Jane Burns
ID# 5112, (c 1861-1903)
Jane Burns
Sister Helen of the Cross
Sister Helen of the Cross
Jane became Sister Helen of the Cross.2 She died on 14 August 1903 of tuberculosis at House of Providence, Ashburnham, Peterborough County, Ontario.3 She was buried at St Peter's Cemetery, Peterborough, Ontario.4 An article in As the Tree Grows: Celebrating 100 Years of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Peterborough, 1890-1990 read:
"Burns, Jane (Sister Helen of the Cross) born Singleton, ON in 1861, entered the convent April 9, 1891 (final vows on July 18, 1893), died August 14, 1903 in Peterborough and is buried in St Peter's Cemetery, Peterborough, ON.
Jane was the daughter of John Burns and Lydia Nolan. Within a month of receiving the habit from Mother Austin Dorin in Lindsay, Sister Helen was sent to the far north to Prince Ruperts Landing, 1000 miles away. It later became Port Arthur and finally Thunder Bay. Those were difficult times. They faced many hardships, difficulties and loneliness. From Port Arthur, Sister Helen returned to St Mary's convent in Lindsay. She was never very strong and contracted tuberculosis, spending her final months at the House of Providence in Peterborough. Sister Helen ended her life as she had lived it, quietly, unobtrusively, but ready."4
Jane was the daughter of John Burns and Lydia Nolan. Within a month of receiving the habit from Mother Austin Dorin in Lindsay, Sister Helen was sent to the far north to Prince Ruperts Landing, 1000 miles away. It later became Port Arthur and finally Thunder Bay. Those were difficult times. They faced many hardships, difficulties and loneliness. From Port Arthur, Sister Helen returned to St Mary's convent in Lindsay. She was never very strong and contracted tuberculosis, spending her final months at the House of Providence in Peterborough. Sister Helen ended her life as she had lived it, quietly, unobtrusively, but ready."4
Census Records
| Year | Place | Head of Household |
|---|---|---|
| 1871 | South Crosby Twp, South Leeds, Ontario | John Burns5 |
| 1881 | South Crosby Twp, South Leeds, Ontario | John Burns6 |
| 1891 | South Crosby Twp, South Leeds, Ontario | John Burns7 |
| 1901 | Ashburnham, Peterborough County, Ontario | Jane Burns8 |
Last Edited=15 Dec 2012
Citations
- [S1428] Volume C, Baptisms, marriages, burials 1868-1886: baptism of Jane Byrne; p 20, St Edward the Confessor RC Church, Westport, Leeds & Grenville County, Ontario. Viewed on 2 Feb 2012, at familysearch.org, database: Ontario, Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923, image 11.
- [S1468] Mary Carroll, "2 Pictures for you," e-mail message from e-mail address (Brockville, Ontario) to Faye West, 24 Apr 2012.
- [S1537] Sister Helen of the Cross, Death Registration 022107 (16 Aug 1903), Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.ca
- [S1614] Sisters of St Joseph Staff, As the Tree Grows: Celebrating 100 Years of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Peterborough, 1890-1990 (Peterborough, Ontario: Sisters of St Joseph, 1993).
- [S1538] John Burns, 1871 Census (South Crosby, Leeds County, Ontario), Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.ca
- [S1541] John Burns, 1881 Census (South Crosby, Leeds County, Ontario), Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.ca
- [S1540] John Burns, 1891 Census (South Crosby, Leeds County, Ontario), Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.ca
- [S1613] Sister Helen of the Cross, 1901 Census (Ashburnham, Peterborough, Ontario), Ancestry, http://www.ancestry.ca