This is the third article in my series on family cemeteries in the Newmarket area. (See related articles below for part one and two.)
This article features cemeteries that may be a bit smaller and perhaps less well known, but they are excellent examples of the historical family cemeteries I have been highlighting. Given the number and uniqueness of the family cemeteries I have uncovered, I anticipate another edition later in the spring.
Let us begin with a list of the family cemeteries in York Region I am examining in this article. You can find a full listing of the cemeteries in Ontario from the York branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS), along with a comprehensive map showing locations here.
- The Wesleyan Methodist Church Cemetery, established about 1824 on the northeast corner of Prospect and Timothy streets
- The Sharon Burying Ground, established around 1820 on the east side of Leslie Street, just south of Sharon
- The Baldwin Free Methodist Cemetery, established in the mid-1800s and located at 160 Baldwin Rd. in Baldwin
- The Baldwin Christian Church Cemetery, established around 1888 and located at 5673 Smith Blvd. in Baldwin
- The Holborne-Glover Cemetery, established in 1872 on the east side of Kennedy Road in East Gwillimbury
- The Hartman Family Burying Ground, established in 1861 and located at 5725 Davis Dr. between Highway 48 and the 9th Concession Road
- The Graham Family Cemetery, established in 1814 and relocated to the Aurora Cemetery
- The Boyers Road Cemetery, established in 1866 and located on the south side of Boyers Road, between The Queensway North and Woodbine Avenue, in Georgina
- The Mann Cemetery, established in 1826 and located on Lot 17, Concession 3, on the west side of the North Queensway, just north of Old Homestead Road in Georgina
- The Dickson Hill Cemetery, established in 1803 and located at 70 Dickson Hill Rd. in Markham
We will start with two of the larger family cemeteries and then look at some smaller ones. If you go back to the first column in this series, you will remember cemeteries dedicated to a single family or a religious or ethnic group are generally considered to be under the banner of the family cemetery. The first two highlighted cemeteries are excellent examples of this.
I have written previously about this cemetery on Prospect Hill, the former site of the Alexander Muir School and now a retirement home, on the northeast corner of Prospect and Timothy streets in Newmarket.
Originally named the Wesleyan Methodist Church Cemetery, it was in use from about 1824 to 1879, when the cemetery was supposedly closed, and families were asked to move the remains to the Newmarket Cemetery. Many were not moved, which was discovered during the building of the retirement home in 1989, when the remains of many individuals, mostly children, were found.
About 77 skeletons were found, and forensic research discovered about 49 per cent of those were juveniles and that there were only four adults older than 60 years. The official OGS records indicate there are no burials (or at least memorials) remaining, but some believe remains still exist on the site today.
The Sharon Burying Ground on Leslie Street, just south of the village of Sharon, is across the road from Sharon Public School. This cemetery is best known as the final resting place of many members of the Children of Peace, who built the Sharon Temple, as well as members of other prominent local families.
Four major historical figures associated with the temple and Children of Peace are interred there — David Willson, founder of the Children of Peace, along with his wife, Phoebe Titus, as well as the master builder of the Sharon Temple, Ebenezer Doan, and his wife, Elizabeth Paxon.
There are 348 memorials on the property, with the oldest marked graves dating from the 1820s and the last burial taking place in 1935. Sadly, the burial site began to suffer neglect as early as the late 1800s.
In 1952, a group of concerned descendants formally organized the Sharon Burying Ground Association to assume care of the site, a task they still undertake to this day, having been incorporated in 2014. Finally, in 1995, the Sharon Burying Ground was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as a site of historical importance.
Our next cemetery of interest is in Baldwin. Established in the mid-1800s, during a time when the Baldwin community was growing, the Baldwin Cemetery was also known as the Baldwin Free Methodist Cemetery, or the Cryderman Cemetery, and is at 160 Baldwin Rd. and has 246 memorials. You can examine the records for this cemetery here.
Like most cemeteries of the period, the land was likely donated or purchased by residents, and it became a sacred ground for burials.
There is also a much smaller cemetery established around 1888, when the church was built at 5673 Smith Blvd. in Baldwin, called the Baldwin Christian Church Cemetery, also known as Baldwin Abandoned Cemetery. This cemetery has only six memorials. Sadly, both the church and the cemetery are no longer there. However, the site is still of historical significance.
In the same general area is the Holborne-Glover Cemetery, established around 1872 and situated on the south side of Ravenshoe Road, east of Kennedy Road, on Lot 35, Concession 6, in East Gwillimbury.
Many of these historical cemeteries have their own boards, and this cemetery is administered by the Holborne-Glover Cemetery Board. The cemetery is marked by a sign over the entrance gate reading Holborne-Glover, although the markers themselves read only Holborne.
The Holborne and Glover families also erected a building to the west of the cemetery for worship by any denomination pertaining to Methodism. You will often find burial limited to a specific religious affiliation originally known as the Ravenshoe Chapel. Historically, the church was under the Queensville charge until a church union in 1925, when it became a part of the Keswick circuit.
The cemetery is fenced in and well maintained. This cemetery, along with most of the cemeteries I am examining, has been well researched and transcriptions have been published consisting of short histories and photographs, in addition to the inscriptions (58 memorial records at the Holborne-Glover Cemetery).
Our next cemetery under examination is the Hartman Cemetery at 5725 Davis Dr., on the south side of Davis, positioned between Highway 48 and the 9th Concession Road.
The Hartman Cemetery has a rich history with 522 memorials and is well worth a visit. In 1861, Allan Graham divided part of his land to be used as a ‘general Protestant burying ground.’ It appears the land was in use as a cemetery prior to that since some burials predate 1861. The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville took over the administration of the cemetery in 1986, and now, burials are only permitted to present plot holders.
Next, the Graham Family Cemetery, which was established in 1814 on land now owned by Lawrence Hutchison. Today, there are no visible markers left as everything was removed to the Aurora Cemetery, but it still holds a significant place in local history as the Graham family was a well-known pioneer family in the area.
According to the transcript, several notable individuals were interred there (now part of the Aurora Cemetery), including John Bowser (project construction superintendent for the Empire State Building), Dr. Hillary (the first local doctor) and Roy Brown (the Canadian pilot who shot down Baron Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, in 1918). Additionally, Col. William Graham, a British soldier who fought in the American Revolution and later settled in Canada as a United Empire Loyalist, is buried there. The cemetery’s historical significance and its connection to prominent figures make it an interesting place to explore.
The cemetery is inactive, and its records are not transcribed or registered. However, it’s essential to recognize its role in preserving the memory of early settlers and their contributions to the community.
The next family cemetery on our list is the Boyers Road Cemetery, which is also known as the Sheppard Family Cemetery and is on Lot 20, Concession 3, in Georgina on the south side of Boyers Road, between The Queensway North and Woodbine Avenue. Transcripts indicate the Sheppard and Ford families used this cemetery as a family burial ground. The earliest marker in the cemetery dates to 1866.
Our next cemetery is also in the Georgina area. The Mann Cemetery, also known as the Sprague Family Burial Ground or the Christian Church Burial Grounds, was established in 1826 and is located on Lot 17, Concession 3, on the west side of the North Queensway, just north of Old Homestead Road.
For those whose interest is local genealogy, this cemetery has 243 memorial records listed. The earliest recorded burial is from 1826 and the latest is from 1929, with the cemetery no longer active.
Our last cemetery to examine for this third column in the series is the Dickson Hill Cemetery, established in 1803 at 70 Dickson Hill Rd. in Markham. The entrance to the cemetery is on the west side of Dickson Hill Road. It is interesting that the sign at the cemetery reads Dickson Hill Cemetery Est. 1812. One source indicated the Dickson Hill Cemetery has at least one surviving grave dating to 1803, and burials taking place possibly as early as the 1790s.
Dickson Hill was a small community established around 1805 near Highway 48 and 19th Avenue, named after John Dickson, an early settler who constructed a mill nearby.
This cemetery serves as the final resting place for several prominent local families like the Raymer, Button and Stouffer families. According to the OGS, Dickson Hill Cemetery has more than 1,263 memorials in its listings.
I hope this column will prompt some of you to head out as the weather improves and check these pieces of history out for yourself.
I will feature more instalments from this series later in the year.
Additional sources: OGS Cemeteries — email: [email protected], website: ogs.on.ca; copies of the various cemetery listings (Newmarket Public Library or buy from OGS York Region branch website; Unearthing History of York Region’s Pioneer Cemeteries, by Adam Martin-Robbins, Newmarket Era; findagrave.com.
Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, has been a local historian for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly feature about our town’s history in partnership with NewmarketToday, conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, and leads local oral history interviews.
