The Cemetery
The church office holds some historical records
for the Cataraqui United Church Cemetery. Inquiries for
personal genealogical research may be directed to the church
office and will be answered on a case by case basis.
Cataraqui United Church strictly adheres to our Privacy Policy.
You may contact the Church Office at 613-548-4392.
The cemetery has passed through several phases since its conception; the coming of the Loyalists, times of plague (such as the typhus plague of the 1850's), the population shift after the war of 1812 etc. Thus it represents an important cross-section of our history.
The oldest stone in the cemetery belongs to Nicholas Herchmer, dated 1809, but through the years footstones have been buried and headstones broken or rendered unreadable by the weather, so it can only be assumed that there are older burials on the grounds In fact, when the widening of Sydenham Road was under discussion, it was decided that it was not feasible in front of the the church and cemetery because there were so many unmarked graves there. The first graves were largely a result of Loyalist burials, some of them the settlers Captain Michael Grass had brought with him to Canada. Captain Michael Grass himself was also buried in the cemetery in 1813.
The land upon which the cemetery is located was owned by Neil Ferris who measured out the area and sold plots (containing approximately fifteen graves each) for the sum of $10.00, and a deed was given to prove ownership. Presently, thirty deeds were registered in Kingston dating between 1840 and 1899.
In the founding years this cemetery which now surrounds Cataraqui United Church on three sides, was not Methodist, but was more closely aligned with the Catholic Apostolic Church, in which Mr. Ferris was involved.
Neil Ferris died in 1893, passing his estate (including unsold plots) to his unmarried niece Sara Jane Dick, who died soon after in 1901. The estate was then inherited by her sister Mrs. Emma Susan Chapman, who moved away a few years later. Subsequently this was the end of Ferris ownership of the burial grounds. There is no official document that indicates ownership of the ‘Ferris Burying Ground’ by the Methodist Church in Cataraqui. However, the Church continued to look after the cemetery and Cataraqui United Church is still the manager today. In 1929, a ‘Perpetual Care Fund’ was established to care for the grounds.
Adjoining the Methodist burial ground is a family cemetery, ‘ The McGuin Burial Plot’. The exact demarcation of this plot is a post in the northwest corner of the lot, and this can be clearly seen today; a surveyor’s stone with a scored cross on top.
The rules by which a cemetery is governed are virtually universal in that their purpose is to preserve the sanctity and decorum of the cemetery. However, there are regional variations and additions to the usual rules, which are dependant on the mood and concerns of that particular time and place. The rules aren’t always what might be expected and they definitely appear to cover every contingency. A few examples of some of the rules (circa 1880) that applied to this area, though not Cataraqui United Church Cemetery specifically, are as follows. (It is interesting to note how many of the rules are virtually ignored, or at least not enforced.)
Lots shall not be used for any other purpose than as places of burial for the dead, and...
The proprietor of a lot may erect any proper stone or monument theron but no head or foot stone shall exceed eighteen inches in height.
Children will not be admitted unless with their parents, or with persons having them specially in charge; nor will schools or other large assemblages of persons be admitted unless by special permission of the Directors.
No picnic party, no refreshments or persons having refreshments of any kind will be permitted to come within the grounds, nor will any smoking be allowed
No horse shall be left in the grounds unfastened without a keeper, and no horse is to be fastened except at the posts provided for that purpose.
No person or persons in vehicles will be allowed to pass through the grounds at a rate faster than a walk.
Visitors having dogs must leave them outside the gates.
All persons are prohibited from plucking any flowers either wild or cultivated or breaking or otherwise injuring any tree, shrub or plant.
Any person disturbing the quiet and good order of the place by fishing, bathing and washing in the ponds and water courses, or by noise or other improper conduct, or who shall violate any of the foregoing rules, will be compelled instantly to leave the grounds.
