Society of Friends, Dunkerron, New Tecumseth

Doyle Family Graves

Grave of Peter Doyle

Grave of Phebe Doyle first wife of Peter Doyle
and their infant son Jacob

Grave of Rachel Doyle second wife of Peter Doyle

Society of Friends, Dunkerron,  New Tecumseth

This small cemetery lies on the side of a hill at the north-west corner of Hwy 27 and 3^rd Line in Tecumseth.  It is all that remains of a community of Quakers that had its roots in the early Yonge Street at Newmarket, which spread into West Gwilliambury and Tecumseth.

Peter Doyle, a Quaker, then of Whitechurch, purchased the south part of Lot 24, concession 3 about 100 acres in 1825 from Samuel Manning for the sum of 50 pounds.  In April of 1834 Doyle gave the S.E. corner of 2 acres to the Trustees of the Society of Friends for the consideration of 10 shillings. 

The area was already in use as cemetery the first burials where that of Jacob Doyle, infant son of Peter and Phoebe Doyle who died in 1831 and Phoebe Doyle, wife of Peter Doyle in 1834.  Peter Doyle and his second wife would both be buried here as well.  Peter in 1888 at the age of 74 and his second wife Rachel in 1891 at the age of 74.

The land did have a wooden meeting house similar to the one that stands today on Yonge Street in Newmarket.  The meeting house was still on the property in 1912 but was closed by that time.  There is no record of when it was removed.  The last burial in the cemetery was believed to be in 1944.

Emmanuel United Church Cemetery, Bond Head, West Gwilliambury

Emmanuel United Church Cemetery, Bond Head, West Gwilliambury

Emmanuel United Church Cemetery, aka Bond head United Church Cemetery, aka First Canada Presbyterian Church, West Gwilliambury Cemetery is located at Hwy 27 and the 7^th line, (Highway 88) in the Town of Bradford, West Gwilliambury.  

Emmanuel United Church came into being in 1925 when the United Church of Canada was formed.  The cemetery was originally Presbyterian; the Methodist congregation used the cemetery at Newton Robinson.

The land was given to the Bond Head Congregation by a Mr. Fraser who farmed the land located at Lot 1, Concession 6 of West Gwilliambury.  The first church was built in 1837 and in 1853 the cemetery was enlarged when Samuel Manning and his wife gave ½ acre to the N. ½ of lot 1 to the church for “no consideration”.  In 1872 a new brick church was built and a third addition to the cemetery came in 1910 when William Monkman and his wife of West Gwilliambury, sold a piece of land for the sum of $ 175.00 to the Trustees.

The church burnt down in 1941 and was not rebuilt until after WWII in 1953.  Much of the wood and stone materials from the burnt out church was used in the construction of the new church.  The cemetery and church are still in use.