McNichol

McNichol Cemetery

SE¼ Lot 14, Concession 6W, Chinguacousy Township.
Heritage Rd, near the railroad tracks, about 1 mile north of Hwy 7, Brampton.
GPS 43.66724°N, –79.859573°W


Arrow points to undisturbed cemetery
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History: This early family cemetery is not shown on the 1877 Peel County Historical Atlas even though it is obvious from the dates on the gravestones that it existed at that time. In the 1930s, William Perkins Bull recorded it as “A little family cemetery in an open pasture field about 200 feet south of the C.N.R. tracks, one mile east of Norval station. The stones, in an open field, one upright others flat slabs on the ground. Nothing surrounding the plot except a few low shrubs over the graves and a few ground-hog holes penetrating the surface of the plot. The farm formerly belonged to Duncan McNicol.”

The City of Brampton, Department of Cemeteries has this cemetery’s location recorded as “Approximately 367 metres west along the CNR tracks from Heritage Road. Approximately 1026 metres east along the CNR tracks from Winston Churchill Boulevard. Approximately 33 metres south from the centreline of the CNR tracks.”

Through the latter-1900s and into the early 2000s this small cemetery was in a stand of lilac trees about 20 feet in diameter. In the 1970s the gravestones were removed and placed in the cairn at Alloa Methodist Cemetery, leaving the monument bases to mark the position of the graves. However, sometime around 2006 the monument bases and trees were removed and the land ploughed and planted with a crop. This land has likely changed ownership many times due to land speculation in the area, and in 2012 had signs specifying “Proposed Development.”

Transcriptions of this cemetery are available on-line by credit card from the O.G.S. web site click here for price/order.

References:
Acton’s Early Days
Acton Pioneer Cemetery – memorial booklet, Presbyterian Archives