Anglican Cemetery
Aylmer, Ontario, Malahide Township, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada
Abandoned
MA 407
Recorded by: Tony Hofstee
Elgin County Branch OGS July 1986
Revised and formatted for the Internet 20 November 2002 by Bruce C. Johnson Jr.
Copyright by the Ontario Genealogical Society, Elgin County Branch 1982 – 2002. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microform reproduction, recording, or otherwise – without prior permission of the publisher.
This cemetery is no longer in use. According to the stones, the last burial took place in 1892. Many of the stones are in poor shape.
Early in the year 1860 an Anglican congregation was organized in Aylmer and met in the town hall. In 1861, Philip Hodgkinson donated the southeast corner (Water & Queen Streets) of his farm. There was also a cemetery on the property. In 1885 the congregation purchased the former Methodist Episcopal church which had been built in 1879 and which had been vacant for two or three years following an amalgamation of the Methodist churches. This building is still in use by Trinity Anglican church. The church on Water Street was sold to the Disciple congregation, but was destroyed by fire a few years later. Some of the gravestones were moved to Aylmer cemetery, although a few remain on the site.
The Aylmer Express, Wed., July 24, 1991, p. 14, featured an article on the cemetery with a photo of some of the stones. The article is titled; “Tombstones retrieved from Water Street ravine.”
The caption for the photo is: “Tombstones belonging to graves in Trinity Anglican Church’s old cemetery at the corner of Queen and Water Streets were recently retrieved from a ravine behind the property. Although the cemetery is located in the backyard of a private residence, land records are being researched to determine ownership.”
1. White marble slab on ground; broken
In memory of / Sophia BURNHAM / the wife of / Joshua S. BURNHAM / died / May 31, 1864 / aged / 62 y’s 2 m’s 15 d’s / [verse illegible]2. Grey marble slab on ground; broken; clasped hands motif
Farewell / Joshua BURNHAM / died / [rest broken off] [NOTE: Several sources give that he died 24 Dec 1888]
(The 1881 census for Malahide Twp., gives Joshua BURNHAM, age 79, born Nova Scotia, Church of England [Anglican]. His widow Mary Elizabeth (TAYLOR) (LING) (CLINE) BURNHAM remarried again Matthew GWATKIN after 1888.- BCJ)
3. White marble slab on ground; broken; open book motif
In / memory of / Henry DAVIS / died / June 5, 1881 / aged 70 y’rs & 6 m’s / [verse illegible]
4. Three piece white marble pillar on cement base
(North) – In memory / of / Jane / daughter of / Edwin & Harriet HOPKINS / who died / Nov. 11, 1874 / aged 31 y’s 9 m’s & 5 d’s /
(West) – In memory / of / Edwin HOPKINS / who died / May 10, 1878 / aged / 61 y’s & 21 d’s / Affliction sore long time I bore / Physicians were in vain / Till God alone who did hear my mourn / And eased me of my pain / J. W. Hutchinson /
(South) – In memory of / Mark / son of / Edwin & Harriet HOPKINS / who died / Feb. 2, 1862 / aged / 13 y’s 3 m’s & 25 d’s /
(East) – In memory / of / Harriet / wife of / Edwin HOPKINS / who died / Feb. 23, 1892 / aged / 77 years / A precious one from us has gone / A voice we loved is stilled / A place is vacant in our home / Which never can be filled /5. White marble slab on ground; obelisk, doves, willows motif
In / memory of / George BUSH / died / June 21, 1868 / AE 51 ys. 8 ms. / & 9 ds / [verse illegible]
6. White marble slab; broken
George SEERS / died / July 1, 1872 / AE ?? ys 11 ms / [verse illegible]
[George SEERS is given as age 36 in the 1871 census for Malahide Township]
7. Base only
8. Base only
9. Base only
10. Base only
11. White marble slab; broken; dove motif
In / memory of / Eliza / dau’h of Alfred & [illegible] / SNO [rest illegible] / died / [rest illegible]12. White marble; broken
[illegible] / [illegible] / illegible & Marg. / Alvin ]YORK / died Feb. 23, 1851 / AE 3 ys 4 ms / & 9 ds / Margaret / dau’h of [illegible] / [rest gone]
(There is a Samuel and Margaret YORK in the 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses for Malahide Township. They had at least 3 children including a a Margaret YORK who was born about 1861. Margaret gives her religion as Church of England [Anglican])
13. White marble, broken, clasped hands
In / Memory of / Hannah / Died / ___ 20, 1873 / AE 26 ys & 6 yrs / (four lines of verse)