Dublin Roman Catholic Church Cemetery
Also known as: St. Joseph’s
Location:
NE Lot 25, Concession 1, Esquesing Township
12932 Dublin Line, Acton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada
GPS:
Latitude: 43.6089°N
Longitude: –80.0369°W
History:
In the early years, the Catholic community in the Acton area was served by the Jesuits from Guelph who visited various homes in the community to serve mass.
In 1857, a church was built at Dublin for the growing congregation and a cemetery laid out beside it. It was built on two acres of land donated by Matthew McCann and John Mulholland, both of whom are buried there. On August 31, 1858, the Sacrament of Confirmation was given by the Right Reverend John Farrell, first bishop of Hamilton.
By 1887, however, the congregation had outgrown this church and purchased the building in Acton originally built by the Congregationalists around 1877. It had also housed the Salvation Army before being bought by the Dublin congregation called St. Joseph’s.
The old church at Dublin was torn down, but the cemetery is still maintained. Records of births, marriages and deaths from 1854 to 1956 are kept at St. Joseph’s Church, but this recording has not been compared to the death records. It is possible that there are records of the Jesuits in Guelph, but this also has not been checked.
Among those who contributed to the building fund for the first church were: Thomas Gibbons, Charles Gibbons, Angus Kennedy, Thomas Dunn, Thomas Claffey, John O’Callaghan, John O’Hearn, James Gibbons, Edward Curren, Nicholas Dalton, David Mulloney, Hugh McPhee, John Mullhall, T. Foley, James Lamb, Martin Flynn, James Cummins, M. Fitzpatrick, P. Corrigle, William Donnelly, Michael Kelly, John Donahoe, Pat Mulloy, John Fortune, Matthew McCann, John Mulholland, John Patrick Lamb, Michael Carty, Michael McFadden, Daniel McCurdy, Martin Kinsella, Christopher Cusick, James Monahan, Mary Ann McGuire, James Hoban, John Lamb, Peter McCann, M. Kaley.
References:
Georgetown Herald (Aug. 12, 1981)
Acton’s Early Days (Acton Free Press, 1939)
Halton County Early Church Histories, Volume 1, Esquesing (Trudy Mann, 1983)
Elaine Bertrand Robinson
Transcription purchase:
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