King Christian Cemetery, Kettleby, King Twp.

King Christian, aka Emmanuel Baptist Church, aka Hilborn Settlement Cemetery is located on the west side of Jane Street, just north of the 19th Side Road in Kettleby, King Twp.  The King Christian Church was founded in 1851 by an offshoot group of the Children of Peace from Sharon, Ontario.  

The Cemetery was established at the same time but was known as Hilborn Settlement Cemetery.  By the late 1800's the cemetery had been neglected and was no longer being used. Most of the burials had been located to the Kettleby Cemetery which was established in the 1890's.  In 1931 the congregation became known as the King Emmanuel Baptist Church.

In 1985 the remaining markers in the cemetery were restored by the King Heritage Association and placed in a cairn. Several larger monuments were placed in front of the cairn, but are now nearly completely overgrown by the ornamental bushes planted there 30 years ago. The cemetery is now maintained by the Twp of King.

Wesleyan Old Methodist, Strange (King Twp)

Marker for Emma & Evenjaline Wood
Children of Joseph  & Catherine Wood
Both died March 1852, first burials

Grave marker of Lewis Wellman
Son of George & Sarah Wellman
Died April 1878 at the age of 2 mons.
One of the last burials.

Wesleyan Old Methodist Cemetery in the hamlet of Strange in King Twp is located on the east side of Weston Rd, north of King Rd. It is not a very conspicuous site to say the least, I found it by pure accident on day while sitting in traffic.  The cemetery is surrounded by trees and brush, with a small opening on to Weston Rd, where the sign is that marks its location.

The cemetery was established in 1852 on land owned by Peter McCallum.  A church did stand on the land until 1900, the cemetery was abandoned in 1878.  In 1900 J.D. McCallum purchased the land and built a sawmill which operated in the area for many years.  The congregation by this time had moved to Laskey Methodist Church in Laskey Ontario which is just a few kilometers south of this location at Weston Rd & King Rd.  

During the last transcription of this cemetery in 1989, there were 22 noted graves. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll and only 11 can now be accounted for.  The cemetery is maintained by the Township of King 

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.

Laskay Secessionist Presbyterian Cemetery, Laskay, King Twp.

Laskay Secessionist Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Laskay King Twp.

Located on the north side of Mill St in the village of Laskay, King Twp. is Laskay Secessionist Presbyterian Cemetery. It was established in 1858 on land that was donated by David Reesor of Markham. The church was Presbyterian Secessionist in denomination and was built two years before the cemetery was established in 1856.

The cemetery was abandoned in 1884 after only seeing 26 years of service. This was probably due to the establishing of the King City Community Cemetery 1886.  A number of graves from this site have been relocated to the King City Cemetery.

There are only two tall family monuments and another two single headstones visible on the property.  A fence surrounds the site making it not accessible along with signs stating "no trespassing, private property." A private home is just to the east of the cemetery on the same lot.

Update: A re-visit happend in Sept 2019. It appears that some restoration work is going to be completed on this property as the fence has been removed. I was able to see much more than on my first visit. There appears to be more grave markers than I originally saw. They go right up to the back door of the house. Although, I wandered around in the cemetery a little, I was mindful that the house is still a private residence.

Christ Church Cemetery, Bradford West Gwilliambury

Christ Church Cemetery (Middletown) Bradford West Gwillambury

Christ Church Cemetery is located on the north side of Hwy 88 east of Hwy 400 in Bradford West Gwillambury. This was the site of the first Anglican Church in this area.   It was the center of the religious and social life of the hamlet of Middletown in the heyday of the Old Plank Road in the 1850’s and 1860’s.

The Stoddars Family, aka Stoddart were the first to arrive in the area. John Stoddars arriving in 1817, his son James received a patent for 200 acres in 1838, he and his wife Mary gave an acre of land to the Bishop of the Dioceses for the sum of 5 shillings.  A small additional plot at the front west corner was sold by Hugh D. Stoddars to the Rector Charles Ruthann and trustees in 1868 for 80 pounds. 

The wooden church was replaced by a brick one in 1856 and the vestry was added in 1882.  The hamlet dwindled and the church closed in the 1900’s and then was eventually demolished in the 1940’s leaving behind the cemetery.  

The earliest burial appears to be that of Mary Ann Stoddart who died on June 11, 1815 at the age of 10.  Burials continued up until the late 1800’s just prior to the church’s closing. Two cairns were erected in 1962, the first being dedicated to Christ Church and its parishioners who worshiped here. Many of these people are buried on this site.  The second is the Historical Society Plaque describing the settlement of the area.

Stoddart Monuments

Trotter Family Graves
Father, Mother and five daughters

Grave Marker of John aged 17
d. 1840's Native of Ireland.