Cornwall, Ontario – At just 12 years old, Chelsea Brown discovered her passion for genealogy and history, spending countless hours in the Cornwall Room at the library. Her fascination with the past has evolved into a groundbreaking business, Faces of SD&G, which aims to connect the community with its ancestors and bring local history to life.
“I was only 12 years old when I got into genealogy by my grandmother’s hands,” Brown recalls. “I spent 5 or 6 years in the Cornwall Room at the library every weekend. Genealogy and history have always been a life passion of mine, and I knew I wanted to make a difference in Cornwall and bring this town’s history more to life.”
In late 2019, Brown created the Faces of SD&G Facebook group, where community members can share old photos of ancestors and potentially discover unknown family connections. “My goal was to create an online photo album of all the people that made SD&G what it is today,” she explains.
Brown’s dedication to preserving the past has led her to a unique business venture: introducing QR codes for gravestones, memorial benches, plaques, and cremation stones. This innovative approach allows visitors to scan a code with their smartphones and learn about the lives and view photos of their departed loved ones, transforming cemetery visits into educational experiences.
“With the simple scan of a code, you can visit your passed loved ones in a new way and learn about their lives,” Brown says. “I hope this will change how we memorialize loved ones for years to come.”
As Faces of SD&G continues to grow, Brown, now 28, is eager to collaborate with other businesses and individuals who share her passion for history and genealogy. Her vision is to create a lasting legacy that honours the stories of those who came before us and ensures that their memories are cherished for generations to come.
