Providence Primitive Methodist Cemetery, Sandhill

Main Gates of Providence Cemetery, Sandhill

Providence Methodist Cemetery was est. in 1823. The church seen in the back ground was built in 1906. It is plain and austere which was the style of many Methodist churches of that era. The church is no longer used for regular services.  The land that the cemetery and church are situated was donated by a Mr. Finch around 1823, the first church was built in 1860.  Up until that time people worshiped across the road at the home of Mr. Laycock and then later at the home of Mr. Isaac Thompson.  The cemetery is perhaps the oldest in Albion Twp and was the first to be incorporated in the Twp.  The earliest know burial is that of Thomas Blakeney in 1825. The cemetery is still active.



Grave of Pastor John A Hanna

The grave stone had been displaced from its foundation by a tree that appears to sprout directly from the grave. This is the burial site of Pastor John A Hanna, Pastor of St. Mary's Church in Midland.



Old headstones



 

Pioneer Headstones



This group of pioneer headstones is located on the north side of the church. Most are still quite legible but some are just fragments. There are still a number of pioneer or settler headstones located on this side that are not in the group cairn.

Corner Stone of Church Building

The corner stone which is located above the door to the church, simply states Providence Cemetery Co. 1906, which would have been when the cemetery was incorporated.

St. James Anglican Cemetery, Caledon

The land for the church and cemetery was donated by William Matthews in 1848. 

In 1901 St. James Church was relocated to the town of Caledon East and the roughcast church building on this site was torn down. The cemetery is maintained to day by a cemetery board.



Tomb of Clara Ann Swollow, aged 16 years.






 

Scott Family Monument

Richard Haviland, died 1876 at 32 years old



St. James Cemetery



I Break for Cemeteries

Yes I do, so don't follow too close behind me!!

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery, Concord



Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

   The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery was est around 1807.  Located on the east side of Keele Street north of Langstaff Road  in Concord, it was here that the founding of the Canadian Synod of the Lutheran Church took place in 1861.  The original church building on this site was constructed in 1819, it was then replaced with the present building in 1860, the church still conducts services to this day.  Many names found on the tomb stones in this cemetery, such as Jacob Keefer, Isaac Murray, Oster, Troyer and Atkinson are now familiar street names within the City of Vaughan.

Keffer Memorial


 


Old Head Stones cira 1835 & 1836





Isaac Murray Monument



Holy Trinity Burying Ground, Thornhill.



Historic Plaque Holy Trinity



Holy Trinity Burying Ground was est in the early 1800's, it is the first official cemetery for Thornhill. It is located on Yonge St., north of Center Street, on the west side.  The Holy Trinity Church was built on this site in 1830, the church was moved in 1950 to Brooke Street. The church on this site today is the Thornhill Baptist Church, there has been a baptist congregation here since 1928.  A number of early burials in this cemetery are United Empire Loyalists who migrated to Upper Canada in the late 1700's and early 1800's.  The oldest head stone dated 1804 is for Rebecca Willson wife of John Willson, who fled New Jersey as loyalist refugees in 1793. 




Stone cairn commemorating the arrival of John Willson

 


Reverse of carin with John & Rebecca Willson's head stones





Loyalist grave markers.

 

Sharon Burying Ground, Sharon

Sharon Burying Ground

The Sharon Burying Ground, aka Children of Peace Burying Ground, was est in 1820, although oral tradition has it that the burial ground was being used as early as 1818.  At this time the land was owned by John Crone, who was not a member of the Children of  Peace.  The first member of the Children of Peace to be buried here was David Terry in 1820, who owned the west half of the land. The original cemetery was 82.5ft by 82.5ft, and it is in this area that most of the existing stones lay. The cemetery was expanded in 1878 when Jacob Lundy and his wife Hannah sold the northwest corner to the Trustees of the Children of Peace for $73.00. The last burial took place in 1935 and the cemetery was then officially closed.  The Burying Ground was designated an historical site in 1993.



Grave Stones of the Children of Peace

 The head stones of the Children of Peace are all orientated north-south.  Nonmembers of the Children of Peace also used the cemetery, they placed their graves along the south east fence line and orientated the stones east-west.



Grave Stones of nonmembers of the Children of Peace




Plaque and Iron Cemetery Gate 

 The iron gate and fence located on the east side of Leslie Street was donated by John Smith in 1927 as a memorial to his parents. The plaque was placed here in 1993 by the East Gwillimbury LACAC.



Graves of David & Phebe Willson




David Willson Leader of the Children of Peace

  David Willson and his wife along with a number of their family members and descendants are buried at the north end of the property.  He was originally from New York State and migrated to Upper Canada in 1801, where he joined the Society of Friends or Quakers, of which his wife Phebe was a member.  When his ministry was rejected by the Quakers at the beginning of the War of 1812, he founded his own sect, the Children of Peace.  He died in 1866 and it was at that time the sect started to dwindle and by 1889 was virtually non existent.



Cheltenham Cemetery, Caledon

The Founding of Cheltenham



Discarded Tombstone



Haines Family Monument

Broken Tombstone Unknown

Charles Haines
Founder of Cheltenham

Cheltenham Cemetery is located on the east side of Creditview Rd, north of King St.  It was est in 1847 when Charles Haines donated 1/4 acre for the burial of his nephew 3 year old Alfred Haines. Charles and his wife Ann donated a further 1/4 acre in 1863. Several generations of the Haines family are buried in this cemetery. 

This cemetery is still active and descendants of many of the settler families are still buried here. 

Harrisons United Weslayan Methodist Cemetery

Harrison's United Wesleyan Methodist Cemetery




Damaged Harrison Family Monument

Burial site of Emmanuel Harrison Sr.

who deeded the land on May 2, 1840.

Kerr Family Monument

Hidden Monument for the three

McLaughlin  children

Ada Maria aged 7.

Ann aged 3

infant son aged 8 days



The Harrison's United Wesleyan Methodist Church Cemetery is located on the west side of Torbram Rd, north of North Park Dr., in Brampton.  It was est in 1821, the church which was est. in 1876 is across the road on the east side of Torbram Rd., and is now a reformed synagogue.  

  Some of the monuments and head stones are badly damaged or hidden in the bush around the cemetery's perimeter.  

One family monument for Lindsay found in the brush at the north end of the cemetery has the names of 6 children. Three dying in June 1856 and another three dying in June of 1876. A seventh child , Herbert, died in 1909 at the age of 29. Both parents out lived  six of their children, dying  in the late 1890's. 

The last burial took place in 2003 for the Nixon family.

Old Brampton Cemetery, Brampton



The Founding of Brampton



Gates of Old Brampton Cemetery

The Old Brampton Cemetery, est 1837, is located on Main St (Hwy 10) north of Vodden Rd, in the City of Brampton. It sits on the east side of Main St in front of a plaza.  The area is very well maintained by the City of Brampton and is the burying place of the the founding families of the area.  Family names such as Lawson and Elliot are very prominent in this cemetery. Both families originally hailing from Brampton England were very influential in renaming the settlement of Buffy's Corners to that of Brampton.

Alloa Methodist Cemetery, Brampton

 

Corner Stone of SS No 6

 Alloa Methodist Cemetery, aka Home Church was est in 1828 and  is located on the south west corner of Creditview Rd and Wanles Dr.  The land was donated by William Clarridge for a schoolhouse, church and burying ground.

The church was built in 1862 on the opposite corner of Creditview Rd and Wanless Dr., which was then the farm of William Drinkwater.  The school was est in 1870.  None of these building exist today.



West side of Alloa Cemetery



Plaque donated by the descendants of the Settlers

South side of Alloa Cemetery

 

The head stones have been arranged in two rows, one on the west side of the property running north/ south and the other at the south side of the property running east/ west.

Although a number of the headstones are cracked and damaged the inscriptions are still legible on the majority.

The cemetery is maintained by the City of Brampton and is a designated heritage site.

Boston Mills Cemetery, Caledon

Sinclair Monument

Boston Mills Cemetery was est in 1823, it is located on Boston Mills Rd west of Chinguacousy Rd., in Caledon. The iron gates pictured above were constructed in 1932 by William Stuart.   The original cemetery is on the east side of the property from the top of the hill down towards Chinguacousy Rd. The west side is the current cemetery which is still active.  At the top of the hill there is also a building which was originally a school (S.S #8) School Section 8.  In 1964 the school was closed and the building was turned into a mortuary vault for the cemetery to hold the deceased over the winter months.



This is the first burial at Boston Mills Cemetery, it is the grave of David Williams who died in 1823 at 29 years of age while felling a tree for the construction of his cabin. His body was wrapped in the bark of the tree that killed him and he was buried on the top of this hill which is part of the original cemetery.

Dixons Union Cemetery, Caledon





Memorial Chaple at Dixons Union Cemetery
Foundations were raise for the cemetery storage vault

Dixons Union Cemetery, formally Dixons Primitive Methodist Cemetery was est in 1875.  It is located on Kennedy Road between Mayfield Road and Schoolhouse Road on the east side.

The earliest burials where in 1849  for Hugh C. Dinsmore, aged 2 years and Henry Dinsmore aged 8 months. ( cousin) both died on February 3, 1849.

The church located at the north end of the property is the second building constructed on this site. The first was destroyed in a windstorm in 1874.  The floor of the second church was raised and the foundations were re-enforced to put in an under ground vault to store those who passed away during the winter months. 

The church is now only used for annual memorial services, the cemetery itself is still active.