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.

Sixth Line Cemetery, Innisfil

Located on the west side of Hwy 11 (Yonge St), just south of the Sixth Line in the Town of Innisfil is the Sixth Line Cemetery.  Originally used by the Presbyterians it was established in 1840.

At the entrance there is a natural fieldstone cairn topped by an Ionian Cross.  The cairn bears plaques dedicated to a group of Scotch Dalhousie Settlers who came to Innisfil in 1832 from Dalhousie Twp Lanak County Ontario.  The plaque was placed by their descendants in 1932 on the threshold of the Pioneer log Kirk and later another building.  A church was on the property for some years and was probably removed after the amalgamation of congregations in the 1950’s.

In 1962 a Memorial Chapel was built at the front of the property, the front of the building is inlaid with the same natural fieldstone like the cairn. 

The settler burials are located more to the north of the property, which is probably where the original church building once stood.  According to the Illustrated Atlas of the County of Simcoe 1881.  A church stood at the N/E corner of the property with the cemetery behind and just to the south.

Today the cemetery is non-denominational and managed by the Town of Innisfil and still receives burials.

St Thomas Anglican Church Cemetery, Shanty Bay

O'Brien Grave Marker for
Lt-Col Edward O'Brien & his wife Mary Sophia

O'Brien Family Graves
Lt-Col. Edward O'Brien's Son and Daughter -In-Law
The Headstones to the right are Edward O'Brien's three granddaughters

St. Thomas Anglican Church Cemetery is located at the corner of Line 2 and Church St in Shanty Bay.  The land which the church and cemetery are located was donated by Lt.-Col Edward O’Brien in 1838.

The church was constructed of mud, clay and straw tramped together by oxen. The mud/clay bricks were then placed in to molds and allowed to dry. The process was called rammed earth. When the building was completed the bricks were then plastered over. The construction was completed around 1841; the bell was not added until 1854.

The cemetery was established around 1840 with the burial of the infant son of Meyrick Whitey and Ellen Lally.  Lt-Col. O’Brien and his wife Mary Sophia are both buried in the cemetery, their grave is the only one marked by a celtic cross.

The church and cemetery are still in use to this day. The building is one of the few remaining buildings in Ontario that was built using the “rammed earth” method and is a designated historical site.

Clements Pioneer Cemetery, Innisfil

Clements Pioneer Cemetery is located on the south side of the 2nd Line, about 300 m east of Hwy 11 (Yonge Street) in the Town of Innisfil.  The cemetery was established in 1837 when Lewis Clement a United Empire Loyalist gave the land as a gift.  There does not appear to have been any church associated with this burial ground, but church services were known to be held at the home of James Sloan, who's house was on a  hill. It was because of this the area was called Churchill. 

A modern day iron fence and gate are located at the front of the property, where a plaque was placed in 1932 in the west side gate post dedicating the cemetery.  Today the cemetery is in the care of the Town of Innisfil and is closed to burials. 

Bethesda Methodist Cemetery, Innisfil

Bethesda Methodist Cemetery is located on the west side of 5th Side Road, 200 m south of the 4th Line in the Town of Innisfil.  The land was donated by Thomas Black a native of County Tyron, Ireland in 1867 for a Wesleyan Methodist Church and Cemetery.  The land was already established as a cemetery, as the first burials took place in 1852 for Thomas' wife Mary Ann and their 9 year old daughter Margaret.  Thomas himself would be buried here in 1879 at the age of 80.

A frame structure was built and opened in 1868.  Prior to this early settler families in the Bethesda area met for worship at the homes of William Lennox, Thomas Black, George Wonch and William Ross.  Later as the congregation grew they moved to the log school house on the farm of James Hindle.  Accordingly the congregation became known as Hindles.  

The frame church was later replaced with a brick one in 1895.  By 1925 the congregation had become part of the United Church of Canada.  The church was closed in 1950 and the last burial took place in 1957. The church building and drive sheds were demolished in 1958 leaving the cemetery.

A cemetery board continued to care for the cemetery for some time, until the responsibility was assumed by the Township of Innisfil, now the Town of Innsifil. 

According to a Mr. Jim Rainey a former member of the cemetery board and who had many descendants and family members buried in Bestheda. There are a number of unmarked burials, it was believed that they were for the Yanks family and possibly the Marling family.  

Another family, the Moyer or Moir were also buried there.  The family moved to the Alliston area and relocated the family tombstone.  It is also believed that the remains were relocated as well.

Today the cemetery is in the care of the Town of Innisfil, there is no cairn or sign to mark the spot, it just sits in a clearing on the west side of the road.

Dunkerron United Church Cemetery, Bradford West Gwilliambury

The cemetery and church are located on the N/E corner of Hwy 27 and 3rd Line in the tiny hamlet of Dunkerron in Bradford West Gwilliambury.  It was established in 1820, when the son of John Davis, William, at the age of 25  was killed while felling a tree.

John did not receive the patent for this land until 1837, then in 1856 he gave 2 rods and 9/10 perches of this land for a church and cemetery for the sum of 10 shillings. 

 The church and burial ground where originally Methodist in denomination.  The original frame church, which also served as a school, stood just west of the present day church near the corner of now Hwy 27 and 3rd Line. 

 In 1884 the present day church was built, the pathway to the church was directly over the grave of the Davis family, so the stone was relocated to the east fence.

 In 1925 the congregation joined the United Church of Canada and burials have continued well into the 20th century.  The church appears to still be in use.