden explained, happy he now knew the full story. “My grandfather, Neil A. Beaton, was an undertaker, embalmer and engraver and was responsible for overseeing logistics while embalming 84 victims. He oversaw cataloging personal effects, building and preparing coffins and arranging the final transport or burial of the Titanic victims,” he learned. And he confirmed his grandfather only oversaw the funeral arrangements at Bell’s summer home near Baddeck, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Bell was not embalmed.
Don and Mary Lea also took the opportunity to visit the former funeral establishment where his grandfather performed his services. It is now one of Halifax’s top restaurants, “The Five Fishermen.”
It was the Depression of the1930s that caused Burden’s grandfather to immigrate to Massachusetts where he continued in the funeral business before retiring and moving back to Canada.
There was still one more adventure for the Burdens, a couple who have traveled extensively in Europe and seem to have unusual adventures on every trip.
This time it was meeting Tim Houston, the Premier of Nova Scotia.
They happened to be walking in the area in front of the Province House in Halifax. At the gate to the government building, a young man engaged the couple in conversation, pointed to Houston, and asked if they knew who he was. Burden, who had probably met just about everyone who lives in Shrewsbury during the years he was mayor as well as at the Shrewsbury Historical Society, admitted he did not know the man. “The young man then told us who he was and that he was the Premier. He then asked if we would like to be introduced to him.”
Not a couple to turn down any invitation to meet any friendly face, they accepted, and the very genial Honorable Premier Houston, not only engaged them in lively conversation, but also agreed to a photograph of the three of them. Once the premier learned Don had been a municipal mayor, he was interested in knowing about that experience before also asking more questions about Don’s family roots in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
What was surprising to the Burdens was the lack of security surrounding the Premier. Rather than the Secret Service, guards and other personnel usually surrounding political leaders in this country, Premier Houston had one security person, no limos with flashing lights, no evidence of overprotection or interference with his enjoying a conversation with strangers. “It was all very casual.”
Every part of the trip is memorable, Don said, but he was most impressed by his grandfather’s work, his impact on the families he helped, and sharing so much with tales on his own experiences in Nova Scotia.
But the Burdens also learned more about the province that will keep it forever close to their hearts. Don said he learned at the Museum that “Halifax was practically devastated when two ships laden with ammunition collided and blew up blew up in the Harbor in 1917. Nearly 1,800 people were killed and buildings were leveled. My grandfather embalmed more than 70 bodies from that disaster,” he added sorrowfully.
On the other hand, far happier takeaway from this cruise to the land of his ancestors was the existing friendship and respect that is alive and well between the United States and Canada.
What’s next? “Well, “Don laughed, “there is a cruise coming up in October. We’ll be cruising from Barcelona, Spain to San Juan.”
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