Is it a 2 or a 7 ? 1862 or 1867?

Question

There is a photograph of the memorial inscription, but i can't read it...can you?

On 29 Nov 2020 Shirlea Smith wrote on Cameron-640:

Event Type: Burial Event Place: Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada Cemetery: Cameron Farm Cemetery 

Name: John Cameron 

Birth Date: 03 May 1779 

Death Date: 29 Jan 1867 

Affiliate Image Identifier: 179614961 Photograph Included: Y Citing this Record "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL7B-JVNJ : 13 September 2020), John Cameron, ; Burial, Cornwall, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada, Cameron Farm Cemetery; citing record ID 179614961, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

Comments

don't know how anyone can read a date on that gravestone from that photo, but there should be a funeral record for him.

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Definitely, I cannot read anything from that picture - besides a 177_ (appears to be a 9?) for the birth and a 1___ for the death.

Answer 1

Looks like 7 to me

Comments

I'm leaning toward 1867 but his profile here says 1862.  

A family bible says 1867, but references him as Grampa Cameron, no first name, leaving some room for doubt.

i've been trying to find it in a church register, but no luck so far.

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This person recorded it as 1862 when visiting the cemetery:

http://glengarry.tripod.com/LS/cameron.html

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I agree it looks like a 7.  Compare it to the '2' in the 'day of death' and they don't look the same.

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I'm in club 7 also.

Answer 2

Not to muddy the waters but I checked Fold 3, the National Archives and some 1812 Rosters on the internet and I do not find him listed anywhere.   There are a number of John Cameron listings.  None are Lt. Col in 1812 War that I can find. It is possible I just did not find the right document but I checked Enlistment records that the Army said are 100% complete.  I checked discharge papers, and the complete list of commissioned officers.  I did not find him.  So I am not sure the information in the book on the family is accurate.  

A couple of pieces of the story are troublesome.  He is born in the USA, served in the war of 1812 on the US side if what is on the profile is correct, but buys land and moves to Canada a British land who he fought against?  That seems odd to me.  Sure odd things happen but I would double check the stories because something here seems a bit off to me.   

Did he perhaps serve on the Canadian side?  Did they move when he was younger before the War of 1812?   I also checked some Canadian records.  

 https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1861&op=&img&id=4108347_00138

In 1861 Canadian census he is born in US and is listed as age 82 so born 1779   wife Nancy is also alive and with him as are 3 others named John Cameron ranging in ages from 11, 20s, 40s, 60s and he is listed as 82 on his next birthday.  

He does not show up in the Canadian death index.  

 https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/l/l/a/Gina-L-Llamas/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0869.html  has 1862 and the write up for his father has a story where the family were loyalist and told to leave the US and they did so it sounds like they were in Canada before the end of the Revolutionary War.  So I think the part in the profile about John being in the US L Regiment is wrong.  I found this that gives different info but says he died 1867.   https://gravesideproject.ca/?p=3120

Comments

Thanks Laura!  There is absolutely no possibility that John here was in a US regiment.  He was just a little kid when his family relocated to Canada as United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolution.  There were several militia units formed among the Scots in the Glengarry area of Ontario, both for the war of 1812 and to fend off Fenian Raids.  In those days, the militia officer ranks were highly respected, and this John was known by that rank all his life - but it is a good question as to what his regiment was actually called.  Those initials could stand for something else, but they are not familiar to me.  I will post a question for the military buffs among us.

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here's the question i asked: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1146446/names-of-ontario-militia-units-at-the-war-of-1812

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I hope you get an answer to that because I think it will help you find more info on him.   Be cautious though because there were more than one John Cameron in the Canadian War 1812.   One listed as a private (not as a Lt. Col) was listed as a deserter and given 50 lashes upon recapture. And there was a Lt Col named Cameron in WWII in the Glengarry unit who was given medals.  Neither of these seem to be your guy.  

You can try looking for his military record in Canada.  Start with the 1st Flank 1st Glengarry and see if you can find him.  

 https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Stormont,_Dundas_and_Glengarry_Highlanders

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Thanks so much, but really I'm only trying to get a correct date of death.  The source for both possibilities is the same memorial inscription.  I guess the only solution is for someone to go look at the headstone again and confirm whether it is 1862 or 1867.  

I'm 2000 kms away - any suggestions on how to find a volunteer who could actually go look at it?

Answer 3

A kind member of Find a Grave looked at the memorial stone and wrote this:

Warner Family on 17 Dec 2020

RE: clear up any confusion?

Sorry, I left 'Lieut' off my original reply.
The first 3 lines on the headstone are:
LieutCol JOHN CAMERON, CLUNES
BORN MAY 3, 1779
DIED JAN. 29, 1862

It is definitely '1862', I had a good look at the headstone. I was in the area doing research on my family and I just happened to drive by when I saw that the little cemetery was being cleaned up.