Monday 21 May 2012

Grove Cemetery

The Grove Cemetery was established in 1852 to help out when the Union Cemetery in Dundas became full. It is located on land that was sold to William Hare in 1808. The Hares died of cholera during the epidemic of 1832 and were buried on their land. Before the Hares, the land was granted to Ann Morden and her family, who were the first settlers in the area, in 1787. United Empire Loyalists, her husband had been found guilty of treason and hanged in Philadelphia for trying to help a friend escape to Canada. Three of her sons had joined Loyalist armies and by chance met together after the war in Niagara where they then connected with Robert Land, the man who their father had helped. By then the best land around Lake Ontario had already been taken so when they brought their mother and remaining siblings to join them, they were granted land in the Dundas Valley.

8 comments:

Gemma Wiseman said...

Interesting history behind this cemetery! Amazing how lives became interwoven in tragedy! Wonder what prompted the conversion of a property to cemetery land? I guess with more settlers arriving, somewhere there needed to be a cemetery!

Paul in Powell River said...

I must admit you do your research!

SeaThreePeeO said...

What a fantastic and atmospheric picture.

Herding Cats

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Interesting history and I like the antique look of the photo.

Francisca said...

So when all the Hares dies of cholera, did the land revert back to the government? Your sepia treatment gives the place the sense of history you tell.

hamilton said...

I could not find out if the Hares had any offspring, nor what happened during the 20 years between their death and the sale of the land

Julie said...

There are those Empire Loyalists again. Seems strange for Americans to hang someone from Canada for helping the English. But those were the times ...

I, too, like the treatment you have afforded the image. Really helped to set the atmosphere for the story. I gather the Union in the name of the other cemetery, is refering to the union of the provinces into Canada? or is that too early?

hamilton said...

The Union more likely refers to the union of two churches for sharing a graveyard.
And Mr Morden wasn't a Canadian, but he was loyal to the British Crown during the Revolutionary War. Many of these people were welcomed into Canada and granted land to settle.