St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Cemetery
Also known as: Streetsville Memorial Cemetery
Location:
299 Queen Street South, Mississauga, Peel Region, Ontario, Canada
Concession 4W Lot 3 Toronto Township
GPS:
Latitude: 43.5786°N
Longitude: -79.7093°W
History:
According to Perkins Bull, the land was at one time an Indian camping ground, and prior to that, a battleground where tribal wars were fought, and personal arguments settled.
The early settlers were chiefly Presbyterians. This denomination is said to be the first to hold religious services in Streetsville. Little is known of the first church in 1819 on Britannia Road East. In 1821 a neat log church was built on the corner of Queen and Pearl Streets in Streetsville.
There being no prayer or service, the first burials were not in a cemetery but simply some spot in the forest. Timothy Street, an Anglican, after whom Streetsville is named, wished this to be remedied. On February 24, 1824, he gave the Presbyterians a portion of his land for a burying ground to be used for all Protestant denominations. Five of their members were the first trustees: Malcolm McKinnon, John Butchart, James Glendinning, Ebenezer Farnsworth and James Paterson. For years, this was the only Protestant Burying Ground for a large district. The McClure’s buried here lived in the Churchville and Brampton area. The deed of this transaction hangs in the Streetsville library.
In 1824, the Presbyterian congregation made preparations to erect a church. Bees were held, the timber prepared, and John Sibbald did the joining. In 1828, Rev. Andrew Bell was ordained and inducted as the first minister in charge of Streetsville and Malton. He was followed by the Rev. W. Rintoul. The first preserved records begin with his ministry. His field of preaching included Chinguacousy, Caledon Township and as far north as Erin Township. This church was known as the Presbyterian Church, Toronto Township, West Side. According to the 1856 official map of Streetsville, the Cemetery was known as the Scotch Burying Ground.
The brick church, which is used today, was opened for worship on November 1, 1868. In 1890, the Council closed the cemetery. On June 28, 1959, a new stone was erected, and the cemetery was re-dedicated as Memorial Park Cemetery, in the city of Mississauga. In January 1967, broken stones were repaired, many were moved into large cemented walls and the grounds restored. The Streetsville Historical Society had this cemetery transcribed in 1984 as a Student Project. Repairs were made to the stones in 1978 with a $2,000 trust fund from the Town of Streetsville and a grant for a Student Project. The work was done under the direction of William Tolton of the Streetsville Historical Society.
Lois McKinney
Transcription purchase:
Transcriptions of this cemetery are available for digital download from the OGS website – click here to order via credit card.