Bruce Road Pioneer Grave

The Bruce Road Pioneer Grave is valued for its association with the Bears family which once lived on the property.

James Harris Bears (1852-1932) and his wife, Jesse MacLeod Bears, once resided on this property in Glenwilliam. They would have a family of five children including Alfred, William, Robert, Margaret, and Theophilos "Arthur".

All of their children survived into adulthood except for William Alexander Bears who died of diphtheria on February 22, 1889, when he was only two years and six months old. Diphtheria was a serious bacterial infection which affected the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. Highly contagious, any infected person had to be quarantined from six to eight months. Young William Alexander did not survive the disease and due to its contagious nature and the fact that it was winter, his remains were interred in the backyard of his home.

The Bears family left Glenwilliam for Massachusetts in 1890. They stayed there a few years, before moving back to Canada where James Harris Bears obtained employment as a master carpenter with the Canadian National railway in Moncton, New Brunswick. There are descendants of the family living in the Moncton area today.

The Bears home on the Bruce Road has long ago disappeared, but the gravestone still stands, having been cared for by the current property owner, who has repaired the stone which had toppled over and kept it free of debris and tall grass. The stone is ornate containing the phrase: "In loving memory of" and a floral motif. It also features a scriptural quotation from Job 1:21. It also poignantly asks the "Reader": "Where will you dwell for all eternity..."

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8

File #: 4310-20/P38