Southwold – Mellor

    Just west of the Yarmouth-Southwold Township town line some four miles south of St. Thomas and a mile west of the old Gravel Road (now Highway 4) lies an old pioneer cemetery.

    It is not a large burial ground, containing as it did less that fifty marked graves. However it lay for years in a truly neglected condition. Large locust trees had grown up, while wild roses, shrubs, weeks and grass in a tangled mass gave it an almost unkempt appearance. Then too, sunken graves and fallen stones contributed further to the cemetery’s dilapidated state.

    The last resting place of the community’s pioneers was indeed an eyesore. The renovation of the cemetery had for some time been discussed by members of the Women’s Institute of River Road. In fact some of the women had met with the Township Council to find out what assistance they might receive from that source. Except for the cutting of the larger trees and shrubs, nothing further was accomplished until the W. I. decided that the restoration of this pioneer burial ground might be their centennial project.

    It is perhaps unique that in the community there are no descendent immediate relatives of those buried there and financial help from this source was not forthcoming. The council was again approached and a little later a cheque for five hundred dollars was received from them.

    In the spring of 1967 a bee to burn off the grass was held. Later in the summer the stones were lifted and moved to a central location in the cemetery to be later re-located in a cement enclosure. Murray Fulton with his tractor-lifter assisted by men of the neighbourhood did the lifting of the heavier stones. Those assisting were members of the Curtis Campbell, H. Reiger, E. Reck, G. Beattie, F. Begg and W. Carter families.
Several of the stones had crumbled or cracked. A few had to be discarded but a few of the slightly broken ones were later repaired. A number were in fair to good state of preservation. Mr. W. Pow, Southwold Road Superintendent, removed the irreparable markers and old footings.

    Other renovated cemeteries were visited in order to get ideas as to the restoration of this one. Mr. Oscar Temple was finally engaged to do the work. The stones, mostly of the slab type, were placed inside around the walls of a cement enclosure and the three larger ones embedded in the cement floor. The work costing the amount of the grant was completed in July. A little later Futcher Begg ploughed the land but found that the old tree stumps made it a most difficult job. In late August, another bee was held. Dynamite was donated by the County Road Superintendent and Mr. Henry Reiger was in charge of this phase of the work. The stumps were dynamited and lifted in the same manner as had been the markers. J. H. McPherson took these stumps, iron railings and other debris to a fill east of the cemetery. Those assisting at this bee were members of the Curtis Campbell, Fulton, Begg, Beattie and Reck families. Lunch on these occasions was served by the ladies of the River Road Women’s Institute.

    The cemetery has been disked twice by Colin and Curtis Campbell. Some stumps remain to be removed and the ground is to be leveled, seeded and it is hoped some landscaping done in the spring of 1968.
In the restoration of the cemetery there is in a way revealed something of the hardships of the past era. There are recorded some children’s deaths possibly due to some disease for which we are now fortunate enough to have immunization. Too there were young people who had passed away at an early age and of course there were others who after enduring the hardships of pioneer life had lived long enough to see some of their dreams fulfilled.

    On Thursday evening, May 30, a bee was again held in the cemetery when more stumps were removed. Those assisting were Curtis Campbell, Futcher and John Begg, Eli and Tim Reck, Gordon Beattie, James McPherson, and Murray and Jim Futon with a tractor-lifter. Some leveling still remains to be done, to be followed by seeding.
During the summer of 1968 Mr. J. Hasiwar worked the cemetery land several times. In September, Murray Fulton and Curtis Campbell sowed seed and purchased it at cost from the Elgin Cp-Op, as well as fertilizer which was donated by the same company. Mr. Hasiwar harrowed the plot after seeding.

    In October 1968 the cemetery presented an appearance of which those who assisted in the work of renovation may well be proud. Shrubbery will be added in the spring of 1969

1. Stone
John & Esther / STOCKTON / AE 86 yrs
[note – part of this stone must be missing]

(Note – This is likely the John STOCKTON of Yarmouth – UCLP 1818, native of NJ, Quaker – Lot 3 Conc 5 Yarmouth which would be near White’s Station) – 1842 census for Yarmouth – Quaker records. Born New Jersey ca 1770 died at Yarmouth Twp. 1855. See Hicksite Canadian yearly Meeting of Women Pelham Admittance, Esther WILLSON wife of John STOCKTON, – Esther WILLSON  born 30 Nov 1774 – died Yarmouth 24 Feb 1855, Dau.  of Samuel WILLSON, Quaker. Children of John and Esther STOCKTON in 1814 were, Deborah, Mary and Elizabeth – BCJ )

2. Stone
In / memory of / Elizabeth / daughter of / James & Ann / LAWTON / Oct. 13, 1831 / AE 7 yrs 7 mo & 1 da /

3. Stone
John WRIGHT / who died / May 17, 1889 / aged 64 years /

4. Stone
In Memory of / Joseph LAWTON / who died / May 7, 1861 / aged 27 years /

5. Stone
In Memory of / Esther Ann / wife of / John T. WRIGHT / who died / March 3, 1886 / aged 57 yrs 3 mos & 9 ds /

6. Stone
Asleep in Jesus / In / memory of / Amelia / dau of John & Amelia DADSON / died Mar. 4, 1874 / AE 7 ys 6 ds /

7. Stone
In Memory of / Rosanna / wife of / Geo. THOMAS / Aug. 4, 1866 / AE [illegible] /

8. Stone
Ernest / d. Dec. 29, 1867 / AE 1 yr 2 m’s / 16 d’s / Charles / d. Sep. 12, 1865 / AE 5 mo’s / & 20 d’s / children of / Thomas & Mary A. / MELLOR /

9. Stone
In memory of / John MELLOR / d. Oct. 16, 1862 / aged 53 y’rs /

10. Stone
In memory of / Maria / wife of / John MELLOR / who died / May 10, 1861 / aged 51 yrs /

11. Stone
Ann / wife of / James LAWTON / died June 23, 1852 / AE 47 yrs /

12. Stone

In / memory of / Jessie / dau of Rob’ & Eliza’th / NICOL / died / Sep. 23, 1863 / AE 18 yrs /

In Memory of / Charles Abner / son of John & Nancy / DADSON / who died / Apr. 7, 1875 / AE 13 y’s 2 m’s & 22 d’s / In Life Beloved in Death Lamented /

(Catherine DOAN given as “Catharine”)

In memory of / Noel B. / son of / John & Maria / MELLOR / who died / Dec. 7, 1860 / aged 13 y’rs 5 m & 13 d /

(sic for Barbara MITCHELL)

In Memory of / Laura A. / daughter of / John & Esther / WRIGHT / died / Feb. 7, 1858 / AE 11 mos & 7 d’s /

In memory of / M. Althea / daughter of / John & Esther A. / WRIGHT / died Oct. 13, 1862 / AE 8 yrs 2 m’s & 2 d’s /

In / memory / of Solomon A. / son of / John E. & Esther A. / WRIGHT / died Oct. 8, 1862 / AE 1 yr 11 m’s / 23 d’s /

21. Stone
In / memory of / James LAWTON / who died / Mar. 5, 1873 / AE 82 y’s & 9 m / A native of Carsbrook England /22. Stone
In / memory of / Mary / wife of / Samuel L. WILKINSON / oldest daughter of / John & Maria MELLOR / who departed this life / Sep. 12 A.D. 1855 / aged 21 years 2 mo 18 [days] /23. Stone
Abel LAWTON / born Oct. 18, 1839 / died May 25, 1922 / Gone but not / forgotten /24. Stone
South side – Jean / wife of / Wm. CLARK / died / June 14, 1895 / in her 77 yr / Tho lost to sight / to memory dear /East side – Wm. CLARK / died / Sept. 20, 1880 / aged 66 yrs / Gone but / not forgotten /

(NOTE – Inscription for Wm. CLARK appears to be in error. Probate records indicate that he died 20 Sep 1879. No death registration found.)

25. Stone
In memory of / Robert NICOL / born in London England / on the 1st day of March A.D. 1804 / died at St. Thomas, Ont. / 2nd July 1878 / Elizabeth / his wife / died May 31, 1890 / in her 90th year / NICOL /

(NOTE – Elizabeth CLARK NICOL was the older sister of Wm. CLARK above who died 1879)

26. A loose stone
In memory of / Sylvester L. / son of Abner N. & Eliz’th / BASSETT /