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Frank Crummy Headstone

It has been brought to our attention that a headstone bearing the name Frank Crummy 1869-1952 has been found abandoned in a field near Gleichen, Alberta. There has been much speculation that this could be the headstone for the Frank Crummy who settled in the Grande Prairie area. Our Frank Crummy was born in 1870 and died in 1952. He was connected to the Crummy family who owned local businesses, including a store and garage. Since the year varied from that on the stone by only a year (as genealogists know, such mistakes are not uncommon), we decided to investigate further and discovered that Frank Crummy is buried in the Grande Prairie Cemetery. We were intrigued, so we went and looked at the gravesite. Our Frank Crummy's grave is marked by a very nice red granite stone, also listing his wife Katherine's birth and death dates. There is no evidence to suggest that the stone found near Gleichen had been removed from the site. The current headstone is also of a similar style to those used by other members of the Crummy family buried at the Grande Prairie Cemetery. It is possible that the found stone was removed at an earlier date (ie. before Katherine died in 1965), perhaps because of the incorrect birthdate, and replaced with the current marker. It may have been repurposed as something other than a headstone, finally reappearing in Gleichen. We'd love to know the end of the story if anyone can solve this mystery!

New Shelving!

Only an Archives would get excited about shelves! Thanks to a special project grant from the Archives Society of Alberta, we now have rolling shelving in our processing room. Drop by to have a look.

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"Telling Our Stories" is a quarterly newsletter distributed to our members and supporters. The newsletter is available online or become a member and receive it in the mail!

Earlier issues of the newletter are also available online.

Find Photographs
of the South Peace River Country on Alberta InSight

Find Documents about the South Peace River Country on Alberta InWord

Find Descriptions of SPRA's holdings on the ANA Database

Link to Archives Information Sheets and Family Research Guides

Additional Online Resources

Links to the Records of our Municipal and Museum Partners

• City of Grande Prairie
• County of Grande Prairie
• Municipal District of Greenview
• Municipal District of Spirit River
• DeBolt & District Pioneer Museum
• Kleskun Hills Museum
• Museum Society of Grande Prairie & District
• Sexsmith & District Museum Society
• South Peace Centennial Museum
• Spirit River Settlement Museum
• Grande Prairie Public Library

Now Available: Directory of Veterans

Archives Week 2011    Virtual Exhibit

In honour of Archives Week 2011, the Archives Society of Alberta has a new virtual exhibit: IN LIVING COLOUR! Several SPRA images are featured.