Boston Mills Cemetery
Location:
1942 Boston Mills Road, Caledon, Peel Region, Ontario, Canada.
Concession 3W, lot 33, Chinguacousy Township.
GPS:
Latitude: 43.7727°N
Longitude: -79.9280°W
History:
Boston Mills Cemetery is located on lot 33 East, west of the 2nd Line West, formerly Chinguacousy Township, which has now become part of the Town of Caledon.
On Sept .17, 1858, William Davy sold 1 acre for $4.00 to the Trustees of the burying ground (William Wilkinson, Peter Turquand McCollum and Hiram Caslor). On Apr. 4, 1859, Peter, and Sarah Sinclair, who had since purchased the rest of the lot, sold 9/16th of an acre to Neil Clark. During the ensuing years other small parcels of this lot were sold for dwellings and a schoolhouse. On March 1, 1882, John Marshall sold another small parcel to the Trustees (William Wilkinson and Neil Clark) for $20.00. On Nov. 14 ,1896, John and Jane Mountain sold the property between the school grounds and the cemetery to the Trustees (William Wilkinson, Neil Clark, and John Henry Caslor) for $100.00. Additional property to the west of the cemetery was purchased by the Trustees. Eventually the school grounds were also taken over by the Trustees. In June 1964 a school (SS no 8), which had been constructed by John Graham in 1888 east of the cemetery, was closed. The school and grounds were purchased in Feb. 1966 by the Trustees for $2000.00. The school was made into a mortuary to hold deceased persons over the winter months until the ground thawed, at which time these persons were interred in their respective grave plots. An iron gate was constructed at the entrance to the cemetery in 1932 by William Stuart.
“The earliest gravestone is that of David Williams. He was killed on May 31, 1823 at the age of 29 by a falling tree, which he was cutting down to use for his cabin. After being enclosed in the bark of the tree, he was laid to rest in a grave at the top of the hill located about the centre of the original cemetery. He and his brother John had been given a Crown Deed on the west side of the 2nd Line where the cemetery currently is located.”
History taken from The Road to Boston Mills by Jim Filby, Boston Mills Press.
Families maintained their own records of family members buried until 1923 when perpetual care was instituted. At this time, the Cemetery Board gathered as much information as possible from families in the area. Therefore, records are only complete from 1923. As a result, there are burials that are not marked by monuments. The Cemetery Board would have to jointly approve the opening of these records. They are kept by Millie Wilkinson, RR No. 1, Cheltenham, Ontario.
Jan Speers with additions by Ron Hibbert
Courtesy of Heritage Caledon –
“Set on the southern slopes of the Niagara Escarpment near Cheltenham, Boston Mills Cemetery is a designated heritage site and one of the oldest cemeteries in the Town of Caledon, and is still accepting interments. Although land for the cemetery was not formally deeded until 1858, the first recorded burial was that of Welsh pioneer David Williams in 1823. Killed by a falling tree while clearing his land, it is said that Williams was buried in its bark. The cemetery was enlarged in 1896 and again in 1908, and in the 1930s the existing stone and iron entrance gate was erected. In 1966, the Cemetery Board purchased the adjacent school property, and the former one-room stone schoolhouse, S.S. #8 Chinguacousy, was converted into a mortuary. From its earliest limestone markers to today’s granite monuments, this beautifully situated community cemetery contains a wealth of local genealogical information.”
Transcription purchase:
Transcriptions of this cemetery are available for digital download from the OGS website – click here to order via credit card.