Snell’s Wesleyan Methodist Cemetery
Location:
10578 Kennedy Road, Brampton, Peel Region, Ontario, Canada.
(southwest comer of Kennedy Road and Sandalwood Parkway)
Concession 1 East, south-east half of Lot 14, Chinguacousy Township.
GPS:
Latitude: 43.72792°N
Longitude: -79.79327°W
History:
CEMETERY HISTORY
The cemetery is located at the site of the first Zion chapel on Lot 14 in the First Concession East in Chinguacousy, now the south west comer of Kennedy Road and Sandalwood Parkway. The City of Brampton plaque on a memorial cairn erroneously calls this Snell’s Cemetery. In 1974 the stones were recorded by William Britnell and an earlier recording was done by Perkins Bull in the 1930s. All the stones except for four large monuments have reportedly been removed to a City of Brampton works yard. It would appear that most of those buried in this cemetery were members of Zion Chapel.
CHURCH HISTORY
The first Zion Wesleyan Methodist church was erected on the south-east half of Lot 14 Concession 1 East Chinguacousy Township. Today this is the southwest comer of Kennedy Road and Sandalwood Parkway. On February 1, 1842 James Home conveyed to William Wiggins, Robert Gardner, John Watson, Robert Broddy and John Snell one-half acre of land for a Wesleyan Methodist chapel and cemetery. The church was listed in the Wesleyan Methodist Women’s Missionary Society books as Zion from at least 1851 which proves this to be the first chapel building for the Zion congregation.
Twenty years after the land was conveyed by James Home, plans must have been made for a new chapel building. A site was given by Benjamin Watson, son of John Watson Sr., to the Zion Methodist trustees Robert Gardner, John Snel the Elder, Samuel Ferguson, Adam Ferguson, George Cheyne, Charles Dyer and John Snel the Younger. The deed was registered March 23,1862. The land was one-quarter of an acre at the northeast comer of the East Half of Lot 15 in the First Concession West, Chinguacousy Township. Today this is the southwest comer of Highway #10 and Wanless Drive. The church had been built before the deed was registered. In the Christian Guardian of October 17, 1860 at page 167, column 5 it states – “The brick church recently erected on the Centre Road in Chinguacousy, near Mr. Robert Gardners, will be opened for divine worship on the 26th”. The 1861 agricultural census states that the church which seated 300 was worth $2,000.
Zion’s contributions to the Women’s Missionary Society seemed to wane towards the end of the century. It is not listed in the 1899 year book. The 1900 Wesleyan Methodist Conference gave permission, to the trustees of Zion Church on Brampton West Circuit to sell the church building. The members had obviously moved on to other churches, perhaps Brampton, Home, Dixon’s or Campbell’s Cross.
It should be noted that in no other histories, available at the Peel or United Church Archives, mention that the Zion Wesleyan Methodist congregation on Lot 14 is the same group which moved to a new building at Lot 15 on the Centre Road. However, from the information I have cited I am certain that they were the same congregation which had two chapels and two locations during its lifetime.
Trudy Mann
Early Churches of Chinguacousy Township
Transcription purchase:
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