HTG-14-120

RESEARCH REPORT

Pioneer Memorial Garden Cemetery 185-201 Bond Street West

Oshawa, Ontario

Prepared For: Heritage Oshawa June 2012

Prepared By: M. Cole

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185-201 Bond Street Pioneer Memorial Cemetery – Research Report, June 2012

Prepared by: Melissa Cole, Heritage Researcher

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Description of Property

The Pioneer Memorial Cemetery is located at 185-201 Bond Street West, in the City of Oshawa. According to the City of Oshawa By-law 139-83, the Pioneer Memorial Cemetery is an inactive cemetery currently owned by the City of Oshawa. This cemetery was historically owned by Simcoe Street United Church & its predecessor churches. It is located on the south side of Bond Street West across from Arena Street in Oshawa.

The GPS Coordinates are 43 53.810 N – 78 52.285 W

Historical Attributes

Summary

“The little plot of ground, in the centre of which this cairn-like monument stands, measures 170 by 140 feet. In quaint, reverent language of the past, the plot was known to many as

“God’s Acre”, for this was the burying ground of deceased members of sturdy pioneer families of yeoman stock who helped establish our community on the banks and high land

of the creek that wends it busy way towards Lake Ontario”.

– Oshawa Times Gazette, 1949

The history of the Bond Street Pioneer Cemetery spans more than a century. This particular cemetery reflects the early history of the City of Oshawa and holds the memorials of Oshawa’s earliest settlers and some very prominent citizens. This cemetery is an oasis of piece in the middle of a busy city and is an example of how local organizations in the community came together to save an important historical memorial to the citizens of bygone days.

By their nature, cemeteries are sacred and important heritage sites. Most cemeteries provide park-like green spaces that enrich the City aesthetically. The Pioneer Memorial Garden located at 185-201 Bond Street West in the City of Oshawa is an example of such a cemetery. Architecturally, they often hold beautifully carved headstones monuments, and structures. Cemeteries attract tourists and those interested in searching their family roots or the history of this city.

Early Lot History Methodist Cemetery

The land on which the Bond Street Pioneer Memorial Cemetery sits was originally owned by Mr. John B. Warren, who had received it as part of a crown grant. In the year 1847, he sold the 115’ frontage and 122’ deep, one acre of property on “Protestant Hill” to the trustees of the Wesleyan Methodist Church for twenty pounds sterling. This one acre lot was to be used as a church and cemetery. The Wesleyan Methodist Church built its church building

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185-201 Bond Street Pioneer Memorial Cemetery – Research Report, June 2012

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fronting on King Street West; behind the church was the old Methodist Cemetery. It should be noted that prior to 1847, records indicate that the land had been previously used as a burial ground. While it is often stated, the earliest burial recorded is that of Sabine Dearborn, wife of Samuel Dearborn, in 1830 the presence of stones recording much earlier deaths suggests the first burial may have been much earlier.

This cemetery contains burials of many well-to-do and dedicated church members. The family plots were separated from the others by various means; wrought iron fences, decorative posts with ornamental tops connected by chains, bars or stone borders. An array of wild pink roses and purple lilacs were also plentiful. The Methodists had the oldest congregation in the Township. In the period of 1867 to 1868, a new Methodist Church was built on Simcoe Street and was ready for service in 1868. The old church building was sold and then removed, and the basement excavation was filled in. To ensure that no animals pasturing on the public road could enter, a high wooden picket fence with a protective gate was built across the front of the property. In the early 1900’s the high wooden picket fence was removed as well at the protective gate and the jungle of locust bushes that grew on the eastern part of the property. A modern wire fence then enclosed the property. A couple by the name of Mr. And Mrs. Richard Taylor bought the south-east portion of the front of the property that had been for sale. Their house was erected and their children and grandchildren were members of the Simcoe Street Church. It appears that the unsold portion of the property was still used for burials, the last being that of Barbara Hurd* in 1906. Pioneer Memorial Garden By the turn of the century, the cemetery was described as follows:

Across the front of the property was a high, unpainted wooden picket fence with a gate protecting the ground from cattle which frequently pastured on the public road. Several very old spruce trees close to the fence bent their limbs in heavy snowstorms to the sidewalk outside the property. Many headstones were

lying flat in the grass and wild pink roses and purple lilacs grew in profusion. – Mrs. L. Bray Many families of those buried there had removed the remains to more recently acquired lots in the Union Cemetery so the entire old graveyard was practically empty. (Bray, 1971). * There is evidence of grave markers at Union Cemetery for many of the individuals that are noted as being buried at Pioneer Memorial this includes the following: John Ritson * Mary Catherine Stone Ritson * Robert Wilcockson * Ann Wilcockson * Barbara Hurd Wood * Richard Woon * R.O. Woon *

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185-201 Bond Street Pioneer Memorial Cemetery – Research Report, June 2012

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Further research is required to locate other individuals that may have been moved from Pioneer Memorial to Union Cemetery. In 1945, due to the deplorable state of the cemetery, the Board of the Simcoe Street United Church decided the property should be cleaned up, and that a plan be adopted that would assure it’s preservation for years to come. A committee was headed by George Ainsley, members included Mr. E.A. Lovell, Messrs R.N. John, S.F. Everson, S.R. Alger and T.K. Creighton, who decided that the neglected cemetery would be transformed into a Memorial Garden. With assistance of the Oshawa Parks Board, 130 tombstones were lifted, cleaned and eventually arranged on cement pillars in a cairn in the centre of the property. On August 8, 1949 the memorial was dedicated, a cairn unveiled by T.H. Everson (local business owner) and dedicated by Reverend John K. Moffat. In 1957 the Oshawa Horticultural Society, who cared for the memorial garden, installed wrought iron gates in and a fieldstone wall in 1959. Land Owner, John B Warren John B Warren was the owner of the Warren Mill that was located along the Oshawa Creek east of the Pioneer Cemetery where the parking garage sits at the corner of King Street West and McMillan Street. There is a plaque on the Parking Garage that recognizes the Warren Mill that was operated by John B Warren. He was well known for his PLOW brand of flour that was shipped in barrels from Oshawa to other ports on Lake Ontario. Notable Individuals Buried/Memorialized in the Pioneer Memorial For a complete list of individuals buried/memorialized* in the cemetery see Appendix B John Ritson * One of Oshawa’s earliest settlers, Ritson came to Oshawa after running into some trouble in Ottawa. He was refused payment for work and would not accept an offer of cash. Eventually he accepted $100 as well as a horse and wagon, which broke down in front of Benjamin Stone’s house on Kingston road. Stone had built a school house at which Ritson became the first teacher. He married Stone’s daughter Mary whom he settled in Oshawa and had seven children. Luke Family Thomas Luke Senior and Junior Thomas Luke Jr. was the son of Thomas Luke Senior and Susan (nee Power) Luke, he died in 1848 at the age of 3 years. Thomas Luke Sr. died at the age of 33 years. The Luke Family a highly influential family in early Oshawa, ran a successful furniture business, undertaker/funeral home, Oshawa newspaper. The funeral business continues today, MacIntosh Anderson Kellam (MAK)

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George Lovell E.A. Lovell who the school was named after was a nephew of George. The Lovell family is one of Oshawa’s most well known pharmacy owners, Lovell Drugs. John Courtice John’s son Thomas was the first of the family to immigrate to Canada in 1831 on the “Boline” landing in Quebec City on June 27, 1831 and traveled to Darlington Township- Courtice is named after him – this is where he had a farm. Harriet Cock Guy Harriet was married to Thomas Guy Jr. in 1842 and immigrated to Canada in 1846. They settled near Reach Road, Harriet died of Typhoid two years later Thomas Guy Jr. was known as a breeder of Ayshires for which he won many medals. Thomas brother James Odgers Guy owned Guy House, one of the three buildings that makes up the Oshawa Community Museum in Lakeview Park, Oshawa. Harriet Cock Guy’s Mother’s (Harriet Trevethick Cock) portrait is currently on display in the Verna Conant Gallery at the Oshawa Community Museum. To learn more about the portrait go to www.youtube.oshawamuseum.grannycock * There is a stone marker at Union Cemetery noting John Ritson. It is likely that he was moved from Pioneer Memorial to Union Cemetery when it was no longer being cared for by any church, city or organization. There are no burial records indicating the move just the stone marker at Union Cemetery.

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185-201 Bond Street Pioneer Memorial Cemetery – Research Report, June 2012

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Heritage Attributes

Setting

The Pioneer Memorial Garden on Bond Street West holds the remnants of 130 gravestones that have been arranged in a cairn many of which are complete or at least feature the upper portion of the stone. The cairns are arranged in the shape of a six-pointed star radiating from a central column bearing a memorial plaque. Many of the stones list death dates prior to 1850 and seven are from the decade 1830-1819. The majority of the stones date from the period 1850-1860.

Key physical/design attributes of the Bond Street Memorial Garden that reflect its cultural value as an important link to the history of the local area include:

The use of markers and monuments, the variety of size sophistication and material, their inscriptions and their current placement within the cemetery. The early markers are made of limestone most likely from Kingston – came to Oshawa through shipping used as ballast on ships. Early gravestones are windows into the past besides providing biographical data pertaining to the deceased; they are also a form of artistic and cultural expression. Tombstones also provide early settlement, birth and death patterns and family histories. The Pioneer Memorial Cemetery contains one of the earliest stones in Oshawa. It is a crudely carved example containing no motifs, it was most likely hand carved, the letters appear uneven and biographical information is limited containing only name and date of death and sometimes age at death. That is the stone of Richard Adams which is dated 1817 it simply lists the name date of death and age. (Suchan, 1999) This particular stone is listed with the date 1847 in the burial lists.

Key contextual attributes of the Bond Street Memorial Garden that reflect its cultural value as an important link to the history of the local area include:

The location, dimensions and orientation of the cemetery in relation to the encompassing city that continues to grow around it – The Pioneer Memorial Garden remains an oasis within a bustling city.

Character Defining Elements (physical/design):

The original markers with their surviving inscriptions.

The placement of the monuments and markers within the cairn

The brick wall built at the entrance into the cemetery with wrought iron gates

The monuments and historical plaques placed on the cairn commemorating the local history a) A plaque commemorating the memorial garden unveiling b) A plaque commemorating the erection of the stone wall

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Character Defining Elements (contextual)

Many of the individuals recorded on the headstones were those that contributed to the building of the first Church building in Oshawa.

Location in relation to the roads, present Simcoe Street United Church, the Oshawa Creek the land on which the cemetery stands that was donated by John B Warren an early business owner in Oshawa.

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Summary of Significant Heritage Attributes

Historical Significance

Prior to the nineteenth century large graveyards were not known. Settlers were either buried in on family property or if a member of the church, in the church yard in order to be closer to God. The Pioneer Memorial Garden is an example of a church yard cemetery that had been neglected for many years. It became a public park on Bond Street in Oshawa. Members from Simcoe Street United Church came together to save the cemetery and made it into a small oasis within the bustling City of Oshawa. Today the area is fenced, maintained and owned by the City as a park. This cemetery was historically owned by the congregation of the Simcoe Street United Church. Many of the individuals listed on the gravestones were contributors toward the building of the first church building in Oshawa, Simcoe Street United Church. The cemetery preserves a physical record of the people that helped establish and develop Oshawa and the surrounding area; including names such as Ritson, Lovell, Rundle, Courtice and Guy. A complete listing of the names that appear in the cairn is listed in the appendix of this report and can also be obtained at the Oshawa Community Museum and Archives or the Durham branch of the Ontario Genealogy Society.

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Resources Bray, L. Oshawa Pioneer Cemetery, Families, Ontario Genealogical Society. Winter 1971 City of Oshawa By-Law No. 139-83, Passed Nov. 21, 1983. Maintenance & Regulation of Abandoned Cemeteries in the City of Oshawa. Conveyances Abstract and related documents. Durham Land Registrar's Office Burnell, Corinna. Letter from the Cemeteries Registration Unit - noting the city owns Bond Street Cemetery (Pioneer Memorial) May 22, 2007 Ontario Genealogy Society, Durham Region Branch, Pioneer Memorial Cemetery Burial List. Oshawa Community Archives, Bond Street Cemetery File Oshawa Community Archives, Simcoe Street United Church File Oshawa Community Archives, Pioneer Memorial Cemetery File The Daily Times Gazette, July 30, 1949 The Daily Times Gazette, August 8, 1949 Simcoe Street United Church, Church History, Suchan, Laura. Memento Mori: Classifying Nineteenth Century Gravestones, An Oshawa Study. 1999

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APPENDIX

Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, Oshawa Times Gazette, 1948 (Before Restoration)

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Pioneer Memorial Garden, Oshawa Times Gazette, 1949 (After Restoration)

The Pioneer Memorial Garden, Wrought Iron Gates, Erected in 1957 by the Horticultural Society, May 2012

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The fieldstone wall that was erected in 1959 by the Oshawa Horticultural Society, May 2012

Pioneer Memorial Garden, photo taken looking east, May 2012

The Memorial Plaque that reads:

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In 1847 this plot of land was conveyed to Wesleyan Methodist Church as the site of a chapel and burying ground. Here rest many of the early pioneers of this district. This memorial was erected in 1949 by Simcoe Street United Church, Oshawa. In memory of those whose names are inscribed hereon and of others not so recorded who also sleep here. ___________________ “I am the resurrection and the life” Saith the lord, “he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” St. John 11 25 26

Statue Possibly the Virgin Mary, holding a wreath in her left hand and leaning against a cross “sculpted as wood” with a dove/bird holding in its mouth an olive branch. Ivy encircles the cross and she is looking down to the bottom right corner. Meaning/Symbolism of Statue Bird represents eternal life, dove represents purity (the dove carrying an olive branch – for NOAH; the holy spirit, vine represents sacraments, wreath represents victory symbol of saintliness, cross represents the belief held by Christians – behold the hope of resurrection in the cross

Gravestone motifs featuring willow tree, angel and obelis

k, May 2012

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185-201 Bond Street Pioneer Memorial Cemetery – Research Report, June 2012

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Example of cairn with gravestones displayed, May 2012

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